Players, Bumps and Cocktail Sausages (Silence #3)(70)

“Fine,” he replied, grumpy, and I elbowed him in the side. “I’m happy for you both.”

The side of Oakley’s mouth pulled into a smirk as she noticed what I’d done.

“Thank you, Jasper.”

He gave Oakley a hug and then it was my turn.

I smiled; excited to share this experience with Jasper’s sister and excited the baby would be my child’s cousin.



Christmas morning in my house was always hectic. We opened presents, played Christmas songs, danced around the living room, picked at chocolates and cooked the dinner as a family, messing around as we went.

I’d just finished moving my presents up to my room to clear space for later, when my aunt, uncle, cousins and grandparents arrived in the afternoon, when my bedroom door was pushed open.

“Hello?” I said, and took a step towards it, and then jumped as Jasper sprang through the doorway in an elf costume. I burst out laughing.

“What are you doing?”

“Merry Christmas!” he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug.

“Again, what are you doing?” I asked, still laughing.

He pulled away and jingled the bell on the end of his green hat.

“I promised Eveleigh I’d be an elf months ago. I hoped she’d forget but…”

“Well I’m very glad she didn’t.”

“I’m on my way there now so don’t think I’m crashing your Christmas.”

As if I’d think that.

“I just wanted to stop by and let you laugh at me – and to give you this.” He pulled a red velvet pouch out of his pocket, and that was when I saw the red and white striped tights.

I bit my lip to stop myself laughing, and focused on what he was giving me.

“Hold up your hand,” he said.

I held my hand out, palm up and he tipped a necklace out. It was a simple oval-shaped white gold necklace with tiny diamonds framing the edge.

“Wow,” I whispered, holding it up. “It’s beautiful.”

He took it off me and opened it up. Inside was a picture of me.

“It’s from the baby too. I thought when she’s here we can put her picture in there and have mother and daughter. Or son. I keep forgetting we don’t know, and it could be a boy.”

I suddenly felt choked up.

“You like it?” he asked.

“It’s gorgeous. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I feel bad now. We agreed no presents.”

With the baby coming, we were saving to buy all the things that she needed!

“I know, but I saw it in the jewellers when me and Oakley were deciding on earrings for Mum and I really wanted to get it for you.”

Gripping the necklace in my hand, I surged up on my tiptoes and kissed him. This was officially the best Christmas yet.





Chapter Thirty-One


Jasper




“Oh for goodness sake, Jasper, none of these pushchairs are going to shoot out knives and stab the baby! They’re all fucking safe, now pick one!” Holly growled.

My mouth dropped. It wasn’t often that she surprised me. Coming on to me and telling me she was pregnant were about the only other times. We’d decided to get the big baby items in the January sales, and I was seriously regretting it because Holly’s hormones were on fire today.

“It’s an important decision.”

“No, it’s not. Naming the baby is an important decision, so why don’t you think more about that and I’ll pick the sodding pushchair.”

So, hormonal Holly wasn’t much fun. I never knew if I was getting normal Holly or the version of her that seemed to hate me above anyone else in the world.

I held my hands up. “Okay. Those four have the best safety features.”

“I figured that since they’re the only ones still in front of us!”

I was scared to suggest names.

“What about Ebony?”

She stared at me as if I were crazy. “Do you hate our baby?”

“What? No, of course not.”

“Ebony was my great nan’s dog’s name. I can’t name my baby after poor Eb.”

Well how the fuck was I supposed to know that?

“Okay, not Ebony.”

She shook her head and went back to the pushchairs. I should get her mum to list all the names of her relatives back as far as she could remember, and their pets, just in case.

On the side of the room was a long shelf full of books for pregnancy, birth and babies. I swiped a baby name book and opened it up randomly. “Frankie?”

“No.”

I flicked over pages, landing on another one. “Libby?”

“No.”

“Natalie.”

“Oh for goodness sake, if you’re not going to suggest seriously, don’t bother.”

I did with Ebony.

“Daisy?”

She paused. “That’s pretty.”

Good, no pets named Daisy.

“That can go on the maybe list.”

“Sophia.”

This time I got a smile. Wow. “On the maybe list too.”

I was on a roll now. I flicked back a chunk of the book.