by Holly Martin
She turned and ran down the stairs and into the dining room, but though it was busy with guests and staff, Gabe wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
She raced out of the reception into the cold and ran straight into Luke. He steadied her with his hands on her shoulders.
‘If you’re looking for Gabe, he’s down in the ice palace getting ready to be Father Christmas,’ Luke said. ‘I’ve just seen him, he’s in a terrible state.’
‘Thanks to me.’
Luke shrugged. ‘I’ve told him he’s being an arse, if that helps.’
Despite everything, Pip let out a little giggle. ‘He is an arse, but I love him.’
He smiled. ‘Then go tell him that.’
Pip ran down the hill towards the ice palace. She saw all the families lined up outside, ready for their turn with Father Christmas. They were lavishing the reindeer with strokes and pats and the reindeer were clearly loving all the attention.
The door was roped off with a temporary barricade, barring the way into the ice palace until they were ready for the guests. Pip simply stepped over the rope and let herself inside. She walked through the ice forest, past the elves, snowmen, reindeer and candy canes until she got to the igloo in the corner.
She could hear voices from inside, Gabe’s and Neve’s, and she hesitated for a moment to listen.
‘She’s running away again,’ Gabe said. ‘I thought we had turned a corner, that she wanted to stay here with me. She said she was falling in love with me.’
‘I know.’
‘And she handed in her notice so she could stay here.’
‘Yes.’
‘And now, one bump in the road and she throws everything away.’
God, he sounded so heartbroken that Pip couldn’t listen to any more.
Pip stepped inside the igloo and Gabe’s eyes slammed into hers, anger and pain and emotion warring in his face.
She was momentarily distracted by the fact that he was dressed as Father Christmas – no beard yet, but he wore the red velvet fur-lined suit and the black shiny boots. His jacket was open, revealing a toned, bare chest. Neve was holding a cushion that they were no doubt going to use for padding. He was sitting on the throne as he had been that day they’d kissed in here.
She glanced over at Neve and noticed she was dressed as an elf, in a green velvet waistcoat, shorts and red and white stripy tights, with oversized pointy shoes. Pip almost giggled but the scowl on Neve’s face stalled any laughter in her throat.
‘You’re still here?’ Gabe said, coldly.
Tearing her gaze from Neve, she looked for the relief in his eyes, or any regret that he had tried to send her away, but there was none.
Neve stared between them and then, handing Gabe the cushion, she left them alone in the igloo.
Pip stepped towards Gabe. ‘Twelve years ago, I made a rash decision which broke us apart. Fate or luck or love brought us back together and I’m not going to let another rash decision from you tear us apart again, so yes I’m still here. I thought you wanted me to leave so I went upstairs to pack but as soon as I put the suitcase on the bed I realised that this is my home, Juniper Island is my home, the town called Christmas, the horny reindeer, the evil ponies, your grumpy brother and overprotective sister are my home, and most importantly you and your beautiful daughter are my home and I’m not going anywhere. If you had stayed in my room for longer than five seconds, you would have realised that I wasn’t packing, I was unpacking. I emptied everything I own onto the bed because I want to stay here and I was going to come and find you and tell you that you can’t kick me out of my home. I gave up everything for you, my job, travelling the world. I wanted to prove to you that I’m here for good, that you can trust me not to run away any more, but you were always waiting for me to let you down. Despite what you said, you didn’t trust me and the first chance you got to prove that you were right about your instincts, you grabbed hold of it with both hands.’
She walked up the stairs to the throne and sat on his lap. Thankfully he didn’t push her off, though he didn’t wrap his arms round her as she had hoped.
‘I love you and I love your daughter and I want to be part of your life. But you have to learn to trust me because I’m here for the long haul. I get that you’re angry, I shouldn’t have lied about my job, but I honestly had no idea I was Mr Black. It’s not going to always be sunshine and roses for us, we will fight and argue, but you can’t push me away when that happens. You can’t let our past cloud our future.’
