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“I hate you too.” I stuck my tongue out at him as Jamie groaned in disappointment and lowered me back onto the floor.
“Don’t shoot the messenger, I personally don’t care whether or not you eat each other or the curry.” He shrugged as he topped up my glass and sauntered off still yapping, “Your sisters do.”
Jamie cocked his fingers like he was holding a gun up at Jake. “Stop winding her up, moron.” He laughed as we made our way to the lounge.
“She loves it,” Jake smirked as he walked backwards ahead of us.
“You’re deluded.”
“Quincy, I am many things but deluded isn’t one of them.” He turned and topped up Dorian’s glass as she gave Jamie and I the stink eye.
“The pair of you should be ashamed of yourselves,” she pointed at us both, “When I told you I didn’t want to know the nitty gritty, I also meant that I didn’t want to be in the vicinity of it.” She scowled at me.
“Yeah, like when my brother snuck you into his room?” Jamie slapped his hand over my mouth before I could get anything else out. At least we were quiet. I think?
“Let’s not open that can of worms.” He huffed as he sat on the sofa opposite hers bringing me down onto his lap.
“I’ve ordered by the way. You were taking too long, but against my better judgement I went with your usual.” Willow threw her phone down on the coffee table and held out her glass to Jake. “Fill me up, buttercup.” She closed her eyes like she’d just heard what she’d said. “Don’t.” She held her finger to his mouth before he had a chance to make a comeback.
It was really quite amusing watching him quite literally store his words in his cheeks like a hamster stores food. We were all waiting for them to explode out of his mouth, but it never happened. He just put the bottle back down on the coffee table and sat down next to Dorian. His smirk aimed at Jamie in an I told you so way.
It felt so normal. It was like it’d always been that way. Which it had, just that now Jamie and I were together together and if anything, it made things feel better. Dorian smiled at me as I moved myself off Jamie’s lap. Despite her scowl and her words, I could tell she was pleased. Happy for us. And that made things even sweeter because it was one less person that we had to worry about.
I checked my phone to make sure everything was okay. It was a habit that with time had become a compulsion. I knew that if there were no messages on my screen that Pippa was fine and if she was happy, everything else was great. Even if I was a little disappointed that she wasn’t here with us. I’d agreed with Jenna that she could stay with them till Christmas day seeing as they were all doing the last bit of prep for the wedding and their travel. In a way it was sad, but at the same time it felt so good that we were all actively trying to get along and make things easier for one another. Obviously, I still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of my daughter being so far from me, but I also knew that there would come a day when Richard would have to do the same. The whole situation had opened up new chances to build new memories in different places.
“Everything okay?” Jamie asked as he tucked my hair behind my ear. The feel of his fingers brushing my cheek making me smile as I replied, “Fine. Everything’s fine.”
He smiled down at me brightly as I put my phone down on the table. The sound of Willow and Jake going at it again making me laugh. They were as bad as one another. He loved to annoy her and she loved to hate him…in a sweet kind of way.
“Right, before Daniel gets here we need to put all the presents away.” Jamie stood, nodding at Jake to follow him.
“Mum said she’s not coming anymore. Apparently, dad ruined her chestnuts so she needs to go and get some more so she can start prepping them.” Dorian rolled her eyes.
“So, what’s happening with Daniel?” Jamie stopped to look at her.
“She’s going to keep him overnight.” She smiled brightly before she added, “Why do you think I’m being frivolous with the wine?” As if to make a point she tipped the remnants of the bottle into her glass. “Also, please don’t let her cook the turkey this year. She always manages to make it dry.”
“We managed to convince her to let Jamie do it, although I think she might love me a little less after our chat.”
“Quincy, shut up, mum couldn’t love you more if she’d popped you out herself.” Willow plopped herself next to me. “Not that it affects me, but are you really letting him…” she pointed at Jamie, “Cook the meat?”
“Listen you, I can cook.”
“He cooks better than me.” It was true, Jamie was a better cook than me.
Dorian laughed as she took a freshly opened bottle of wine from Jake. “Stop trying to get me drunk.” She topped herself up before offering us the bottle.
“Stop trying to get my girlfriend drunk!” Jamie snatched the bottle from her and topped up Willow.
You could hear a pin drop in the silence. My heart thrummed lively in my chest as I looked over at Dorian and then Willow. Their eyes wide like something major had just happened. Had it? We hadn’t exactly put a label on us, but it just seemed obvious. We were together. We’d discussed it and we were in a relationship. Girlfriend? It sounded so freakishly sweet and juvenile. I hadn’t been a girlfriend in years.
I looked up at him as he looked at the three other people in the room. His cheeks flushing with colour as his eyes went wide with the dawn of realisation of what he’d just said.
“What?” He topped up my glass a fraction like he was trying to draw focus to something else.
“Nothing!” Both
Willow and Dorian replied too quickly as he put the bottle down on the table.
