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‘You look different,’ he said.

I blinked. Different? I was sure I had mashed potatoes in my hair, flour stuck up my arsehole. Sweat in places I had never sweated before.

‘I know . . . I look disgusting,’ I admitted, glancing down at myself.

He pulled a face of disbelief. ‘No, it’s a good different.’

Oh.

Silence stretched between us.

Then I exhaled shakily. ‘Look. I’m sorry.’

He turned properly now, brow furrowing. ‘For what?’

‘For disappearing. For being a complete mess lately. For making everything confusing.’ I stepped further into the kitchen. ‘I wanted to come back here straight away. Honest to God. All night in that hotel, I just kept thinking about this place.’ I sighed, looking around, knowing I wanted to admit everything. ‘And you.’

He kept his eyes fixed on the floor.

‘I missed this,’ I admitted quietly. ‘Helping here. Being with everyone. Feeling . . . useful.’

Jamie said nothing.

So I kept going before fear could shut me up. ‘And my marriage is done,’ I said. ‘I told Rupert it’s over.’

His expression shifted slightly, and he watched me.

‘I’m staying in Glasgow for a while,’ I continued. ‘I don’t know exactly what happens next yet, but I know I want to be here. I want to help more. Properly this time. Maybe through my channel; I have enough reach to tell people about this place. Show them how hard some people have it.’

Emotion clogged my throat.

‘I spent so much of my life caring about stupid shite. Followers and brand deals and pretending everything was perfect all the time.’ I laughed weakly. ‘And today I’ve been screamed at over gravy, tried to unsalt oversalty mash, and somehow I’ve had a better Christmas than any of the fancy ones.’

That finally made him smile slightly. It was a tiny twitch of his mouth. But enough.

‘I just . . .’ My voice softened, then I sighed and started again. ‘Look, I know you said we should keep things casual, and I get that, I do, with everything that was going on. But the truth is . . . I can’t stop thinking about you, Jamie. All of the time,’ I rubbed my forehead. ‘I’m consumed by it. By you.’

The silence stretched even more. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, waiting for him to reply. Eventually, he stepped forward.

‘Harri,’ he said softly, ‘it was never casual for me.’

My heart kicked.

‘I just didn’t want to put more pressure on you,’ he went on, still coming closer to me. ‘You had enough going on without me adding to it.’

I let out a shaky breath, barely even aware I was doing it.

‘I’ve totally fallen for you. Even on the train, I knew you were special. But seeing how much you’ve grown, how kind and caring you are, how practical and connected to people,’ he whispered as he ran his hand down my messy face. ‘I love this version of you, Harri.’

My throat tightened. And suddenly I realised how he saw me, how he liked me just the way I was. There was no performance required, no hiding – finally, I was enough for the right person.

I looked up into his dark eyes, and a smile appeared. He pulled me in and kissed me. In the back kitchen of a run-down community centre in the Gorbals, that feeling, that kiss was absolutely perfect.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

By the time we made it back into the hall, everyone was in. Flocks of children darted up and down the hall, excited that Santa had arrived and they were getting to celebrate Christmas with their friends, their families and their community.

‘Oh, there they are!’ Claire shouted from her seat.