A/N: And now it's Christmas day… I wonder how things will go…
Chapter Twelve: The Holly and the Ivy
Monday 25th December 2023
Lauren woke at 6:00am Christmas morning, she sat up in bed and glanced over at Joey, who was still sound asleep. She didn't know how much longer he'd be allowed to sleep in for, it was only a matter of time before the kids woke up. They were all so excited that Santa and Rudolph were coming last night and she seriously doubted they would sleep for much longer. The fact they were all in the girls' bedroom wouldn't help the situation. She glanced around the room and noticed a stocking at the end of the bed, smiling to herself. She loved how Joey did this for her every year, even if they were awake late and she'd thought he'd forgotten. Glancing at Joey again, she pushed back the covers and crawled the short distance to the foot of the bed, grabbing her stocking. She tipped it out and looked at the small packages he'd meticulously wrapped for her. Usually he gave her gag gifts because he knew she'd open them before Christmas morning, but this year he'd made sure she was so sleepy that she didn't get a chance. She peeled off the wrappings from the first gift and found it was a satsuma. She peeled it and started to eat it, revelling in the sweet taste of the fruit. The next present was long and thin and she shook it wondering what it could be. Again she ripped off the paper and inside was a jewellery box from a shop not far from Walford. Lauren opened it and inside, nestled on cream velvet was a silver Pandora bracelet with a Santa charm on it, Lauren smiled and glanced up at Joey, realising he was awake and watching her. He smiled back at her.
'Looks like someone was a good girl this year. I hear Santa doesn't buy Pandora bracelets for just anyone' he told her.
'It's beautiful' she said to him, 'thank you'
'Hey, don't thank me, thank Santa' he said to her. Lauren shook her head and put the present down, picking up another, she had another two to unwrap in addition to the ones she'd already opened. The first one was a walnut and Joey giggled at the look of confusion on her face. 'I ate all the monkey nuts' he explained to her 'I meant to save one for your stocking, I thought the walnut was a good substitute' he told her.
'I thought you said Santa put all these presents in my stocking?' she said.
'He did, I put that one in' he replied with a grin. He rolled onto his back, crossing his hands behind his head.
'Do we even have any nutcrackers?' Lauren queried.
'No idea' he replied.
The last gift was a small box, she unwrapped it and inside were four Pandora charms. Two precious little girl ones, a precious little boy one and a love heart. 'Oh my gosh!' she exclaimed, reaching for the bracelet and sliding the charms onto it. 'Will you help me put it on?' she asked him.
'Only if you come over here' he said to her. She smiled and crawled back to sit down beside him, he took the bracelet from her and fastened it on her wrist.
'It's so beautiful' she said to him. 'I love it'
'I love you' he replied. He sat up and kissed her softly. He looked at the foot of the bed expecting to see his stocking, like he did every year but it was conspicuously absent. 'Oh' he said with a crestfallen frown 'Santa forgot to leave my stocking' he said.
'Maybe Santa thinks you've been a bad boy this year' she teased him, pulling away from him and reaching into her bedside drawer. 'Oh…I think Santa must've left it in my drawer' she said in mock surprise and she handed the stocking over to him.
'Thank you' he said, and he tipped the stocking out onto the duvet. 'Any noise from the kids?' he asked her as he stared at the gifts he'd just emptied onto the bed.
'Not a peep' she shook her head 'touch wood' she reached across and rapped her knuckles lightly on Joey's head.
'Ha ha, funny girl' he chuckled. 'So, let's see what Santa gave me this year' he said and he reached for the first of five presents he had. He opened the first box with a knowing smile 'Maryland Raisins, my favourite' he said, opening the box and popping a few into his mouth. The next gift he opened contained a small box, which contained a note. He unfolded the note and he laughed when he read it 'So you can get yourself some sweets' he said and underneath the note was a £2 coin.
'Maybe that'll mean you'll stop pinching the kid's sweets' Lauren said to him.
'Doubt it' he grinned at her.
He unwrapped a round present next which was the traditional satsuma, which Lauren peeled and fed him while he concentrated on opening the remaining two presents. 'How much sticky tape did you use?' he asked her when he struggled with the next gift.
'It wasn't me, it was Santa's elves. Maybe it was Miss Tinsel and Mr Jingles and they're getting their revenge on what you told Santa about them' she teased him. Finally, Joey managed to open it and inside was a silk tie which had elves depicted on it. Lauren giggled.
'I love it' he said with a smile 'I'll wear it today' he promised her. He reached for the final present and again after struggling for a few minutes he got into it. Inside was a headband with a sprig of mistletoe hanging from a wire that hung over the wearer's forehead. 'Oh, I see, this is so a certain someone can have lots of kisses today' he said to her, smiling as her face turned pink.
'I think Santa knows best' she told him, Joey put it on and leaned towards her, Lauren kissing him softly.
'I think I'm going to wear this all day too' he grinned at her. 'Listen! Do you hear that?' he whispered urgently.
Lauren stiffened, and looked towards their bedroom door expecting the kids to burst through any second. 'I don't hear anything' she frowned after a while.
'Exactly. You know what that means, don't you?' he asked her.
'The kids are still asleep' she said.
'And that means we can have a little Christmas morning nookie' he grinned at her, taking the headband off and dropping it onto his bedside table, momentarily forgotten as he concentrated on other things.
'Do we dare? It's probably tempting fate' she whispered, pulling her t-shirt off and dropping it onto the floor, wriggling down into the bed.
Oh, babe, we totally dare' Joey nodded his head, moving over her.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Eve gently shook Holly awake. 'What time is it?' she asked her elder sister, bleary eyed.
'Nearly 7:00am' her sister whispered to her. 'We have to be really quiet so we don't wake mummy and daddy' she told her younger sister.
Holly nodded her head 'We won't get into trouble, will we?' she asked her sister worriedly.
Eve shook her head, making her curls bounce around her face, she watched as Holly climbed out of bed and put her slippers on. 'Happy Birthday, Holly' Eve said once her sister was standing up. Holly beamed at her.
'Fanks, merry Christmas Evie' she grinned back as the two of them hugged tightly. 'Shall we wake Lucas?' Holly whispered as they crept towards the kitchen, both of them pausing to admire the tree and all the gifts piled underneath.
'Not until we're ready, he'll make too much noise and wake mummy and daddy up' Eve whispered back.
'Okay Evie, youse know best' Holly nodded her head.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
'Well, we haven't done that for a while on Christmas Morning… or any morning really' Lauren said to him, a satisfied smile on her face.
