Christmas Under a Starlit Sky

by Holly Martin

  ‘I’m sorry my job stops me from spending as much time with you as I would like,’ he continued. ‘I’m getting an assistant soon so things will be a little easier in a few weeks.’

  She leaned into him and he kissed her on the head. ‘Do you know how utterly happy and content I feel right now? For the first time in a very long while, I’m looking forward to the future and what it might hold. And you gave me that hope. I will never mind when you’re busy with work. I know you always go above and beyond what’s required in your job and I love that about you. And I’ll always be grateful for that attitude because it was that that brought us together. The day when a little old lady got lost on her walk and instead of sitting in your office and delegating a search party, you came out to look for her yourself. And you found me and then you saved me in more ways than you can possibly imagine.’

  ‘You saved me too. I spent so long burying my head in my job that I never looked up and realised there was a life worth living out here. You gave me that.’ They were approaching the main reception now. ‘I thought we’d spend the night in my room tonight, the village seems too far away.’

  Ivy smiled. ‘That’s fine by me.’

  He led her inside and up the stairs to the second floor. As he walked in he looked around the bedroom, but could see no sign of the present he’d asked Oakley to pick up for him. Damn it. He’d had no time to speak to Oakley after he’d arrived and before he’d married Neve, but he had hoped that he wouldn’t let him down.

  ‘I’m just going to use the bathroom,’ Ivy said.

  Adam nodded, still scanning the room.

  She disappeared and Adam quickly clambered over the bed to peer down at the other side. He smiled when he saw the black spaniel puppy, fast asleep in a cardboard box, lined with blankets and cuddled up to a furry hot water bottle. There was a bowl of food and water nearby and newspapers on the floor surrounding the box. Oakley had thought of everything. He was going to be a great father to his son.

  Ivy came out of the bathroom dressed in his robe, her long dark hair tumbling down one shoulder, and Adam sat back quickly, leaning against the headboard as he watched her. As she approached the foot of the bed, she slid the robe off, revealing she was naked underneath. His mouth went dry.

  She climbed up the bed towards him and straddled him. As she kissed him, picking up exactly where they had left off an hour before, Adam nearly forgot all about his secret gift. She slid his shirt off, running her fingers down his chest as he let his hands explore her body. As she stopped kissing him for a moment, moving her mouth to his neck, clarity pierced his mind.

  ‘Wait, I have a present.’

  ‘It can wait,’ Ivy said, as she resumed the trail of her mouth down to his shoulder.

  Knowing the puppy could wake at any time, he shook his head. ‘Let me give it to you now. Close your eyes.’

  Ivy sighed slightly at having her plans thwarted again, but she duly closed her eyes.

  Adam leaned over the side of the bed and scooped up the tiny bundle of fur. The puppy stirred and let out a squeak as she yawned.

  Ivy’s eyes shot open and then widened in shock as she stared at the puppy in his hands.

  ‘I thought we could practise at being parents with this little girl. She’s ten weeks old and she’s called Hope.’

  Tears filled her eyes as she took the little puppy and cradled her in her arms. ‘She’s beautiful.’

  Hope licked the inside of Ivy’s elbow and she snuggled down into the crook of her arm, her eyes closing and going back off to sleep.

  ‘I thought she could live with you but we could walk her together every morning and when she gets bigger and needs more exercise, we could walk her together in the evenings too. I’d help with all her training as well.’

  ‘That sounds perfect,’ Ivy said, barely able to take her eyes off the sleeping puppy.

  Adam smiled, knowing he had definitely done the right thing.

  He took the puppy off her and popped her back in the box, next to the hot water bottle. Hope didn’t stir; clearly exhausted from her long day travelling from Lerwick.

  As he sat back against the headboard, Ivy kissed him. ‘I think I’m falling for you, I know it’s only been a short while, but—’

  ‘I’m falling for you too,’ he whispered against her lips and she smiled.

