Page 42

MILLIE

Don’t be stupid

Christmas Day at the Kings’ home is almost too perfect to be true.

Everybody treats me like I’m part of the family, letting me in on their private jokes and old stories, always ensuring I have a drink and that my plate is full.

Noah’s parents are quirky and funny, poking fun at each other one minute and twirling each other around the kitchen the next.

Jared and Emma are madly in love and are some of the easiest people I’ve ever spoken to.

Willow is sassy and adorable, taking turns sitting on everybody’s laps because she wants a view from every spot at the table.

And then there’s Gabby, who I don’t think has a filter, nor any boundaries when it comes to speaking her mind.

She’s bubbly with a dry sense of humour, whispering facts about everybody to me as they exchange stories.

“Jared and Emma met via an online dating app,” she explains, as the others chat about the impending birth of their second child. “But they tell everyone they met through friends. ”

“Everybody meets online these days,” I reply. “There’s no shame in it.”

“Millie doesn’t think there’s any shame in online dating,” Gabby announces obnoxiously, sipping her drink with a smirk. Jared gives her a disapproving stare and Emma blushes, but everyone else laughs. “Seriously, guys. Embrace it. You make it so easy to wind you up.”

I glance at Noah sitting to my other side.

He grins and rests his hand on my knee, giving it a squeeze.

I could pass out from this too-perfect day.

That Noah and I basically confessed we’re keen to keep not-pretending, whilst still pretending, hasn’t left my mind for longer than a minute since it happened over an hour ago.

He touched my lower back as he escorted me to the lavishly decorated dining table.

When Gabby loaded my arms up with bowls of potato salad and green vegetables, he squeezed my ass and kissed the side of my head. My body still buzzes with electricity.

“Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!”

I recognise Dan’s voice as it booms from the hallway and we turn as he lumbers into the room, gift bags and booze in his arms. “Sorry I’m late, Mrs. K.” He leans down and kisses Joan on the cheek.

“Don’t apologise, darling,” she assures him. “We’ve set a place for you next to Gab.”

“Uncle Dan!” Willow shrieks and jumps off her dad’s lap, running to Dan with her arms held out.

Dan drops his items and scoops her up, nuzzling into her neck. “Wilhelmina, I missed you!”

Willow giggles hysterically. “My name is Willow .”

Dan holds her out, a dramatic frown on his face. “Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

“Are you really, really sure?”

“Yes.”

Dan’s eyes narrow. “Sounds suspicious. I’m watching you.”

My ovaries ache at the sight of the usually stoic man breaking character for that little ray of sunshine.

After Willow lets go of Dan, he makes the rounds and greets everyone, slapping Noah on the shoulder and giving me a kiss on the cheek.

When he gets to Gabby and she stands up, embracing him with a big squeeze, I don’t miss the way his cheek flush.

“How are your parents?” Rick asks, cutting his turkey.

“They’re good, thanks.” Dan settles into his chair. “They’re in Newcastle until New Year with Bonnie. I really appreciate you having me.”

“Daniel, we wouldn’t have it any other way.” Joan’s face fills with something fiercely protective. It’s clear from the ease at which Dan moves about the room that he’s as much a part of the family as everyone else.

“You’ll be travelling with Noah next year?” Rick asks him.

Dan nods. “Yes, sir. Whenever I can.”

“Do us a favour and keep him off the front page, will you?” Rick points his fork at Noah. “I don’t want to have to deal with the fellas from work winding me up again. I’ve reached my limit.”

Jared snorts. “Good luck with that.”

“I’ll do my best,” Dan says dryly. “Although, I don’t know why your son would start listening to me now.”

Noah throws his hands up. “I’m right here.”

“Not now, sweetheart, the adults are talking,” Joan coos, patting him on the hand.

Everybody except Noah laughs, and I tap his cheek. “Poor baby. This is what happens when you act like a jackass, honey.”

