No, I can’t do that to her. Paisley shoved her hands in her coat pockets as she stopped in front of her dad’s grave. She doesn’t need to know. Paisley didn’t want anyone else to get hurt because of him. Enough people had been destroyed because of him; her mother could be saved from the torment of knowing what type of man she married.
Paisley glanced over the white marble. Usually she would be on her hands and knees cleaning it, removing mud from the base and keeping the statue of Our Lady in pristine condition with a toothbrush. Now? Now, she couldn’t care what state it was left in.
“You killed my dream,” Paisley said, crouching down in front of the gravestone. “You killed every last shred of respect I had for you.” She shouldn’t be surprised by this knowledge, but in some way she was. Patrick Healy had once been a notorious member of some of the most hated groups in the UK and Ireland. He’d hurt people—killed people—but Paisley couldn’t do anything about that. The police never wanted to know; that’s why the news of his death received so little coverage. The way the police saw it, he was just another bastard off the streets. They also didn’t offer airtime to the gangs who crossed the line over one another’s territory. It only highlighted the gang culture.
“That woman you drove away…well, she’s back.” Paisley smiled. “And she will take care of me and love me like you never could.” Paisley stood up, scuffing her feet over the grass and earth covering her dad’s grave. “You think you won by threatening her life, but it’s only going to make us stronger.”
Paisley backed away, sighing. “And one day, I’m going to meet the man who put you in the ground. When I do, I’ll shake his hand.”
Paisley turned, heading for her Audi parked on the edge of the grass verge. Today was Christmas Eve, but she wasn’t in the spirit. Not yet. Georgina would put a smile on her face—that was inevitable—but this time should be filled with happiness. Not resentment harboured towards your dead, fucked up dad. Paisley rushed from the grass, her feet slipping in the mud, then she tugged her car door open and climbed inside. It didn’t matter that the interior was now dirty; she needed to get out of the cold and away from her father once and for all.
Paisley turned the key in the engine, glancing at her dad’s grave one last time. A body in the distance caught her attention and Paisley recognized her mother immediately. Her mum was supposed to be with Oisín by now, though. She should have left last night. Paisley wound the window down, squinting and focusing her eyes on the person. Yes, it was definitely her mum.
“Mum?” she yelled through the open window. “What are you doing here?”
“O-oh.” Pauline waved, dropping her head as she turned towards her husband’s grave. “Uh, I’ll come over in a few minutes, Pais, love.”
Paisley chose to return to her dad’s grave to join her mom. He may be quite literally dead to her, but Pauline would need support. She often did.
As she neared her mum, Paisley frowned. Holding a huge arrangement of flowers, Pauline pulled the head from each one, throwing them onto the grave. “Mum…” Paisley stilled Pauline’s movements. “What are you doing?”
“This bastard doesn’t deserve a single thing from me!” Pauline spat. “And I’ve had enough of protecting him.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Paisley, we need to talk.” Pauline’s hands trembled as Paisley took the arrangement. “We really need to talk…”
“About what?” Paisley sighed. “About how Dad was a nightmare to live with? I already know that.”
“You should know who he really was,” Pauline said. “You should know that he wasn’t the dad you thought he was.”
Paisley’s heart sunk. Was her mum about to tell her what she’d discovered yesterday? Surely not. Her mum wouldn’t keep something like that from her for this long.
“A few years ago...” Pauline paused. “H-he…your dad…”
“He threatened to kill my girlfriend…and me?”
“She told you?” Pauline cried. “Georgina told you. She said she would wait until after Christmas.”
“Actually, I discovered it myself yesterday.” Paisley backed away from her mum, disappointed that she hadn’t divulged this information much sooner. Was Paisley literally the last to know in all of this? It certainly felt that way. “And you knew? All this time…the three years since it happened, you knew?”
“Paisley, love.” Pauline followed her daughter. “Paisley, wait!”
“No.” Paisley turned, rushing to her car. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening.
Except it was. It was most definitely happening.