  She kissed him again and he could feel her hands going to work on his trousers. A few moments later he was buried deep inside her. He groaned against her mouth as she moved. He held her hips, pulling her tighter against him. As she pulled back slightly to look into his eyes he knew it was a lie to say he was falling for her. He had already fallen.

  Oakley woke the next morning with Neve lying on his chest, her chin resting on her hands as she watched him. His beautiful wife. There was a sense of complete and utter contentment in his heart. Things hadn’t worked out as he intended; although he had come here to get engaged, he hadn’t figured he would be leaving already married and with a child on the way, but somehow the future looked so much better already. Neve was his wife and he was going to be a dad and he could find nothing but joy and excitement at that prospect. They were going to be a proper family and that was something he’d never really had before.

  As he moved his hands to stroke her, he realised they were trapped. He looked up and found his wrists tied to the headboard with the towel belt from Neve’s dressing gown.

  He laughed as he gave his wrists a tug; they weren’t coming free unless she released him.

  ‘Now you have to stay here,’ she giggled. ‘I’ll bring you food and drink and I’ll force you to be my sex slave.’

  ‘I don’t think you’ll have to force me, Freckle, sex with you is definitely no hardship.’

  ‘Was last night the best sex you’ve ever had?’

  He smiled. ‘Making love to my beautiful wife, I don’t think it’ll ever get better than that.’ He gave his hands another half-hearted tug. ‘Although if you want to try something a bit kinkier, I’d be up for that.’

  She laughed.

  ‘Pervert.’ She bent her head and kissed his chest. ‘Do you really have to go?’

  ‘Yes, Freckle, I do. What time is it?’

  ‘You’ve got a while yet.’

  Oakley looked over her shoulder at the clock on the wall and sighed. He had a few more hours and that was it. ‘You could come with me,’ he tried.

  ‘You know that I can’t. Not yet. I need to be here for the wedding on Valentine’s Day, after that I can come and join you.’

  ‘I understand. I’ll come over for your twenty-week scan at the end of February and then we can go back to America together. I know it’ll be hard for you to leave your family but this move doesn’t have to be forever. I’m filming at the studios in California for the next two years but there’s a month filming in London too so we can come over here then and whenever we have a break from filming we can fly over here for a few days. I think I have a break in July too. We could bring our little bear over then to meet the family. Once I’ve finished work on this film, we could move back here for a while. My agent has got me a part in a film set in Scotland, we can use this as a base when I’m filming there. We’ll make it work somehow, Freckle, I promise you that. I’ll even fly your family over whenever you want to see them.’

  ‘I know, it’s OK. I will miss them but you are my family now and wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be too.’ She leaned over him to kiss him and as her lips met his he tugged at the belt holding his wrists, desperate to touch her.

  She pulled back slightly, smiling at his predicament.

  ‘I love you,’ Oakley said. ‘And these next eight weeks will be hell without you, so untie me now so I can make the most of the time I’ve got left.’

  Neve laughed and then leaned over his head to do just that.

  Oakley’s lips against hers was like a drug she was never going to get enough of. Neve wrapped her arms around him and tightly closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see the helicop
ter waiting for him on the helipad. He moved his hands down to her waist, holding her belly and caressing his thumbs over her tiny bump. Letting him go was going to be so hard to do but at least it was only for two months.

  He pulled back slightly and kissed her forehead and she knew her time was up.

  ‘I love you,’ she said, needing him to know what she felt for him, though those words didn’t even come close.

  ‘I love you too, Freckle. I will miss you so much, but we’ll talk every day, I promise.’

  She grinned. ‘I know, I know, we’ll make it work.’

  He laughed. ‘We will.’

  He kissed her briefly on the lips and knelt down and pressed a kiss to her belly. ‘Be good for your mummy, Little Bear.’ He turned to Gabe and shook his hand. ‘Take care of her for me.’

  ‘I will.’

  Oakley flashed her a smile, picked up his bag and walked over to the helicopter. She watched as he climbed on board and fastened himself in his seat. Tears filled her eyes.

  ‘Why are you not going with him?’ Gabe asked.

