“Pull this with me!” Everleigh said, holding her cracker out to Leona. They were next to each other at the end of the table, looking very smug that they were head of the table. I put a few soft carrot sticks on Bentley’s plate and grabbed my cracker. Hats first was always the rule.
Me and Cole helped each other, pulling both crackers at the same time. Bentley didn’t bat an eyelid at the noise. He held a carrot stick in his chubby little hand and chewed on it.
“Here,” Cole said, handing over his yellow hat and taking my red one. It was a small gesture, but those were the things I loved so much. He always thought of the little things.
We dug in, and before I knew it, my plate was piled high. Mum had cooked so many dishes, but they all looked and smelt incredible. I gave Bentley a little mashed potato and watched him bash his hand into it more than eat it.
I was so full. Mum had done an amazing job with dinner, and I wouldn’t need to eat for at least another week. Everyone looked the same as I felt – so stuffed it hurt but so satisfied it didn’t matter.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I said, getting up from the table. There was one last thing I needed to do for Cole, so I snuck outside when everyone went back to chatting.
The air was bitterly cold, and I knew I had to work fast. Breaking off a branch from one of the many trees Mum had in the garden, I split it into smaller lengths and went around the side to where Everleigh had built her snowman family.
My hands shivered and seized up as I poked them into place in the snow. But it would be worth it. When I’d finished and looked back, I was overcome with warmth.
Dashing back before anyone questioned why I’d been too long for the toilet, I joined everyone back at the table. Mum had Bentley falling asleep in her arms, and Holly had Sophia bouncing on her legs, babbling ‘da da da’ which put a huge smile on Jasper’s face.
“She’s not saying ‘dad’, Jasper,” Holly said.
“Of course she is,” he replied.
Most babies started with that sound; it was easy to make but Jasper was absolutely claiming it as ‘dad’.
She rolled her lightly lined eyes. “She could say mum and you’d still argue it was dad.”
“Don’t hate just because I’m the favourite,” he said, grinning as he leant over to kiss her. “I’m sure the next one will say…well, dad first, too, actually.”
“Keep talking like that and you won’t get another one.”
I loved their banter. It was so good to see him blissfully happy. He never had that with his ex-wife, Abby, but he knew that Holly would never hurt him. She loved him as much as he loved her.
They were amazing together, especially given the short space of time that they’d actually been a couple.
“You’ll give me more. You want a whole football team, too.”
“You can keep wishing for that one. I said maybe we’ll have one more.”
He shrugged. “They’ll have my genes so that two-man footie team would smash the World Cup.”
She shook her head, discouraged, but still smiling. “You’re an idiot, Jasper.”
“You’ve only just realised that?” Cole said, soon finding himself on the receiving end of a napkin ball hit.
“Shall we discuss how you’re the most whipped man on earth?” Jasper quipped, smirking at Cole.
“Oh, please, Holly only has to flutter her eyelashes and you jump.”
While they were arguing, Mum, Miles, Jenna, David and Mia took the kids into the living room.
“No, I don’t.”
“Oh, good comeback,” Cole said, laughing as he dodged another napkin ball.
“You two do realise that Everleigh, Leona and the babies sat nicer than you at the table, don’t you?” I said.
“Yeah, and Sophia spent most of the time smearing her food across her face and throwing mashed potato,” Holly added.
Jasper frowned. “Cole called me an idiot.”
Holly shook her head. “No, I called you that, he just agreed.”
“Shouldn’t I get a break from the all the shit since it’s Christmas?”
“Now that wouldn’t be fun,” Cole said.
Jasper sat back in the seat and crossed his arms. “I hate you all.” He looked to Holly. “You should be on my side.”
“Now that wouldn’t be fun,” she sang, borrowing Cole’s words.
He grunted. “And to think I was going to propose to you tomorrow.”
“Jasper!” I hissed. What a complete idiot.
I knew, of course. He’d summoned me to help pick out the perfect ring and told me his romantic plan of proposing on Boxing Day when they went to Holly’s parents. They lived near a natural park, which was decorated beautifully over the holiday season. He was going to take her for a walk and propose there. It was a much better idea than blurting it out over dinner.
Holly’s eyes widened, and Jasper winced. “You what?”
“Smooth,” Cole muttered.
“There is no way you weren’t dropped on your head as a child,” I said.
Cole took my hand and stood up. “Let’s go in the living room.”
“What? Why?”
He raised his eyebrow, tilting his head to say ‘you know why’. I did, of course, but I really wanted to witness this. Cole pulled me up and removed me from the room.