Vic isn’t the only one I’ve not seen much of this past week. “Yeah,” I admit. “We’re going to keep seeing each other after he goes home.”
Jerry looks totally unsurprised by this, but he laughs at whatever expression I’m wearing. “Am I supposed to be shocked? The way you two look at each other, I’m surprised you’ve not moved him in already.”
I roll my eyes. “Fuck off.” And I absolutely refuse to let myself imagine what that would be like.
His expression sobers, and he clasps my shoulder. “I’m really happy for you, Sean. Vic seems like a great guy, and you deserve this.”
I’m touched by his words, and I know my cheeks are going to hurt later from my permanent smile, but I can’t help it. I’m happy for me too.
Vic comes back with Joe and Hailey in tow. I greet Hailey with a kiss and a hug, Joe is a lot friendlier towards me after our road trip to the hospital and back, and I get a wide smile in greeting.
That feels like another little Christmas present because I want Vic’s family to like me. I want our lives to slot together as easily as possible so that all we have to worry about is each other.
“Char on baby duty?” I ask Hailey, and she nods.
“I’ve left them both asleep in our bedroom.” She scrunches her nose up. “I promised Char I’d wake her up in a couple of hours so we can spend Christmas Eve night together.”
“Have you thought of a name yet?” As far as I know, their baby daughter is still without one.
She glances at Vic, and his expression softens. I think that’s a yes, then. Turning to me, she says, “We’re going to call her Emily. Emily Alice Thornton.”
“That’s lovely.” I get the feeling there’s some significance to it, judging by Vic’s small smile.
“Emily was my mother’s name,” Vic says softly. “And Alice is Char’s nan’s.”
Ahh. “It’s a beautiful name.”
Jerry looks confused, and I assume that’s because Vic being the biological father isn’t common knowledge. I certainly haven’t shared it with anyone, and I’m not going to. Not even with Jerry.
Before he can ask any awkward questions, I clap my hands. “Who wants a drink, then?”
The afternoon flows effortlesslyinto evening, and although I know most people in the pub and make sure to have a chat with them all, Vic and I are never far from each other. It’s like we each don’t want to let the other one out of our sight, now that we finally have time to be together.
I glance around at the Christmas decorations and the happy, smiling faces of people enjoying themselves. It’s not the excitement and razzle-dazzle of a big city, just a beautiful country pub full of locals and a few tourists, all having a good time.
I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“Hey.” Vic nudges me. “Look outside.”
I turn where he’s pointing and smile as I see snow lightly falling. It’s probably not enough to stick, but it’s magical all the same.
We stay at the pub until closing time. Hailey has long since left to join her wife for the evening, and Joe scarpered as soon as Vic mentioned helping clear up. Liz has been in charge again tonight. She’s offered to stay on until the new year so Hailey and Char can get back on their feet, and Vic and I help her close up so she can get away earlier.
I’ve been too busy chatting all night and haven’t paid too much attention to the weather, so it’s a bit of a shock when we step outside to see everything blanketed in a fine layer of white. The falling snow is heavier. In a few hours, it’ll be thicker on the ground, but for now, it’s easy enough to walk on.
I take Vic’s hand and lead him in the opposite direction to my car.
“Where are we going?” He frowns but follows readily enough, Lucky beside him.
“Not far,” I promise. “I just want to walk a little while it’s like this.” I spread my arms out, catching snowflakes on my gloves.
I lead him to the start of the trail at the back of the car park. It’s wide and smooth to begin with, and I only take us a little way along it before I bring us to a halt. I wait for Lucky to busy himself sniffing the nearby bushes then whisper, “Look.”
Vic turns where I tell him to and gasps, smile widening in awe and delight. “That’s amazing.”
From this part of the trail, you get a lovely view of rolling fields and pockets of trees here and there. You can’t see all that far, but it’s enough, and in this weird light from the falling snow, the sight is breathtaking.
He steps behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “It’s so quiet. It feels like we’re the only ones in the entire world.”