  ‘You know why.’

  ‘Not really. You’ve just got married to the man of your dreams. Right now you should be going on honeymoon and instead you’re letting your husband leave without you. I know him working every day at the film studios isn’t an ideal start, but California isn’t a bad place to spend the first weeks of your married life. He won’t be working every day, you could spend romantic weekends in some beautiful beachside resort.’

  Neve stared at him as the helicopter’s rotors powered up.

  ‘There’s so much work that needs to be done. I want to stay and help Adam with the transition and I don’t want to just leave you when there’s so much going on at the hotel over the next few weeks.’

  Gabe shrugged. ‘You could work remotely – most of the work that needs to be done doesn’t actually need you to be here. The table plans and menus for the wedding, the correspondence for the Fire and Ice Festival, all of that can be done from anywhere in the world as long as you have access to a laptop and Wi-Fi. Adam can handle anything that needs dealing with here in the hotel, and he’ll have an assistant soon. I’m here and there are other members of staff that can step up and help too. If we need anything we can reach you by phone or email. Let’s face it, you spending the next eight weeks crying at your desk because you miss him isn’t going to be that much use to me. Having you happy, rested and loved up, even if that’s on the other side of the world, is going to be much better for getting things done.’

  Neve looked back at the helicopter as the pilot went through some final pre-flight preparation.

  ‘You’ve been through hell over the last few months since you split up with him. Don’t put yourself through that again, go with him.’

  The rotors seemed to speed up and the helicopter suddenly lifted a few feet off the ground. Oakley waved and before she knew what she was doing she was running forward, frantically waving at him to come back. His face fell and he quickly said something to the pilot. The pilot touched back down on the ground and without waiting for the rotors to stop, Oakley unbuckled himself and ducked down as he clambered out of the helicopter and ran straight to Neve, taking her in his arms.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Do you have time for me to pack?’

  Oakley studied her for a moment and then his face split into a huge grin. ‘For you, Freckle, I have all the time in the world.’

  Epilogue

  Neve stared down at Juniper Island as the plane came into land. It was Christmas Eve and snowflakes swirled through the air, covering the whole island with a sparkly blanket.

  She and Oakley had spent a month there after Ted was born in the summer when the trees were green and flowers grew from every available surface. She had forgotten how beautiful the place looked when it was covered in snow.

  The plane touched down and came to a halt. Immediately Oakley started to dress a sleeping Ted in a thick, furry all-in-one coat that had a hood with little ears. She smiled fondly at him as Oakley fastened him back into the car seat: her little Teddy Bear.

  Oakley saw her watching them. ‘What?’

  She stood up and kissed him. ‘I love you.’

  Oakley grinned. ‘Well, that’s good because you’re never getting rid of me.’

  The door opened and a gust of snowflakes drifted through into the plane. Oakley took her hand and led her down the stairs.

  Adam was waiting for them at the bottom, with Hope sitting loyally by his side, apparently taking her role very seriously as formal guest greeter, even if they weren’t proper guests.

  Neve hugged him. ‘We’re not late, are we? I can’t believe all the flights were grounded due to a little snow. Americans are supposed to be hardy sorts and ready for harsh winters.’

  Oakley laughed. ‘The worst snowstorm in over a hundred years, it was a bit more than a little snow. Over six foot of the stuff dumped itself on the ground in less than two hours. People lost whole cars in the snow.’

  ‘We’ve had bad snow here too but fortunately nothing like that,’ Adam said. ‘And no, you’re not late. They’re waiting for you. How’s the little bear?’

  Adam took a peek at the sleeping Ted and smiled. ‘Come on, let’s get you all out of the cold.’

  They got in the Land Rover and Adam made sure their bags were stowed in the back.

  ‘Do you guys need to freshen up and get changed before we go to the ice palace?’ he asked, getting into the driver’s seat as Hope hopped into the passenger seat.

  ‘No, we knew we would be cutting it fine with our plane arriving so late, so we came already suited and booted. Underneath all these coats, of course,’ Neve smiled, as she watched Oakley buckle Ted’s car seat.

