A Father by Christmas Read online

  Alone.

  She was just drifting off to sleep when she remembered she hadn’t put Thomas’s presents under the tree. She got up, pulled a light robe over her nightgown, found the stash in the bottom of her cupboard and tiptoed out of the flat.

  The coloured lights flickering on the tree lit the room enough for her to make her way quietly towards it, but it wasn’t until she bent down to place her parcels beneath it that she realised she wasn’t alone.

  ‘I was wondering if you’d remember,’ Gib said quietly. ‘Etty said you were very tired and I didn’t know if I should sneak into the flat and find them and put them under the tree for you.’

  That was it? He was sitting in the flickering light, wondering about putting parcels under the tree?

  Sophie sighed. She’d misread the signals between them. In spite of what his kisses had said to her, he’d obviously meant what he’d said about not wanting a permanent involvement with anyone.

  But they worked together—and they’d share Thomas—she’d still see him…

  Cold comfort when what she’d really wanted was a Christmas miracle.

  ‘Everything OK at work?’

  The question confirmed her gloomy thoughts.

  ‘Very OK,’ she said, backing away from the tree—backing away from Gib lest she hurl herself into his arms and beg him to love her.

  ‘Can I get you something?’

  This was too much! She felt an urge to pick up the nearest present and hurl it at him, but he was still talking in that quiet, emotionless voice.

  ‘Cup of tea? Brandy? Champagne? Engagement ring?’

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘Cup of tea—’

  She would throw something at him.

  ‘I didn’t mean that bit,’ she snapped, and heard him chuckle.

  ‘Come and sit by me. I’ve been trying to do this without us touching because we both know where that can lead and I’m sure, tonight of all nights, you need to be sleeping near Thomas, but I need you close while I tell you how I love you. Was it Shakespeare who said, “Let me count the ways”? I couldn’t begin to count with you, Sophie. You came into my life and it was as if you lit it from within, helping me out of the dark places I’d been inhabiting for too long.’

  She took two tentative steps towards him and he reached out and took her hand, pulling her down beside him.

  ‘You brought something new—something I’d never felt before, or if I had, I’d forgotten it. You brought contentment and if that doesn’t sound like something wonderful, believe me when I say it’s the most beautiful gift in the world.’

  He put his hand on her chin and turned her head, dropping a light kiss on her lips.

  ‘I love you, Sophie. Will you marry me?’

  Sophie stared at him, watching his face turn blue then green then red in the blinking lights.

  ‘You don’t want to get involved,’ she reminded him.

  ‘I didn’t,’ he corrected her, ‘until a tall, slim woman with long black hair and a smile that could light up the universe came into my life and hauled me back into the land of the living. You brought my body back to life with the attraction that flared between us, but more than that you eased away the pain and guilt and endless questions that have tortured me for years. You made me whole again, Sophie, and that’s another gift because you deserve the best and nothing but a whole man would be good enough for you.’

  She snuggled against him, aware of the danger, knowing he was right—she needed to be in her own bed whenever an excited Thomas woke up for Christmas—but needing to feel close to Gib while she tried to absorb all that he had said.

  ‘It’s your turn to talk,’ he whispered, dropping kisses, as he often did, on her hair, splaying it out with his fingers at the same time, tugging lightly at it as he played with it.

  ‘I don’t know what to say,’ she whispered.

  ‘Perhaps you could tell me you love me,’ he coached, and she could hear a little fear as well as laughter in his voice.

  ‘You already know that,’ she said. ‘I’ve told you that with kisses.’

  ‘But I need to hear the words,’ he persisted, so she said them.

  She said, ‘I love you Gib,’ then had to quell a strong desire to shout them loudly—to go to the window and yell them down the river.

  ‘So will you marry me?’

  ‘I will,’ she said, quietly, the strength of this commitment stealing her breath.

  ‘So, one Christmas present for the lady. You’re allowed to open one on Christmas Eve—our Christmas Eve.’

  He pressed a small box into her hands, and she opened it with shaking fingers, seeing the diamond nestled there, square cut, seeming huge, winking like the Christmas lights at her.

  ‘Try it on,’ Gib said, the hoarseness of his voice telling her he was as shaken by this moment as she was.

  ‘You do it,’ she said, and held out a trembling hand, trying to hold it steady while he placed the ring on her finger.

  ‘Next time I do that you’ll be Mrs Gibson,’ he murmured, then he kissed her and they didn’t talk for a long, long time.

  ‘Now is it Christmas?’

  Sophie unglued sticky eyelids and looked into the hopeful eyes of the child and the black button eyes of the elephant.

  ‘Yes, today is Christmas,’ she told Thomas, and watched his face light up with excitement. ‘Just let me get up and get dressed and then I’ll help you get dressed and we’ll go and see if Santa left you something under the tree.’

  Santa had, and the next hour passed in a welter of excitement as Thomas tore wrappings off presents, then showed them excitedly to Sophie, Aunt Etty and Gib.

  ‘See you’ve got a nice present yourself,’ Etty said quietly, as she passed Sophie a cup of coffee.

  Sophie felt a blush creeping up her cheeks, and when she opened her mouth all she could do was stammer.

  ‘Don’t bother explaining. I knew from the moment I saw you that you were the best thing that ever happened to him,’ Etty said calmly. ‘I’m just pleased he realised it.’

  With all his presents opened, Thomas then became a tiny Santa, passing presents to Etty and Gib, waiting excitedly while Gib opened his chocolate elephants then dancing with delight when Gib assured him they were just what he’d wanted.

  They ate a light breakfast of seasonal fruit and pancakes, then Gib announced it was time to get going.

  ‘Going where?’ Sophie asked, and Gib smiled at her.

  ‘To meet the family, of course.’

  ‘Your family?’ Sophie said, certain he’d told her they celebrated Christmas on the actual day.

  ‘My family,’ he confirmed. ‘They put it off until today so I could bring them something special.’

  He lifted Thomas in his arms, settled him on his hip, then put his free arm around Sophie.

  ‘What could be more special than my new wife-to-be and son?’ he said, and Sophie saw the love he felt for both of them shining in his eyes, and knew that this was what she had always wanted. A real family.

  ISBN: 978-1-4603-5885-6

  A FATHER BY CHRISTMAS

  First North American Publication 2006

  Copyright © 2006 by Meredith Webber

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and
TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.eHarlequin.com