Thank you for the reviews.

So here we go.

The penultimate chapter.

We are finally here. Only 30 days after I had originally planned to post it... Better late than never?

The last chapter will be up on Wednesday. And then I can finally put the Christmas fic behind me for another year... or 11 months or whatever...

Chapter Twenty Four
Thursday 24th December

The small headache and dry throat reminded Eddie of what had happened the night before. Age had definitely started to catch up with him. He wouldn't have said that he had drunk that much the night before but the way his body had reacted to it made him feel like he should have sunk three times the pints of beer that he'd had. And more shots.

He groaned as he rolled over onto his back. Rachel had obviously been able to replace herself with her pillow and Eddie wondered how late it was, turning his head to his bedside table to have a look at the time.

It was earlier than he thought it was going to be but he knew that it was a lot later than he had hoped. He still had a couple of bits to do before they went to his parents later and he knew that Rachel wanted the house to be more or less tidy before they left it for a couple of days.

He groaned as he sat up before he reached for the glass of water that he had left on the bedside table. He sipped it as he assessed how hungover he was before he decided that he wasn't as bad as he feared but he knew that he was still suffering slightly.

Getting up, he changed into his jeans with a t-shirt before he placed his pyjamas in his overnight bag. He made the bed and opened the curtains to a cloudy morning, with the rain from the night before still hanging around. It would be at that time of year but Eddie hoped for nice weather on Christmas Eve. Which, to him, was either a sunny but cold day or snow.

There were a couple of other bits that he sorted while he was still in their bedroom, with him sure that he would rid himself of his hangover soon enough. A bit of food and a coffee would help sort him out along with the willpower just to power through.

And maybe he was stalling going downstairs.

As much as he knew that Melissa had changed, he was still rather wary of the woman. He wanted her to be better for Rachel's sake but it would take her a while for Eddie to warm to her completely. The short of it was that Eddie didn't trust or know Melissa enough to know whether she was being genuine or whether it was all an act. In some ways, it did seem like she was trying. In others, Eddie just couldn't see Melissa's reasoning. It wasn't how he wanted things to be but Eddie knew that he could justify the level of mistrust that he had.

He did eventually make his way downstairs and was surprised about how quiet it was.

Rachel had gotten into the habit of always having the radio on for some background noise. He understood that it was probably from years of being on her own but he didn't mind it. Especially when she would sing along to a song that she liked or if he could persuade her to stop what she was doing so that they could dance around the kitchen.

It was moments like those that Eddie realised how much Rachel had held back in her life. How even the simplest of things had been taken from her. It took him a couple of attempts to make her see that dancing around their own kitchen wasn't stupid. And the one time she held her hand out to him before he offered her his made his heart want to jump out of his chest. For them, love was being as comfortable as they could be with each other. From them being able to communicate with just looks to dancing around the kitchen.

He popped his head into the living room just to check if she was there but found it empty.

Maybe if he had been thinking about it a little more, he would have realised that the presents underneath the tree had disappeared. Although, he wouldn't get his reason why at that point.

The door to the dining room was open and there seemed to be no movement. And when he thought about it, the whole house felt silent and empty.

The kitchen was his next destination and there, in the middle of the island, was the answer to all of his questions.

Maybe not all of them.

But as Eddie unfolded the paper with his name on it as he waited for the kettle to boil, he knew that he understood all of the secrecy.

E

I can't tell you everything now. I don't think it would be fair on you to tell you in a letter rather than in person. Especially when it is something we've spoken about.

I get that you have been rather confused over the last few days but stick with me. Trust me as much as I trust you.

There is something that I need you to do. I need you to gather what you want to take to your parents and get on that suit that Alice, Zoe and Cathy helped you buy.

And then I need you to meet me at Town Hall at 2:30pm.

Actually, get there for 20 past. As I need the time to explain what this is all about.

Zoe has picked up me, Melissa and Philip. And we have everything else that I could think of that we needed to take to your parents. You just need what you want to take. And Michael. Who will probably be with you soon. Alison has already got him ready.

I just want you to know that I love you and that this is the only way that I can think of to make sure that I never forget it.

Yours always and forever

R

Eddie read the last two lines multiple times before he felt like it hit him. And with a coffee in hand, he left to do as he was told.

Rachel was nervous.

Everyone else was starting to get a little bored.

And Rachel found herself falling into teacher mode just to try and combat some of her nerves, with her straightening out the little ones' clothes as they tried to cure their boredom in ways that wouldn't get them told off by their parents, grandparents or receptionists.

"He will be here," Sue said after Isaac ran off after Rachel had straightened his tie for the third time.

"I know. I know." Rachel said quickly, showing off her nerves more. "He isn't even late yet."

"Rachel, sweetie, come on, talk to me."

"I umm… just wonder whether… I've taken things a step too far."

Sue sighed but she didn't get the chance to say whatever she was going to say, just pointing towards the door. Rachel turned and felt her breath being taken away as Eddie stood there with Michael's hand in his, in his suit, looking so positively handsome that Rachel's thoughts went straight to what she hoped that they could do later. Maybe they would have to wait for everyone to go to bed before they snuck down into the man cave. To be in a house full of family members wasn't really the best conditions to spend their wedding night.

She took a deep breath before she walked over to him as Michael ran off to be with his cousins, offering her hand before she even reached him to pull him over to one side.

