‘Lara!’
‘Don’t!’ She lifted a hand to stop him speaking, but didn’t turn to look at him. She didn’t dare. ‘Don’t say a word, Christian. It was special, we both know that. But it was also impossible. I finally understood that the other night, when I had Chloe sobbing in my arms. You’ve done such a good job as a father and because of you, the girls have weathered the trauma of your marriage break-up remarkably well. But I can see now that you’re right. They don’t need to worry that they’re fighting with someone for your affections.’
She stood for a moment, desperately hoping that he wouldn’t argue with her.
Desperately hoping that he would.
But he said nothing at all and, when she heard the door crash, she glanced round and discovered that he’d gone.
* * *
‘I’ve labelled my stocking because I absolutely don’t want to get Chloe’s toys.’ Aggie carefully placed her stocking by the fireplace. ‘Do you think this is the right place?’
‘It looks good to me.’ Christian glanced around him. The lights on the tree twinkled and the scent of cinnamon and cloves filled the sitting room. Twists of holly adorned the fireplace and candles flickered, creating a warm, cosy atmosphere. The huge comfy sofas were covered in toys and books that the children had been reading.
The boxes were gone and the whole house felt lived in.
Thanks to Lara.
Aggie was looking at him. ‘Can
we leave a carrot for Rudolph?’
‘Carrot? I didn’t think to buy any.’ Christian wondered what else he’d missed. How was he supposed to know all these things?
‘Lara bought some. I saw a bag in the fridge.’ Aggie dashed off to the kitchen and returned with a carrot which she placed carefully in front of the fire. ‘For Rudolph. And one of Lara’s amazing mince pies for Father Christmas.’
‘Where is Lara?’ Chloe was sewing her name on her stocking. ‘I haven’t seen her since supper.’
‘I expect she had things to do in her room.’
‘Have you bought Lara a present?’Aggie stared at him, wide-eyed. ‘Did you forget?’
Christian felt a flicker of guilt. ‘Actually, I did forget.’
Lara had helped with all his Christmas shopping and he doubted that she’d remembered to include anything for herself.
‘You forgot?’ Aggie looked appalled. ‘How could you forget?’
Because the last thing on his mind had been Christmas presents. All he could think about was being with Lara. And not being with her. It didn’t matter what he happened to be doing at the time, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
‘It isn’t too late. The shops don’t shut for another two hours.’ Aggie scrambled to her feet, bouncy and excited. ‘We can dash out now and buy something special.’
But he probably should have bought her something. She’d transformed his home, hadn’t she? She’d helped Chloe. It was because of her that he, Chloe and Aggie felt like a family.
‘She’s going abroad, Aggie. She doesn’t need anything.’
Silence followed his words.
‘Can’t she stay?’ Aggie drooped. ‘It would be really great if she could stay as our nanny. She never yells at us to tidy up and last week I found my homework under a pile of her clothes. She’s so cool.’
‘She can’t be your nanny, Aggie.’ Christian kept his tone matter-of-fact. ‘But she and I have found a new nanny who is going to start in January. I think you’ll like her.’
‘I don’t want a new nanny. I love Lara.’Aggie’s lip wobbled and her voice was plaintive. ‘Don’t you love Lara, Daddy?’
He froze and for a moment found himself totally unable to deliver the answer he knew that he had to deliver. And then his attention was caught by the stricken, panicked look on Chloe’s face.
Her sudden insecurity was obvious in her eyes.