Pauline opened the passenger side door, following her daughter inside. Neither knew where to begin. Neither wanted to be the first to ask questions. Pauline decided to break the silence.
“I’m sorry. So sorry,” she said. “The night it happened, he told me.”
“What?”
“I was getting into bed. He came in with his gun…told me he had caught you kissing her in the street.” Pauline placed her head in her hands. “He told me he’d been following Georgina for a few months. Said that something was off with your relationship with her. That she was too friendly to be your boss.”
Paisley remembered the night she last kissed Georgina. Her soft, deep red lips caressing her own before they pulled around the corner in the car. How Georgina’s hand gripped Paisley’s thigh, dominating yet gentle. “Well, he was right about that.”
“I wanted you to know, love. I wanted to run to you and tell you the moment I knew…”
“But you didn’t.” Paisley couldn’t understand her mum’s reasons for not telling her before today. Patrick had been gone for a year; Paisley could have fixed all of this much sooner.
Pauline sighed. “I couldn’t. You know what would have happened if I’d told you. Not just to me, but to you and Georgina, too.”
Paisley nodded, aware that her mum had to protect herself, too. “I know.” She was being selfish. Her mum had put up with too much over the years. Undesirable friends of Patrick’s knocking on the door late at night, his possessiveness when they were out in public, the backhander once or twice if Pauline didn’t bow down to what he wanted. Yes, Paisley had witnessed it all. She wouldn’t tell her mum that, though. Pauline was a proud woman.
“But, love…” Pauline turned, cupping Paisley’s cheeks. “I want you to be happy. I’ve always wanted that for you. I could have told you last year when he died. I thought it might help, but then I remembered that you’d said she was married. I didn’t want you to hurt any more than you already had, so I kept quiet.”
“Thank you,” Paisley cried. “For keeping me safe. For doing what you thought was best.”
“You’re my baby. I’ll always keep you safe.”
“Do you hate me for being gay, Mum?” Paisley’s voice trembled, her stomach in turmoil. “Do you wish I wasn’t?”
Pauline smiled. “I wish you’d never gone through what he put you through. I wish you’d found true happiness with Georgina years ago. Just…don’t push her away, my love.”
“I’m not.”
“Let her in. She loves you. I saw just how much when I met you both at the markets.”
“I-I saw you talking when I went for your hot chocolate at the market,” Paisley admitted. “Is that what you were talking about?”
“Yes,” Pauline said. “I apologised and asked Georgina to give you time.”
“S-she, uh…” Paisley smiled, removing her gloves. “She asked me to marry her last night, Mum.”
Pauline gasped, tears filling her eyes. “Oh, Pais.” She pulled her daughter close, holding her tightly. “Love, I’m so happy for you.”
“She’s my world, Mum. She always will be.” Paisley didn’t realise how much she needed to say that out loud, breathing a sigh of relief as the words filtered through the air. For too long, she had pushed her feelings for Georgina down. For so long, she never thought she would have Georgina back in her life. This. It felt be
tter than ever before.
“I know.” Pauline inspected Paisley’s engagement ring. “That’s beautiful.”
“Come and have Christmas dinner with us.”
“Next year.” Pauline tilted her head, a full smile on her mouth. “I think you and Georgina need this one alone.”
“You’re sure?”
“More than sure, love.” Pauline relaxed back into the passenger seat of her daughter’s car. “You know…” She glanced out of the window. “I think this will be the last trip I make here.”
“Me, too.”
“I think we both have better things to do than waste our time on a man who made people’s lives a living hell…”
“You took the words right out of my mouth.” Paisley fired up the engine. “Can I give you a lift home? I had somewhere I wanted to stop at on the way.”
“That would be great.” Pauline tugged her seatbelt around her. “Is everything okay?”
“Yep, perfect. Just have something I need to do.”
“Come on then.” Pauline smacked the space above the glove compartment. “Let’s get out of this godforsaken place.”
