Claim
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Ian glared darkly at his older brother. “Not if I can help it. And she’s not even two years old, Hugh. Let me enjoy this time before I have to start worrying about her dating boys.”
Colin hooted in amusement. “God help the poor bastard who dares to date Ian’s daughter! If I know you, brother, you’ll have a background check done on the boy first, then arrange to have Simon follow them on their date.”
“Both excellent ideas,” replied Ian dryly. “Though Simon will likely be retired by then. Especially if his relationship with the widow who lives across the street from him continues to develop. Tessa’s hoping they’ll get married one of these days.”
“He’ll be in good company then,” commented Hugh. “What with Cousin Charlotte newly engaged, and then of course there’s the shocker about Uncle Tony.”
The announcement of Charlotte’s recent engagement to her former boyfriend from their school days - now a widower with a young daughter - had come as far less of a shock to the family than the news about their uncle Anthony. Everyone had always assumed the quiet, rather introverted solicitor would remain a bachelor for the rest of his life, since he had rarely dated and had never had a serious relationship. But Anthony had recently revealed that he’d been in love for decades with a woman who’d been coerced nearly thirty years ago by her family to marry another man in order to seal a business deal. She’d broken Anthony’s heart in the process, but try as he might he’d never quite been able to forget her, or stop caring about her, even when she had moved to Australia with her husband and young children.
A few months ago, Anthony had learned from mutual friends that the woman’s husband had died from a heart condition, and that she had recently moved back to England where her grown children were attending university. His friends, who’d always been aware of his feelings for Thea, had secretly invited her to a dinner party that Anthony was due to attend. The long separated lovers had been reunited, and less than a month later had eloped to Scotland. They were spending Christmas day with Thea’s children, but were due to join everyone here tomorrow for Boxing Day.
“I understand now why he never dated,” mused Ian. “He’d had his one great love, and no one else was ever going to compare to her. I felt the exact same way about Tessa, after all. Fortunately for me, I only had to wait a bit over two years for her, instead of two decades. But all’s well that end’s well, as the Bard would say. And it looks like all of us are going to live happily ever after, just like in Gilly’s storybooks.”
Gilly perked up at the mention of a story, but Ian gently shook his head. “Not right now, sweetheart,” he told her regretfully. “Because it’s time for dinner instead. Daddy will read you all the stories you like afterwards, hmm? Ah, here’s Mummy.”
Ian picked up his daughter and stood as Tessa reached his side, bending to give his wife a peck on the cheek.
“Time for dinner, I see,” he observed as Joanna clapped her hands and began to shoo everyone into the enormous formal dining room.
“Yes.” Tessa rubbed her nose against Gilly’s Eskimo style, a gesture that always caused the baby to giggle. “And your mother has practically begged me to let Gilly sit next to her. She wants every possible moment with her granddaughter that she can squeeze out. Would you like to sit with Nana at dinner, Gilly?”
Gilly nodded enthusiastically, and went into Tessa’s arms happily.
“I’ll go settle her in the high chair and make sure the staff brought out her little dishes and sippy cup,” she told Ian. “I’ll see you at the table.”
Ian kissed both of his girls warmly before giving Tessa a little pat on the rear. “See you in just a bit, love. And Gilly, you be a good girl for Nana, hmm?”
Gilly nodded as she headed for the dining room in her mother’s arms, leaving Ian to walk in next to Colin.
“By the way,” murmured Colin in a low voice, “in case you’re interested, I have a couple of new, ah, moves to share with you. And the good news is that they’re particularly suited to pregnant women. So you can keep pleasuring your wife right up until her due date.”
Ian scowled at his brother. “You absolutely have a one track mind, don’t you? And on Christmas day to boot.”
Colin shrugged. “Just thinking of you, brother. If you’re not interested, it’s your loss, not mine.”
Ian grabbed him by the arm, pulling him into a secluded alcove just outside the dining room. “I didn’t say I wasn’t interested. But talk fast. Mother won’t like it if we’re late for the first course.”
Colin’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he whispered into Ian’s ear.
August – Tiburon, California
“You know, initially it wasn’t fair when your first baby was a sweet, adorable little girl while I gave birth to a pair of devil’s spawn. And now, when our second babies are just over a month apart in age, you’re wearing a bikini - a bikini, for God’s sake! - while I’ve got a sarong wrapped around my waist to hide the ten pounds I still haven’t lost. If I didn’t love you so much, Tessa, I’d be giving you the evil eye and calling you a skanky bitch behind your back.”
Tessa laughed merrily. “I guess it’s a good thing that you love me, then, isn’t it? And I love you, too, Julia. Sarong and all. And you look fantastic.”
Julia grimaced, shifting her four month old baby girl from one arm to the other. “I’d feel a whole lot more fantastic if I could fit into my clothes,” she whined. “Though I did manage to squeeze into a really cute sundress the other night when Nathan took me out to dinner. However, the entire image was ruined when I leaked breast milk and stained the bodice.”
Tessa winced. “I hate when that happens,” she commiserated. “Fortunately for me, this one’s such a good eater that I rarely have that problem.”
Julia sighed. “At least my little Lily here is a good sleeper,” she crooned, stroking a fingertip over the baby’s tiny eyebrow. “And she looks so pretty in pink.”
Tessa gave her friend a mocking look. “Does she even have anything to wear that isn’t one shade or the other of pink? I certainly haven’t seen it.”
The look on Julia’s face was one of guilt. “There might be a few things here and there in lavender. Or yellow. And I think the last outfit Anton sent over for her was red. Then there’s the package that arrived a few days ago from Lauren. She and Ben and the girls just got back from a working vacation at some sort of dude ranch in Wyoming, and she thought it would be cute to send Lily a Western outfit – jeans, checked shirt, and a cowboy hat. My sister can be a real smart ass at times, you know.”
