Thank you for the reviews.

So you know what this means... I am close to finishing this. Hopefully, this weekend. Exciting times!

I suppose the question I am trying to pose here is can you have a stag do without knowing that you've had a stag do...

Chapter Twenty Three
Wednesday 23rd December

Rachel knew she should have had more trust in Melissa but felt like everything worked out better the way it happened.

Because it had been Melissa that asked whether Rachel would be having a sort of hen party while Eddie had a secret stag do. Rachel honestly had no idea how that would happen but Alice had told her to leave it with her and James had called Eddie earlier in the day, saying that they should go out for a drink as they were, now, all finished for Christmas. She gathered that Eddie was rather confused about the call. Especially when he said that they had never gone out for a drink before Christmas before. Rachel got that Eddie's suspicions were high and she was really unsure whether he had guessed what was happening or not. Mainly because she didn't want to ask him and give it away or make him more suspicious.

But the plans had been made.

And instead of sending Eddie to pick up Melissa from the train station as she had kind of planned (although that was where she didn't trust her sister not to accidentally say something), Rachel picked her up instead. With Philip in the car. To drop off at Alice's for Philip to sit with Oscar, Dylan and Isaac while she picked up Alice (as Rachel's hen do was going to be a sober affair for her). Rachel knew that the boys would just sit there and play computer games all night but Rachel loved that Philip interacted with Eddie's family well, especially with his nephews. Even if they were all younger than Philip (Cathy was the only one older than Philip, by three years).

Rachel could have let out a sigh of relief when it seemed like Alice and Melissa got on better than she expected. Out of everyone, Rachel had been the most worried about Alice's reaction. There was no denying that Alice knew how to look after herself. Even with the teasing that had carried on into adulthood, she didn't allow her brothers to get away with anything and got them back in her own way. She had even told Rachel a couple of things for when Eddie really annoyed her. Maybe Alice hadn't tried any because they were in the car and Rachel was there but Rachel hoped that it would mean that they would try to act civil.

Arriving at Zoe's, Rachel was glad that she did catch James just before he left, saying that she felt like Eddie might have some questions for him. All for James to give her a wink and to tell her that he had it all under control.

Rachel knew that, somehow, she had managed to land on her feet when she fell in love with Eddie. The family that would become her in-laws in under 24 hours were more than she could have ever asked for. And she knew that this wouldn't be an over-the-top event. It might have been had she let Melissa organise it. But Alice, Zoe and Claire knew her a little better than that.

"He'd better not fuck up this time," Alice said.

The huff of surprise that came from everyone showed what everyone thought about Alice's comment.

From the various conversations that Rachel had with them over the last year, she gathered that no one really had anything bad to say about Alison. They could all agree that things didn't work out the way that they had all thought it would and that there had been a lot of bitterness on both sides. Eddie's family had been most concerned about the fact that he wasn't getting any access to Michael. And that had been the only grievance with Alison. Other than that, they still all loved their ex-sister-in-law. They even seemed grateful that she was starting to join the family again. Rachel knew how much Eddie wanted to push things with Alison but also knew how scared he had been to do so. It was something that she knew that he wanted to sort out over the next 12 months and Rachel knew that she would support him in any way that she could.

"Oh come on. You know I am joking." Alice said.

"That is taking a joke a little too far," Zoe said. "I know it is your thing with Eddie to tease each other but that is taking things way too far."

"But you all know that I didn't mean it like that."

"But it isn't nice, Auntie Alice," Cathy said. "Not when Uncle Eddie was as bad as he was."

"Honestly, Rachel, this is what you are joining," Claire whispered to her. "I thought it might get better but it doesn't. They are worse than the kids at times."

"I can imagine," Rachel said, the smile refusing to falter on her face.

"Ah, Rachel," Zoe said, probably to change the subject. "Did you work out how you are going to tell Eddie what is happening tomorrow?"

"Well if he doesn't work it out tonight, or gets told by accident, I've written a letter. Explaining the bare minimum. It tells him where he needs to be and at what time and what he needs to wear. I've explained that I did understand the joint decision we had made but… I would explain more when we saw each other next." Rachel paused for a moment. "And then I have this long speech prepared for just before we go and get married."

"God, it was hard work getting him to buy that suit," Alice said.

"Only because you went about it in the completely wrong way," Zoe said.

"I thought Mum's idea was great," Cathy said. "Rach, if you get a nice dinner out somewhere, you can thank Mum."

"How do you mean?" Rachel said.

"Mum said that Uncle Eddie should buy the suit because he should take you out somewhere nice and wear it. Before the baby comes and you don't have any time to yourselves."

"I might not get that now."

"You might," Zoe said. "It might just be your honeymoon now."

And to Rachel, that didn't seem like the end of the world. If they were swept away somewhere where they could equally dress up and lounge around for a weekend or so. Their honeymoon would have to be a small affair like that, with it happening in the February half term as leaving it until Easter might be leaving it a little too late.

And it was probably all a little strange but Rachel didn't mind it.

