Shelagh woke up feeling well rested, she hadn't slept that peacefully for a long time.
She smiled to herself as she noticed that both her and Patrick had rolled closer to one another in their sleep, they had gotten so close that their legs were becoming intertwined.
Patrick lay there with his lips slightly parted from taking deep yet quiet breaths.
His dark and unruly hair had fallen over his eyes in his sleep, Shelagh gently tucked the hair behind his ear and smiled at his peaceful state.
He looked so happy and calm as if all his worries had floated away.
Shelagh gently smoothed over his worry lines with her thumb. Patrick had always hated those lines, he claimed they aged him.
Yet Shelagh didn't see that, she saw the compassionate man behind them, the man who would go beyond anything to help someone in need.
Lost in her thoughts she had noticed Patrick stirring.
"Happy Christmas Eve" He whispered with a smile.
"Happy Christmas Eve" Shelagh returned.
"Sleep well?" He asked as he looked into her ocean blue eyes.
"Splendidly, how about yourself?" Shelagh questioned as she moved her hand away from his face.
"Don't think I've slept that well in a long time" Patrick started "You were wrong"
"Wrong about what?" She quired, raising a brow at him.
"That I may not prefer to share a bed with you" Patrick chuckled.
As Shelagh laughed Patrick felt butterflies in his stomach, he couldn't quite believe that he had spent the night with her. And that she had been bold enough to caress his face.
I can be bold too Patrick thought to himself as a smile formed on his face.
He wrapped his arm around Shelagh's waist and pulled her in close.
Shelagh smiled and burried her head into the crook of his neck, to hide her blushing cheeks, but to also get a better smell of his aftershave.
Laying there they lost track of time, and soon there was a knock at the bedroom door.
Before getting a chance to leave their embrace, or even call out the door had swung open.
Timothy ran into the room and jumped up onto the bed whilst Julienne stood by the door holding two mugs of coffee.
Sitting up Shelagh could feel her cheeks blushing and feel her stomach flutter as she knew her mother wouldn't forget seeing them in bed and will definitely bring it up in conversation later.
"Good morning" Julienne beamed as she walked into the room and placed their drinks on the bed side table.
"Thank you mum, but you didn't have too" Shelagh smiled as she picked up the black coffee and handed over to Patrick who was now sitting up and leaning against the headboard.
"I thought I'd make pancakes for breakfast this morning" Julienne stated as she walked over to the window and gently opened the curtains. "They will be ready in ten minutes so drink up then come and join us" she finished before leaving the room.
"How did you sleep Tim?" Shelagh asked as she lifted up the covers for Timothy to join them.
"I slept well thank you" Timothy shrugged as he leant his head on Shelagh's shoulder.
"Sofa wasn't too uncomfortable then?" Patrick joked as he looked over to Shelagh who rolled her eyes.
"Nope" Tim chimed before letting out a yawn, he had never been an early riser. "What will we be doing today?" He asked.
"We'll pop to the hotel this morning to get a fresh change of clothes, then we could pop into the city and do some shopping?" Shelagh suggested as she sipped at her coffee.
"Can we watch a Christmas film as well?" Tim asked as he looked up eagerly.
"I don't see why not" Shelagh smiled as she soothed down Tim's messy bed hair.
It was now late morning and Peter had taken Patrick and Timothy back to the hotel to get a few things.
Shelagh and Julienne were wrapping up Christmas presents together and talking amongst themselves, whilst a Christmas playlist was playing softly in the background.
"Shelagh" Julienne asked softly.
"Hmm?" Shelagh hummed, signalling for her to continue.
"How come you never told me about Patrick?" Julienne asked as she as she tied blue ribbon around a pressent.
"What do you mean? I've told you about Patrick before mum?" Shelagh remarked, looking up at her mother with a confused expression.
"You've spoken to me about him and Tim before, but you never mentioned your status with him" Julienne stated. Shelagh dropped her gaze and went to talk but was cut off.
"I saw how happy you both were to be huddled together this morning, you act as if it's still new but at the same time the three of you act like a close family" Julienne finished, Shelagh placed her hand upon her mother's and gave a slight squeeze.
"I can't explain or pinpoint it exactly, but I can say that how we act is just us. We're not like other couples" Shelagh explained and smiled back at Julienne who was looking at her with loving eyes.
Before Julienne had a chance to reply the boys could be heard entering the house.
Shelagh excused herself and walked down the stairs and into the hallway where the boys were stood with all their luggage.
"What on earth" Shelagh muttered to herself before walking towards Timothy and helping him to take his coat off.
"How come your brought the suitcases back?" Shelagh asked looking up at Patrick as he brushed the remaining snow off his coat and hung it up to dry.
"The hotel is being closed, they had a burst mains pipe" Patrick huffed as he slipped out of his boots.
Peter and Timothy went to go sit by the fire in the living room leaving them alone.
"Oh dear" Shelagh sighed as she hung Timothy's coat up besides his. "I'm sure mum and dad won't mind us staying for another night and it won't be as bad as you'll have your own clothes" Shelagh smiled trying to make light of the situation.
"I suppose your right, besides staying here means another night with you" Patrick smirked as he stepped closer, Shelagh grinned and felt weak at the knees - she couldn't believe her luck.
"Turner, what makes you so sure that you'll spend another night in my bed?" Shelagh retorted with a sly smile as Patrick continued to slowly close the gap between them.
"Because there's no way you, or me, are sleeping on that old couch" Patrick whispered, dropping his head so that they were millimetres apart.
"Doctor's orders?" Shelagh asked making him grin.
"Shelagh" Peter called out as he entered the corridor, the pair pulled away instantly and looked over to him with rosy faces.
"Sorry, just Timothy was asking for his jumper?" He continued.
"I'll go get it for him, it's in my room" Shelagh smiled at her dad.
"Sorry" Shelagh whispered to Patrick as she left him to get Tim's jumper.