Page 135 of Outback Secrets

‘It said I was down here working. I left it next to you on the bedside table.’

She shook her head. ‘I didn’t see any note.’ She’d been too distressed to register anything but his absence. ‘And what kind of person works on Christmas morning anyway? How long have you been down here?’

‘I’m sorry,’ he said, wiping a tear as it slid down her cheek. ‘I didn’t mean to scare you. I woke up early because there was something I needed to finish.’

‘Huh?’ What on earth could be so important that he’d chosen it over waking up with her?

He turned and pointed to the rocking chair, which was, if anything, even more beautiful than the one he’d made for Dolce. ‘It’s for your mom.’

She gasped. ‘You serious?’

‘Yeah. I started it the day after we delivered Dolce’s.’

‘Wow.’ She took a moment to just gaze at it. ‘Were you still going to give it to Mum after we … broke up?’

He nodded. ‘I was going to deliver it to her in the new year, but I thought you might like to give it to her for Christmas instead?’

‘Hell yeah. This is much better than the ugly vase I bought her. I’m shooting right to the top of her favourite child ranking. And you, you are going to be very much in her good books as well.’

‘I like the sound of that. Your mom can be scary sometimes. A bit like you.’

She laughed and wrapped her arms around him. ‘Is it ready now?’

‘Yep. All done. Was just giving it one last polish.’

‘Good. Because I think we’ve still got a few hours until we have to be at the farm, and I have an idea of what we can do to fill in the time.’

He slid his hands up under the back of her T-shirt—which was actually his T-shirt—and palmed them against her bare skin. ‘And what would that be?’

* * *

They were almost late to lunch, and although Henri didn’t seem to care, Liam didn’t want to make a bad impression. He was anxious enough as it was about actually celebrating Christmas for the first time in thirteen years.

‘Are you okay?’ Henri asked, as the sign for Bungara Springs appeared ahead.

‘I think so,’ he nodded, despite the tightness in his chest.

He hoped so, but now that they were this close, the enormity of doing Christmas—of celebrating Christmas, of spending it with someone else’s family—felt more than a little overwhelming.

She reached out and squeezed his knee. ‘We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I want to spend today with you, but that doesn’t have to be with my crazy relations if that’s too much, too soon. They’ll understand.’

Liam wasn’t sure they would but that was beside the point; he wanted to do this, for Henri, but also for himself. He wanted to be a part of a family again, he wanted to feel like he belonged.

‘No, we’re doing this,’ he said firmly, squeezing the hand that was still resting on his knee. ‘You’re not using me as an excuse to get out of Forward family festivities. I’m hoping to hear lots more embarrassing stories from your mother.’

Henri laughed. ‘Why do I have a bad feeling about this?’

‘Remind me how many nieces and nephews you have,’ he said as they bumped along on the gravel track towards her mom’s place.

‘Seven.’

‘Sheesh! How am I ever going to remember all their names?’

‘Don’t worry about that. I’m sure they’ll be too busy fighting over their presents to even notice you.’ She pointed to a gum tree as the homestead came into view. ‘Park over there, under the tree.’

He did as she instructed. ‘Shall we take the rocking chair in now or—’

‘We exchange gifts after lunch. We’ll leave it till then. Hopefully no one wonders what’s under the tarpaulin.’