Page 48 of Not Just for Christmas

‘Wow,’ Sam breathed. ‘A real one?’

‘Oh yeah,’ he confirmed. ‘His name was Super Jack. Your daddy.’

Sam giggled. ‘Super Jack! That’s funny.’

‘He told me not to worry, and that he would help me get home. He lent me money, booked new flights, and even drove me all the way to London to get a new passport.’

Even now, Jack’s generosity still blew Dylan away. They had known each other only a couple of weeks by then, but Jack hadn’t hesitated to step in and help. Dylan would never forget that as long as he lived.

‘Not everyone would have been so kind, Sam. It takes a special sort of person to step up and act like that. And we’ve been best friends ever since.’

‘I wish Daddy was here,’ said Sam in a small voice.

Man, this was hard, thought Dylan. How did Lucy deal with her son’s grief on top of her own? He took a moment to steady his voice.

‘I’ll let you into a secret. You might not be able to see him anymore, but he’s here.’ He laid Sam’s hand flat on his pyjama top, manoeuvring it until it was in the right place. ‘Feel that beat.’

‘Bump, bump, bump,’ Sam murmured.

Dylan nodded. ‘That’s where Daddy is, in your heart, where you keep all your love. And he’s loving you right back.’

‘Super Jack,’ Sam murmured sleepily. ‘I want to be a superhero when I grow up.’

He turned onto his side, hand still pressed to his chest, and closed his eyes, long fair eyelashes brushing his cheeks. His total acceptance of Dylan’s words brought a lump to his throat.

‘You will be.’ Dylan leaned over and kissed the little boy’s cheek. ‘Because you are just as special as your daddy. Goodnight, sleep well.’

He stood up, switched off Sam’s lamp and walked to the door.

‘Uncle Dylan?’ a little voice piped up in the darkness.

‘Yes, Sam.’

‘When I was Joseph today, my heart was going bump, bump, bump really fast. Do you think that was because Daddy was watching me?’

Dylan swallowed hard. ‘Oh yeah, and I bet he was super proud. Sweet dreams, kiddo.’

He left Sam’s room, gently pulling the door closed behind him, and found Lucy on the landing, her cheeks streaked with tears.

‘Super Jack,’ she whispered, her bottom lip wobbling. ‘He’d have liked that.’

Once again, he wrapped her in his arms. This time she didn’t pull away.

Chapter 23

‘That’s great and it’s valid immediately? Thank you.’ I shrugged on my coat as I ended the call with the insurance company, and handed Dylan his credit card. ‘Done. Where are you going with your new freedom?’

The two days since Dylan had arrived had flown by in a pre-Christmas blur of school and parties for Sam, work for me, and lots of sleep for Dylan. Then last night, over a glass of wine and a TV supper, Dylan declared himself refreshed, and wanted to hire a car for the duration of his stay so he wouldn’t have to rely on me to take him everywhere. I’d offered the use of the Land Rover instead, which he’d accepted on condition that he would pay to insure it. The cost was only fifteen pounds, which was not worth arguing over. I’d made it my first job after the school run this morning.

‘Wherever you need me to go,’ he replied, pulling on his coat and shoving his feet into a pair of boots. ‘I can collect Sam from school, run errands, go to the store. Or just be your chauffeur.’

‘Ha, you might live to regret that comment, but thank you.’ In truth, it would be nice to share the responsibility of driving for a few days. There’d been times over the last two years when I’d have given anything to ask someone else to pop out and get bread, or a bar of chocolate if I was feeling particularly low, without having to lock up and bundle Sam in the car. ‘But you’re our guest; I don’t expect you to earn your keep while you’re here. It’s Christmas, you’ve come off a world tour, you need a break.’

‘I’ll take a break when you do,’ he replied, following me out into the yard.

‘Touché,’ I said over my shoulder.

‘I mean it, Luce, let me help. Otherwise I’ll be bored.’