'No, we haven't. What with you either being heavily pregnant or the one of the kids waking us up, or on on occasion, Miss Kitty' Joey smiled, 'In fact, you know what I think we can probably have another go' he said reaching for her again. 'There's still no sound coming from the kids' he whispered.
'Joey!' Lauren giggled letting him pull her over to straddle his lap.
Suddenly their bedroom door was thrown open 'MERRY CHRISTMAS MUMMY AND DADDY!' three little voices chorused. Lauren squealed, throwing herself back to her side of the bed and burrowing under the covers, causing Joey to laugh. 'We made you breakfast in bed' Eve told them both. She and Holly walked towards the bed, carrying a large tray between them as Lauren's arm appeared from under the covers, groping blindly for her t-shirt. Joey reached into his bedside drawer, pulling a clean one out and he pushed it under the covers to his grateful wife. She pulled it on as she heard him talk to the kids.
'You did?' Joey asked them. He looked at Lucas who looked as though he'd just been woken up.
'Yep' Holly said to him as they reached his side of the bed. Joey took the tray from them as Lauren appeared looking slightly ruffled from under the covers.
'Look, babe' he said to her. 'Breakfast in bed from our three beautiful, kind and thoughtful children' he said to her.
Lauren looked at the tray, which contained toast, fruit juice and a fruit salad. 'Wow, this looks great' Lauren smiled at them all 'thank you all so much'
'You're welcome, mummy' Eve said with a big grin on her face.
'I hope you were careful' Joey said to them all 'you've turned everything off?'
'Yes, daddy' Eve nodded 'we were really careful' she promised him 'And I've fed Miss Kitty too' she told him.
'Good girl, thank you Evie' he smiled at her.
'And we's had beckfast too' Lucas said.
'You have?' Lauren looked up in surprise.
'Olly made me ice kispies' he informed her. 'Evie and Olly had oast'
'Well, isn't Holly a lovely big sister?' Lauren said to them all.
'She's the bestest…and Evie too' Lucas nodded his head.
Lauren gestured Holly to come round to her side of the bed 'happy birthday my beautiful baby girl' Lauren said hugging her daughter.
'Fanks mummy'
'And merry Christmas too' Lauren added kissing her cheek.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Lauren and Joey ate their breakfast as the kids watched on. Then Joey got the kids to carry the empty tray carefully back through to the kitchen, while he pulled on some jogging bottoms and a t-shirt, leaving Lauren to put on some more suitable clothes so she could watch the kids open their presents. Joey loitered in the kitchen waiting for Lauren before heading into the lounge to the tree. He glanced at the clock, it was almost 8:00am. Time to put the turkey in the oven. 'Okay, you three, daddy needs to put the turkey in the oven' he said bending down and opening the oven door and lighting the oven. 'Evie, can you find something on TV to watch for a few minutes, please'
'Yes, daddy' Eve nodded her head 'come on you two' he said holding out her hands to her brother and sister. She led them into the lounge and as Joey put the kettle on to boil. He heard the three of them squeal as Eve found the music channel which was playing Christmas songs.
'I fink we should dance' Lucas announced. Joey smiled shaking his head.
Lauren came into the kitchen a few minutes later, looking slightly more composed than she'd been when the kids burst in on them 'the kids look as though they're having fun' Lauren said with a smile as she watched her husband washing out the turkey, she hated doing that part.
The kettle boiled and Lauren took over making the stuffing, stirring water into the sage and onion mixture and then letting it sit for a while. 'Turkey is ready, oven is on. Just need to find the tray and make the gravy' he said to her 'can you chop an onion for me, babe'
'Yes, chef' Lauren grinned walking to the vegetables in the containers in the corner and she pulled out a large onion, she peeled it and started to chop it, whilst Joey made the gravy and then stuffed the turkey. Once the onions were chopped she dropped them into the gravy and then covered the turkey and tray with tinfoil. Joey picked the tray up and Lauren opened the over door, Joey slid it inside and closed the door.
'Okay, that should be ready at 1:00pm give or take' he said to her.
'Teamwork' Lauren said holding up her hand for a high five from her husband.
'Kisses only, please' he told her. Lauren smiled reaching up to kiss him. 'Thank you' he said. 'Okay, we'd better let the kids open their presents' he said to her and Lauren nodded, taking his offered hand. Joey led her into the lounge.
'MAMA, DADA DANCE WIV US!' Lucas exclaimed loudly, giggling away as he danced with his sisters.
'You don't want to see what Santa and Rudolph brought you?' Joey asked him.
'SANTY! WUDY!' Lucas exclaimed excitedly. 'OH! DID WUDY EATED HIS CAWOT AND DID SANTY EAT HIS MINT SPIES?'
'Lucas…inside voice please' Lauren said. He looked up at his mummy sheepishly.
'Sowwy, mama' he said softly.
'Let's go and see what's left of the mince pies and carrot, shall we?' Joey asked, holding his hand out to Lucas. Lucas took his hand and led Joey to the table by the door. Eve followed, leaving Holly alone with Lauren.
'Everything okay birthday girl?' Lauren asked her.
'Yes mummy' Holly nodded her head 'we's not in touble for making you and dada beckfast, are we?' she asked her worriedly.
'Are you joking? You're not in any trouble whatsoever' Lauren said, bending down and picking Holly up and carrying her to the sofa, taking a seat 'Daddy and I are both very lucky to have such kind and thoughtful children, breakfast was wonderful darling' she told her with a smile. Holly visible relaxed.
'Good' she told her and she turned to look over at the tree 'wow, look at all the presents under the tree, mummy' she said in awe. 'We must've been really good'
'You must've been' Lauren nodded her head. 'Shall we get started?' she asked Holly and she nodded her head. Lauren set her down on the floor and she ran over to the tree.
Holly picked up one present and looked at the tag on it, taking her time as she looked at the label. 'I fink this one's for me mummy' she said. Lauren got up and walked over to her and sat down on the floor beside her, she peered at the label and nodded her head.
'It is. It says to Holly Merry Christmas love from Santa and Rudolph' she said to her.
'I wonder what it is' Holly said to herself.
'Open it and see, silly' Lauren said as Joey, Lucas and Eve came back inti the room.
'Olly, Santy and Wudy have eated everyfink' Lucas told her excitedly.