"I think I have some explaining to do," Rachel said.

"Well, I do understand why you have been so secretive now."

"It has been an insanely quick turnaround."

"I bet."

She licked her lips as she tried to find the words that she had found so many times over the last couple of days but escaped her in that moment.

"I know you love Christmas, Eddie. And I want to love it too."

"Rachel, I know why you don't."

"I know. But that doesn't mean that I can never love it, does it? So… there is no better time for us to get married. I need to be better, Eddie. For you. For our daughter. There is so much for me to unpack and unlearn. But if there is anything that I've learnt over the last year or so, it is that I can do it better when I am with you. I want to hold on to you, Eddie. Until the end of our days. I am yours, now and forever. And I want to make the vows to you. To… maybe, hold myself accountable for what I am about to promise you.

"I've struggled through life. I've always got myself mixed up with the wrong people. And until you, I thought that was just how it was going to happen. No, I don't know how to love or how to be loved. I know I get so wrapped up in my work that I forget that I do have other people to rely on. I know I lose sight of what is in front of me. I know that I forget what is in front of me. I know I brush off your concerns. But that is because I've never had the chance to trust someone as much as I do trust you. I am going to be better, Eddie. Because I can't lose you."

His eyes hadn't left hers once but Rachel still found herself searching for the silent answer. He must have understood what was going to happen before she explained it. And she was sure that if it wasn't something that he wanted, he would have tried to let her know that before now.

But his smile let her know that she hadn't overstepped.

"A Christmas Eve wedding?" Eddie said.

"I've had some people pull some strings for me. And it was the only date around Christmas. Last minute cancellation. I couldn't say no."

"I'm surprised Alison didn't talk you out of it. She knows what being married to me is like."

"No, she encouraged it. It was Alice that tried to talk me out of it."

"Really?"

"Hmm, apparently, out of all her brothers, you are the most annoying."

"But she is the one who is the most annoying out of all of us."

"But then she changed her tone. Saying that you were also the most caring and kindest and the one that she would run to if she had a problem. I think even Zoe got a little worried about how much she was singing your praise." Rachel leant a little closer to him. "But I didn't tell you any of that."

"Noted."

"So, Mr Lawson, are you ready to become my husband?"

Eddie chuckled. "You have already asked me that question once."

"I know. I'm asking you again."

"And what makes you think that my answer has changed?"

She could only feel her smile getting wider and she could feel the tears starting to fill her eyes. She never understood why people cried when they were happy. She realised that she had just never felt that level of happiness before.

They turned as their names were called and she felt Eddie squeeze her hand.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Definitely," Rachel said as they walked over to get things started.

Rachel was sure that the weight of the ring that had just made its home on her ring finger on her left hand would disappear over time but it was all she could feel.

Not in a bad way.

If anything, feeling it made her smile and want to look at it.

Although, looking at it made her feel a little teary.

Actually, everything that the ring meant made her feel teary.

Because she had just married (as Melissa had said to her) the love of her life. And with that she had gained a host of in-laws that she was more than grateful to have.

Eddie might not be grateful for the sister-in-law that he just gained but Rachel knew that he got on with Philip so well.

Everything just felt so right and she was, slightly, waiting to wake up from it all.

Because this all had to be a dream, didn't it?

"Mummy! Mummy! Daddy and Rachel got married." Michael screamed from the hallway.

Rachel could already hear Sue trying to convince Alison to stay for a drink to help celebrate as she thought that she had better go and say hello to the woman that had been in her place before. She knew that Alison had no problems with them. If anything, Alison seemed extremely for their relationship.

"Hi Alison," Rachel said as she entered the hallway.

"Rachel! You look amazing." Alison said before she put Michael down as he kept squirming in her arms. "I'm not going to be able to get him to go to sleep tonight."

"I'm sure you would have had problems anyway. It is Christmas Eve."

Alison gave her a look that made Rachel feel like she had hit the nail on the head.

Sue tried one more time to get Alison to stay but as soon as Eddie stepped into the hallway, Rachel knew that Alison was going to refuse it, saying that she had to get to her own parents and wanted to try and dodge as much of the traffic as possible. Rachel didn't know how successful she would be but she knew that Sue was going to keep Alison to her promise that she would stay for a drink next time.

For a moment, it left Rachel with Eddie, by themselves, in the hallway, with Eddie making sure that they couldn't be seen as he took her in his arms and started to sway them.

"You know I love you, don't you?" Eddie said.

"I think I do. I think we said a lot of words today that meant that."

"Like?"

She knew that he was teasing her but she didn't mind saying the words again. "I think I promised to care for you with love and respect."

"Did you?"

"Hmm, and to support and comfort you, through good and troubled times."

"I think I said something similar as well."

"You're stuck with me now, Lawson."

"You say that like it is something bad, Mason."

Whatever comeback she wanted to come up with was taken away when he bent down slightly to kiss her. She wanted it to go on forever but saviour the seconds that they did have before one of the little ones came running out of the living room, being chased by the others. Rachel gave him a look, telling him that they would be revisiting that moment.

But there was one thing for sure.

Rachel was insanely happy.

And she was glad that she had done what she had.

Because being Mrs Rachel Lawson felt so right she couldn't believe that she hadn't done it sooner.