Georgina called Paisley’s phone for the third time in an hour. She should have been over here by now. They should have been at Paisley’s apartment thirty minutes ago. She frowned when it went to voicemail again. Everything appeared to be fine when Paisley left this morning—nothing seemed untoward—but now Georgina’s mind was racing. Just yesterday, Paisley had threatened to leave. Had she gone ahead and done that? Georgina prayed she hadn’t. About to call her fiancée’s number again, Georgina looked out of the window. Confused, she watched Paisley’s car pull into the drive, a Christmas tree tied to the roof.
She threw her phone to the couch, heading straight for the door. When she opened it, Paisley was standing beside her car, her arms held out. “Ta-dah!”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s a Christmas tree, babe.”
“Yes, I can see that.” Georgina moved onto the driveway. “But, why do you have it strapped to your car?”
“Because we needed one.”
“You have a perfectly good tree at your place.” Georgina eyed the tree, it was massive. “And how did you manage to find this on Christmas Eve?”
“The place I went to had a few left.” Paisley rubbed her hands together. “Now, I need a hand with this. The lad in the shop wasn’t much use and I basically got it up there on my own.”
“I’d have paid to see that.”
“Excuse me.” Paisley scoffed, flexing her muscles. “I work out now, remember.”
Georgina wrapped her arms around Paisley’s waist. “Mm, I do remember. I have had the pleasure of holding your gorgeous body…”
“All right.” Paisley backed away. “No free show for the neighbours.”
“They wouldn’t know what to do with themselves.” Georgina smirked. “They’re all up their own arse around here. Snobby bastards.”
“So, arousal…check. Offend the neighbours…check.” Paisley laughed. “Now can we get the tree inside?”
“Here?” Georgina narrowed her eyes. “I thought we were having Christmas at your apartment.”
“Nope. Change of plans.” Paisley shook her head, untying the rope on the roof of her car. “This is our home, Gee. We should spend our first Christmas together here.”
Georgina would give Paisley the world if she asked for. This though? Christmas together…their first. She felt as though Paisley had just given her the world. “I love you. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life telling you that.”
Georgina sat on the edge of the coffee table, watching Paisley prepare the decorations she bought into the right piles and the correct colour. Blues, silvers, and whites were scattered all over the floor; Georgina wasn’t sure where to begin. This wasn’t her area of expertise and she worried Paisley would have to do this alone.
“Give me a minute,” Paisley said, moving towards the kitchen. “Then we’ll begin.”
Georgina could only nod. Having Paisley here, the fire roaring as they prepared for Christmas together, was overwhelming. Georgina could manage the emotions—she had no other choice—but everything felt too perfect. As she watched Paisley move around the kitchen with immense ease, Georgina wondered if the last three years had been a dream.
Paisley returned to the living room carrying two Christmas mugs. Topped with whipped cream and marshmallows, Georgina knew it was hot chocolate. This was only going to tip her emotions over the edge this evening. The romance around the house had skyrocketed. Just two weeks ago, this home could have been considered derelict. But now? Paisley had brought it back to life.
Georgina stood up, taking the proffered cup from Paisley.
“Oh, my God.” Paisley beamed. “This is just perfect.” Her head fell to Georgina’s shoulder. “So perfect.”
Wham’s Last Christmas played around them, the curtains pulled back. Paisley was right; it was perfect. “You really are excited about this, aren’t you?” Georgina pressed a kiss to the side of Paisley’s head.
“Unbelievably happy.” Paisley tilted her head, smiling Georgina’s way. “Did you want to put the first decoration on the tree?”
“Oh, no.” Georgina brought her cup to her lips. “I think I’ll just watch.”
“But we’re supposed to decorate it together.”
“W-we are?” Georgina frowned. Over the years, she never even purchased a tree for Christmas. She managed a wreath, but that was where it ended. God, my life could have been so much different if that night never happened.
“Um, yeah.” Paisley placed her mug down, taking a decoration from the table that they’d purchased at the market. It was a porcelain couple—two women, one blonde and the other brunette. Their names had been hand-painted beneath. It was simply beautiful. “Here.”
