Chapter 35 End of Book One

One Year Later...

I walked into the kitchen, the smell of sausages and bacon having lured me from the comfort of my bed. I leant against the doorframe admiring the scene in front of me.

"Which are you admiring, me or the food?" Sean teased, turning the sausages in the pan.

I could hear the laughter in his voice, and my heart warmed. I stepped further into the kitchen, walking up behind him and wrapping my arms around his bare chest, pressing myself against him and kissing along his shoulder.

"Always you." I answered, smiling against his soft skin and inhaling the fresh scent of his shower gel.

"Good," He replied.

He took the pan off the heat, standing it to the side and capturing my hands with his own. He turned to face me, beaming down at me with the smile of a thousand suns. I went up on my tip toes, kissing him gently on the lips. He released my hands, and wrapped his arms around my hips, pulling me towards him and locking his hands behind my back, moaning softly against my lips.

I chuckled as he began to kiss me deeper, getting lost in the moment.

"The food will get cold." I laughed.

"I don't care."

I swatted him on the shoulder and pushed away. He let out a stubborn groan of disappointment, and kissed me on the top of the head as I plucked a piece of bacon from the frying pan and bit into it, moaning with delight at the deliciously crisp and salty flavour.

"If you keep doing that, there's no way that I will be able to control myself."

His words carried both promise and warning, it made my blood simmer and my heart leap. I wanted to give in, but right at that moment, my stomach rumbled loudly. Sean laughed as I bit my lip smirking at him, with a small shrug.

I watched as he plated up some of the food and set it on the table, wondering if today was the day to tell him. I didn't have the chance to contemplate any further as the front door opened and Evan's voice rang out in the hall.

"It's official, Christmas is a time for freaks!"

Sean and I exchanged looks, and shook our heads with amusement, just as Evan appeared in the doorway.

"What happened this time?" I asked.

Sean grabbed another plate and began to add food for Evan too. He and Evan had become pretty good friends since we got together. I admired Sean for his acceptance of him to this extent, he even gave Evan his own key to our new place after we moved in a couple of months ago.

"An Elf."

"I'm sorry?" I asked, completely confused by the random statement.

"She believed she was an Elf. A fucking Elf! I mean, I wondered what was with all the green and the stripes, but it's Christmas, I figured she was just embracing the theme. Not thinking she was part of it."

Sean's laugh echoed around the room and I couldn't help but join in.

"Where do you find these women?"

We all took our seats at the table, and Evan slumped, spiking a sausage on his fork and cutting the end.

"Around, although I have no idea how most of them even manage to be in normal society."

I patted him affectionately on the arm.

"Well, let's be grateful that they do, you get laid and we get never ending entertainment."

He scowled at me, earning more renewed laughter from us.

Once breakfast was done, Evan helped Sean tidy away the plates, whilst I went to the living room to add a couple more presents that I wrapped the night before, under the tree. I still couldn't believe we'd been together for a year. It seemed like only yesterday in so many ways. Yet so much longer in others. The drama with Mel was finally firmly in the past, and me and Sean were happy. His family accepted me with open arms, and the same for Evan too. Although, him and Kat had been rubbing each other the wrong way now and again, much to everyone else's entertainment. Sean left the firm he worked at with Mel, he walked away with glowing references and thankfully not a single blemish on his record. They respected his decision to leave, and were happy to keep the whole thing under wraps, wishing us well in the future. He got a job at an even bigger firm and was much happier there with his lighter workload as it allowed him to have more free time to spend with me and his family. As for my family, I hadn't seen or spoken to any of them since the rehearsal dinner. Me screwing up Mel's wedding, and promotion so I heard, was their final straw it seems. I received one voicemail rom Mel the night of the wedding, but I had no intention of listening to it. I hit delete and hadn't looked back. I had no regrets over what happened that day, they were never much of a family to me, and I refused to allow them to destroy my happiness now that I finally had it. I smiled to myself as I adjusted the tag on one of Sean's gifts, and that's when it came to me. Checking the coast was clear, I pulled open my handbag and found what I was looking for, I slipped the paper into an envelope and wrapped it in some christmas paper, taping a tag to the top of it and scrawling a quick message.

Sean,

My love, my soulmate, my world... Merry Christmas! Love always, Roxy xx

Perfect! I thought to myself, adding it to the top of the pile under the lower branches. I stood back, admiring the warm and beautiful glow of the lights as they twinkled against the tinsel and the foil patterns on the wrapping paper.

"What are you looking so happy about?" Evan asked, making his way into the room.

"It's Christmas Eve, it's natural to be happy. Well, unless you ended up sleeping with a supposed Elf."

I couldn't help the sarcastic jibe that bubbled up from within. Evan rolled his eyes and adopted a sarcastic tone of his own.

"Do you wanna be the angel on top of that tree this year?" He asked.

I caught his meaning clearly, but it was much more fun to take a different direction with it instead.

"Aww, you think I'm that angelic."

I clapped my hands together and tilted my head to the side playfully.

"Not where I was going with that, more along the lines of would you like to have a christmas tree stuffed up you-"

"Choose your next words carefully Ev." Sean interjected, joining us in the room and smirking lightheartedly at Evan.

"She started it!" He bit back.

"Honestly you two, do you ever have a day off?" Me and Evan looked at each other, then at Sean, responding at the same time.

"No."

Sean rolled his eyes, then directed his gaze to me.

"I'm gonna go get changed, then we should head out."

