Page 95 of Not Just for Christmas

‘Plot twist.’ Rachel gasped in surprise. ‘Seriously? Did she say why?’

‘In her words: in case something happened that shouldn’t.’ He could still remember her breath, warm against his neck as she confessed to him. The faint hope he’d had that she felt the same for him as he did for her snuffed out like a candle.

‘Gosh, poor Lucy,’ his sister responded tenderly. ‘Sounds like she knew she had feelings for you, but they scared her. Her world was blown apart when Jack died. She’s bound to be wary of opening her heart again, and even more cautious of letting someone close to her son.’

‘Lucy has nothing to worry about there. Sam and I have gotten close already. I don’t want to take his dad’s place, but I’d love to be there to see him grow up, teach him stuff, take him places.’ Dylan’s voice broke.

‘That’s adorable, and Lucy is gonna want someone in her life who will love Sam like his own, but more than anything, what she and Sam need most is stability,’ she pointed out. ‘And right now, your lifestyle is anything but.’

He shrugged. ‘I could relocate to Devon. I’ve always loved it, and this could be the fresh start I need. Will’s not going to be happy, but as you said, I owe it to myself to do what’s right for me.’

‘Wow.’ Rachel whistled. ‘Would you really do it for her? Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.’

He didn’t have to think twice. ‘I’d do it in a heartbeat.’

‘Listen to me, this whole thing is totally fixable, but you need to prove to her that you’re for real. Because what she’s seeing from you right now is that on a day when she’s probably feeling at her lowest, you deserted her to do some schmoozing with the press. That’s the complete opposite of what she needs.’

‘I know, I messed up.’ He winced, his sister never pulled her punches.

‘Of course your personal life suffers when you constantly put the job in front of the people you love,’ she scolded. ‘If you keep doing the same thing, you’ll get the same results. So take action!’

‘I hear you. And I will, promise.’ He grinned. ‘I was expecting to be grilled by a journalist today, not by my own sister.’

‘Mr Wilde …’ the driver used the intercom to speak to him. ‘We’re arriving at Boom Radio, sir.’

‘Good luck, bro,’ said Rachel. ‘And I don’t mean on air, I mean with Lucy.’

‘Merry Christmas, sis. Love to you and the family.’ Dylan collected his laptop from the seat next to him, preparing to get out of the car.

‘Hey Dylan,’ Rachel’s voice was warm. ‘I love this for you. I hope it all works out.’

‘Me too,’ said Dylan, feeling a bit dazed after his sister’s impassioned pep talk. ‘Me too.’

Chapter 40

‘Why is there a Christmas party at the lifeboat house?’ Sam asked, clicking his seatbelt into place.

I shut his car door and climbed into the front of the Land Rover.

‘Because someone has very kindly given them a lot of money to buy a new boat and today it gets launched into the water for the first time,’ I said, steering us away from the farmhouse and down the lane. ‘So it’s a very special day for Craggy Bay. The new lifeboat will help keep people safe while they’re in the water.’

‘Daddy died in the water at Christmas, didn’t he, Mummy?’ His little voice piping up from the back seat, so earnest, so innocent.

‘He did, darling.’ I cleared my throat to try to stop my voice trembling. ‘Actually, it was two years ago today.’

I hadn’t planned on having this conversation with him, but now that the subject had come up, it felt natural to mention it.

‘Oh.’ Sam fell silent for a moment. ‘And didn’t the superheroes come and rescue him?’

I had to take a deep breath before answering. ‘They tried very hard, but sometimes accidents happen. And that’s why Mummy likes to make sure you stay safe in the water.’

‘I will,’ he said. ‘I promise. Can we have the radio on, please?’

Love welled up inside me for my little boy; the silver lining of my every cloud.

‘With pleasure.’ I turned on the radio and fiddled with the knob until I found a clear signal.

‘Your fans are already messaging us on Instagram to say how excited they are to hear the new album,’ said a female voice.