'I told you they would' she smiled her brother as she tore the paper off the present in her hand.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
An hour and a half later and the kids had made short work of the pile of gifts under the tree, leaving only Lauren and Joey's to open. Lauren cleared up the wrapping paper while the kids played excitedly with their new toys. Joey went into the kitchen to check on the turkey and he looked at the clock. He made the Yorkshire puddings and cut the potatoes ready for roasting and checked the turkey was cooking. He made a coffee for himself and Lauren and got some juice for the kids, carrying it all through to the lounge on a tray and placing it on the coffee table, he winked at Lauren as she went into the kitchen. He played with the kids whilst Lauren was out of the room. Knowing what she was doing, as they'd been doing this for the last three years and she needed little eyes out of the way. A few minutes later she walked into the room with a large chocolate cake with four candles on it. Joey muted the TV and she and Joey began to sing.
'Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Holly, Happy birthday to you' Lauren held the cake in front of Holly who had walked to stand near her daddy and she looked at the cake, clearly a little overwhelmed.
'Make a wish, princess' Joey said to her.
Holly closed her eyes and a few moments later blew the candles out.
'Hooray!' Eve and Lucas cheered.
'Happy birfday Olly' Lucas said with a big grin.
'Fanks Lucas' she said as he launched himself at her for a hug.
'Who wants cake?' Lauren asked. 'Holly gets the first slice' she said, placing the cake on the table. She cut a slice off and placed it on a plate and gave to her youngest daughter.
'Fanks mummy' Holly beamed at her, sitting on the floor to eat it.
'Lucas?'
'PEASE MAMA!' he squealed.
Lauren cut him a small slice and put in in his bowl and gave it to him 'go and sit with Holly and eat it nicely, please' she told him. He toddled over to her and sat down.
Lauren cut another slice and held it out to Eve, not even having to ask her eldest daughter if she wanted any cake. 'Thanks' she grinned at her, joining her siblings.
'Joe?' she looked at her husband.
'Maybe later' he said to her. Lauren decided she didn't want cake either and she sat down next to Joey on the sofa.
'What time are the hoards descending?' she asked him.
'Around 11:30' Joey replied. 'We have plenty of time for a coffee before we need to get dressed and get the kids dressed too' he told her.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
After the kids had eaten their cake and Joey cleaned everything up, Holly walked over to Lauren 'you and daddy haven't opened your presents yet' she said to her, glancing over at her. 'We finks you should open them now' she told her.
'Okay, when daddy comes back we will and then we all have to go and get dressed!' Lauren said.
'Okay, mummy' Holly nodded.
Joey came back into the room as Lauren stood up 'it's our turn to open our presents' she told him.
'Finally!' he exclaimed and he raced over to the tree and pulled all the remaining presents out from under it and piled them up in front of him.
'They're not all for you, daddy' Holly scolded him with a frown. Joey pouted, causing everyone to giggle. Lucas got up as Lauren sat down.
'Yeah, daddy. They're not all for you' Lauren said, reaching over and kissing his cheek 'some of these are mine.' She took a large present which was labelled with her name and she started to open it.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Between them, Lauren and Joey had got some pretty good gifts from their family, although both noticed there was nothing from Lauren's dad. The last presents to open were the ones from the kids. Joey and Lauren had promised they would open their presents to each other after the kids had gone to bed.
Holly smiled as Lauren picked up the present from her, one that her daddy had brought for her. Lauren smiled when she looked at the tag and she looked up at her youngest daughter who was watching her with excitement on her face. Lauren opened the present and smiled when she saw a necklace with a heart shaped pendant. 'open it, mummy' Holly said. Lauren opened the heart and inside was a small picture of Holly and on the other side off the heart it said "I love you". 'Do you liked it mummy?' Holly asked her suddenly worried.
'I love it, sweetheart, thank you' she said and she held her arms out towards her, Holly ran into them hugging her mummy tightly.
'I love you too, mummy' she whispered.
'OPEN MINE NOW, MAMA!' Lucas yelled loudly, holding out a present to Lauren.
'Inside voice, please buster' Joey reminded him.
'Sowwy, dada' Lucas looked up at him. Lauren took the present and inside was a pink, blue and white teddy bear. 'I sopped. Mama, like it?' Lucas asked her.
Lauren nodded. 'I do, thank you Lucas'
'Rot's is name?' Lucas asked her.
'Oh…erm…how about Mister Colours?' she looked at Lucas. He frowned, tilting his head to one side.
'I fink is name is Miter Lellow' he told his mummy.
'Mister Yellow it is' Lauren nodded her head, although the name made little sense to her.
'Me next, mummy' Eve said and she took the present from Joey and walked over to Lauren and held it out to her.
Lauren opened the gift and inside she found a picture frame, containing many pictures, one of them being a stick figure drawing Eve had done when she was smaller, there was also an individual picture of each of her children and then in the centre picture there was one of all three of them together. 'Oh, this is wonderful' she felt her eyes fill with tears as she looked at it. 'I love it. Thank you' she said, Eve moved forward to hug her and then Holly and Lucas joined in too.
'Daddy's turn' Lauren said once the hug was over.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Joey opened Lucas' present first and was surprised and also not, to see he had been given a red teddy, 'I finks re sould call im Miter Red' Lucas announced.
'Mister Red it is' Joey nodded his head and he looked at Lauren, she smiled at him and Eve stepped forward to hand Joey her present. Joey opened it and inside was an identical picture frame to the one Lauren had got with pictures of all of the kids in and stick picture of her daddy from her younger days. Some of the pictures inside the frame were different but there were distinct similarities.
'it's good to see the kids are still consistent with their presents' he murmured so only Lauren could hear. She smiled, bumping her shoulder against his.
'Mine's next, daddy' Holly said and she handed him a large present.
Joe tore the paper off and found a white sweater, made of sweatshirt material, on the back were the words "World's Best Daddy" and on the front was a picture of Holly and Joey.
'Holly, I love it. Thank you' he told her and she smiled at him and hugged him tightly.
'I love you lots, daddy' she whispered.
'Okay, that's the presents opened, now it's time for people to get clothes on! We have guests coming soon and I think one or two of you wanted to watch Rudolph before they came' Lauren said to them all.
'WUDY!' the three kids squealed.
*JL*JL*JL*JL
Once the kids were dressed and settled on the sofa, Lauren went into the bedroom to get dressed. When she came out she headed to the kitchen, finding Joey in there.
'Turkey is coming along nicely' he told her with a smile. 'We need to move the table into the lounge though' he told her.
'I know' she said with a sigh 'We really need a bigger house' she looked into the lounge.
'We do' Joey nodded his head 'Maybe we could look into moving in the New Year?' he asked her. She nodded and her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Joey.
'But I love this flat, this is our home' she told him. 'And the kids are settled here… with our family around us… I don't want to move away from the square.'