The laughter continues and even Noah cracks a small smile, narrowing his eyes at me. “You’ll pay for that,” he taunts, squeezing my thigh again. I swallow down my nerves, averting my gaze to my plate in case his family can see the desire written on my face.

“Maybe I won’t bring you with me,” Noah threatens. “Paying for you, Callum and Mack on every trip won’t be cheap.”

“Don’t act like you can’t afford it, moneybags.” Gabby reaches for Dan’s still unopened beer and pops it open with a bottle opener, placing it back in front of him. “We know you’re claiming the three of them as business expenses.”

“Still not sure if that’s technically legal, but you haven’t been flagged yet, so play on,” Jared muses.

“Please don’t break the law again ,” Joan sighs, raising an eyebrow at Noah.

“Don’t worry, Ma, we’re all over everything legally .” Noah grins, patting her hand. “In fact, we’ll be reining it in after Christmas. No more booze and back into training. Need to get focused for the season.”

My stomach drops at the mention of ‘the season’. The season he’s solidifying his image for so he can climb back to the top of his sport. The one we’re fake-dating for.

The one he doesn’t want a girlfriend for.

The idea of gorging on more food vanishes, and I take a sip of my beer to wash down the sensation of panic in my throat.

“You’re bunking with me tonight, hot stuff,” Gabby says to Dan. “Noah and Millie have the pool house because they’re a sickening cute couple and mum and dad want her to like us.”

Dan’s knife clatters to his plate, but he recovers it quickly. “What about Noah’s room?”

“Willow’s sleeping in there,” Rick answers.

“If she’s in our room she’s up all night,” Emma says apologetically. “And I’m barely sleeping as it is with this bowling ball on my belly.”

“And the guest room no longer has a bed in it, ironically,” Rick adds.

“It’s no problem,” Dan assures them. “I can take the couch.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Gabby dismisses. “You’re the size of a bear. I have a king bed.”

“Maybe you could take the couch?” Jared offers innocently.

Gabby scoffs. “Fat fucking chance.”

“Language,” Rick and Joan say in unison. The lack of alarm or concern in their voices show it’s a warning they’re used to throwing out around the table.

“Dan and I have shared beds before,” Gabby points out, draping an arm around Dan’s shoulders. She has to rise out of her seat to reach because he’s so much bigger than her. “You don’t care, do you?”

Dan is speechless, which works, because Gabby speaks for him. “See? He’s fine. I’ll put a barrier between us to make everyone feel better.” She squeezes Dan around the neck, and I grin to myself at the image of the makeshift barrier I created at camping.

Gabby sits back in her seat, pointing a warning finger at Dan. “No messing with my eye mask and no speaking first thing in the morning. Which I figure is perfect, because you speak less than all of us put together.”

The conversation continues with ease, but I don’t miss the way Dan looks at Gabby. She’s affectionate with everybody, especially with him. They have a level of comfortability that is effortless and dare I think it, he has a twinkle in his eye when he watches her.

After dinner, we clean up while Noah’s parents and Emma move to the living area. Gabby does a great job of giving out instructions and entertaining everybody with her dancing skills. Anything to avoid cleaning up, as Noah tells me. I enjoy it immensely.

Once the kitchen is cleaned, we each have a glass of port as the parlour games start, including charades and categories. Jared, Noah and Gabby argue every other round, but based on the bored reactions of everybody else, I presume this behaviour is normal.

I find myself grinning as I watch the three of them, almost as if I can see what they were like as children, bickering and poking fun and laughing with each other.

Willow marches up to them in between her rounds of show-and-tell and cuddles with Dan.

Emma watches on with a smile, rubbing her belly as her husband reverts to his ten-year-old self.

This house is beautifully loud. It’s homely and warm and my heart clenches at how safe I feel, sitting on this cushioned couch with people I’ve only known for a few hours, but could swear I’ve known my whole life.

As the yawns start to make the rounds, and Willow has passed out in Noah’s arms, people start making moves to go to bed. Winston has made himself comfortable at Rick’s feet, where I sense he’ll be staying for the foreseeable future.

