Page 29 of Not My Little Drummer Boy
“The lights challenge win goes to—Rachel and Teddy.”
She claps her hands together, and Tommy joins in. Either not wanting to look like sore losers, or maybe genuinely appreciative of our efforts, the other couples quickly add to the applause echoing under the portico.
Teddy’s hand cups my jaw. He twists my head towards him.
“Is a congratulatory kiss okay?”
Despite the playful twitch of his mouth, his eyes are dark with a smoulder of something that sends a flash of heat to my core. I nod, and his lips meet mine in a far too chaste kiss. I don’t let him escape, moulding my mouth to his, drinking in the surprising warmth and sweet taste of him. Fuck the rest of them. I know they’re watching, but surely in this moment of victory, I can savour my very attractive partner just a little.
“It was very close.” At the sound of Tommy’s voice, Teddy pulls away, and I reluctantly turn my attention back to the group.
Tommy studies the small notebook clasped in his chunky paw. “Design, colour, Christmas imagery—you were all neck and neck on points. But Loreena and I couldn’t get past the sheer brilliance of the concept of the star over the stable.”
I flush with pride. It was my idea.
“Well done,” Haley says.
“Great job,” Christian adds.
Liv pulls me into a hug, and Garrett claps Teddy on the back. He’s not really that much older, but I’ve noticed the way he treats Teddy like a gruff big brother. It’s nice.
Sam is too busy berating Ollie for something he didn’t get right on their door display. Poor Ollie is taking the blame for the loss in his usual good-natured way.
“And while we didn’t say anything about adding music, to have a song playing alongside the lights was perfect. An apt choice, too.” Loreena grins at us.
My baffled gaze swings from her to Teddy.
“Music? A song?”
He grins across at me. “Thought the drummer boy had better contribute something.”
I frown. What the hell is he talking about?
“Come see. You’ve got your phone?” I check in the depths of my pocket and nod. “Good,” he says, taking my hand. “We have to take a picture for your brother. Let him see we didn’t totally fuck up his instructions.”
Teddy leads me towards the stable block, while the others amble back into the warmth of the house. My breath billows in the chillnight air. I hug my coat tight around me, grateful for the warmth of his hand tucked around mine as we step through the stone archway, our footsteps echoing in the peaceful stable area.
“Let’s do a selfie,” I suggest.
We snuggle in close, and I raise the phone, framing us on the screen. We look so good together, him and me. The happy buzz I feel tucked in beside him, with the rippling lights of the star above our heads, only hums louder at the thought. I hate it when he breaks away.
“We need one of you with it,” he suggests. “After all, it was your brilliant idea.”
I push my phone at him and race over to stand beneath the star, channelling my best red carpet pose.
“Now you,” I say, taking the phone back.
“Nah,” he says. “I don’t need a picture of me.”
“But I do,” I insist. “Come on. Please?”
For some reason, it seems important to capture Teddy here like this. Maybe it’s because this time with him is fleeting. Maybe because I want to remember everything about this week. The past two days are the first time I could say I’ve really felt happy since Pierre walked out. Either way, I need this picture to look back on in the future, whatever that might look like.
He takes his place beneath the star, first stripping off his hat, leaving his hair adorably mussed up. The light reflects off it in dancing little red flashes. Illuminated by the starlight, he looks so young and innocent, not the naughty-but-charming man who’s got me wanting to do things with him that are far from innocent.
“Smile,” I say. “You made a winning design.”
He dips his head shyly, as if he’s not at all used to having his picture taken, when he’s had thousands splashed all over newspapers andsocial media for the past four years. His mouth tips up in a small smile that unleashes those sweet dimples. I swallow hard and snap photo after photo as a bemused expression spreads across his face.