Joey smiled at her and pulled her into his arms 'I know, me too' he told her 'we've had some great times here' he said to her.
'The best times' she whispered back.
'Don't cry' he murmured softly. 'It's Christmas Day, babe'
'I know' she said and she sniffed 'Give me a minute okay?' she asked him.
Joey nodded, kissing her softly before letting her go, she went into the kitchen and pulled some kitchen towel off the roll and wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She took a couple of deep breaths and then walked into the lounge. 'Okay, babe?' Joey looked up at her and she nodded her head.
'I'm okay' she smiled at him 'I guess we'd better get the table ready' she said to him.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Once the table was moved and extended, Lauren and Joey set about laying it getting it ready for Christmas lunch. Uncle Jack was bringing a smaller table for the kids to sit at, which Lauren was grateful for as she really didn't want them to be sitting at the coffee table as she and Joey previously thought they would. The doorbell rang just as Lauren put the finishing touches to the table. Joey went to answer it.
'Merry Christmas, dad' he said seeing Max at the door.
'Merry Christmas to you too, son' Max smiled.
'POPS!' Evie cried out, getting to her feet and racing over to him.
'Merry Christmas Eve' Max hugged her tightly.
'You too, Pops' she grinned at him.
Joey took Max's coat and carried it through to the bedroom. Lauren moved towards Max 'Hi dad' she smiled at him, kissing his cheek and hugging him.
'Table looks great, and the turkey smells divine' he smiled at her.
'Thanks. Joey's done a lot of the hard work though. Can I get you a drink?' she asked as Joey came back wearing his mistletoe hairband.
'I suppose a scotch would be out of the question?' he asked her
'Well, it is Christmas' Lauren said with a smile 'Joey?' she looked at him expectantly. 'Can you fix dad a scotch?' she asked him.
'Of course, babe' he said 'do you want anything?' he asked her, stealing a kiss as he walked past her.
'I'd love a coffee please and don't forget to add plenty of ice to the scotch!' she called after him.
'Will do, babe' Joey called from the kitchen.
'Pops, come play with us' Eve said tugging on his hand.
'I'll be there in a second, poppet' he told her 'I just need to talk to mummy and daddy' he said to her and he nodded towards the kitchen. Lauren glanced at the kids, happy to see they were playing contentedly.
'What's up?' Lauren asked him.
'Nothing. I just wanted to let you know that everything is on for later and that it's all in hand' he told them both. 'Also, I'll give you your Christmas present at the party.'
'Thanks, dad' Lauren smiled at him as Joey handed him his drink.
'We really appreciate everything you've done' Joey told him 'there was no way we could've pulled it off without you' he said with a smile.
'Anytime, I'm happy to help' he replied as the doorbell rang again.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
One by one Lauren and Joey's guests arrived and the flat was very crowded but Lauren and Joey were happy because they were surrounded by their family… the people they loved. Dinner was a huge success, thanks to Carol, Sarah, Tanya and Lorraine (Jack's girlfriend) bringing vegetables over amongst other things. After dinner the men moved into the kitchen to wash up, all except Oscar and Max who were both dragged away by the three kids to play.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Over at Whitney's they'd similarly just finished dinner and Whitney and James cleaned up while Henry played with a game in the lounge.
'I'll finish up in here' James said to her 'there's not a lot left to do, why don't you go play with Henry?' he asked her 'and then we need to get ready to go to the Community Centre' he told her.
'Okay' Whitney smiled and she reached up and kissed his cheek softly. 'Thanks, babe' she said and she went into the lounge.
When James came through the two of them were sitting on the sofa reading one of Henry's new books. 'Hi Daddy' Henry said with a smile and he looked at his mummy, who nodded her head. 'Mummy asked me to give you this after dinner' he said and he pulled out a small envelope from the back of his book and held it out to James.
'Another present?' James asked looking at Whitney.
'Yep, just a little something I've been…baking' she said coyly. James frowned and looked at the envelope 'well open it then' Whitney said, chewing on her bottom lip.
James ripped the envelope open and inside was a Christmas card, he frowned, feeling a little bit confused, as Whitney had already given him a card and so had Henry. He smiled at the picture on the front of the card, a picture of the nativity scene, he opened the card and gasped as he saw what was inside. 'Oh my god' he whispered 'are you serious?' he turned to look at Whitney briefly.
'Yes' she whispered 'six weeks today' she said to him.
'Six weeks?' he said.
'What is it, daddy?' Henry asked him, James looked at Whitney and she nodded, James showed the picture to his son. He peered at it and frowned 'what it is?' he asked him again.
'That, Henry is your baby brother or sister' he told his son 'we're going to have another baby'
'Another one?' Henry asked him 'More than me?' he looked at his dad expectantly.
'Yes' James nodded his head 'what do you think?' he looked at his son.
Henry screwed his face up 'I don't want a girl' he told him 'I want a brother'
'Well, we'll see what we can do' James laughed and he looked at Whitney and he grinned at her. 'I knew you were hiding something from me' he told her 'I'm thrilled babe' he said and he leant forward and kissed her softly 'I love you'
'I love you too, babe' she replied.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Lauren walked out of the bathroom and saw Holly sitting on the floor with her new colouring book and crayons. Miss Kitty was helping her colour by playing with her crayons, making Holly giggle. Holly hadn't wanted to go out for a walk with the rest of the family, mainly because Lauren hadn't, so the two of them decided to stay at home. Of course, Lauren knew what was going on, and she was waiting for a phone call to tell her everything was ready and she could bring Holly to the Community Centre. Unfortunately, Holly hadn't wanted to wear her new dress for Christmas so Lauren was going to have to think of a way to get Holly into it without raising the little girl's suspicions.
'Holly?' she said softly, putting her hastily formed plan into motion.
'Yes, mummy?' Holly turned to look at her.
'I think daddy was a little disappointed you didn't want to wear your new dress today' she said softly. Holly blinked at her.
'He was?' she replied softly, chewing on her bottom lip.
'I think so' Lauren nodded her head. 'You know I think you should go change into it now, so he can see you in it when he comes back from his walk. I bet you'll see the biggest smile on his face when he sees you in it' Lauren said to her. 'You can wear it for the rest of the day, we'll be having your birthday tea when everyone comes back' Lauren said to her.
Holly sighed 'Okay' she agreed reluctantly. 'Will you help me?'
'Of course I will' Lauren nodded her head. Holly put her crayons back in the box and placed them on top of the colouring book, before getting up and taking Lauren's hand. Lauren led her into the bedroom and helped her change into her dress, shrug and her new shoes. Lauren brushed her hair through and smiled at Holly. 'You look beautiful, honey' she told her with a smile.
