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It’s as if I’m in a movie and I’m playing the starring role. Who knew that my first undercover job would deliver my soul mate?
There was never going to be a different answer when Robert asked me to move in with him. The thought of leaving has weighed heavily on my mind for a while, and now I don’t have to. We will be an official couple and who knows, even married with our own family in a few years’ time. The future is promising, and I’m giddy with excitement for once in my life and as I walk on air beside him back to the car, my head is awash with plans for our future. It feels so good knowing I’m not on my own anymore and I’ve never met a man who I’m as comfortable with.
We talk all the way home about our new life together and as we pull into his magnificent driveway, I stare in astonishment at the lit trees in the garden and the up-lighters trained on the house itself. Either side of the grand door are two potted bay trees that are lit with fairy lights and decorated with huge poinsettias providing added colour. The door itself is proudly holding a huge red poinsettia wreath, interspersed with pine and candles flicker in lanterns on every step, which cast a magical glow that lights our path up to the door.
“What’s happening?”
I stare at Robert in disbelief, and he smiles, the pleasure evident in his eyes.
“I brought Christmas home with us.”
“How?”
I stare in amazement at the festive scene and hug my arms around me in joyful excitement.
He takes my hand and says lightly, “Let’s go inside, away from the cold.”
As he opens the door, I blink in shock at the oversized Christmas tree standing proudly in the grand entrance hall. It’s the most beautiful tree I have ever seen and is decorated with tasteful gold and silver decorations from the top to the pot it stands in. Underneath there are exquisitely wrapped gifts in gold and silver and I whisper, “Are they real?”
“Of course.”
“But…” I blink in disbelief as he takes my hand and leads me into the living room where another tree reflects what appear to be thousands of sparkling fairy lights in the floor to ceiling window. This one is decorated in white and green and the corresponding gifts below are decorated with holly sprigs and feathers. Candles burn on every surface, casting a magical glow in the room, and a welcoming fire is roaring in the grate. It’s almost as if we’ve interrupted a party or something because we certainly never left it this way this morning.
“Do you like it?” He appears anxious and I clap my hands and cry, “I love it.”
Laughing, he drags me into the kitchen to admire another tree decorated in more natural colours with berries and cinnamon sticks. Once again, the gifts match below, and I shake my head in wonder. “I can’t believe it. Are we expecting visitors or something?”
He nods. “I wondered if we could invite your family over. I can’t wait to see the children’s faces when they unwrap their presents.”
“What presents?” I’m confused and he says with a smile, “They are hidden in one of the bedrooms. Come and see.”
We head upstairs and as he opens the door with a flourish, I stare in shock at the contents of fairyland, wrapped in pink for Angelina and navy blue and silver for Brad.
Robert says with pride. “We could arrange them by the fireplace and say that Santa delivered them.”
“Delivered what exactly?”
“Everything they wanted at Harvey’s. I had a personal shopper follow us and she took note of everything they liked and here it is, all wrapped up and waiting for them.”
“Robert…” A huge ache is growing in my heart as I prepare to burst his bubble. “It’s very kind of you, but we can’t possibly give them this number of gifts. It’s obscene.”
“What do you mean?”
He seems a little hurt and I let him down gently.
“It’s just that Sally and Anton will have already organised Santa’s gifts and we would overshadow that. Then they would expect the same every year and well, they just can’t afford it, not to mention it’s wrong. It’s too much.”
“Why, I can afford it?”
“That doesn’t mean it’s right.”
I look around me and sigh. “As lovely as is, it’s just a little, well, over the top.”
“What do you mean?”
I smile and say softly, “I’m guessing you had this all done for you. Unless you’re Buddy the Elf in disguise.”
He chuckles and I press my lips to his and whisper, “You have a good heart, Robert Harvey, and I love you for it, but when I told you I wanted to get a tree and go carolling, I meantus. As a couple doing normal things. Building up to Christmas like everyone else and making memories to cherish that will become our traditions.”
