“Yes, it looks as if I was wrong.”
Rosie turned her head. “Wrong about what?”
“Nothing. It’s between your mother and I,” Martin said sternly. “Despite what you seem to think, families don’t have to tell each other everything.”
“But whatever they don’t tell you, you can usually find out for yourself if you press your nose to the window,” Phyllis said. “Ooh look. They’re kissing. And they’re still kissing. And still... aren’t they going to stop to breathe? Jenny, it’s time to call Audrey and let her know that her Christmas wish has come true.”
Chapter28
Jenny
If someone had asked her what her favourite part of Christmas was, she would have said all of it. The chaos, the joy, the unexpected moments, the surprises, the moments of laughter and even the moments when the whole thing was so exhausting she thoughtwhen are they all leaving?
But really it was Christmas Day. Because somehow the present and the past came together and it became more than this one day. It was this Christmas, and all the Christmases that had ever gone before, and the children were partly responsible for that because they always wanted to do what they’d always done, in the exact order they’d always done it. With one exception. Getting up before it was light.
She remembered years when she’d hear excited giggles in the hallway, the sound of bare feet making the stairs creak as three children tried to creep downstairs without waking their parents, subdued squeals when they saw the stockings and Martin grumbling that it was just too early, and couldn’t they at least stay in bed until it was light.
And now, here they were, lying in bed with weak wintersunlight poking through the blinds, and she was pretty sure that no one else in the house was awake yet.
“Do you miss the days when they used to try and creep downstairs without waking us?”
“No.” Martin’s eyes were still closed. “This was one of the few days of the year I could actually have a lie-in.”
“But now you can lie in every day.” She kissed him. “Happy Christmas. I need to put the turkey in the oven.”
“Now?”
“If you want to eat at lunchtime, yes, now.”
“Can’t we just eat when it’s ready?”
“We could, yes, but my parents like lunch to be at lunchtime and not at some indeterminate point mid-afternoon. Dad will start snacking and saying things like ‘my stomach doesn’t know what time of day it is.’ Last year I made him scrambled eggs and he stared at it and said ‘I don’t know what meal this is supposed to be.’”
“Eggs can be any meal. That’s the point. We should have trained them better.”
“They’re too old to change now, and I don’t mind. I love them the way they are. I love the fact my dad won’t move in the mornings until he’s done his crossword, and that my mother uses her age as an excuse for saying things that make me want to hide.”
“You hate the fact that she says things that make you want to hide. That’s why you hide.”
“True.” She smiled and tugged at the covers. “But I wouldn’t change her. It’s all part of the chaos.”
“Let’s hope the kids feel the same way when she buys them all pregnancy tests for Christmas.” He yawned and levered himself upright. “Okay, I’m officially awake. I’ll make coffee and take Percy out. Where are you getting your energy from? It was a late night. Yet another late night. Why couldn’t our children have made their announcements on the same day sothat we could just have one late night celebrating and then get back to normal? What will it be tonight I wonder?”
“It’s such great news about Will and Becky.” She’d barely slept, smiling to herself in the darkness. “I keep seeing her face. She was glowing.”
“That was windchill. The two of them were standing outside in the cold for hours.”
“You’re so unromantic. I was thinking that next year we should invite Audrey and Paul to stay for Christmas. That way we can guarantee that Will and Becky will be here. And if they’re here, the chances are Rosie and Declan will be too. And providing Hayley enjoys herself this Christmas, hopefully she and Jamie will come.”
“Where are all these people going to sleep? At this rate I’m going to need to build an extension.” He stood up and stretched. “And why are you planning next Christmas when we haven’t finished this one yet?”
“Because I don’t want to think this will be the last Christmas we’ll all be together. I want to know it will happen again.”
He sighed and sat down next to her. “You’re the one always telling me I have to adapt.”
“I never said it was easy.”
He pulled her to her feet. “Come on. We’re going to stand on the creaky stair and wake the children. It’s time the day started. Remind me, when do we do presents?”