'I do?' Holly asked her unconvincingly.
'Yes, like a little princess' she said, 'I can't wait for daddy and everyone else to see you' Lauren told her. Lauren's mobile rang and Lauren pulled it out of her pocket 'Hello?' she answered it. 'What? Where?' she asked. Holly looked at her wondering what the call was about 'Right now?' she asked and she looked at Holly 'Of course…we're on our way' she said. She hung up and Lauren frowned.
'What's wrong, mummy?' Holly asked her.
'That was daddy on the phone, he said that we have to go and meet them' she said to her 'Can you go grab your coat for me please?' she asked her and she got up and rushed quickly through to her bedroom. Lauren quickly changed her clothes, pulling her coat on top of them and hurried to find her shoes. When she exited the bedroom, Holly was standing worriedly at the door, holding her coat.
'Should I get changed, mama?' Holly asked her.
'We don't have time sweetheart' Lauren said taking her coat from her and helping her put it on 'don't worry about anyone seeing your dress, your coat covers it up for you' she told her daughter, Holly looked down at herself and nodded.
'Is everything okay, mama?' she asked her.
'I don't know, sweetheart, daddy just said it was urgent' she said, she grabbed her purse and keys and took Holly's hand and led her out of the flat. Holly looked around, concerned that someone might see her, but was surprised and pleased that the streets were empty.
'Where is everyone, mummy?' she asked her.
'I would imagine everyone is home watching TV and eating sweets' Lauren said 'or maybe having a nap like daddy sometimes does after Christmas dinner'
'Do I have to have sprouts for tea like Carol said?' Holly asked her.
'No, baby' Lauren smiled shaking her head. 'No sprouts for tea. You ate one and that's all I asked you to do'
'It tasted of farts, mummy' Holly said pulling a face.
'Then it's a good thing you only have to eat one a year then isn't it, hey?' Lauren said as they got to the Community Centre. 'Well this is where daddy said he was going to be' she looked up and down the street, looking for him. 'I wonder where he is?' she frowned. 'Oh no' Lauren said suddenly.
'What's wrong, mummy?' Holly asked her.
'I should have gone to the toilet before we left the house' Lauren said to her. 'I need to go really badly now' she told her daughter.
'You could go in the Community Centre' Holly said to her 'sometimes I have to go on the way home from school and daddy takes me in there' she told her.
'That's a good idea, baby' Lauren said 'but I think it's closed today'
Holly tried the door and it moved a little 'it's not mummy. It's open' she said with a smile.
'Okay, we'll pop in here and have to hope we don't miss daddy' Lauren said and she pushed the door open 'you go in first sweetheart' Lauren told her. Holly walked inside, turning to wait for her mummy as she shut the door. Lauren took her hand and led her along the corridor to the main hall.
'SURPRISE!' everyone yelled out before beginning to sing Happy birthday. Holly jumped and squealed and Lauren crouched down beside her.
'Happy birthday, Holly Faith Branning' she whispered in the little girl's ear as she undid her coat and took it off, revealing her new clothes to everyone.
'I got a birthday party' she whispered 'Santy did it?'
'He certainly did' Lauren said with a smile as Joey came over to them both.
'Happy Birthday, Holly' Joey beamed at her 'Look how beautiful you are in your new dress' he held his arms open to her and she ran into them.
'Thanks daddy' she whispered, hugging him tightly.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Lauren stood near the drinks table, watching Holly as she skipped around the room with her friends from school. It was so nice to see her as the centre of attention for a change. She was normally a little bit of a wallflower, hence her reticence when it came to the school play. Lauren felt someone stand next to her and she glanced to her right, seeing Abi standing beside her. She smiled when she saw Abi was brushing her hand over her prominent bump. "Thank you, Abs…" Lauren said.
"What for?" Abi asked.
"For managing to convince Holly to get the dress… and the shrug and shoes are the perfect additions to the outfit…"
"You convinced her to wear it, Lauren…" Abi said. "Anyway, Alice helped…"
"I've already thanked her…" Lauren said. She turned her attention back to Holly, "She looks so happy…" she said softly, a tear coming to her ear as she saw the delight on the small girl's face. "It's nice to see her looking like a little girl for a change… although I kind of love the fact she's a little tomboy as well… I like seeing her like this as well…"
They were silent, both watching Holly play with her friends and siblings. Joey was currently getting them to play a game of musical chairs… so carnage was ensuing. "Lauren, I wanted to ask you something…" Abi said.
Lauren looked at her, frowning when she saw the serious expression on her face. "What's wrong… is it the baby?" she asked in concern.
"No… the baby's fine…" Abi said, "but I guess this does have something to do with it…"
"What does?"
Abi looked down, her hands brushing her bump again. She looked back up at her sister, "My midwife told me I should start making my birth plan… so I've been thinking about it… and I think I know what I want… but I wanted to talk to you about it…"
"You have remembered that my birth plans have been completely unnecessary for two out of three of my pregnancies, right?" Lauren said with a grin. Abi smiled but Lauren could see there was something still on her mind. "What's wrong, Abs?" she asked softly.
"I was wondering if you'd be there…" Abi whispered.
Lauren eyes widened, staring at her sister in shock. That had been the last thing she'd been expecting her to say. "What?" she whispered.
"Will you be there?" Abi asked again, her voice a little louder this time. She stared at her sister, "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have asked… I'll speak to mum… Don't worry about it…" She turned and started to walk away.
"Abs, stop…" Lauren said, reaching for her sister's hand. Abi turned back to her, tears in her eyes, misery on her face. "I'm sorry, Abs… I just wasn't expecting you to ask me that… I'd be thrilled to be there… I can't think of much better than being there at the birth of my nephew…" Lauren told her. She stepped closer, squeezing her sister's hand in hers. "I told you I was going to be there for you throughout this… and if I wasn't there at the end, I'd be letting you down if I didn't keep my promise to you…"
"You mean that?" Abi whispered.
"Of course I do, Abs… I'm your big sister… where else would I be but by your side, holding your hand and mopping your brow…" Lauren said with a smile.
Abi hugged her tightly, "I was so worried you'd say no…" she breathed. "I can't do this on my own, Lauren… I thought I could… but I really can't…"
"Joey and I will always be there to support you, Abi." Lauren reassured her.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
The party was in full swing and Holly was having the time of her life. She was so thrilled with the party, she'd forgotten she was wearing a dress, which was something she hardly ever wore. Lauren smiled as Joey put his arm around her shoulders. 'Well I think today has been a great success' he said to her with a smile 'Holly's pleased as punch'
'She really is' Lauren nodded her head. 'I'm so pleased we did this for her this year' Lauren said to him. 'We should've thought about doing it before'
'Yeah, we should've' Joey nodded his head 'but I think this makes up for the last three years?' he looked at Lauren.