Neve suddenly walked back into the igloo. ‘Gabe, the children are waiting.’
He still didn’t say anything, but his eyes were locked on Pip’s.
‘If you want to talk once you’re finished here, then I’ll be in our home waiting for you.’
She hesitated for a second, hoping he would say something, but he didn’t, so she climbed down from his lap and the throne and walked out.
He didn’t call her back.
Chapter 23
It was almost midnight when Gabe came back, carrying a sleeping Wren in his arms. He was still dressed in his Father Christmas costume, though minus the beard, hat and cushion. He didn’t say anything to Pip as she sat in the lounge waiting for him. He carried Wren upstairs to her bedroom and Pip was left wondering if he was coming back to talk to her or had gone straight to bed. Feeling her heart breaking all over again, she let her head fall into her hands just as he came running down the stairs. She looked up at him as he stood in front of her.
He immediately sank to his knees in front of her, taking her hands in his.
‘I love you. I don’t think I ever stopped loving you in the twelve years we were apart but I know I love you so much more now than I ever did before.’
Pip let out an involuntary sob, tears filling her eyes.
Gabe smiled slightly, brushing the tears from her cheeks.
‘Seeing you with Wren, seeing how hard you’ve worked to help get everything ready, your passion for photography, I think I fell in love with you all over again. I never thought I could offer you enough to make you want to stay in one place for the rest of your life – asking you to swap travelling the world for a home on the tiny and remote Juniper Island seemed like an impossible dream. I was so scared that I would lose you all over again and I knew this time, if you walked away, the pain would be unbearable.’
He stroked his fingers over the back of her hand.
‘To find out you lied to me about your job made me question everything, including whether our whole relationship was a lie too…’
‘I’m sorry, I’ve always lied about my job, it was an instinctive thing and not something I gave much thought to after that…’ she trailed off as he cupped her face in one hand, tracing his thumb over her lips.
‘It’s OK. I understand why you did it. And you were right, I was waiting for you to break my trust. I was so scared of losing you that I completely overreacted. I’m so sorry. I was too blind too stubborn and too hung up on the past to see that you wanting to be a photographer here, you giving up your job so you could stay here, was all the proof I needed to know that this, us, our second chance, meant as much to you as it did to me. I love you and I want to build a future with you by my side.’
Pip leaned forward and kissed him, crying with relief that they were going to be OK after all. He cupped the back of her head and kissed her back.
Eventually she pulled back, leaning her forehead against his. ‘You’re not angry that I lied any more?’
‘Everyone lies. I’ve just been Father Christmas for the last four hours and listened to countless children telling me they had been perfect, well-behaved saints all year. Wren lied to you when she told you she always sings all the Frozen songs before she goes to bed every night. We lie when it’s something we really want. You lied or didn’t admit the truth because you really wanted me. I can’t really be angry about that. I lied to you too. I said that we could never go back, that I couldn’t feel for you what I had in the past because I was
afraid of getting hurt all over again, but it was already too late. I already loved you.’
‘I don’t think you lied. I don’t think we have gone back, I think we have moved forward. Maybe if we had stayed together twelve years ago we would have drifted apart because we weren’t ready to have a serious long-lasting relationship back then. But we’re ready now. We just have to make sure that we’re one hundred percent honest with each other from now on.’
He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her just as the clock struck midnight. He pulled back slightly, kissing her nose sweetly.
‘It’s Christmas Eve,’ Gabe whispered. ‘I hope Father Christmas brings you everything you want.’
‘I have my best friend, the man I love. You are everything I’ve ever wanted.’
Gabe climbed on the sofa with her. He undressed her kissing her softly, tenderly caressing her all over.
He pulled his mouth from hers to stare down at her. She smiled and he kissed her again, and without taking his mouth from hers, he made love to her like a best friend should.
