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I laugh.
‘I think you’re going to have to wait until everyone is up to their necks in Bailey’s for that,’ I reply. ‘Come on, let’s go take down that breakfast table.’
I open the bedroom door to find Declan lingering behind it. He looks so funny in his Christmas pyjamas; I can’t help but laugh at him.
‘Can I have a quick word?’ he asks.
‘I’ll be heading down,’ Jess says as she scarpers.
‘Don’t eat all the pastries,’ I call after her.
Declan steps into the bedroom and closes the door behind him.
‘I really do love what you’ve done with the place,’ he says. ‘Not just this room, but the whole house. You’ve really made it your own.’
‘Thanks,’ I reply. ‘I really threw myself into it, after you left. It gave me the push I needed.’
‘I’m proud of you,’ he replies. ‘If I were still here, we would probably be eating a takeaway for Christmas dinner, in a room that looked like a bomb had hit it.’
I smile. I do feel sorry for him.
‘Look, I’m not going to bang on about how I feel, what I should or shouldn’t have done, because what does it all matter now?’ he says. Then he sighs. ‘Let’s just say I’ve been talking to someone who has really made me stop and take a look at the situation. I’m going to do the right thing. This house is yours in all the ways that count. I’m going to sign my half over to you.’
‘Really?’ I reply, sceptical at first. ‘No tricks? No angle?
‘Consider it your weird Christmas present,’ he replies. ‘Because I haven’t actually got you anything else.’
I don’t know who spoke to him, I’d guess it was my mum or even my dad, but I’m so pleased he’s doing the right thing. I couldn’t stand the thought of selling this place.
As we head downstairs together, it finally feels like everything is falling into place.
‘Hey, we were friends before we were a couple,’ Declan reminds me. ‘It wouldn’t be so hard to get back to that, would it?’
As we turn the corner into the living room, I laugh and give him a playful shove.
‘You always were the optimist in the relationship,’ I remind him.
‘One more for Christmas dinner,’ Mum calls out.
‘Oh, yeah?’ I reply. I shift my gaze from Declan, into the living room, I see our extra guest standing in front of me, and I have the biggest smile on my face for about half a second.
Gail rushes over to me.
‘I hope you don’t mind, Billie, it was such a lovely surprise,’ she says, hooking an arm around the waist of our extra guest. ‘Billie, this is my son, Rocco. Rocco, this is Rowan’s daughter, Billie. Well, my daughter too. Stepdaughter, but I think we’re over the stigma around step-relations, aren’t we?’
I feel frozen on the spot. Rocco is too. We just stare at each other for what feels like a lifetime.
Obviously the mega cringe of the man I just slept with little more than a day ago turning out to be my stepbrother has practically sent my entire body into cramp but, worse than that, and the main reason my smile fell so quickly was my other realisation: that both Gail’s sons are married. Rocco is married.
Rocco doesn’t look happy to see me either. I imagine he’s livid with himself, to be rumbled. I don’t know what to say or what to do.
‘Oh, and that’s Declan behind her,’ Gail adds.
Glancing back at Declan for a second reminds me of the fact that we’re all wearing these dorky matching pyjamas. Oh, for God’s sake, why did I have to be wearing these? Hardly my biggest problem but it’s definitely made everything worse.
‘It’s nice to meet you both,’ Rocco says.
Wow, okay, we’re playing it like that, are we? Fine.