'The look on her face makes up for it' she replied with a smile.
'She looks so happy' Joey agreed. 'All three of them do' he looked at his kids one by one. 'We are so lucky to have three beautiful children' he told her with a smile.
'We really are' she said. She looked at her husband, "Abi's asked me to be there when she has the baby…" Lauren told him.
Joey smiled at her, "I think that's an amazing idea… I think you'll be brilliant for her, babe…" Joey said.
Lauren smiled, pressing herself against Joey's side and looking around the room again. She spotted Whitney and James coming over to them.
'Hey, this is a great party' Whitney said to Lauren as the two of them hugged.
'I can take none of the credit because I didn't even lift a finger' Lauren said to them. 'So, everything okay with you two?' she asked, Whitney blushed and nodded her head, exchanging glances with James. A look that Joey didn't miss.
'What's this?' he asked looking at his friends.
James put his arm around Whitney and squeezed her as she grinned and nodded her head. 'We're pregnant' James announced to him.
'Yeah?' Joey exclaimed. 'Congratulations!' Joey shook James hand before hugging him, slapping him on the back. 'Well done mate' he grinned at his friend.
James nodded his head 'Thanks, mate' he replied. Joey moved forward and hugged Whitney, kissing her on the cheek. 'We're only telling you two, we're only six weeks…' he said as his best friend pulled away from his wife.
'We won't tell a soul' Joey said. 'I'm so pleased for you mate' he said 'Let me get you a drink' he said and the two boys headed to the bar.
'So he's pleased then?' Lauren asked her, Whitney nodded.
'He was thrilled, Henry too, although he informed us he wants a brother not a sister' she told her.
'Good luck with that' Lauren giggled. 'I'm really pleased for you' she said 'and I know Abi will be too'
'She is' Whitney said 'I told her earlier. Don't tell James though' she begged. 'I promised him we'd only tell you and Joey…he doesn't know that you already knew though'
'My lips are sealed, Whit' Lauren nodded her head. 'What the fuck?' she frowned as she saw Santa coming through the door. 'We specifically said nothing Christmassy' she said as she walked over to head Santa off.
'SANTY!' Holly shrieked from across the room. Lauren turned to see her daughter running at full pelt towards Santa, who crouched down and opened his arms. Holly ran right into them, hugging him tightly. 'Thank you so much for my birthday party Santy' she said and her words brought tears to Lauren's eyes.
'You're very welcome Holly' he said to her 'I didn't want to miss it, even though I'm very tired from being up all night delivering presents to every single little boy and girl in the whole wide world.' He told her as Lauren and Joey walked over to them both. 'I haven't quite finished yet though, Holly… In fact I have a birthday surprise for you outside in my sleigh' he told her.
'You do?' Holly asked him in awe.
'Yes I do' Santa nodded his head and he stood up 'shall we go and see what it is?' he asked her, holding out his hand to her.
Holly slipped her hand into his and Lauren and Joey followed them outside. Sitting outside the Community Centre was a sleigh, and harnessed to the front were four reindeer. One of them had a bright red nose. 'WUDY!' Holly gasped in amazement.
'Rudolph didn't want to miss your birthday either' Santa told her as they reached the sleigh. He reached into the sleigh and pulled out a box, crouching down so Holly could open it. Lauren and Joey exchanged glances as they heard movement coming from inside the box.
Holly carefully lifted the lid and squealed excitedly 'It's a kitten!' she exclaimed.
'It is. This little kitten was homeless and there was no one to look after her so Rudolph said that he knew you would look after her and be her mummy… that you would take care of her'
'I will, I will' Holly nodded her head. She carefully lifted the little kitten out of the box and looked at her. 'She's so pretty' she said 'Look daddy, mummy' she turned to show them the new black kitten she had to them. 'She has blue eyes' she said in excitement.
'She does' Joey nodded his head. 'Do you like her?'
'I love her' Holly said 'and I'm going to look after her and feed her and clean out her litter tray and… oh, can she sleep in my room on my bed?' she asked him.
'Wherever you want her to sleep is fine by me' Joey smiled at her. 'What do you say to Santa?'
'Thank you Santy, thank you Wudy' she said to him. 'I love you' she added with a large grin on her face.
'We love you too Holly Faith Branning' Santa replied. 'Well, I have to get Rudolph and the other reindeer(s) home so they can have their nap. See you next year young lady, be a good girl' he winked at her and got into his sleigh.
'Come on let's put the kitten back in the box so we can take her inside' Joey said.
'Oh, I nearly forgot' Santa said reaching down and producing a cat box. 'You might need this' he said to them, Joey took it from him.
'Thank you Santa' Joey nodded his head. Joey opened the basket and Holly kissed the kitten on the top of the head and put her in the box. 'Come on let's get back in the warm' Joey said to her.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Joey sat down next to the birthday girl, smiling as he saw her tickle her kitten under the chin. "Have you thought of a name yet?" he asked her softly, putting his arm around her shoulders and tugging her closer to him.
"Can you help me, daddy?" Holly whispered, "Nothing I fink of seems right…"
"What have you come up with so far?" Joey asked.
"I thought about Sooty… but she didn't seem to like it…" Holly said, "Or there was Blackie… but she turned away from me and stuck her tail in the air… so I don't think she liked that either…"
"Well, okay, lets the two of us think about it…" Joey said. They both fell silent for several minutes as Holly stroked her kitten while she sat obediently in her arms. "What sort of name do you want, baby girl?" Joey asked.
"Something special… something pretty…" Holly said softly.
"Well you could call her Star… what do you think?" Joey asked.
Holly thought it over, looking down at the kitten, "It's not special enough, daddy…" Holly said.
"I'll think some more then…" Joey said. He continued to think, catching sight of Holly's shoes. "Did I tell you how pretty you look, Holly?" he said. Holly shook her head. "Well, you do, baby girl…" he told her softly. "You look like a princess… all sparkly and shiny…"
Holly looked up at him suddenly, "That's it, daddy… that's her name…"
"What is?" Joey asked, confused because at no point had he suggested another new name of the kitten.
"Miss Sparkle…" Holly said, looking down at the kitten. The kitten looked up at her, blinked her eyes a couple of times and then purred loudly. "I fink she likes it, daddy…" Holly said, grinning at him.
