No Control | Holding Me Ransom (Book 2)

73 - Keep You Next To Me

After an idyllic evening eating, drinking, laughing and playing Scrabble, we woke up on Christmas morning to someone shouting "Ho ho ho!" at full volume on the landing outside Harry's room.

Harry groaned and pulled his pillow over his head, and then snaked one arm around my waist.

"Who's that?" I whispered.

He lifted his head an inch and opened one eye to look at me. "Father Christmas. Duh."

I giggled and pushed his shoulder as his face broke into a grin and he let his head flop back onto the mattress.

"It's Robin. He does it every year. He thinks it's hilarious."

I chuckled. "I think Robin would get on well with my dad."

Harry smiled at me. "Yes, I think he would too."

"Who wants a cooked breakfast?" Anne called up the stairs.

"Me!" Harry bellowed, so loud that I put my hands over my ears.

"Well come down here then, lazy bones!" she called back, and even from this distance I could hear the affection and amusement in her voice. 

He threw the covers off and leapt out of bed.

"I'm up, Mum, it's Jess who's refusing to budge!" he shouted, and I hurried to get out of bed, chasing him into the bathroom while he laughed in delight at my outrage.

"Why do you always try and make me look bad in front of your mum?" I moaned as he lifted the lid of the toilet, and I squeezed toothpaste onto my toothbrush.

"Because you get so flustered, it's hilarious!" he chuckled.

He flushed and came to stand next to me to wash his hands, and then grabbed his dressing gown from the hook on the back of the door and pulled it on over a pair of jogging bottoms. "Come on, slow coach. Or there won't be any breakfast left."

I pulled on a pair of pyjama bottoms and Harry's Jack Wills hoodie, and we made our way downstairs to the kitchen where Anne was carrying hot dishes of food to the table, wearing a pair of festive oven gloves that matched her green Christmas jumper and snowman earrings.

"Merry Christmas sweetheart," she beamed, embracing Harry and kissing him on the cheek, before turning to hug me too. "Come and sit down and have some breakfast, and then we'll do presents."

Harry began loading his plate with sausages, bacon, hash browns, egg, mushrooms and fried tomatoes, and just as he started to tuck in Gemma appeared in the kitchen doorway and frowned at him. 

"Oh good. I was hoping someone would get down here before me and eat all the food."

"Who woke up the Grinch?" Harry teased, and she poked her tongue out at him and sat down at the table opposite us. Robin poured us all tea from the pot and we spent a leisurely half-hour chatting and eating. 

"Can we do presents yet?" Harry whined, once Gemma had finished her last mouthful and set her knife and fork down on her plate. We helped Anne clear the dishes away, and then went into the lounge where Robin had already lit the fire. Harry went and sat by the Christmas tree and began sorting the presents into piles and passing them around. Immediately Gemma began ripping the wrapping off hers, and everyone followed suit. 

I opened a mug, a sparkly pen, a scented candle and a pair of fleece lined, polka dot wellies from Anne and Robin, and a beautiful makeup palette from Gemma. 

"I thought you could keep the wellies here, for when you visit," Anne explained, and I beamed at her and nodded enthusiastically.

I was keeping half an eye on Harry for when he got to the gifts from me, and he seemed to be doing the same to me. Eventually we only had each other's left to open, and we both laughed as we picked up a present each. Harry unwrapped his new hoodie as I opened a gorgeous new hat and scarf set that was possibly softer than anything I had ever felt in my life.