Colin hooted in amusement. “God help the poor bastard who dares to date Ian’s daughter! If I know you, brother, you’ll have a background check done on the boy first, then arrange to have Simon follow them on their date.”
“Both excellent ideas,” replied Ian dryly. “Though Simon will likely be retired by then. Especially if his relationship with the widow who lives across the street from him continues to develop. Tessa’s hoping they’ll get married one of these days.”
“He’ll be in good company then,” commented Hugh. “What with Cousin Charlotte newly engaged, and then of course there’s the shocker about Uncle Tony.”
The announcement of Charlotte’s recent engagement to her former boyfriend from their school days - now a widower with a young daughter - had come as far less of a shock to the family than the news about their uncle Anthony. Everyone had always assumed the quiet, rather introverted solicitor would remain a bachelor for the rest of his life, since he had rarely dated and had never had a serious relationship. But Anthony had recently revealed that he’d been in love for decades with a woman who’d been coerced nearly thirty years ago by her family to marry another man in order to seal a business deal. She’d broken Anthony’s heart in the process, but try as he might he’d never quite been able to forget her, or stop caring about her, even when she had moved to Australia with her husband and young children.
A few months ago, Anthony had learned from mutual friends that the woman’s husband had died from a heart condition, and that she had recently moved back to England where her grown children were attending university. His friends, who’d always been aware of his feelings for Thea, had secretly invited her to a dinner party that Anthony was due to attend. The long separated lovers had been reunited, and less than a month later had eloped to Scotland. They were spending Christmas day with Thea’s children, but were due to join everyone here tomorrow for Boxing Day.
“I understand now why he never dated,” mused Ian. “He’d had his one great love, and no one else was ever going to compare to her. I felt the exact same way about Tessa, after all. Fortunately for me, I only had to wait a bit over two years for her, instead of two decades. But all’s well that end’s well, as the Bard would say. And it looks like all of us are going to live happily ever after, just like in Gilly’s storybooks.”
Gilly perked up at the mention of a story, but Ian gently shook his head. “Not right now, sweetheart,” he told her regretfully. “Because it’s time for dinner instead. Daddy will read you all the stories you like afterwards, hmm? Ah, here’s Mummy.”
Ian picked up his daughter and stood as Tessa reached his side, bending to give his wife a peck on the cheek.
“Time for dinner, I see,” he observed as Joanna clapped her hands and began to shoo everyone into the enormous formal dining room.
“Yes.” Tessa rubbed her nose against Gilly’s Eskimo style, a gesture that always caused the baby to giggle. “And your mother has practically begged me to let Gilly sit next to her. She wants every possible moment with her granddaughter that she can squeeze out. Would you like to sit with Nana at dinner, Gilly?”
Gilly nodded enthusiastically, and went into Tessa’s arms happily.
“I’ll go settle her in the high chair and make sure the staff brought out her little dishes and sippy cup,” she told Ian. “I’ll see you at the table.”
Ian kissed both of his girls warmly before giving Tessa a little pat on the rear. “See you in just a bit, love. And Gilly, you be a good girl for Nana, hmm?”
Gilly nodded as she headed for the dining room in her mother’s arms, leaving Ian to walk in next to Colin.
“By the way,” murmured Colin in a low voice, “in case you’re interested, I have a couple of new, ah, moves to share with you. And the good news is that they’re particularly suited to pregnant women. So you can keep pleasuring your wife right up until her due date.”
Ian scowled at his brother. “You absolutely have a one track mind, don’t you? And on Christmas day to boot.”
Colin shrugged. “Just thinking of you, brother. If you’re not interested, it’s your loss, not mine.”
Ian grabbed him by the arm, pulling him into a secluded alcove just outside the dining room. “I didn’t say I wasn’t interested. But talk fast. Mother won’t like it if we’re late for the first course.”
Colin’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he whispered into Ian’s ear.
August – Tiburon, California
“You know, initially it wasn’t fair when your first baby was a sweet, adorable little girl while I gave birth to a pair of devil’s spawn. And now, when our second babies are just over a month apart in age, you’re wearing a bikini - a bikini, for God’s sake! - while I’ve got a sarong wrapped around my waist to hide the ten pounds I still haven’t lost. If I didn’t love you so much, Tessa, I’d be giving you the evil eye and calling you a skanky bitch behind your back.”
Tessa laughed merrily. “I guess it’s a good thing that you love me, then, isn’t it? And I love you, too, Julia. Sarong and all. And you look fantastic.”
Julia grimaced, shifting her four month old baby girl from one arm to the other. “I’d feel a whole lot more fantastic if I could fit into my clothes,” she whined. “Though I did manage to squeeze into a really cute sundress the other night when Nathan took me out to dinner. However, the entire image was ruined when I leaked breast milk and stained the bodice.”
Tessa winced. “I hate when that happens,” she commiserated. “Fortunately for me, this one’s such a good eater that I rarely have that problem.”
Julia sighed. “At least my little Lily here is a good sleeper,” she crooned, stroking a fingertip over the baby’s tiny eyebrow. “And she looks so pretty in pink.”
Tessa gave her friend a mocking look. “Does she even have anything to wear that isn’t one shade or the other of pink? I certainly haven’t seen it.”
The look on Julia’s face was one of guilt. “There might be a few things here and there in lavender. Or yellow. And I think the last outfit Anton sent over for her was red. Then there’s the package that arrived a few days ago from Lauren. She and Ben and the girls just got back from a working vacation at some sort of dude ranch in Wyoming, and she thought it would be cute to send Lily a Western outfit – jeans, checked shirt, and a cowboy hat. My sister can be a real smart ass at times, you know.”