Georgina blushed. “It’s been a while and I’ll probably just mess it up.” Clearing her throat, Georgina pushed the decoration back in Paisley’s direction and took a seat on the edge of the coffee table. “You should do it.”
“How can you mess it up? It’s just a tree.” Paisley got to her knees in front of Georgina, resting her hands on her thighs. “I’m not sure you could ever mess anything up.”
“I just…” Georgina paused, aware that Paisley was likely to laugh at her next sentence. “This isn’t something I do. I haven’t decorated a tree since I lived at home with my parents.” Paisley’s eyes softened. Sympathy. It wasn’t what Georgina was looking for, though. “But you’re so excited about Christmas, and I know that if I touch that tree I’ll mess it up, ruin your evening, and you won’t want to do this with me again.” Georgina sighed, running her fingers through her hair. “It’s best if you do it. It’ll look amazing. You’re far too excited for me t—”
Cut off by Paisley’s lips, Georgina settled against her fiancée, Paisley’s hand fisting in Georgina’s oversized shirt.
“God, I’ve wanted to do that all day.” Paisley climbed to her feet, taking Georgina’s hand. “Come on. Up!” Georgina smiled, following Paisley to the tree. “We’re doing this together. Nothing will be ruined. It’ll be beautiful.”
“You’re sure?” Georgina faced Paisley, aware that she had a hesitation in her eyes. “I want this night to be perfect for you. You deserve it.”
Paisley wrapped her arms around Georgina, their bodies flush together. “This is the beginning of the rest of our lives together. I’m going to be doing this with you when we’re old and unable to remember who we are.” Georgina appreciated Paisley lightening the mood. “I’m going to do this with you tonight and in all the years to come…with our dog, or cat, or our kids.” Paisley’s mouth clamped shut.
Georgina’s eyebrows rose. “Kids, huh?”
“Sorry, I didn’t…I just…” Shaking her head, Paisley cleared her throat and turned away from Georgina, taking the decoration from beside her mug. “Forget I ever said that.” Paisley waved off her comment. “I’d like you to help me.”<
br />
Paisley suddenly fell silent, her eyes trailing the bare tree. Georgina knew she was mulling things over in her head, but Paisley had no reason to worry about the comment she’d just made. The prospect of kids didn’t scare Georgina, she simply hadn’t ever met anyone who wanted that. Her relationships, in all honesty, had never lasted long enough to find out.
Georgina took the decoration from Paisley’s palm, wrapping her arm around Paisley’s waist. She leaned in closer, her lips brushing Paisley’s ear. “You’d better show me how it’s done so I can teach the kids.” Georgina reached forward, hanging the first decoration on the tree. “Good choice for the first one. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Paisley turned her head, studying Georgina’s face. “Did you mean what you just said?”
“Which part?”
“About kids?” Paisley asked, visibly intrigued. That was evident by the slight frown line between her eyebrows.
“I’ve never said anything I didn’t mean to you.”
Paisley crouched down, disappearing under the Christmas tree. Retrieving something from behind it, Georgina smiled, watching Paisley’s ass dancing in the air. When she got back to her feet, Georgina frowned. Paisley held a purple velvet box, long—indicating it was potentially a bracelet. “This…it’s for you.”
“Baby, you didn’t have to do this.” Georgina took the box, leaning in and kissing Paisley’s cheek. “Thank you.”
“It’s just something to show you that I’m fully here,” Paisley said. “If I’d known why you left, if I could have changed things, tonight would have been completely different.”
“I’m here now.” Georgina smiled. “The past has gone…we can’t change it. But this?” she looked around. “This home has never felt so much love.” Georgina opened the box. It was a matching bracelet—the same as the one she had bought Paisley the first time around. “It’s perfect.”
“Turn it over…”
Georgina did so, her breath catching when she found the date, that day, engraved into the white gold. “Oh, wow.” Georgina’s eyes filled with tears. “How did you get this?”
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