"Miss Sparkle it is then…" Joey agreed. "So have you enjoyed your birthday party, sweetheart?"
"It's amazing, daddy… Santy must really love me… he got me a party… and a kitten…" Holly said.
"Santa is a pretty amazing guy…" Joey agreed. "Do you want me to look after Miss Sparkle?" He asked, "They're starting Pass the Parcel in a minute… and you don't want to miss out, do you?" he said.
"Look after her, daddy…" Holly said, getting to her feet and passing him the kitten who was now sleeping.
"I'll take care of her, poppet…" he agreed. Holly turned and ran off, turning back and waving at him… or possibly the kitten… briefly before joining her friends again. Joey stood up and retrieved the cat basket from where he'd put it down. He carefully lowered the sleeping kitten into it and then held the basket in his arms.
Max and Lauren walked over, smiling as they saw Joey holding the basket. "You've made a friend…" Lauren teased him.
"Let me introduce Miss Sparkle to you…" Joey said.
"Oh how sweet…" Lauren cooed, looking closer at the kitten.
"While you're both here…" Max interrupted and Lauren stood up again. "I mentioned earlier that I had a present for you both… Now seems like the right time to give it to you…" he said, somewhat awkwardly.
"Is everything okay, dad?" Lauren asked him in concern.
"Yes…" Max said. He reached inside his jacket pocket, pulling out an envelope, gripping it in his hand. "I knew I wouldn't know what to say when we got to this point… so I wrote it in a letter…" he said. "You should read it…" he said, holding the slightly screwed up envelope out towards her.
Lauren frowned and took the envelope from him, "Are you sure everything is okay?" she asked.
"Read the letter…" Max said. "I'm just going to go and check on Holly…" he said, turning and leaving before either of them could say anything else.
Lauren opened the envelope, looking up at Joey, "Was that weird… or was it just me?"
"It was weird." Joey confirmed. "What does the letter say?" he asked.
Lauren opened the sheet of paper, frowning when she saw a key wrapped inside it. She looked down at the note and started to read.
Dear Lauren and Joey,
I wanted to start by saying that I have never been prouder of you, Lauren than I am at this moment. You are a truly wonderful daughter, mother and wife. I look at you and I barely see the rebellious teenager that caused your mum and I so many headaches.
I'm proud of you because you dealt with your problems and are a stronger person for it. I know that Joey is partly responsible for helping you with that… but you did a lot of the hard work on your own… which is great. Your children are a credit to you both and I can see both of you in them every time I look at them.
I couldn't have got through the last couple of years without your help. When I had my heart attack… well, to be honest I thought my life was over. I gave up and I'd probably still be sitting there, feeling sorry for myself… if it wasn't for the both of you. You helped me get over myself and see that it wasn't the end of my life… but just the start of a new part of it. You both gave up so much time to help me and for that I will always be grateful.
I've been trying to think of a way I can pay you back for what you did… and I do have to, so don't tell me I don't… And then it came to me in a moment. Enclosed in this envelope is a key… the key to your new house… or maybe I should say your old house. I am giving you both number 5. It seems silly for me to be rattling around in that house on my own… and the four of you are squished together in that tiny flat. So here is the deal… You move into number 5… and I'll move into your flat…
I hope you accept the present I give in the spirit I intended it to be given. I want your family to stay in the square and I know that if you don't have this house, you'll end up having to move away. This seems like the obvious solution and the easiest thing for me to do.
All my love
Dad xxxxx
Joey and Lauren looked up as they finished reading the letter. Both sought out Max, seeing him standing across the room, looking worriedly at them both. Lauren slipped her hand in Joey's and pulled him over to where her dad was standing. She wound her arms around her dad's neck, hugging him tightly, "Thank you, dad…" Lauren whispered. "It's an amazing present… It's too much…" she told him.
Max pulled away from her and looked at them both, "It's not enough in my book…" he said. "I wouldn't still be here if you hadn't talked some sense into me, babe…"
Lauren looked horrified, tears flooding her eyes, "Don't ever say that, dad…" she said hugging him tightly again.
"Does this mean you're taking me up on the offer?" Max asked.
Lauren looked at Joey and he smiled at her. She turned back to her dad, "We'd be stupid not to, dad… Thank you…" she said.
Max pulled both of them into a hug, grateful to them both for all their help. "How soon can you pack?" he asked when they pulled apart again.
"If we have some help we could be ready by New Year…" Joey said.
"Then that sounds like a plan." Max told them.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
The party for Holly was a great success and the cake Sarah had made for her went down a treat, she loved it, especially the sparklers. The newly named Miss Sparkle the kitten was curled up on Holly's bed, although Lauren wasn't entirely sure that was the best place for her to be, but daddy had promised…
Lauren and Joey were snuggled up together on the sofa. 'I think today was a pretty good day' Lauren said 'we made Christmas special for the kids, didn't we?' she asked him. 'And Holly…her birthday'
'Today was prefect, babe. The look of pure joy on Holly's face when she arrived at her surprise party was just perfect. We did good, babe' he told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
'The kitten was a surprise' Lauren said.
'She wanted one' Joey said 'you could see that when she watches Evie with Miss Kitty' Joey said to her.
'You know for someone who doesn't like cats…'
'I never said I didn't like cats, I said I prefer dogs…but I have to admit Miss Kitty grew on me and Miss Sparkle is just adorable'
'I wonder what pet Lucas is going to want'
'He told me he wants a pet giraffe' Joey said to her.
'That one's going to be impossible for even Santa to get for him' Lauren said with a smile, she chewed on her bottom lip 'So with the news that Whit and James shared today does that mean you're going to have to go back to full time working for a while?' Lauren asked him.
'Actually, I've been thinking about that' he replied.
'Oh?' she asked him, raising her head to look at him. 'And?'
'I know James is going to need some paternity leave but I really don't want to go back to work full time. I like the hours I'm doing now, I like spending time with you and the kids and I don't want to miss out on that'
'Which means?' she pressed him
'Which means I either need to suck it up and go back to full time work, albeit for a short period of time or I get James to start training someone up to be a new manager' he told her.
'I like the second option better' Lauren told him
'Me too' Joey replied with a nod of his head. 'I'll talk to James in the New Year and see who he thinks is ready' he told her with a smile. 'I still can't believe your dad's giving us his house' he told her. 'That's a pretty generous thing to do' he said.
