Quinn smiled and opened the box, taking out the clear bauble she’d made with her book page decorations inside. This one simply showing an engagement ring. His eyes snapped to hers.
‘I love you so so much,’ she said softly. ‘You are everything I want and need. You make me ridiculously happy and I would love to marry you, as soon as possible, so we can start the rest of our lives together.’
He stared at her and when he spoke his voice was choked. ‘Are you sure you want this? We don’t have to rush. I can wait as long as you need to be ready.’
‘I’m ready now. You have proved to me again and again how utterly perfect you are for me, how loyal,kind, reliable, strong, generous and supportive you are. I can’t ask for a better partner. Will you marry me?’
He stared at her, clearly floundering for words.
‘Now you can open your bauble,’ Alex said, gesturing to the one he’d painted.
He looked down at the word ‘Yes’ on his hand-painted bauble and laughed.
‘Yes, of course, a million times yes. I love you. You make me so happy and it would be the greatest honour to have you as my wife.’
She leaned forward to kiss him and he pulled her into his arms, kissing her hard.
‘I love you,’ he whispered against her lips. ‘Let me show you.’
She nodded and he scooped her up in his arms and carried her off to her room. As the clock struck midnight to mark the start of Christmas Day, she knew she had the greatest gift in the world, right here in her arms.
CHAPTER 20
It had been a perfect Christmas Day so far. Alex had woken up this morning wrapped in Quinn’s arms and couldn’t be happier that she got to do this every day for the rest of her life.
Snow had fallen thick and fast again overnight and they’d woken up to a thick sparkly layer of it covering the grass, trees and roads. It looked magical.
They had opened presents together and then she’d broken the news to Zara and Immy that she and Quinn were engaged and they were both over the moon for them, especially Zara. They were heading to Violet’s house for the big Christmas Day lunch and planned to discreetly take Violet aside, maybe once lunch was out the way, and let her know they were engaged.
Alex knocked on Violet’s door and listened to all the noise inside. Quinn’s aunts, uncles, all his cousins, including Xander, Max and their brothers and various other relatives, would all be in attendance for Violet’sBig Christmas Day Lunch. They always borrowed chairs and tables or brought their own and the dining area seemed to stretch through several rooms and round corners and even went up and down stairs. It was quite easy to spend the whole day there and still not speak to everyone, especially with the way that all the tables were laid out. Violet would spend most of the day in the kitchen dishing up food for everyone and she clearly loved every single moment of it. It was always noisy, chaotic and for Alex it was her favourite part of the day. Although this time she couldn’t help worrying what some of Quinn’s relatives would make of them being together.
Quinn squeezed her hand to quell her nerves and she looked up at him and smiled. Immy shifted nervously next to Alex and she knew her sister was anxious about seeing Xander again. She was wearing a beautiful red velvet dress that shimmered with small sparkly snowflakes. She looked gorgeous and Alex wondered if it had been chosen specifically to show Xander what he was missing.
Max answered the door and, after giving them all hugs, he ushered them inside and down to the kitchen where the Big Christmas Day Lunch was getting underway. He rejoined his brothers. Quinn’s six cousins when they stood together looked like something out of a Hollywood movie. The Wild brothers, all looked impossibly handsome in tight, white shirts and black trousers as they dished out drinks to guests and surreptitiously stole pigs in blankets and other snacks. Archer - Maxand Xander’s youngest brother - came over to give them all a hug. She knew him from the arts and crafts market, where she used to work before she moved to the Wonky Tree Studios. Jared, Logan and Ryker, the other three brothers, she only knew from the annual Christmas lunch celebrations.
Alex saw Xander look over at their arrival and his mouth dropped as he took in what Immy was wearing. After a moment he moved over to give Immy a kiss on the cheek and wish her Merry Christmas. Alex was also pretty sure she heard him whisper in her ear that she looked beautiful. Alex rolled her eyes. Silly man, he was clearly besotted with her sister and rightly so, she was rather fabulous.
‘Ah, you’re here,’ Violet said, grabbing Zara into a big hug. ‘Merry Christmas.’
She hugged Alex, Immy and Quinn too.
‘What lovely presents did you get?’ Violet asked Zara as she started slicing one of four giant turkeys. There was an older man already slicing one of the other turkeys next to Violet and, while Alex didn’t know all the relatives, she wondered if this was Michael, Violet’s new boyfriend and Henry’s best friend. It certainly looked like the man she’d seen Violet with the other day.
‘I got my Christmas wish,’ Zara said, excitedly.
Alex stared in horror. They had specifically told Zara not to tell Violet and that they would tell her later on in the day when they got her alone. Alex didn’t want to monopolise the Christmas lunch nor was she ready for the whole extended family to know. She tried to intervenebut it was like watching a car crash and being powerless to stop it.
‘What’s that, dear?’ Violet said, dishing up roast potatoes into a bowl.
‘Mum and Quinn are engaged,’ Zara said in a voice so loud it practically drowned out everyone else.
Suddenly you could hear a pin drop, it seemed like every single person there was frozen, listening to what was happening.
Violet turned round to look at Zara, the turkeys forgotten. ‘Say again, I didn’t quite hear you.’
‘Mum and Quinn are getting married, next year, and I’m going to be bridesmaid.’
Violet looked over to her and Quinn to confirm it and Alex nodded. ‘Sorry, we were going to tell you this afternoon, discreetly. But yes, we’ve been in love with each other for four years, we didn’t want to wait any longer.’
