A LOT HAD happened in the last twelve months. Well, if Marnie looked back over the last few years, she wouldn’t recognise her life now. She didn’t have the wanderlust any more, even though Ash was keen to book a holiday soon. He wanted to start showing Violet the wider world, and she adored him for it. She could just see the three of them, jetting off to see the corners of the world.
She couldn’t wait for her daughter to learn more, really experience life as she once had. Home was where the heart was though. She wouldn’t trade any sunset beach in the world for this cold Christmas at Carey Cove. The world would still be there in January. The beaches and sunsets would wait for her family to discover them. For now, she had the magic of the season. Something the Cove had in spades. The girls had always thought so, but after the events recently in their own love lives, they were in no doubt of its existence. Any more than Marnie doubted the way she felt when Ash touched her.
The sparks still flew between them, a year on. She doubted she would ever get enough of Ash. She would often joke, call him her little ‘plan derailer’. The anticipation of becoming Mrs Ellerington only brought her joy. Her fear of weddings and everything relating to love felt like a lifetime ago. Here she was, at their engagement party and she hadn’t even brought any crucifixes or garlic around her neck. Ash had laughed when she told him.
‘Marnie,’ he’d murmured, pulling her close and making her forget what they were even talking about with kisses to her neck. ‘You might as well face it. We are incurable romantics now. Thunderbolts and all.’
She’d agreed, with a little more persuading from the love of her life, and his kisses.
Last Christmas, Ash Ellerington had asked her to be his wife, and she’d agreed. They’d become a family that day, with Ash moving in pretty much the minute his lease was up. He’d barely slept there anyway. He always seemed to gravitate to her place, and soon she couldn’t remember a time he wasn’t there. She wasn’t in a hurry to remind herself either.
They’d decorated the house together this year, Ash even getting a little competitive with Nya and Theo. Marnie thought it was going to be a duel at one point, Ash and Theo lining up on the beach, each armed with a Christmas novelty light-up penguin. It was hilarious, even Nya and Marnie had wound them up in the end. The kids thought it was amazing that their dads were so excited about trimming up. Ash had made good buddies with Theo. The two men were the perfect complement to each other, and they both adored their family time. Ash was working and living in Carey Cove, choosing not to work away and miss a minute of their lives together. He was there, full-time. A great father to Violet. The pair of them were like a comedy duo.
Ah, Violet. Her daughter wasn’t quite a baby any more. She was her own little person now. She was still adored by everyone she met, of course, and she was a sociable little girl. Always babbling, waving and smiling at friends, family. She was a joy to have. Ash’s face lit up whenever she was around, and the pair of them were inseparable. He’d crashed into Marnie’s life, to cover for her while she became a mother, and then he’d shown her a world she hadn’t thought possible.
The engagement party was perfect. Everyone had been so excited for the day to come, and now Marnie and Ash wanted to take in every little detail.
Together, they watched their friends and family have fun as they took a moment to enjoy the Christmas Eve festivities. There weren’t many Christmas babies happening for once, so they were enjoying the peace. Nya and Theo had walked in earlier and blown that apart though, with news of their engagement! The whole place went wild. The pair of them had said that marriage wasn’t on the cards, but obviously love had changed their minds and Marnie and Ash couldn’t be happier for them. Nya was a woman Marnie loved dearly, and she couldn’t be happier for her. After everything they’d been through together, the fact that their happy endings were here was amazing. Marnie couldn’t wait to watch her walk down the aisle to Theo, their family and friends all there to share in the pure joy of the day. What it meant for them, starting their new lives together after finding each other. She squeezed Ash’s thigh, as if to remind herself that he was still there.
‘Reminds me of our festive proposal,’ his deep voice rumbled against the shell of her ear, and she felt the familiar, still-take-your-breath-away jolt that she always felt from him. ‘Another wedding, eh? You lot are all going to be married off, you romantic bunch.’
She laughed. After Sophie and Roman had got married, Lucas and Kiara weren’t too long after. Now Nya had fallen too. No more single girls, Marnie mused. They all looked so happy. Hope, Theo and Nya’s adorable foster daughter, so beautiful with those Cornish blue eyes. Her brown hair was held back with pretty clips, sparkling sequins depicting little penguins. Nya always did dress her well.
They often went shopping together on their days off, the kids ending up in soft play while the two of them talked shop. Marnie had never imagined getting to do that with her friend. It made the trips all the sweeter to have. Hope was a lovely little girl. Marnie hoped the two of them would be as close as their mothers when they grew up. Perhaps they would even train as midwives. The next generation running Carey Cove. Hope and Violet, delivering babies. It would be just too perfect.
Hope was laughing at something, Violet giggling right along with her. Those two loved to play. They were always giggling. Just like their mothers, she thought to herself. Nya caught her eye, and the pair of them laughed. They knew they were thinking the same thing. It warmed her heart.
‘I love how close Hope and Violet are.’ She reached for Ash’s hand, and it enveloped hers as always. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand. She forgot her train of thought for a moment, but Ash picked up the conversation.
‘Sophie’s pregnant too,’ he said softly. ‘They’re just waiting to tell Roman’s parents before they announce it.’
‘I know.’ She smiled. ‘I’m so happy for them. I love how you care about our friends.’
‘Of course I do.’ He put his other hand over hers, sandwiching it between his mighty hands. ‘It got me thinking too.’ He nodded back to the two playing girls. ‘It might be nice for Violet to have another kid to play with.’
