Epilogue
A few weeks later
It turns out Teddy James was really into Christmas.
“What’s this?” Jessica asked when he handed her a large Kmart bag. She raised her eyebrows, and Teddy smiled. The same confident, assured one he’d been wearing for the past few weeks as they had settled into married life.
“Let me guess.” Jessica pursed her lips and tried to contain her own grin, even though that was a battle she would definitely lose. “More ‘festive essentials’? To match the rest of your recent purchases?”
Teddy’s smile morphed into a grin as he swooped down to kiss her. He used his newly freed hand to grab her ass.
“Hi, wife,” Teddy said.
Jessica pulled him closer, abandoning her plan to tease him about his overconsumption of all things Christmas-related.
Her house—correction: their house now thanks to her inheritance—looked more like the official Australian outpost to the North Pole with each passing day.
Garlands dotted with faux red berries hung along the verandah posts, and Teddy had spent most of the last weekend stringing Christmas lights everywhere.
Around the trees in the front yard, along the roof line, and even around the front door.
Jessica had asked him—while he was halfway up a ladder and she was admiring his ass—if he wanted to make it extra special because they were hosting Christmas for his family.
Teddy hadn’t hesitated to reply, simply stating that making their first Christmas was his priority. The rest was white noise.
It was adorable.
He was adorable.
And he was all hers.
Without breaking the kiss, Jessica carefully set the bag on the ground and slipped her hands under Teddy’s shirt, scratching lightly just the way she knew he liked. He groaned against her lips and pushed her backwards until her back met the wall. Jessica smiled, contentment anchoring her in place.
I love my life.
She was pulled from her thoughts when Teddy moved his kisses to her cheeks, her neck.
Jessica tipped her head back and ignored the curls that fell across her face.
She didn’t know when this honeymoon stage would end—maybe never, based on how deep her love for Teddy was—but she was determined to enjoy every second of it.
Teddy pulled away and blinked like he was trying to clear his vision. “Hang on. Where’s Sam?”
She twisted her hands in his hair, loving the feel of the silky strands against her palms. “Staying at Rob’s for an extra night. They got a new train set, and he’s desperate to finish putting it together. Rob’s going to drop him off in the morning.”
Teddy lifted her, coaxing her legs around his waist. “So we’ve got this place to ourselves?”
“For the whole night.”
Teddy started walking them towards their bedroom.
“And Teddy?”
He stopped, his expression curious.
Jessica pushed on his shoulders, encouraging him to lean back.
Not because she didn’t want him close. Jessica would always want that.
She unbuttoned her top slowly, loving the way Teddy’s gaze darkened and the air heated around them.
The two sides of her top fell open, revealing the sheer red bralette she’d bought on a whim.
“I’ve got an early Christmas present for you to unwrap. ”
It was still dark when Jessica prised her eyes open. She blinked twice, and the shadowy room came into focus. Sam was watching her like a creeper, his face only centimetres from hers. His dinosaur plushie was tucked under his arm.
“Sam? Are you okay?”
“It’s Christmas!” he screeched before jumping onto the bed and bouncing on his knees. “Teddy! Teddy! Wakey-wakey!”
“Merry Christmas, bud,” Teddy mumbled, his voice all gravelly and rumbly. “What time is it?”
Jessica propped herself up and leant across Teddy’s chest to check her phone. Somehow, she’d ended up on the opposite side of the bed overnight. Well, not somehow. She knew exactly what had happened and, based on Teddy’s soft “hello, again, Starshine,” so did he.
“Four forty-five.” She sighed. “Don’t suppose you feel like getting a little bit more sleep?” she asked Sam.
Her son’s bottom lip jutted out. “But we need to see if Santa’s been. Make sure he remembered Teddy lives here now.”
For Sam’s sake, Jessica had tried to slowly introduce Teddy’s presence into the cottage.
They’d started with him sleeping over a few nights a week.
Stopping by for breakfast on other days.
Being around but not in Sam’s face. There’d been a whole shared calendar.
Until a week ago, when Sam had innocently asked if he could get bunk beds so Teddy could always stay.
She smiled at the memory, remembering how Teddy’s voice had wavered when he’d asked if Sam was sure. How he’d been so gentle. Not wanting to push Sam—or Jessica—into something they weren’t ready for. Sam had just called him silly and asked to play trucks in the treehouse after dinner.
And that was how Teddy had ended up moving in with them.
“Come on!” Sam tried to pull the covers off, and thankfully, Teddy’s reflexes woke up faster than hers. He grabbed the top of the doona and held it firmly.