* * *
‘IT’S CHRISTMAS EVE!’ Wren shouted, jerking Gabe from his sleep. It was very early in the morning judging by the muted light filtering through the window. The woman he loved was lying naked in his arms on the sofa and his daughter was running downstairs towards them. He had just enough time to grab the blanket off the back of the sofa and cover him and Pip as Wren thundered into the lounge. Pip giggled into his arm as she peered over the top of the blanket at Wren, her face filled with so much excitement.
‘Morning sweetheart,’ Pip said.
‘Hey Princess,’ Gabe said, as Wren bounced up and down on the spot.
‘I get to go to Elsa’s palace today,’ Wren said.
‘You do, we’re going straight after breakfast,’ Gabe said.
‘Let’s go to breakfast right now,’ Wren said.
‘Breakfast won’t start for a while yet. Why don’t you go and get dressed and we can play in the snow for a bit before we eat.’
Wren pouted a little and then looked at him and Pip. ‘Did you two sleep here last night?’
‘We fell asleep on the sofa, yes,’ Gabe said, knowing that after they had made love for hours the night before, neither of them had been able to make it back to their bed.
‘Listen,’ Pip said to Wren. ‘I was supposed to be leaving after Christmas but how would you feel if I hung around for a bit longer?’
Gabe kissed Pip’s shoulder, hoping Wren would be happy about it. Although if she wasn’t, it wouldn’t change anything between him and Pip. They would have to work through it somehow.
‘Will you stay forever?’ Wren asked, seemingly even more excited about that than seeing the ice palace.
‘If that’s what you want?’ Pip said.
‘Yes, I want you to stay forever. You make Daddy really happy and you make me laugh a lot. I’m going to get dressed,’ Wren said, as she ran back upstairs.
‘You get the official seal of approval,’ Gabe said as Pip rolled over in his arms to face him. ‘We should celebrate.’
‘I think I better wait until I get Neve’s approval before we celebrate. I know she feels I let her down.’
Gabe pulled her closer. ‘I love my sister and my daughter, but there isn’t a single person in the world that could keep me from being with you. Besides, Neve told me not to throw away what I had with you. She doesn’t appreciate being lied to but the whole thing with Oakley is playing on her mind. She lied to him and breaking up with him has left her heartbroken. She says she regrets that more than anything and told me not to make the same mistake and let you go. If she’s hard on you, I think it’s her emotions over the situation with Oakley rather than you. Adam even thinks she might be pregnant.’
‘Oh my god, poor Neve. Raising a baby will be hard on her own.’
‘She might not be, but it would explain a lot if she is. Anyway, she won’t be alone, we’ll help her if she is. So be forgiving of her, even if she isn’t with you. It might be a while before you two are the best of friends, but as far as we’re concerned, I think she approves.’
Pip smiled, running her fingers down his bare chest. ‘Well then, I think we should definitely celebrate.’
A thunder of feet and high-pitched yapping came tumbling down the stairs.
‘Tonight, I promise. For now, we need to work out how to get upstairs and get dressed without Wren seeing us naked.’
* * *
After breakfast, Pip, Gabe and Wren made their way towards the ice palace, with Wren practically buzzing with excitement.
With Gabe’s arm round her shoulders and Wren holding her hand, Pip had never felt so content and blissfully happy in her life.
As the ice palace appeared in the valley below them, Wren let out a squeal of delight as the building sparkled in the morning sunlight.
Pip spotted Luke and Gabe’s parents waiting for them. No sign of Neve yet, but Pip wondered if she was already inside. She felt nervous about seeing Neve, but she and Gabe were together again and nothing was going to change that.
Lizzie, Gabe’s mum, gave her a big hug when they got near.
There were no other guests around as the ice palace wasn’t officially open until after lunch and Pip loved that Wren would get to see it for the first time on her own.
They pushed open the door and Boris, Mikael and Chester were waiting for them just inside, all of them dressed in elf costumes. Pip laughed at Boris and Mikael. They were so big they looked ridiculous dressed as elves, but Wren didn’t seem to mind and she ran forward to hug Chester.
Boris knelt down to talk to Wren.
‘Chester wanted to give you your Christmas present now,’ Boris said, as Chester handed over a badly wrapped parcel.