"Okay, I'll go grab a shower. You still coming Ev?"

"For a shower?" He pretended to think it over a second, "Nah, had one before I left the grotto."

"See, you're making jokes about it already." I said cheerily, patting him on the shoulder as I passed by. "Maybe we can find a fairy for you whilst we're out!" I called back down the stairs."

"If you survive that long!" He shouted after me.

We spent the day together, the three of us roaming around town, and browsing the christmas stools at the market. The whole area smelled like christmas as the cold wind blew the mixed fragrances of orange, cinnamon and apples through the christmas tree stands, mingling with the fresh pine and surrounding us like a cloud. I held Sean's hand, my arm wrapped through his as I snuggled against his side, the warmth of our bodies keeping the cold at bay. Evan was late with some of his christmas shopping as usual, and ventured off to the side to buy presents for a while.

"Is there anything we should get for dinner at your parents tomorrow?" I asked as we passed a beautiful little stand.

"With how much they've probably bought already? Nah, we're good. They've probably got enough food to feed a small army."

That was true. We had popped by a few days earlier and the kitchen was filled to bursting with food and drink and decorations for the day. They were looking forward to having us for the day, and as I always spent Christmas with Evan, they insisted that he be there too. We had just wandered past a mulled wine stand, when Evan caught up with us.

"Okay, I'm all shopped out, can we go now?"

I looked down at the solitary bag in his hand and raised a brow.

"Wow, I can see why, that must be what, a whole five minutes of trauma you endured?"

"Ah, how wrong you are," He started smugly, "It was three minutes."

I rolled my eyes and he caved.

"Just kidding, the rest is being delivered to mine later."

"Delivered? I didn't know anywhere delivered on Christmas Eve." Sean chimed in, turning back towards us from a candle holder he was taking a look at.

"Yeah, they don't really, but there was this girl who worked there an-"

"We got it." He replied.

Evan had a few more things to check off his list before getting home, so we parted ways. It was getting gradually colder as the evening drew in, and the lanterns around the market were lit, casting a warm fiery glow over the stalls. I yawned, the beautiful scenery and overflowing happiness within me making me feel peaceful and content.

"Shall we head home?" Sean asked.

"Yeah, it's about time I had you all to myself again."

Back home, Sean quickly set to work lighting a fire, whilst I prepared dinner. Once the crackling flames had warmed the room, and the sky had turned black, we got changed out of our clothes, and nuzzled down on the sofa to watch a movie. I relaxed against Sean's warm and firm chest, his fingers softly tracing patterns along my arm as he watched the characters on screen.

Christmas Morning we got up early and after a quick breakfast, we packed up the presents and headed to Sean's parents' place.

The whole house was decorated beautifully, it was like something out of a dream. Evan was already there by the time we arrived, happily annoying Kat and munching on Mince Pies in the corner. The smell of Turkey hit us the moment we made it through the door. There was no tension, no anger or arguments. It was nothing like the christmases that I used to have to endure with my parents before I gave up going. The festivities were bright and cheery as everyone exchanged and opened gifts. As the last of the wrapping paper was cleared away. Sean stood up.

"There's actually one last present to give." He said, his golden eyes finding mine and sparkling with the many lights in the room.

He took my hand, pulling me to my feet. He kissed my cheek, then sank to one knee at my feet.

"Roxy, you're the love of my life,"

There were gasps and squeaks of joy from his family, and a small chuckle from Evan. I felt like my eyes would pop out of my head as realisation dawned on me.

"From the moment I saw you, you've never left my mind, and I wouldn't want you to, because it's where you belong. We had a hard ride to begin with, but I wouldn't change it, because even though it wasn't easy, it made me realise just how much better my life is now that you are in it."

My heartbeat had reached a speed that I would have thought was impossible, and I felt like I was about to burst with shock and delight. Tears of joy began to build in my eyes as I beamed down at him.

"I thought about how it would be best to do this, and I decided that it was here, surrounded by our family, so," He pulled a small, black velvet box from his pocket and opened it up, showing me the beautiful, round diamond ring that sat sparkling on the cushion inside. "Roxy Parks, will you marry me?"

A deafening silence greeted his words, as everyone held their breath, awaiting my answer.

"Yes! Of course I'll marry you." I replied, excitement and joy coursing through me, as Sean removed the ring from the box, and slipped it onto my finger.

He rose to his feet, sweeping me into his arms and kissing me passionately on the lips, I wrapped my hands around his neck, savouring the perfection of the moment whilst everyone rushed forwards to congratulate us.

We made it home that night and cast aside our coats. I looked down at my hand, my engagement ring twinkling up at me. I smiled, and followed Sean into the living room.

Before he could sit down, I took hold of his hand.

"I love you."

His eyes locked with mine as he answered,

"I love you too."

I kissed his cheek and turned to the tree, retrieving the one last present that lay beneath it. I could feel Sean's eyes on me the whole time, and when I held it out to him, he narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"What's this?" He asked, taking it in his hands.

"Open it."

He read over the card, then began to open it, at the sight of the envelope, I could tell he was even more confused. He unfolded it and pulled out the image inside. I watched as his confusion changed to shock, and shock changed to joy.

"You- Are you-"

"I'm pregnant." I smiled.

He let out a laugh, then threw his arms around me, holding me tight and locking his lips with mine. There in our new home, we were the happiest we'd ever been, we had each other, and now, we also had the start of our very own family.