He chuckled. ‘That’s cruel, Beth. You’re going to hide yourself away and leave me all on my own?’
‘You won’t be on your own. You’ve got plenty to be getting on with.’ Matt needed to spend time with Jack and his family over Christmas, she understood that. She knew he’d be there for her after Christmas and she’d be waiting.
‘No good. I can’t do any of it without you.’ He rolled her over onto her back, suspending his own body over hers on his hands and knees. It’ll be bad enough spending tonight on my own.’
‘We agreed to wait. See what Jack’s reaction was before I stay over with you.’
‘We did. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.’
‘Don’t you ever need any sleep?’ She aimed a play punch at him, but he saw it coming and rolled away.
‘I need it. I just can’t seem to get around to it when I’m with you.’ He sighed. ‘But you’re right. What do you say we both get a good night’s sleep tonight and I’ll come over early tomorrow and pick you up?’
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHRISTMAS EVE. Dusk was falling and Matt had stoked the open fire in the sitting room into a blaze of light and heat. The day had been perfect. Beth’s initial awkwardness the previous evening, when Matt had taken her over to his parents’ house, had been dispelled by a piece of characteristically direct action on his part, when he had grabbed her hand and pressed the back of her fingers to his lips. His mother had responded by hugging her and promptly banishing Matt from her kitchen in favour of talking with Beth while she finished preparing the meal.
Today, it was almost as if she was already a part of the family. Matt’s father stole her away from him to discuss the pointing at the back of the house and tell her how pleased he was that she and Matt were ‘stepping out’. And Jack whirled from his father to Beth like a small tornado, not sure which one of them he wanted to chatter excitedly with the most.
‘They’ll be gone for at least a couple of hours.’ Matt sank down onto the sofa, stretching his legs out in front of him, his arm around Beth’s shoulders as if that had always been its proper place. It had been, really. They fitted together as if they had been fashioned that way, right from the start.
‘Has Jack taken that piece of plastic mistletoe with him?’ Jack had never seemed to tire of pulling the small sprig from his pocket and waving it at Beth every time she came within arm’s reach of Matt. She hadn’t tired of kissing him, though, and Matt certainly hadn’t seemed to mind.
‘Probably. I’ve got him on commission, so he’s hanging onto a good source of income.’
‘What? You didn’t.’
‘No, actually, I didn’t think of it. Wouldn’t have been a bad idea, though. I might suggest it to him next Christmas.’
‘We haven’t made it through this Christmas yet.’
‘That’s just a formality. Do you really have to be at the hospital tomorrow?’
‘Yes, I promised to go carol singing and I can’t let them down.’ She was here alone with Matt on Christmas Eve and that was so much more than she could have dreamed possible. And she could hope for other Christmases with him.
‘You said…’ He jerked upright in his seat to face her. ‘I thought you were going to be there all day. The carol singing’s just for an hour in the morning. What are you doing for the rest of the day?’
Beth shrugged. ‘Nothing.’ His brow darkened. ‘I didn’t want you to think that I was on my own.’
‘Well, there’s an answer to that. Can’t you see how much Jack loves having you here? Don’t you know how much I want you with me? Stay tonight. Stay tomorrow. We’ll come carol singing with you and then I won’t have to let you out of my sight for a moment.’
It all sounded too perfect. Beth was about to ask him if he really meant it, but she could see from his face that he did. Those kinds of doubts were a thing of the past now. ‘Okay. Yes, if you’re sure that it’s all right with your parents, I’ll stay.’
‘I don’t really care if it isn’t. But since you ask, if Dad ever finds out that I let you spend Christmas on your own, he’ll take a leaf from Marcie’s book and shoot me. That’s if Mum doesn’t get her hands on me first.’ He jumped to his feet, reaching for a padded envelope that stood on the mantelpiece. ‘And I have something for you.’
‘Oh! Matt, I didn’t get you anything…’ When had he had the time to go out and buy her something for Christmas?
‘You’re not supposed to. This isn’t a Christmas present. You have to stand up, though—here by the tree.’ He took her shoulders and positioned her carefully in front of him.
‘What’s all this?’ She looked at the ceiling. ‘You haven’t got a bucket of fake snow waiting to tip on my head, have you?’
‘Nope. Jack and I planned that for later. Here.’ He slid a small roll of tissue paper from the envelope and put it into her hand, closing her fingers around it to indicate that it wasn’t to be opened yet.
‘Beth, my gran gave this to me just before she died last year. I never believed I’d get the chance to do as she asked with it.’
‘What did she ask?’ There was something about his manner that stilled Beth.
‘Gran said that when I found someone I could love, and when the time was right, I should give this to her. And I have, Beth.’ He fell to one knee in front of her, so suddenly that she almost took a step backwards. ‘Will you marry me?’