'I know, I'm overwhelmed' she replied 'It's such a nice thing to do…no not nice…I can't think of the right words' she said to him. 'I spoke to him about it some more when you were helping Holly hand out the party bags. The mortgage is all paid up and I feel bad that dad will have to pay rent here'
'He won't' Joey said, 'I spoke to Uncle Jack when you were taking Holly to the toilet and he said he's going to waive the rent. He's going to let your dad live here for free' he told her. 'He doesn't need the money and he's happy that the flat isn't going to be empty. He didn't want to sell it so when Max told him he was thinking of giving us the house and looking for somewhere else to live, Jack offered him the flat'
'Well that makes me feel better' Lauren said 'I know Jack didn't want us to pay rent on the flat…and for the first few months whilst we were getting on our feet we didn't…' she trailed off. 'But I still feel bad that dad paid off the mortgage'
'Again, Uncle Jack had something to do with that' Joey said to her 'he used the money we'd been paying for rent for the past 7 years and he helped dad pay off the house' he said. 'We have a pretty great family, babe'
'We really do' Lauren nodded her head with a smile. 'We'll have more room in the house' Lauren said to him 'Bigger kitchen…bigger rooms and two bathrooms, which will be a godsend' she said to him.
'It will' he nodded his head. 'Eve and Holly will have your old room, it's a big room so they can have single beds in there, Lucas can have Oscars old room' he told her 'We can have your parents room'
'Won't it be weird? Having sex in my parent's old room?' Lauren asked him.
'Was it weird when we had sex on your parent's sofa? Or in the portacabin when your dad was out on a trip?' he asked her 'Or maybe when we had sex on the stairs?'
'No, I guess not' Lauren said with a smile.
'Besides, it's not going to be your parent's room anymore babe, it's going to be ours… and our bed' he told her 'We can decorate it and rearrange the furniture and have it just the way we like it' he said with a smile.
'The steps will be an issue in the winter when it snows though' she said thoughtfully.
'I'll clear them if they get bad and I'll get some salt' he told her.
'We can buy some more furniture too' Lauren said to him.
'We can' he nodded his head 'anything we need'
Lauren smiled 'I'm a little bit excited' she said to him. 'I'm already thinking about colours and curtains and wallpaper…'
Joey grinned at her 'I thought you might be' he leant over and kissed her softly. 'I can't wait to see what you come up with, whatever it is I know it's going to be perfect' he smiled at her.
Lauren nodded her head and smiled back at him 'I'm going to make a drink, do you want one?' she asked pushing herself up off the sofa.
'Please, babe' he nodded his head 'then we can open the rest of our presents' he said to her.
'Sounds like a plan' Lauren called over her shoulder as she went into the kitchen.
*JL*JL*JL*JL*
Twenty minutes later the two of them were sitting under the Christmas tree with a small pile of presents in front of them both. Lauren looked at Joey expectantly and he smiled at her. 'Both together?' he asked her. She grinned, nodding her head.
The two of them ripped the paper off their presents. Carol had got Joey another Christmas jumper and he looked at it, pulling a face 'wow, this is even uglier than last years' he said to her, holding it up to Lauren so she could see it.
'Another one to go into the charity box' Lauren said with a giggle. 'Of course you're going to have to tell her that you love it' she reminded him 'maybe wear it once' she said with a grin.
'Yeah I know' he said sounding deflated. 'I have no idea why she insists on buying these for me'
'She knows how much you love Christmas, Joey' Lauren replied.
'Maybe next year I should be all bah humbug' he said to her.
'Open the next one' she said to him. He set the jumper aside and reached for another present.
Between the two of them they got clothes, some nice, some not so nice, that neither of them would be seen dead in. A new bottle of their favourite aftershave and perfume. Lauren got some new makeup from Abi and Joey got a men's facial care kit from Alice. They each got shampoo and shower gel sets from Oscar and Joey got a tub of retro sweets from Abi. Alice had given Lauren a beautiful necklace and bracelet set.
Uncle Jack and Lorraine had given them a new DVD player, the latest state of the art one and some vouchers to get some DVD's.
Whitney and James had given them some vouchers for the theatre and a promise to baby sit on any night they decided to go.
Tanya had got them tickets for the whole family to go to Harry Potter World and Lauren didn't know if the kids could be any more excited than Joey currently was. She giggled at his enthusiasm and had to shush him so he didn't wake the kids.
Now they were onto the presents from each other. Lauren waited while Joey opened his presents from her. She'd got him a couple of new shirts and a new pair of jeans as well as a new iPhone. She'd also got him some helicopter flying lessons, which he was thrilled with.
Lauren opened her gifts from Joey, and he'd given her a weekend spa trip for herself and a friend, Lauren told him she was going to take Abi with her. She also got some more perfume, which a girl could never have too much of, some sexy lingerie, which Joey said was as much a present for him as they were for her. He'd also got her some new A3 drawing books which she used for her work. The last gift from him was a ring. A gold half diamond half sapphire ring. She looked up at him in surprise. 'Joe…it's beautiful'
'It's an eternity ring' Joey explained to her 'Santa picked it up for me and gave it to me when we took the kids to see him' he said.
'So that's what Phil gave you?' she asked him and he nodded his head.
'There's an inscription on the inside' Joey said softly. Lauren took the ring out of the box and peered at the inside of the ring. It read "Eternally yours, love Joey xxx" Lauren felt her eyes fill with tears. 'Do you like it?' he asked her worriedly.
She nodded her head, the tears flowing freely now 'I love it' she whispered 'it's so beautiful' she told him. Joey took the ring out of the box and picked up her left hand, sliding the ring onto her ring finger.
'You're beautiful' he told her, his voice breaking with emotion. 'I know I've screwed up a best part of our Christmas…'
'You've more than made up for that…' she said moving closer to him.
'…and I wanted you to know how much you mean to me, how much the kids mean to me. You are my whole world and without you and the kids my life would mean nothing'
'We love you too, Joey. You're my whole world too. You always have been. You always will be' she told him 'I'll love you forever' she whispered to him and moved forward and kissed him softly, the kiss deepened naturally and they both moaned softly.
'Early night?' he breathed against her lips.
'Early night' she nodded in agreement. The two of them got up, Joey turned off the Christmas tree lights and took Lauren's hand in his and led her to the bedroom.
'Have you had a good Christmas day, babe?' he asked her.
'The best ever' she replied truthfully. 'Although I'm hoping it's going to get even better'
'It's guaranteed to' Joey replied, pulling her into his arms. 'Merry Christmas, Lauren'
'Merry Christmas Joey' she whispered in reply, sinking down into the bed taking him with her.
AN: Well, there you go…what do you think? Leave us a review back tomorrow for the epilogue.