“I’m not so sure he’s going to follow me to bed,” I muse, watching Winston’s eyes close.

Rick nudges Winston’s side with his feet. “That was my plan all along. Joan, he’s sleeping in our room.”

Joan rolls her eyes but smiles. “Thank you for such a special day. I’m so glad I could have all my babies home. Millie, I have something for you.” I stand as she hurries out of the room and returns with a small gift bag.

“Merry Christmas,” she whispers, pulling me in for a hug. “It’s a small thing. We’re so glad you could spend today with us.”

I smile and hug her back, hanging on a little longer than I normally would for a hug with a stranger. When I peek inside the bag, I see my favourite body spray, a packet of sour candy and a pair of socks with Winston’s face on them. I bark out a laugh. “How did you know?”

Joan looks knowingly behind me, where Noah is leaning against the doorframe. “Just a hunch,” she whispers my response from earlier.

“Good night, gang!” Rick calls out. Joan kisses me on the cheek and then hugs her son.

“She’s wonderful,” Joan hums in Noah’s ear.

I duck my head, unsure whether she meant for me to hear or if her second glass of port has caught up with her.

Noah winks at his mother before holding a hand out to me.

“Come on, Maelstrom.” I thank Joan again before reaching for Noah’s hand and letting him lead me to the pool house.

Now we’re headed back to our own lodgings for the night, my heart is hammering.

He said we’d ‘finish this later’, and now we’re finally here, the anticipation is unbearable.

Once we’re locked inside the pool house, I flick on the bedside lamps. I can feel Noah’s gaze on me as I cross to my bags and pull out a small, wrapped package.

“Merry Christmas.” I hold out the present.

“Maelstrom! You shouldn’t have.” He crosses the room and graciously takes the parcel, his hand skimming my fingers.

“It’s not much,” I say feebly as he unwraps it. For a split second, I wish I could snatch it back, because . . . well, what do you buy a champion surfer who can buy whatever he wants?

He retrieves the small black box from the paper, his eyebrows bunching as he clicks it open. His eyes spring open in surprise and his gaze darts to me, a grin forming. “Maelstrom.”

“Like I said, it’s not much.”

He fishes out a circular band of woven brown leather, clasped together by a gold plate. The plate has King engraved on it.

“The guy at the shop said it helps surfers remember their passion for the water, even when they’re away from it,” I explain, watching as he adjusts it and slides it over his wrist.

Noah stares at it for a few beats and starts laughing.

Yep. He’s laughing.

“I said it wasn’t much,” I continue, shrivelling.

Noah stops laughing and reaches out for me. “No, no. That’s not why I’m laughing. I love it. I’ll show you why I’m laughing.”

He heads for his overnight back on the other side of the room and comes back with a wrapped gift and hands it to me. “Open it.”

I cautiously take the box and unwrap it, revealing a white box inside. When I open it, I gasp. “No way.”

Noah practically bursts out of his skin, and he reaches into the box. “Great minds, baby.” He fishes out my new bracelet. Mine is black leather, woven in with neon pink strands. The clasp reads Maelstrom .

“This is to remind you of how you kicked the ocean’s ass,” Noah says, sliding it onto my wrist. “You stood on a goddamn surfboard even though you were scared, and you overpowered that fear.” I blush as he adjusts it to fit. “Perfect.”

Noah takes my hand in his and pulls me close to him. “Thank you for being here. My family love you.”

“I love them ,” I insist. “Especially, Gabby. She’s a force.”

“She had two testosterone-filled older brothers growing up, so had to become a force.” His eyes fill with pride and gloss over to something more seductive as he leans closer. “My whole family is the best. But I don’t want to talk about them right now.”

I swallow. “What do you want to talk about?”

The room is dimly lit by the lights, the brightest being Noah’s sparkling eyes. He’s watching me with an intensity that threatens to buckle my knees, my breaths becoming loud and uneven.

His gaze dips to my mouth. “I don’t want to talk unless it involves filthy words coming from your mouth.”