Chapter 16 #3
‘Why not? You should be, he’s bloody gorgeous! He looks like he should be cast to play Prince William in a movie, but taller, vastly better looking, with more hair, a sexier accent, and no questionable family politics.’
‘You can probably be tried for treason for saying that!’ I try to shush her and move the conversation away from my love life, because, Prince William aside, Ollie is so much more than gorgeous.
Yeah, he’s nice-looking, but it goes deeper than that.
There’s something inside his soul that feels like it’s moulded to mine.
Nancy cooks and we all eat dinner gathered around one of the formal dining room tables, a practice run for the next few days, and my unease starts to disperse for the first time all day.
Dinner is a loud, excitable slew of questions.
Nancy and Hamish test Ollie and me with quick-fire questions on our knowledge of each other, and then turn their hand to testing how much attention Mum, Dad, Mira, and Brian have been paying today with questions on what our wedding was like and filling them in on anything they might need to know about their pretend grandchildren.
I haven’t had a moment alone with Ollie since this morning, so when he insists on doing the washing up after dinner, I volunteer to help and escape into the kitchen.
He looks up at me with the warmest smile when I carry more empty plates to the sink. ‘I was hoping it’d be you.’
His rubber-gloved hands are in the bowl, so I motion for him to bend down until I can lean up and plant a kiss on his cheek. ‘Thank you for being the most charming man on the planet and making my family so welcome. I had no idea they were coming and I didn’t expect you to be so… you.’
‘I would give anything to spend another Christmas with my parents – I would never, ever turn away anyone else’s. They’re more than welcome here, and I’m so happy to meet them.’
My heart is broken for him, and simultaneously pieced back together again by his mindset. He means every word of it, and it fills me with such a swell of affection for this beautiful man, and makes my chest burst with a warm, zingy feeling.
He rinses off a plate and stacks it on the draining board, and I grab a tea towel to start drying. ‘Also, your mum told me earlier that I’m a “darling boy” and she wishes I really was her son-in-law, so that’s made my day.’
‘She’s biased towards men with castles, although I’m inclined to agree on the darling boy front.’
He laughs, the guttural laugh of someone who thinks I’m winding him up. ‘If I blush any more today, I’m going to explode.’
His hands are still occupied so I reach over and give his arm a squeeze. ‘Is this difficult for you? Having parents around who aren’t the ones you wish they were?’
He stops and thinks about it before answering.
‘No, it’s really nice. It’s lovely to have a family here again.
If I’d known that our last Christmas would be the last, I’d have treasured every moment of it.
This place has been a cold, hollow shell for years, and now I get a second chance at a family Christmas here. Not many people can say that.’
I squeeze his wrist again and force myself to let go because I’m holding him hostage from the washing up, but I want longer alone with him before someone comes looking for us.
He leans down to whisper in my ear. ‘I feel like I’m doing something really naughty by asking if you want to sleep in my room tonight with your parents under the same roof, but…’
He trails off, leaving it deliberately open-ended, and I can feel my face heating up as I nod. ‘It’s only getting in character for the visitors tomorrow, right?’
He moves until he can press a kiss to the side of my mouth, right on the edge of my lips, a tender peck that’s a promise of more to come, and I have to grab onto the kitchen unit to stay steady. ‘Right.’
We finish the rest of the washing and wiping by humming festive tunes and deliberately bumping into each other, and it’s yet another small moment where I wish he was really mine.
I wish this was real, and I wish we could do this every night for the rest of forever, because something as mundane as washing up has no right to feel this good.
‘Lu?’ When we’re done with the dishes, he opens his arms and I step into them gladly. I don’t think there will ever be a situation where I’m able to resist a hug from Ollie, and I bury my face in his chest and inhale his earthy, spiced aftershave that actually smells warm.
‘Whatever happens tomorrow, I’m glad you’re here,’ he murmurs against my hair.
‘I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed anything as much as I’ve enjoyed the last three weeks with you.
No matter what happens, I’m so glad you came.
Even if the promotion doesn’t go my way, even if they find out the truth, every moment of this month has been worth it.
You’ve made the castle feel like home again, and I never thought it would. ’
I hold him as tightly as possible. There’s one problem with that… the castle feels like home to me too, and that’s something it can never be.