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She glanced down to the shed where Henry was still rooting around trying to find the right boxes.
‘Daisy.’
Daisy dumped the boxes on the table, gri
‘Are you seeing Josh?’
‘Yes. Don’t tell Dad.’
Pe
Daisy laughed. ‘The what?’
‘The birdwatchers’ hut at the end of the drive. That’s what we called it when we were teenagers. All the kids used to hang out there and kiss and…’ She was not going to talk to her about sex again.
‘Yes, but we just talk and stuff, it’s no big deal. Just don’t tell Dad because he’ll freak out. How are things between you two anyway?’
Pe
Daisy studied her for a moment and then smiled. ‘He likes you too.’
Pe
There was no time to discuss either topic because Henry burst through the back door, juggling five large boxes. Daisy picked up her own boxes and scurried through to the lounge.
By the time Pe
She watched them with a smile, they were so close and she just hoped that she could fit into that somehow.
She put the plates down and Henry grabbed her for a rock and roll style dance, twirling her round as Daisy laughed at them and resumed her decorating. Pe
Pe
‘Why don’t you get some of your decorations down?’ Henry said softly, clearly reading her mind as he had a knack for doing.
She shook her head. Her tree decorations were boring round baubles that held no special meaning or significance to her and it would seem odd to dilute their decorations with her dull ones. She would be a part of the tree by helping to decorate it.
She picked up a gold-painted fir cone covered in glitter with a scarlet ribbon tied at the top and hung it from one of the branches, feeling the smile grow on her face as slowly every branch began to sparkle with colour and glitter. Daisy moved upstairs to lean over the ba
All too soon the tree was finished and Daisy raced downstairs for the big lights switch on.
‘Five, four, three, two, one,’ Daisy yelled and flicked the switch.
The tree was suddenly lit up with over a thousand lights, all in different colours. Some twinkled discreetly, where some flashed on and off to the beat of an unheard tune.
Pe
Daisy had long since gone to bed, though Pe
She rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. She had tried to hold back, to not fall so deeply in order to guard her heart, but she had failed at every single turn.
She looked up at him, his beautiful face illuminated in the glow of a thousand fairy lights and he bent his head and kissed her softly.
She was in love with him, she couldn’t deny it any more. Completely and utterly in love with him.
He pulled back ever so slightly so that, when he spoke, his mouth was still touching her lips.
‘I really want to make love to you right now, can you be quiet?’
She smiled. ‘Can you?’
‘Let’s see.’ He took her hand and led her upstairs.
She wasn’t scared any more, this was where she was supposed to be. Everything was perfect. And A
Chapter Nineteen
‘Tell me again why I agreed to this,’ Henry said as he pulled the car into a space behind the marquee the next day.
The car park was already filling up nicely, the a
‘Because Edward asked you to do it and you didn’t want your boss to know that you are secretly an anti-social grumpy sod,’ Pe
‘She’s got your number, hasn’t she, Dad.’
‘More to the point, why am I doing it?’ said Pe
Daisy scrabbled out the back of the car and closed the door.
‘You will qualify soon, so stop your whingeing. Consider it practice,’ Henry said, smiling at her.
Her heart soared at the simplicity of that comment, while he clearly had no idea that he had made her entire day.
He hesitated for a moment, staring at Edward at the entrance of the marquee. He was nervous about today and she didn’t know why, but she knew it wasn’t just about doing something silly in front of an audience. Why was he so scared he would lose his job so soon after he had got it? What had happened a few days before that would make him so wary and why hadn’t he talked to her about it? He was trying to put on a brave face for her and for Daisy but Pe
After a moment, he got out and Pe
Up ahead of them Pe
She looked over at Henry and Daisy and he smiled at her over Daisy’s head. They weren’t the orthodox family of high school sweethearts like Maggie and Daniel were and they weren’t married and didn’t have children together, but Pe