Because she knew that she would have the rest of her life to explore the world with Eddie, probably with their daughter in tow. And Philip. If he wanted to come.

It would just be their way of doing things. And Rachel loved it.

Eddie didn't mind being out with his brothers and brother-in-law.

The way that he was acting probably wasn't portraying that but it did confuse him why he was down the pub when he should be at home with Rachel.

Although he would have been at home with Rachel and Melissa and as much as he did get on well enough with Melissa, he didn't know how well things would go between them. Whether there would be anxieties over how things between Melissa and his family would be. Not that he blamed any of them for being angry at her or acting the way that they did towards her. A lot had happened last Christmas. Like this Christmas so far. The only difference being that the drama hadn't involved Melissa this time around.

"So are you ready, Eddie?" James said.

Eddie turned to his brother. He hadn't been listening to what they had been talking about, with him going into his thoughts as he tried to come up with an explanation to everything that had happened over the last few days.

"Ready for what?" Eddie said.

"For Christmas. Have you got all your gifts? What have you got Rachel?"

"Yeah, I've got them all. Although, I did struggle with Rachel slightly. I had quite a few opinions and I didn't know which one to go with. I do think I've made the right choice though."

"No hints as to what you got her then?" Ryan said.

Eddie shook his head. "She is going to open it in front of you. So you will see it."

"God, I wish I had opinions. I'm asking the kids what I should get Alice. Oscar seems to know her better than I do."

"Oh, Alice is easy to buy for."

"I do agree with Eddie," Tony said.

"Really?" Ryan said.

"Oh yeah," James said.

"Well, I am coming to you three next year then."

"James has always been the worst to buy for," Tony said.

"Because I'm indifferent about football," James said.

"No, because of that poxy job you had and you kept buying yourself what you wanted. I actually begged Mum to talk you out of buying something so that I could buy it for you for your birthday." Eddie paused. "Plus you didn't have any hobbies. Or any other interests. When you got your car it became a little easier."

"Zoe always finds me something."

Eddie looked over at Tony and rolled his eyes as he reached for his beer. Zoe did always find James something but there was quite a bit of asking around before she got his present.

"You've got harder to buy for, Eddie," Tony said.

"Have I?" Eddie said.

"Even Zoe was asking me what to get you this year," James said.

Eddie felt his brow crease and he took a large mouthful of his beer so that he didn't have to say anything for a moment. Because he had wondered whether Rachel had struggled to think of something to buy him for Christmas. She had asked him a couple of times what he wanted but he thought that she had just got bored of him telling her that he already had everything that he could ever want.

Maybe she did mean it.

Maybe she did actually want him to tell her what he wanted.

And maybe that was why she had been constantly on the phone to his family.

Because she didn't know what to get him.

It was a rather sinking feeling that Eddie didn't know how to deal with. Because Rachel had been stressed out enough without him making her life a little more difficult.

But if he was being honest, he didn't know what he wanted and he did have everything that he wanted.

So what had Rachel got him?

Eddie had tried to be as quiet as he could be but that felt quite hard when he was a little drunker than he had hoped.

He blamed James.

And the three shots that he had lined up for Eddie.

One was definitely tequila (with him still being able to taste it in the back of his throat).

One he thought was sambuca.

The other had to be vodka.

It didn't really matter what they were because he had gone from feeling okay to feeling like he had been hit by a truck. And he had taken a moment to make sure that he wasn't going to throw up afterwards.

It really wasn't how he thought he was going to spend the night before Christmas Eve but it had been nice to spend some time with them. Even if he had been a little worried about how Rachel and Melissa were getting on.

It was very clear that everyone was in bed by the time he had gotten back and he attempted to do everything that he usually did in the dark. Which was made more difficult by his inebriated state.

He was sure that his shoes weren't where they were meant to be but he couldn't quite find the right spot when he had tried to locate it with his hand. His coat wasn't meant to live on the bannister but it was something that Rachel let go from time to time. The dirty glass on the side, probably waiting to be washed up, was given the once over on the rim and rinsed out before Eddie filled it with water and downed it as quickly but sensibly as possible before he refilled it to head to bed.

He knew that Rachel would be asleep but he had hoped that she would be awake. Just so he could ask what the last few days had been about. After the last couple of hours, he felt more confused than ever about what was going on in secret. Truth be told, he was probably just feeling a little left out, even if he was sure that it was meant to be a surprise for him.

He gently placed the glass down on his bedside table before he took off his jeans and looked around for his pyjama bottoms. He assumed that Rachel thought that he wasn't going to be in the best of shape when he came home when he saw them, with his tshirt, folded at the end of the bed.

And as much as he did want to know, he knew that he would never be able to wake Rachel up. Not when she hadn't been sleeping well because of the baby and stress.

But there was a part of him that took a huge amount of comfort in the way that she shuffled backwards, to be closer to him, in her sleep, with him putting his arm around her to keep her close.

He didn't know what was going on.

But he knew that he trusted Rachel and that was enough for him to drop off to sleep.