“Hey, Sam?” Teddy asked, his voice normal. “Can you please go and check Blue’s got enough water?”
Her son cocked his head to the side. “And then we can open presents?”
“Promise,” Jessica said. “We just need a minute to get up.”
Sam spun on his heel and dashed out of the room, calling, “Okay, but hurry!” and then a few seconds later, they heard him call, “Not looking, not looking” as he ran past the lounge room where the Christmas tree was.
“Do you know where my pants are?” Teddy asked, sweeping his hands under the covers. “I went to bed wearing them, but someone woke me up in the middle of the night and made me take them off.”
Jessica snorted. “Please. Nobody makes Teddy James do anything he doesn’t want to do.”
Her foot brushed against Teddy’s leg, and he caught it. “Are you looking to start something, wife?”
Wife.
That word would never get old.
“Me?” Jessica feigned innocence, plucking the pyjama shorts Teddy had started wearing out from underneath her back.
Teddy let her go and grabbed his pants, shimmying under the covers and purposely—she was sure of it—bumping his hips against hers. “We’ll continue this later.”
Sam skidded back into the room. “All done. Get up, get up, get up!”
Teddy pulled his shirt over his head and threw the covers over Jessica. “Do you think we could make Mummy a special Christmas coffee before we open presents?” He ruffled Sam’s hair, and Jessica buried her smile in Teddy’s pillow. How’d she get so lucky?
Sam sighed long and loud, like he was much older than he was. “Yes.”
Teddy reached for Sam, scooping him up in one arm.
“Don’t forget we have to get her present out of the laundry!” Sam’s whisper wasn’t a whisper, and Jessica rolled her lips into her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
This new beginning was exactly what she’d always wanted.
Teddy hoped his family weren’t about to overwhelm Jessica.
Although it had been her idea to host Christmas Day.
“I think everything’s ready.” Jessica fussed with the potted poinsettia she’d placed in the middle of one of the trestle tables Teddy had borrowed from Nate.
“Starshine—”
“Or do you think we should bring the dining table out as well? I don’t want people to feel cramped?” she asked, cutting him off.
Teddy smoothed his hands across her shoulders, squeezing lightly.
He’d been surprised when Jessica had asked if they could host Christmas lunch.
Not as surprised as Lulu, but his mother had handled the request well.
Her only question had been about what to bring.
She was determined to uphold her promise to be quietly supportive, and today was another example of that. “Jess—”
“Or is there not enough shade?”
They’d placed the tables under one of the leafiest gums in the yard, and the weather gods had decided to be kind today, saving the summer scorchers for later in the week.
“Jess—”
“This was a bad idea. I just wanted to show them that I could do this.”
Teddy tilted his head down so he could see Jessica properly. Hell, he’d crouch if he needed to. “What do you mean?”
Jessica pushed her fringe out of her eyes and, for a second—only one—Teddy’s gaze snagged on her rings. Christ, he loved seeing them on her finger.
“I wanted to impress your family and now everything’s looking all hokey and not good enough.
Should I have bought real serviettes? Like fabric ones?
Your mum probably has a perfect tablescape every year, and I don’t even know if that’s the right word to use for how a table setting looks.
It sounds fancy, though, doesn’t it?” Jessica finally took a deep breath, and Teddy lifted her until they were eye to eye.
“Everything is great.”
“But—”
“Nope.” He kissed her quickly. “No buts. Everything looks great. The James family doesn’t need perfection, Starshine. We just need each other, and I don’t need anyone more than I need you.”
There would never be anything better than when Jessica got all melty in his arms. She curled her fingers through the loose hairs at the nape of Teddy’s neck.
“You’re sure? I want them to like me.”
Ah, so this was the real issue. “They already love you. Is this about Mum? I thought you were feeling better about all that?”
He didn’t need to mention what he was referring to. The way Jessica was chewing on her bottom lip told him she knew exactly what he meant.
“I am, but it’s not just our”—she gestured between herself and Teddy—“first Christmas. It’s Sam and my first Christmas with your family.”
“Our family,” Teddy gently corrected.
“Right, yes. I’m still getting used to it. That’s all.”
“What can I do to help you get used to it?”
He kissed her cheek softly, then kissed her dimple when he felt it against his lips.
“You’re already doing it.”
“Good.” Teddy waited, confident that if he made space for Jessica to share her feelings, she would.
“Are you going to put me down?” she asked after a few seconds.