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He looks at me, hand resting on the key in the ignition.

“Oh my God, you bought me a book on how to cope with having a huge penis, didn’t you?”

“No. I assumed you’d already read it.”

He laughs as he starts the engine, and I can’t remember the last time I was this excited for Christmas Day.

The past few months have been a dream. We’ve hit all the milestones of a couple that I never thought I’d experience with anyone, including meeting each other’s parents. My mum and dad approve of my sensible choice of partner, or so I guessed when I overheard my dad whisper to my mum that he was relieved that Owen wasn’t some surfer dude, rock star wannabe, or that he smelled of weed. And I had the terrifying experience of meeting Owen’s mum, who asked me what my intentions were with her son. I panicked and said that I just wanted to look after him, which, to my great relief, she smiled at.

The more I get to know Owen, the more I love him, which I honestly didn’t think was possible. We thought working together would be an issue, but so far it’s only made me look forward to going to work more.

And I’m still writing.

Just as a hobby for now, but one I genuinely enjoy. I’ve even entered a few competitions, though nothing’s come from them yet. It’s just been really nice getting some of the strange, chaotic things from my head down onto paper.

We haven’t seen or heard anything from Pippa, which is good, although I was still looking over my shoulder for several weeks after Sydney’s wedding.

On the return from their honeymoon, Sydney and Drew invited us over to their house for a meal, which was nice as we got to spend more time with them than we did at the wedding. Sydney really likes Owen, and I was very interested in the work that Drew does as a forensic scientist, picking his brain as a novel began to weave its way into my head.

Owen and I haven’t talked any more about the future and what it holds for us, agreeing that we need to live in the moment and enjoy what we have rather than trying to plan too far ahead. But I feel my next little surprise may just flip that all on its head.

The wreath on Smithy and Romana’s front door makes me smile as I know the girls must have helped to make it. There are purple ribbons and stars stuffed into the dense foliage.

“Ho ho ho!” Owen calls as we enter the house when no one comes to answer the door after knocking for several moments.

The house smells of oranges, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and I feel like I’ve just stepped into a Christmas wonderland, as the hall is littered with large boxes, wrapping paper, and bows.

“Hey, girls,” I hear Romana say from the living room. “I think they’re here.”

The twins come racing out of the living room, both of them aiming for Owen and me, nearly knocking us off our feet.

After our hugs, Darcy’s look turns stern, and she places her hand on her hip. “You took your time!”

“Yeah, we’ve been waiting all morning for you,” Dana adds.

Smithy and Romana appear, looking exhausted but with huge smiles on their faces.

“We’ve been up since six. The girls thought it would be great to get up and ‘make the most’ of Christmas Day.” Smithy rolls his eyes and air-quotes as he ruffles Dana’s hair.

The girls are pulling Owen by the arms. “Come on, come on,” Dana squeals. “You have to see what Santa brought you.”

I glance between Romana and Smithy, but neither of them is giving anything away.

“A present for me?” Owen asks, smiling at them both.

“Yes. Just wait and see. Come on,” they chorus.

We make our way into the living room, and as we do, Smithy tugs on my coat and pulls me from the group. He ushers me into the kitchen and then into the conservatory, where I spot Owen’s gift.

There was no way I could’ve hidden this from Owen in my apartment, so Romana and Smithy kindly offered to help me out. I wonder how much of their restless night had to do with the girls or Owen’s gift, but I can’t wait any longer. The excitement brewing.

“I’ll go in first. Then you follow,” Smithy tells me, and I nod, picking up Owen’s gift.

I follow Smithy and hear him speak loudly to the room.

“Okay, Owen, it appears as though Santa made a bit of an error last night, as he dropped one of your gifts off at our house by mistake.”

“He knew you were coming to our house,” one of the twins chips in, though I’ve no idea which one since I can’t see them.