Wren tore at the paper to reveal a snow globe, one of Mikki’s creations by the looks of things.
‘Chester told Mikki what kind of snow globe he wanted for you and she made it specially.’
Wren peered at it and then let out a laugh of delight. ‘That’s me and Chester playing with Olaf the snowman.’
‘Yes it is.’
‘I love it, thank you Chester,’ Wren said, hugging Chester tightly.
Neve appeared through the trees, also dressed in her elf costume. ‘Father Christmas is ready for you now.’
Neve flashed Pip a small smile. As Gabe said, it might be a while before they were good friends, but she was relieved that things would be OK between them.
Wren giggled at seeing Neve in her costume but, unable to hold in her excitement any longer, let go of Pip’s hand and ran on ahead.
‘Daddy, look at this,’ Wren squealed, pointing out the ice snowmen. ‘Pip, come look at this.’
Wren came back to grab Pip’s hand and pulled her through the ice sculptures, stopping to admire every carving, stroking the ice animals and squealing in delight over the fairies and trees and bushes.
Lizzie took loads of photos of her granddaughter as Neve, Luke, Gabe and his dad trailed after them, smiling indulgently at Wren’s excitement.
Finally they reached the igloo and they stepped inside, Wren gasped when she saw Father Christmas sitting on the throne. Pip tried to look past the beard and the suit to see who it was but it was only when he started speaking that Pip realised it was Stephen.
‘Good morning, Wren,’ Stephen said in a deep voice and Wren went really quiet as she stared at him.
‘Is he the real Father Christmas?’ Wren asked Pip.
‘Of course he is,’ Pip said. ‘How else would he know your name? Go and say hello.’
Wren let Pip go and tentatively stepped closer. When she was close enough Stephen lifted her onto his lap.
‘And what do you think of my wonderful ice palace?’ Stephen asked.
‘I think it’s marvellous,’ Wren whispered.
‘Good, I do too. Are you looking forward to Christmas?’
‘Yes, I’m very excited,’ Wren said, growing in confidence.
‘And what is it you wou
ld like for Christmas this year?’ Stephen asked, clearly getting into the role.
‘A step-mum,’ Wren said, loudly.
Pip froze. This could be awkward. But to her surprise, Gabe slung an arm round her shoulders and squeezed her tight. She glanced at him and he was smiling broadly.
Stephen chortled.
‘Oh, that’s quite a big present. Normally I bring bikes or dolls to children around the world.’ He looked over at Gabe and Pip and smiled. ‘I will try my best to arrange one, but you might have to wait a while for that to happen.’
‘I can wait. But I don’t want just anyone for my step-mum, I want Pip.’
Gabe laughed. ‘I think that can be arranged.’
Pip’s heart filled with love for him.
‘Well, Wren, I have lots of presents for you on my sleigh that I’ll deliver tonight. But I do have a little something for you that you can open now.’
Stephen reached down and gave her a small square box. Wren tore at the paper and lifted the lid to reveal a blue crystal tiara.
‘It’s an Elsa crown,’ Wren gasped, immediately putting it on her head and then hugging Stephen tight.
She clambered down from his lap and rejoined Gabe and Pip.
‘And Pip, is there anything you want for Christmas?’ Stephen asked.
Pip laughed. ‘No, I have everything I’ve ever wanted right here,’ she replied, gesturing to Gabe and Wren.
‘Are you sure there’s nothing else you want?’ Stephen prompted and Pip shook her head. ‘Not even this?’
He gestured to Luke and from behind the throne Luke pulled out a silvery grey rocking horse with a red saddle.
Pip gasped and looked at Gabe.
He shrugged. ‘It didn’t seem right that you never got it.’
Pip stepped forward to stroke the horse’s mane. It was beautiful and exactly like the one she had wanted as a child. Wren ran her hands over the horse too.
‘It’s lovely, can I have a go?’
Pip smiled. ‘Of course you can, you can have a go whenever you want.’