Silent Night Read Online Free Page A

night freezing my balls off in a park.”
    I rolled my eyes. “You better still do that
for her.”
    Pulling back, he frowned. “She said yes.”
    “I know that, but you haven’t given her the
ring…”
    He groaned. “I should do it again
tomorrow.”
    “ Uh huh! She’s an incredible
woman , and she’s taken
you on, she deserves a medal and a
romantic proposal.”
    “You always make me feel so warm and fuzzy
inside,” he said sarcastically.
    “I’m so happy for you both.”
    “Me, too. Now we can get on with making more
babies, she wanted to wait until we were married before more. Cole
is always on about how much more of a man he is.”
    “ Jasper…” My mouth fell open. I knew they
joked about it , but I
bloody hoped it was just a joke.
    Laughing, he replied, “As ever, you’re fun to
tease.” He slapped me on the back and went back to his fiancée,
grabbing Sophia as she put her arms out for him on the way.
    Everleigh climbed on Jasper’s lap, sitting
beside Sophia on his knee. “Uncle Jasper, can I be a
bridesmaid?”
    He looked to Holly , and she tilted her head. “Do you need to
ask, really?” she said to him.
    Shrugging, he looked back into Everleigh’s
hopeful eyes. “Of course you’re going to be a bridesmaid!”
    We managed to get the kids to settle down
after the wedding excitement. Holly and Jasper stayed in the dining
room , and I hung back
while Cole and Miles went in the living room with
Bentley.
    Part of me wanted to wait to surprise Cole
now that Holly and Jasper had got engaged tonight , but I knew they wouldn’t want that. In
fact, Jasper would be pissed off with me if he thought I’d waited
because of him.
    I poured myself another glass of alcohol-free
wine and made myself drink it before I took him outside.

Cole
     
     
    I was stuffed. Sarah had cooked
for about thirty people rather than twelve. On
reflection ,
having a who’s-got-the-bigger-balls eating contest with Jasper was
a bad idea. But he did look as uncomfortable as I felt.
    Mia sat down beside me, watching Leona and
Everleigh make Loom Band bracelets on the floor. “How’re you
doing?” I asked. Two months ago she’d broke up with a guy she’d
been seeing for about four months prior.
    “I’m doing really good. Thinking about taking
Leona to Disneyland Paris in March. We both really want to go.”
    “She’ll love that.”
    “She will, and I think we both deserve
it.”
    “Heard anything from him?” I asked.
    “ He tried calling but I
didn’t pick up. He’s a nice guy , but I’m not wasting time on someone that
I don’t see a future with. I like that it’s just me and Leona at
the minute.”
    Mia was happy to focus on
herself, Leona, and her career. She didn’t need
anyone , and I
really admired her for that. If Oakley left me I’d probably stop
existing.
    “You’re a good mum.”
    She teared up and slapped my arm. “You utter
arsehole!”
    W hat the hell? “Alright, sorry. You’re a
terrible mother.”
    Rolling her eyes, she said, “No.
You’ll make me cry. I don’t really care about a lot of things in
life, like material things, having the high-power
career , but
being a good mum…”
    “At the risk of getting hit again, just don’t
change anything because you’re already there.”
    She held her hands up. “Okay,
I’m changing the subject before I cry. I need to pry my nephew off Mum. She’s
not put him down since Miles handed him over. I want my snuggle
time, too.”
    “ Good luck.” Even I found
it hard to get Bentley back , and I was his dad.
    “ Sophia coming through,”
Jasper said, waking awkwardly across the room holding Soph’s hands.
With assistance , she could walk, and she liked to walk a
lot.
    Everleigh and Leona gently
tickled her belly as she strolled past them. She was also quick on
her feet. You had to expertly power-walk whilst crouching down and
making sure there was nothing in her way.
    She walked with help from her dad over to the
sofa where I was sitting