  ‘Go slowly, eh, mate,’ Oakley said. ‘These roads look very icy.’

  ‘It’s OK, I’ll take it easy, and it’s only a minute away,’ Adam said, not minding Oakley’s overprotectiveness at all.

  True to his word, Adam took the very short distance to the ice palace really slowly.

  ‘We’re upstairs,’ he said.

  They all got out and climbed up the stairs. When they reached the top, they quickly got out of their coats. Neve took off her tracksuit bottoms and unfolded her dress, which had been tucked up by her waist. She quickly changed out of her snow boots while Oakley stood waiting for her, looking dashing in the tux he had worn to marry her a year before.

  Neve opened the door and saw her parents, several villagers and Gabe and Luke milling about at the far side of the room. Gabe beamed when he saw her and ran to greet her, gathering her up in a huge hug.

  ‘I’m so glad you’re here,’ he said.

  ‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’

  He released her and Luke gave her a huge hug too. Luke had the biggest smile on his face and no wonder, she’d seen the enormous engagement ring he’d bought Audrey when they had Skyped her a few days before to tell her the news. She glanced around to greet her parents to see they were already fussing over Ted. She smiled when she saw Oakley chatting and laughing with her dad. Last week they had attended a film premiere together where the fans had been screaming his name and here he was on a tiny island in Scotland, carrying his son, chatting to her parents, obviously just as at home here as he was on the red carpet.

  Neve went over to say hello to Joy and Finn and was just admiring Audrey’s engagement ring when a voice behind distracted her.

  ‘God, sorry, I needed to pee! Did I miss anything?’

  Neve turned to see Ivy waddling into the room, her huge pregnant belly protruding out in front of her.

  ‘Ivy, oh my God, when did this happen?’ Neve said, unable to take her eyes off the huge belly.

  Ivy laughed. ‘Well, about nine months ago.’

  ‘You were pregnant the last time we were here, why didn’t you tell me?’

  ‘I didn’t know. I thought I was just putting on some weight. I always assumed that this would never happen for me, so I didn
’t even spot the signs. Adam knew before I did. I took ten pregnancy kits before I believed him that I was.’

  Neve hugged her. ‘I’m so happy for you.’

  Adam stepped up behind Ivy, wrapping his arms around her. ‘Doesn’t she look beautiful?’

  ‘In all the times we spoke over the last few months, you didn’t think to mention this to me?’

  ‘I thought I’d tell you in person,’ he grinned, stepping back to address the room. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, if you’d like to take your seats.’

  There were murmurs of excitement as everyone sat down and Gabe and Luke moved to stand at the front.

  Oakley sat next to her, slinging an arm round her shoulders and kissing her head. ‘What are you grinning about?’

  ‘Last year everything seemed so bleak for all of us. The hotel was just about to open but none of us was truly happy. And now Luke is engaged to Audrey, Adam and Ivy are going to have a baby, we’ve been blissfully, happily married for a year and Gabe is about to tie the knot with his childhood sweetheart. Everything has come together.’

  Oakley glanced over at Adam, who was looking adoringly at Ivy and stroking her bump while he talked quietly to her. ‘I’m happy for him. God, looking at her makes me broody again! I can’t wait to have another child with you.’

  Neve smiled and having no fear this time of his reaction, she took his hand and placed it over her belly. ‘You won’t have to wait too long.’

  He stared down at her and then down at her belly.

  ‘I found out last night. I was going to do something romantic and tell you in some sweet way but...’ she shrugged.

  He broke into a huge grin and kissed her hard. ‘I love you,’ he whispered.

  Before she could answer the music started and the doors at the back opened. She turned to see Pip enter the room in an elegant silver dress, her eyes only on Gabe as she walked towards her future husband. Wren was following her and while she wasn’t wearing a Frozen dress as Gabe had said she wanted to do, she was wearing a blue bridesmaid’s dress with snowflakes round the hem. Wren waved at her as she passed and Neve waved right back.