Just for Christmas - Emily Harvale Page 0,44

were on fire.

‘Thank goodness that happened before you picked up the presents,’ Vicky said. ‘You might’ve broken something.’

‘Thanks for the concern, Mum. I’m fine, in case you were wondering.’

‘Of course you are, darling. I can see that. Now stop fooling around and get those presents. You’re forgetting Molly’s got a headache and wants to go to bed. Beauty. Miracle. Come here.’

To Molly’s astonishment, both dogs stopped, looked at Vicky and trotted over to her like innocent little lambs. Which for an Olde English Sheepdog the size of a giant rug and a long-legged stray like Miracle, was no mean feat.

Chance chose one present for each of them from beneath the tree.

‘Don’t forget Beauty and Miracle,’ Molly said, half-expecting him to say no one had bought presents for the dogs, even though she had.

‘I won’t. I just thought it might be safer for us to open our presents first.’

He handed one to his mum and one to Molly. She couldn’t help but notice he’d chosen a present from him to her when she turned over the beautiful, sparkly pink tag and saw, ‘To Molly. Merry Christmas. From Chance. xx’

She couldn’t hide her blushes but was glad he’d added kisses. She’d added kisses to her presents to him. But she’d also added the word Love, as in ‘Love from Molly’. That made her feel a bit embarrassed. But she put that on all her presents.

‘In case that’s a present from me, I always put ‘Love from Molly’ on my gifts.’

Now that was really dumb. Both Chance and Vicky were looking at her as if they weren’t certain why she’d said that.

‘I do the same on mine, sweetheart. Except mine say they’re from me, of course, not from you.’

Vicky laughed at her own joke and carefully peeled away the beautiful wrapping of the large, squidgy-looking present she was holding, which from the way it was wrapped in a similar fashion to Molly’s, was no doubt from Chance.

‘Is it a new dressing gown? Or a super-soft towel?’

‘Why don’t you wait until you open it and see.’

Chance smiled at her as she continued the unwrapping.

‘Oh darling. It’s beautiful. I love it. Thank you so much.’

She held up a photo blanket, large enough to cover her and the loveseat, and it was a picture of her and Beauty snuggled up together, right where she sat.

‘That’s wonderful. And such a perfect present,’ Molly said, meaning every word.

‘Isn’t it?’ Vicky had tears in her eyes. ‘Chance is always putting one of the throws over me when I nod off here, but none of them is large enough. This is perfect. Absolutely perfect. You’re the best son ever, darling.’

‘I’m really glad you like it.’

Vicky wrapped her new photo blanket over her and she and Chance looked at Molly.

‘Oh. Am I next?’

She gingerly unwrapped her present, her heart thumping and her fingers not quite working as well as they should. Chance had bought her this, and whatever it was, she would treasure it. It was long and slim. A bracelet in a box, perhaps?

‘I put a lot of thought, time and effort into that so I really hope you like it,’ he said.

Her mouth fell open and her heart withered just a tiny fraction, but she knew it was a joke. And he had told her he’d get her a bar of chocolate, so she shouldn’t be surprised that he had. Two bars, in fact.

‘Yum. Just what I hoped for. And two bars? You shouldn’t have. I don’t deserve it.’

Vicky laughed too as Chance handed Molly another present. A rounder, heavier present that definitely wasn’t chocolate.

Or was it?

‘You get to open two because that was just a joke present,’ he said.

She glanced at Vicky who nodded and back at Chance who was smiling at her.

This time she tore at the paper. She couldn’t bear the suspense. And when she saw what it was, she couldn’t speak at all.

He had bought her a snow globe. But not just any snow globe. It was a snow globe just like one that she had accidentally broken when she was twelve. One side had a snowy mountain scene with snow-covered trees and one tiny rabbit sitting on his haunches, looking up at the moon. The other side was for a photo and when she turned it round, she couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.

He’d put a photo in it. And again, not just any photo. It was a photo of the last Christmas he had spent with them all those