Page 97 of The Christmas Catch
To Ali’s right, her mum and Diane sat at the end of the table, laughing about something and drinking a glass of Chablis. Her mum’s fake tan was far more bronzed this year. She’d told the whole family to destroy any evidence of last year’s dodgy orange hue.
They were also all under strict instructions to not get in a car this year, either. “No hospital visits this Christmas. Everybody understand?” Diane had told them the night before. There had been nods all round.
What a difference a year made.
At the table set for 12, Morgan’s dad reached over and popped another pig-in-a-blanket into his mouth. Then he sat back, patting his stomach. “I need to stop eating those, don’t I? The trouble is, they’re so moreish!”
“You’re not wrong, Roger.” Nicole leaned over and got one for herself and Stuart, then one for Harrison, who was thankfully non-flying this Christmas. This year, he’d come dressed as a dinosaur, which meant he just had to roam around and roar. Everyone preferred the dinosaur to Superman.
Over the past year, with Morgan flying back and forth to see her and vice versa, their families had become more friendly. So much so that when Elaine had invited the Scotts over to spend Christmas Day at the pub—“with no one else, not open, just us!”—they had readily agreed. Diane and Roger had brought an array of elaborate desserts and a cheeseboard for afters, while Ali and Morgan had taken charge of the dinner. As Morgan had told anyone who would listen all day long, “I did it all last year and nobody appreciated it. This year, it would be nice if someone did.” Morgan had done most of the cooking, but under her watchful eye, Ali had become a useful sous chef. She could cook far more than a tortilla these days.
“That was a gorgeous dinner, even if I say so myself.” Ali rubbed a hand up and down Morgan’s thigh as she spoke.
Morgan slipped her a sultry grin. “Not that I want to do it every year.” She turned to her dad. “You and Mum can take over again any time you like.”
But Roger shook his head. “No, it’s over to you now. Plus, we hardly ever get to enjoy your cooking these days. You’re in Glasgow or New York, so it’s a treat when it happens.”
Ali felt a little guilty about stealing more of Morgan’s time away from her family, but they’d survive. She’d flown back into Glasgow on December 20th, and together, she and Morgan had hopped into Morgan’s snazzy new purple Mini (replete with furry festive dice), and driven the length of the country to come home for the holidays. After last year’s calamitous trip, they’d both agreed they were taking no chances. They’d managed the drive in just over eight hours, with not a single hiccup. Their luck was changing. That was definitely true, as proven by the past year.
Roger leaned over and refilled their glasses with the Shiraz he’d bought.
“I like your shirt, by the way. Very jaunty,” he told Ali.
She glanced down. “Thank you. I thought I’d be clear this year and go for something obvious after last year’s fox/dog/reindeer headache.”
Morgan smirked. “I love your foxy reindeer shirt. But this one’s good, too. Christmas trees are always a winner. We should send one to Dave, the Christmas tree man.”
“He would love it!” Ali had already made sure everyone in Glasgow shopped with Dave for their tree, Morgan and Tobias included.
Nicole, dressed in an eye-popping bubble gum-pink dress, turned to Morgan. “How are you feeling about relocating for good? I can’t believe you’re going, by the way. You hook up with my sister, almost become my sister for reals, and then you bugger off to New York.” She gave an exaggerated eye roll, then winked at Morgan.
Ali loved that as well as landing the most gorgeous girlfriend in the world, Morgan and Nicole had got closer in the past 12 months, too.
Morgan took a sip of her wine before she replied. “It’s not forever, but I’m looking forward to living in the Big Apple. Who wouldn’t be? I can live out my American dreams in the city that never sleeps.”
“I’m sure you’ll have a ball. I’m just jealous.”
Morgan poked Nicole’s shoulder. “You know the solution? Come and see us. We’ve got a lovely apartment with a very comfy sofabed.”
Ali nodded. “I’ve told everyone the same. That includes you and Diane, Roger.” She’d said the same to her mum, and eventually got her to visit in September for a week. Getting her away from the pub for that long had been a feat. Ali hoped they’d be able to perform the same magic next year, too.
Ali’s job had gone very well. So well, she was now an integral part of the team, and was likely to stay in New York for at least another year, maybe more. All of which meant that after careful consultation with her employers and potential clients in the US, Morgan had taken the leap and was about to move to be with Ali. Long distance had proved a challenge they were up to, but Ali couldn’t wait for the moment they were both on the same continent and in the same time zone every day. She couldn’t wait until they were sharing the same bed every night.
Morgan had visited almost every month when Ali hadn’t flown back herself, and they’d already had some magical times in their new home city. If Ali had thought their first kisses and sex were good, they’d built over the year to spectacular levels. But it wasn’t just about sex. It was about love. She’d told Morgan she loved her at the top of the Empire State Building. Morgan had said it right back, and they’d kissed, long and hard. After being so worried and fearful that long distance simply wouldn’t work, Morgan had showed her it could. That if you really wanted something, you could make it happen.
Ali really wanted Morgan, and the feeling was mutual. One year on from their spectacularly eventful Christmas, their lives were just about to get more settled than ever. Mundane. But if it was mundane with Morgan Scott, Ali would take it any day.
She leaned over and laid a kiss on Morgan’s lips, then gave her girlfriend a beaming smile. She was certain they were going to stay the distance. That Morgan Scott would one day be her wife. If she had any say in it at all, Ali was going to make it happen.
“What was that for?” Morgan kissed her back.
“Just because you’re you.”
They stared, then laughed. They did that a lot. Whenever they were in Glasgow, Tobias told them they were nauseating. Ali could live with it.
“Hey, lovebirds.” Ali looked up, and was nearly struck in the head by one of Camille’s flailing legs. “Can you take her for a minute so she doesn’t swallow the pub? We need to get madam’s birthday cake sorted before we do dessert.”
Ali took the chunk that was Camille and kissed her cheek. She wriggled in her arms. She smelled of sugar and spice, probably because she’d just smudged some of Diane’s delicious mince pies into her chubby cheeks. Camille pressed her sticky fingers to Ali’s nose, and Morgan smiled her way.
