Just for Christmas - Emily Harvale Page 0,42

she too had been deep in thought and Vicky had startled her.

‘Yes thanks,’ he said, as casually as he could. ‘The pies are delicious. Molly was right about that.’

‘It was lovely,’ Molly said, sounding almost sad.

‘Well.’ Vicky glanced up and pointed at the mistletoe. ‘I think you two have been avoiding it but you’re not going to get away with that tonight. It’s Christmas Eve. I’m going to stand here until you say you’ll do it.’

‘Mum!’ Chance tried to sound cross but inside he was thanking his mum for her insistence. Now he had to kiss Molly. ‘Maybe Molly doesn’t want me to kiss her.’

‘I do! I mean. I don’t mind. As Vicky says, it’s Christmas Eve. And it’s a tradition.’

Had she just said she wanted him to kiss her? His heart felt three times its normal size.

‘Go on then, darling. We haven’t got all night.’ Vicky tutted.

‘Okay, okay. Er. Are you going to stand and watch?’

Vicky grinned. ‘Only for a second, to make sure you kiss. And I don’t mean one of those half-hearted pecks, either. It’s got to be a proper kiss or it doesn’t count.’

He took a deep breath and licked his lips. They were suddenly feeling dry.

He was nervous.

Oh God. Please don’t let me mess this up.

Please let this be a good kiss.

My best kiss ever.

I need to do this right.

I’ll never get another chance.

Wait. What?

Molly had grabbed his coat collar and was pulling him towards her.

Without another thought, he swept her into his arms and kissed her.

And kissed her deeper.

With increasing passion.

His tongue was in her mouth.

His hands were inside her coat.

He wanted her so badly it hurt.

And then something in his head made him stop and pull away from her.

She looked as stunned as he felt.

‘Molly, I … I didn’t mean to kiss you like that.’

He glanced around in horror but his mum wasn’t there. The front door was closed. Had she seen all that? Had she witnessed her son cheating on his girlfriend?

‘It’s okay, Chance.’ Molly’s voice sounded small. Croaky. Lost. ‘I think we’ve both had too much champagne. Let’s not mention this again. Please.’

He nodded even though her head was bowed and she wouldn’t see it.

‘I agree. You’re shivering. Let’s get inside.’

He opened the door for her and followed her in, watching her take off her coat, almost as if she were in a trance.

‘Good night. Thanks for this evening. Say good night to Vicky for me.’

‘Aren’t … aren’t you coming through to the sitting room?’ He was genuinely surprised. ‘We were going to open a present each. To spend time with Mum. She’ll be disappointed.’ He’d be disappointed too.

‘Oh.’ Molly looked torn. ‘I forgot.’ She stood upright, pushed back her shoulders, avoiding his eyes. ‘Yes, of course. But only for a little while, if that’s okay. I … I’m getting a bit of a headache.’

‘I’ll get you some tablets and some water.’

‘Thanks.’

He watched her go to join Vicky, and dashed to the kitchen. He splashed his face with cold water and gulped a glassful down. He opened the cupboard to find the tablets, filled a fresh glass with water, and after taking a couple of deep breaths, marched into the sitting room to join the two women he loved the most in the world.

His mum. And Molly Ford.

Only perhaps not in that order.

And definitely not in the same way.

He had never loved anyone, he was beginning to realise, in the way he loved Molly.

And that, quite clearly, was one heck of a monumental problem.

In exactly one week from today, he was supposed to be proposing to someone else.

Twenty-Three

Molly had no idea what she should do as she walked into the sitting room to join Chance’s mum. She couldn’t just pretend that nothing had happened tonight. To act as if she and Chance were just good friends. Not now. Especially not after that kiss.

Why did Chance have to be so bloody gorgeous?

And so damn nice.

And such an incredible kisser.

That kiss had nearly blown her mind. She’d felt things she’d never felt before and in places she never knew about. It was as if that kiss had transported her to another world. Some magical place where only she and Chance existed.

She’d even forgotten about Vicky. Although, thankfully, Vicky had left them to it.

But what must his mum think? Chance had a girlfriend. Almost a fiancée and here was some stupid girl who once lived around the corner, kissing her son as if her life depended on it. As if she would never let