months. Angel felt another surge of guilt as she realised this. Cal brought Honey into the bedroom, wrapped up in a huge pink towel, and Honey thought it even more hilarious when she turned her rubber duck on Angel.
‘You cheeky monkey!’ she exclaimed, wiping water from her face while Honey giggled. ‘She’s never going to settle now.’ Angel turned to Cal.
‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it, she’s just so great when she laughs,’ he replied, kissing the top of Honey’s head. Another pang of guilt. ‘But I’ll stay with her until she goes to sleep if you want to go downstairs.’
Two hours later and Angel had sat through the Christmas specials of
Gavin
and
Stacey
and
You’ve
Been
Framed
, listened to her dad give another blow by blow account of how his youth team was doing and what he thought of Chelsea’s performance while her mumcontinued to fret that she hadn’t bought enough vegetables . . . and Cal still hadn’t come downstairs.
‘Honey never usually takes this long to go to sleep,’ Angel told her mum, ‘I’d better check she’s okay.’
Upstairs all became clear. Cal and Honey lay fast asleep, side by side on Angel’s bed, Honey snuggled into her father. Angel stood there for a few minutes, watching father and daughter sleeping. They looked so beautiful together, it was a truly heart-wrenching sight. Then she tiptoed in, grabbed her PJs and tiptoed out again, gently closing the door behind her. She would have to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room.
Her parents went to bed themselves soon after that, entrusting Angel with the task of putting out a glass of wine and a mince pie for Santa plus a carrot for Ruldoph.
‘I’ll leave you to drink that and take a couple of bites,’ her dad told her. ‘It always used to be my job but you can have it.’ He patted his beer belly, which definitely seemed to have got bigger lately. ‘Your mum’s putting me on a diet come New Year. She keeps telling me I’m letting myself go, and if I don’t watch it she’ll find herself a toy boy.’
Angel doubted that very much, but her dad did need to lose weight.
She took a shower, then arranged all her Christmas presents for Honey under the tree, drank the glass of wine, took a bite out of the mince pie and followed it with the carrot . . .
so
not a good combination. She was just setting up the sofa bed when Cal appeared in the doorway.
‘Sorry. One minute I was telling Honey a story, the next thing I was out for the count. I was knackered.’
He yawned, stretching his arms and causing his tee-shirt to ride up so it revealed an expanse of olive skin and perfectly flat abs, a thin dark line of hair runningdown from his navel. The sight sent a shiver of lust running through Angel, in spite of all her best intentions.
‘You can stay there, if you want,’ she replied.
Cal shook his head. ‘I’d better not in case Honey wakes up and wants you.’ He looked over at the fireplace, noting the half-drunk glass of wine and half-eaten mince pie. ‘So you’ve done your Santa duty?’
Angel nodded. ‘Actually I was going to have a Bailey’s, d’you want one?’ She suddenly wasn’t feeling in the least bit tired, didn’t want to go up to bed, wanted to be with Cal. A small voice inside her tried in vain to tell her that this was not a good idea. She didn’t listen.
‘I’ll have a brandy,’ he said.
The two of them sat sipping their drinks: Cal sitting on the edge of the sofa bed, Angel sitting on the rug by the fire. ‘It’s so good to see Honey. I can’t believe how much she’s grown in the last month. Every time I see her she’s changed again and learnt more new words,’ Cal said wistfully.
Angel was now feeling thoroughly guilt tripped. She hung her head. ‘I’m sorry you don’t get to see as much of her as you’d like. I’ll try and bring her back to the UK more next year. This year has been difficult.’
‘I know,’ he said softly. ‘And I’m not blaming you.’ Angel
‘You cheeky monkey!’ she exclaimed, wiping water from her face while Honey giggled. ‘She’s never going to settle now.’ Angel turned to Cal.
‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it, she’s just so great when she laughs,’ he replied, kissing the top of Honey’s head. Another pang of guilt. ‘But I’ll stay with her until she goes to sleep if you want to go downstairs.’
Two hours later and Angel had sat through the Christmas specials of
Gavin
and
Stacey
and
You’ve
Been
Framed
, listened to her dad give another blow by blow account of how his youth team was doing and what he thought of Chelsea’s performance while her mumcontinued to fret that she hadn’t bought enough vegetables . . . and Cal still hadn’t come downstairs.
‘Honey never usually takes this long to go to sleep,’ Angel told her mum, ‘I’d better check she’s okay.’
Upstairs all became clear. Cal and Honey lay fast asleep, side by side on Angel’s bed, Honey snuggled into her father. Angel stood there for a few minutes, watching father and daughter sleeping. They looked so beautiful together, it was a truly heart-wrenching sight. Then she tiptoed in, grabbed her PJs and tiptoed out again, gently closing the door behind her. She would have to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room.
Her parents went to bed themselves soon after that, entrusting Angel with the task of putting out a glass of wine and a mince pie for Santa plus a carrot for Ruldoph.
‘I’ll leave you to drink that and take a couple of bites,’ her dad told her. ‘It always used to be my job but you can have it.’ He patted his beer belly, which definitely seemed to have got bigger lately. ‘Your mum’s putting me on a diet come New Year. She keeps telling me I’m letting myself go, and if I don’t watch it she’ll find herself a toy boy.’
Angel doubted that very much, but her dad did need to lose weight.
She took a shower, then arranged all her Christmas presents for Honey under the tree, drank the glass of wine, took a bite out of the mince pie and followed it with the carrot . . .
so
not a good combination. She was just setting up the sofa bed when Cal appeared in the doorway.
‘Sorry. One minute I was telling Honey a story, the next thing I was out for the count. I was knackered.’
He yawned, stretching his arms and causing his tee-shirt to ride up so it revealed an expanse of olive skin and perfectly flat abs, a thin dark line of hair runningdown from his navel. The sight sent a shiver of lust running through Angel, in spite of all her best intentions.
‘You can stay there, if you want,’ she replied.
Cal shook his head. ‘I’d better not in case Honey wakes up and wants you.’ He looked over at the fireplace, noting the half-drunk glass of wine and half-eaten mince pie. ‘So you’ve done your Santa duty?’
Angel nodded. ‘Actually I was going to have a Bailey’s, d’you want one?’ She suddenly wasn’t feeling in the least bit tired, didn’t want to go up to bed, wanted to be with Cal. A small voice inside her tried in vain to tell her that this was not a good idea. She didn’t listen.
‘I’ll have a brandy,’ he said.
The two of them sat sipping their drinks: Cal sitting on the edge of the sofa bed, Angel sitting on the rug by the fire. ‘It’s so good to see Honey. I can’t believe how much she’s grown in the last month. Every time I see her she’s changed again and learnt more new words,’ Cal said wistfully.
Angel was now feeling thoroughly guilt tripped. She hung her head. ‘I’m sorry you don’t get to see as much of her as you’d like. I’ll try and bring her back to the UK more next year. This year has been difficult.’
‘I know,’ he said softly. ‘And I’m not blaming you.’ Angel
Similar Books