‘Matt!’ Had he completely taken leave of his senses? Of course she wanted to marry him, she’d never been so sure of anything in her life, but…‘This is too much…’
‘You don’t have to say right now. But will you think about it? I know it’s a lot to take on.’ He stopped as she laid a finger over his lips and looked at her in agonised silence.
‘Too much happiness. It’s too much.’
If his grin had been any wider, his face would have split in half. He let out a long sigh and Beth realised that he had been holding his breath. ‘Okay, then. Let’s take it in stages. I love you, Beth.’
‘I love you, too, Matt. More than anything.’
‘Good start. And do you want my children?’
‘Yes. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed babies, just like their father…’
‘Well, there’s a problem, because I want them to be just like you. But we can discuss that later.’ He reached up and cupped her face with his hand, his eyes tender. ‘So will you marry me?’
‘Yes, I will.’
He stared at her, as if he had never truly believed that she would say yes. ‘Open the package.’
Beth’s fingers were trembling so much that she almost dropped it. Somehow she managed to get the ribbon off and unroll the paper, and a heavy gold ring dropped out into her palm.
‘Matt! This is beautiful!’ The ring was art nouveau in design, gold tendrils wound around three diamonds, which flashed in the glow of the Christmas-tree lights.
‘It was Gran’s engagement ring. She said that there was a lot of love in it already.’
‘And we’ll add even more. I’ll wear it for her, as well as you. Because she had the sense to believe in you even when you didn’t believe in yourself.’ She gave him the ring and held her left hand out to him, and he slid it carefully onto her finger.
‘Well, how about that? It even fits.’ He grinned. ‘What more can we ask for a perfect Christmas?’
‘Apart from Jack, you mean? And your family?’
‘Quite apart from Jack. I don’t think he’ll give us a moment’s peace. Mum certainly won’t.’
‘Well, as long as he doesn’t lose that piece of mistletoe.’ Beth giggled. ‘That’s what I’ll have. Some mistletoe, so you’ll have to kiss me whenever I want.’
‘One piece of mistletoe coming up. Even if I have to trudge all the way down to the local pub and steal some.’ Matt got to his feet and put his arms around her waist. ‘Anything else?’
‘Snow.’
He turned the corners of his mouth down. ‘You might have to give that one a miss. It never snows on Christmas Day.’ He leaned
down to kiss her. ‘Would be nice, though. Waking up with you on Christmas morning, snow on the ground outside, Jack asleep in bed, dreaming angelic dreams for an hour…’ He grinned. ‘Not going to happen, is it?’
‘I doubt it. But whatever happens will be perfect.’ Beth laid her hand on his chest, unable to take her eyes off the ring. ‘I can hardly believe your gran wore it for so long. It looks almost new.’
‘The best bit about it is that it’s on your finger.’ He laid his hand over hers. ‘Now, what about some champagne? I put a bottle in the fridge, just in case.’
‘Why don’t we save it for when your mum and dad get back with Jack? Where are they, by the way?’
‘Goodness only knows. I asked Mum if she could get Dad and Jack out of the way for a couple of hours to give us some time together. Before I could draw breath they were both in their coats and in the car.’
Beth giggled. ‘Does she know, then?’
Matt shrugged. ‘Well, I didn’t tell her, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s worked it out. She’s probably got Dad up a ladder in the back garden with a pair of binoculars, trying to see through the back windows, as we speak.’
The front door slammed and they both jumped. Kate’s voice sounded in the hallway, calling to Jack to come back immediately, seconds before the door flew open and Jack rushed into the room and flung himself at them.
‘Dad, come on—it’s snowing. We were on our way over to Gran’s and we had to come back, because Grandad said it was a blizzard and that we’d get stuck if we weren’t careful.
Grandma wasn’t very pleased, but he said we had to. It’s really thick, come and see.’
Matt swung Jack upwards, his arms around both him and Beth, hugging tight. Kate’s head popped nervously around the doorway.
‘Sorry, dear. If the weather hadn’t been so terrible we would have been much longer than this…’ She broke off as she saw the ring on Beth’s finger. ‘Ah! Well, that’s all right, then. Wait till George hears about this, he’ll be so pleased. He’s just putting the car in the garage.’
Jack slithered down from Matt’s grasp and stamped his foot impatiently. ‘Come on, Dad. Tell Gran to stop kissing everyone and come and see the snow.’ He tugged at both Matt’s and Beth’s hands, pulling them both into the front porch. Beth danced out into the thick, swirling flakes, dragging Matt behind her, reaching up towards an almost luminescent sky which was banked thick with cloud.
‘What’s so funny, Gran?’ Jack was wide-eyed, watching Beth and Matt hugging each other and laughing together in the snow, which had already covered the front path.
‘Gran. What’s so funny about snow?’
ISBN-13: 9781460376515
ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS
© Annie Claydon 2011
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All She Wants for Christmas Page 17