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Ican’t remember when I had such a perfect Christmas, and it’s all down to the woman who’s glancing nervously at the clock on the wall.
“Relax.”
“I can’t.” She turns to stare at me, and my heart misses a beat because it does every time I do. She is perfect, and tonight is no exception.
She is wearing a long, dark green, satin dress that moves as if it has a life of its own and is complemented by an emerald choker that I had to pretend was a fake before she would accept it. It isn’t, but she doesn’t need to know that. Her blonde hair is piled high on top of her head, held in place with emerald grips and the heightened colour on her cheeks is due to the excitement she’s feeling and the heat from the roaring fire she is standing in front of. She looks incredibly beautiful in the warm lighting and, as always, my feet carry me across the room to enable me to pull her into my arms.
“Are you happy?” I whisper as she gazes up at me from under her insanely long lashes and she nods, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “I am. Are you?”
“Ecstatic.”
I make to kiss her perfect lips and she says shyly, “You’ll get lipstick on your face.”
“Then I’ll wash it off.” Nothing can deter me from kissing her at every opportunity and that need hasn’t changed since the moment I met her standing in the street wearing a tutu.
Kissing Jessica is my most favourite pastime, and only the ringing of the doorbell can stop me. We pull apart and she smiles shyly. “So, the moment of truth. Just so you know, the minute my mother sees inside this palace, she will move in. You will need to forcibly remove her, and I don’t rate your chances.”
“She would be most welcome.”
“Liar.” She grins. “At least Sally won’t be jealous now she has a mansion of her own to play with.”
“Yes, interesting proposition. I hope it works out for them.”
Thinking of Sally and Anton and their ‘arrangement’ with the Musgroves, I hope it doesn’t end in tears.
The doorbell rings and Jessica groans. “We should let them in.”
“We should.” Raising her hand to my lips, I kiss it gallantly and then we head off hand in hand to let our visitors in.
I’m so proud as we walk to meet them and glance around me with pleasure because the house has never looked more alive. The decorations my design team installed added heart to the home, and it is perfect in every way. Most of all, though, it’s the woman beside me who has given this house a beating heart, and I have discovered that sharing my life is much more rewarding than working alone.
I know we have moved fast; some may say foolishly so, but we both know this was meant to be. Our future is bright and I’m certain of that.
Jessica is due to return to the job she loves, and that’s fine by me. She is fiercely independent and adores what she does, and only a fool would try to take that from her. One day we will marry and start a family of our own, but for now we need to discover one another first and I am in no hurry to share her.
We reach the door and Jessica takes a deep breath and grins. “We should let them in. Are you ready for chaos?”
“I can’t wait.”
She laughs softly which hits me straight in the heart and as she opens the door with a flourish, one by one our guests head in from the cold and fill the house with warmth, laughter, and life.
Everyone is invited, including both sets of parents, my grandparents, Sally, Anton, and the kids, of course. Sam and Carlotta and various business acquaintances and a select few members of staff, including my mysterious housekeeper, Mrs Grant and her family. It’s good to see Sylvia, who informs me that her mother is doing well, and she will be back to work after the bank holiday.
As the party gets started and the staff I hired hand out canapés and drinks on silver platters, we mix with our guests and enjoy their company.
As the evening progresses, we move to the large ballroom that has never been used and dance the night away to the music the DJ I hired provides. The children are beside themselves with excitement as they explore every part of the mansion and they are closely followed by Jessica’s mum.
Then as we stand on the terrace to watch the firework display at midnight, Jessica snuggles into her heavy coat and holds my hand and as the clock strikes midnight and announces the new year has arrived, I take her in my arms and whisper, “Happy New Year.”
The smile on her face is brighter than any firework as she whispers, “Happy New Year.”
As we kiss under the starry sky with the fireworks exploding all around us, surrounded by our close friends and family, nothing else matters. I cannot wait to see what the next year brings because surely nothing can be better than the one that is barely behind us. It brought me friends, family, and hope for the future but above everything it brought me love and as we mix with the people that mean the most to us, I thank God and a little bit of fairy dust for delivering me the best Christmas I’ve ever had.
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