‘Right,’ said Greg, letting go of Blythe and clapping his hands together. ‘It’s Christmas and we’ve got lots to celebrate. Let’s get that fizz open.’
Blythe took him by the arm. ‘Thanks for everything, Greg. You’ve been more of a dad to me than Hugh ever has been.’
‘I’m sure there’s a place for both of us. Now let’s celebrate!’
‘I’ll join you in a bit. There’s just something I need to do.’
*
Vicky was knackered by the time she got in, but Eden was hyper because she was running on hot chocolate and marshmallows, with a heavy sprinkling of the Holly Cross Christmas magic. Vicky wondered if she’d ever manage to get her to bed. Eden got out a plate and put a mince pie and a carrot on it for Santa and Rudolph while Vicky poured a large glass of white wine, having persuaded Eden that Santa would have had more than enough dairy by the time he got to their house and would probably enjoy a cheeky little Chardonnay instead of a glass of milk. Eden wasn’t convinced but she dutifully put the treats on the fireplace. That was one thing Vicky could cross off her long list. Thoughts of the presents she needed to wrap tumbled into her mind along with emails she still had to write for her dog-walking clients and the Christmas dinner she needed to prepare. She was just beginning to feel overwhelmed when the doorbell went.
‘Is it Santa?’ chimed Eden.
‘If it is he can crack on with the sprouts,’ said Vicky, heading for the door.
At first she couldn’t see who was there due to the pile of presents they were carrying, then Owen’s grinning face peeped over the top. ‘Can I come in before I drop this lot?’ he asked.
She had not been expecting him and for a moment it threw her.
‘Owen, Owen, Owen!’ squealed Eden with delight. ‘Are they for me?’ she asked, her eyes wide with wonder.
‘I’m not sure,’ said Owen. ‘But this big fat guy in a red suit asked me to put them under your tree and said we mustn’t touch them until tomorrow.’
Eden sucked in a breath at his words and whispered, ‘Santa.’
‘Let’s put these under the tree then I have a top-secret job for you, Eden.’ Owen gave her a wink. ‘Can you put the kettle on please, Vicky?’ he asked, disappearing into her living room with Eden skipping behind him. What the hell was going on? She decided she definitely needed something to drink. She wasn’t sure it was tea but she put the kettle on anyway. After a few minutes Owen joined her in the kitchen.
‘You’re not allowed in the front room for five minutes, which is just enough time for a festive snog,’ he said, stepping closer.
‘Whilst this is lovely it’s not what we agreed. We said we would see each other on the 27th. You were spending Christmas with your mum.’
‘I know and I’ve been thinking about that a lot. Families should be together at Christmas. And that’s what we are, the three of us. Aren’t we?’ And there it was, not so much the elephant in the room as the elephant that had been following her around for years.
Vicky shut the kitchen door, leaned back against it and took a deep breath. ‘Owen, about that. I know you think you’re Eden’s father but the truth is I don’t know. It could be you, but it could also be the other guy I slept with. There is no way of knowing for sure without doing a DNA test.’ She braced herself for the backlash.
‘I don’t need a test to know she’s mine,’ he said, stepping towards her. ‘Now we’re down to about three and a half minutes for that kiss.’
Vicky couldn’t believe how blasé he was being. ‘Owen, this is serious. You can’t just brush it under the carpet. It matters.’
‘Why does it?’
‘Because what if she’s not yours? What then? At some point you’re going to resent caring for another man’s child. What if we have another child together?’
‘Now, I like that idea,’ said Owen, trying to put his arms around Vicky but she ducked out of the way.
‘But where would that leave Eden? You’d have one child that was definitely yours and Eden with a big question mark hanging over her. I can’t let that happen.’ Vicky didn’t like the sound of the wobble in her voice.
Owen held his hands up. ‘I can see this is an issue for you so how about we do the test?’
Vicky felt everything tense up. ‘Okay.’
‘But, I don’t want to know the result.’
‘What?’ said Vicky.
‘You do the test if you want to know but it makes no difference to me. What I want is to do the school run, read her stories and teach her to ride a skateboard. I want to be Eden’s dad and I think she’d like that. And before you say anything I know this is a lifetime commitment and I’m here for it. And I don’t need a scientist’s permission for that.’
Vicky saw the love in Owen’s eyes. ‘Really?’
