Page 52 of Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle

I nod because it’s impossible to deny, especially to her.

Mira nudges me, making me look at her. ‘I know you feel like you’re in the way, but you’re not. Brian and I love having you there. Rocco loves having his aunt around. You’re more than welcome to stay in our spare room for as long as you need to, but you aren’t happy, and it’s not just the job or the living situation, is it?’

I shake my head, feeling like I’ll start crying if I try to speak. I believe her reassurance when I usually wouldn’t, and I know she’s right, but I’m trying not to think about it. Every single moment of this month has made me happier than I can ever remember feeling before, but what difference does happy make when we all know how it’s going to end?

The tour is full of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ and compliments on the decorations, and when we get back to the living room, Dad is quick to tell Ollie that he should be charging people to stay here.

‘It’s like coming to an isolated island. I’d pay just for the peace and quiet.’ They get into a discussion about local wildlife while Mum spots the rolls of gift wrap and unwrapped presents and pulls up a chair. ‘Ooh, my favourite part of Christmas. You don’t mind if I get involved, do you?’

I volunteer to make everyone tea, and quick-thinking Nancy has already thrown a batch of mince pies into the oven. We all sit in the living room, laughing, talking, and going over the stories about our relationship that Ollie and I have concocted.

‘I can’t believe you’ve given me grandkids! At last!’ Mum really is far too overexcited about the prospect of being a grandma for a second time.

‘They’re not real, Mum.’

‘They bloody well are for the time being, and I shall spoil them accordingly.’

‘Oh, good,’ Ollie says with a laugh. ‘Rory wants a Lamborghini and Maisie wants a horse. Good luck with that.’

‘They’re coming tomorrow morning, before the guests arrive in the afternoon. And no one’s getting a pony!’ I add, because you genuinely never know with my mum.

Before the mid-afternoon darkness falls, I take everyone on a wander around the grounds behind the castle, through the trees strung with fairy lights and illuminated reindeer silhouettes on the grassy verges.

‘So, what’s going on between you two then?’ Dad asks with dancing eyebrows and a cheeky tone.

Images of kissing Ollie, lying in bed with Ollie, and the best hugs of my life flash through my mind. ‘Nothing.’

‘I think you’ve managed to get involved with the loveliest human in the world.’ Dad sounds like he believes my answer about as much as I do.

‘Are you sleeping with him?’ Mum demands.

‘Of course not!’

‘Why not? You should be, he’s bloody gorgeous! He looks like he should be cast to play Prince William in a movie, but taller, vastly better looking, with more hair, a sexier accent, and no questionable family politics.’

‘You can probably be tried for treason for saying that!’ I try to shush her and move the conversation away from my love life, because, Prince William aside, Ollie is so much more than gorgeous. Yeah, he’s nice-looking, but it goes deeper than that. There’s something inside his soul that feels like it’s moulded to mine.

Nancy cooks and we all eat dinner gathered around one of the formal dining room tables, a practice run for the next few days, and my unease starts to disperse for the first time all day. Dinner is a loud, excitable slew of questions. Nancy and Hamish test Ollie and me with quick-fire questions on our knowledge of each other, and then turn their hand to testing how much attention Mum, Dad, Mira, and Brian have been paying today with questions on what our wedding was like and filling them in on anything they might need to know about their pretend grandchildren.

I haven’t had a moment alone with Ollie since this morning, so when he insists on doing the washing up after dinner, I volunteer to help and escape into the kitchen.

He looks up at me with the warmest smile when I carry more empty plates to the sink. ‘I was hoping it’d be you.’

His rubber-gloved hands are in the bowl, so I motion for him to bend down until I can lean up and plant a kiss on his cheek. ‘Thank you for being the most charming man on the planet and making my family so welcome. I had no idea they were coming and I didn’t expect you to be so… you.’

‘I would give anything to spend another Christmas with my parents – I would never, ever turn away anyone else’s. They’re more than welcome here, and I’m so happy to meet them.’

My heart is broken for him, and simultaneously pieced back together again by his mindset. He means every word of it, and it fills me with such a swell of affection for this beautiful man, and makes my chest burst with a warm, zingy feeling.

He rinses off a plate and stacks it on the draining board, and I grab a tea towel to start drying. ‘Also, your mum told me earlier that I’m a “darling boy” and she wishes I really was her son-in-law, so that’s made my day.’

‘She’s biased towards men with castles, although I’m inclined to agree on the darling boy front.’

He laughs, the guttural laugh of someone who thinks I’m winding him up. ‘If I blush any more today, I’m going to explode.’

His hands are still occupied so I reach over and give his arm a squeeze. ‘Is this difficult for you? Having parents around who aren’t the ones you wish they were?’

He stops and thinks about it before answering. ‘No, it’s really nice. It’s lovely to have a family here again. If I’d known that our last Christmas would be the last, I’d have treasured every moment of it. This place has been a cold, hollow shell for years, and now I get a second chance at a family Christmas here. Not many people can say that.’