She heard that. Loud and clear. ‘Mr Ellerington, are you suggesting we have another baby?’
He pretended to consider it for a moment, and then waggled his brows devilishly. ‘At least one.’
‘At least one!’ Marnie exclaimed. He shrugged.
‘At least. I figure a boy might be nice.’ He looked over at Violet, a grin of adoration crossing his features. Violet and Ash were two peas in a pod. She adored him. Had from the start, Marnie remembered. She gave her first proper smile to her new daddy. Even before Marnie knew, Violet did. She knew the man she’d met at Carey House was supposed to be in their lives.
Marnie followed his gaze, looking at her daughter, who was dancing comically with some of the other little ones. She was off now, making her own first little steps into the world. Ash followed her like a papa bear when they were out in Carey Cove. A big, tall protective warrior dad, his two fingers always wrapped in a pudgy little hand as Violet clung to various surfaces. She was always babbling away to him. Ash hung off every little word and declared her a genius daily. ‘What do you think?’ He took her chin between his fingers, kissing her. ‘For once I can’t tell what you’re thinking.’
She snorted. ‘You could never tell what I was thinking!’
Ash looked shocked. ‘In what way?’
‘In every way I wanted to do things to you.’ She smiled cheekily at him. ‘We didn’t play games, but we both hid a little something. That afternoon, after we’d first made love, I looked at the three of us in the kitchen, and I just knew that I would find it near impossible to let you go.’
He was looking at her in wonder, the same way he’d locked those hazel eyes onto hers when she first told him that she loved him.
‘You never told me that,’ he half whispered. ‘I felt exactly the same. You know that, right?’
She kissed him to say yes, she did. When she pulled back, another daydream popped back into her head. She’d had it the other night. They’d taken Violet to her mother’s and gone for a meal with their friends. A real Carey House couples’ night that had been such a good time. When they’d gone home that night, the house had been quiet without Violet, and as she’d drifted off, hours after they’d gone to bed together, she’d thought of something. How nice it would be to have a sibling for Violet. For Ash to have a child of his own. Oh, they didn’t do the labels. He wasn’t a stepdad. He was a father to Violet—he’d been there from the start. It wasn’t that, but she wanted more children. With Ash. She wanted to give him a child. They’d never talked about it before, but she had considered since last Christmas.
‘You sure? The girls always said that I was a little bit of a tyrant when I was expecting Violet.’ His belly laugh told her he didn’t much care about that. Her heart swelled, as it did every day around him. With Ash coming to Carey Cove, it was as if her life had been completed. He was the missing piece. The thought of bringing another child into that, having a baby with her husband by her side. It was not part of the plan, that was for sure. She thought back to how steadfast she’d been on her actions. When she’d been expecting Violet, she’d decorated the nursery alone. It would be nice to do those things again, with Ash. She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Are you being serious?’
He looked at Violet, who was playing with Hope, Nya watching them both with a huge grin on her face. Looking back at his beautiful fiancée, he couldn’t imagine anything better.
‘I don’t think we should put any pressure on it, but yeah.’ He leaned in, kissing her slow. Just how he liked to kiss the second love of his life. The one he’d never looked for, but now he couldn’t stop. God, whenever she was out of his arms, he looked for her. He was ridiculously in love. The way she felt in his arms, it still took his breath away. Waking up to her every morning was bliss. Her friends were now his friends too, and he was already seeing the babies he’d delivered grow around him when he was out and about. A couple of mothers were already seeing him for their next pregnancy. He could already imagine walking Violet to school, seeing those babies at the gates in their little uniforms. He wanted that, and more. He wasn’t scared any more. He knew that even if lightning struck, the jolt of love between them would be enough to be worth every moment. ‘Have you not thought about it?’
‘I’ve thought about it.’ She took a sip of her champagne. ‘I wanted it to come from you, I think. If and when it was time.’ She gave him a small little smile, her sexy bob making her look fierce but adorable.
‘I know what you went through to get to Violet, and with Sam... I just knew that it wouldn’t be straightforward for us.’
He talked about Sam, and Chloe now. Marnie had told him not to hide the precious photos he had. The life he had with Chloe before was part of him. Sam was related to Violet, through them. One day, they’d tell Violet about Sam, too, and his mother. How they were dearly loved but didn’t get to stay on Earth. It was important to Marnie that Ash not forget them, and Ash loved her all the more for it. They’d even travelled to see their graves together. Marnie had even spoken to them both. Ash never knew what she had said. He’d taken Violet to see the flowers instead. He figured what they were talking about wasn’t for him to hear. It was between them.
The more he’d thought about it lately, the more it made sense. He was ready to be a father again. Sam and Violet were perfect, and he knew that a baby would be the icing on the cake.
‘I love you, Marnie. I’ve thought about it for a while. You already made me a daddy. I love being Violet’s father, and I want to do it again. Soon, hopefully.’ He grinned, giving away a little of his eagerness. ‘I would love to have another child with you, Marnie. It would be just...’
His smile took over his speech, not letting him get his words out. Seeing Violet play with Hope in front of them really cemented what he’d been feeling lately. They’d been together a year now, but it felt so much longer. They loved life on their little lane. They had talked about moving somewhere a little bigger, to buy a house together. They’d never got very far. The truth was, her cottage was home for them. Their little lane was home. Besides, they had an extra bedroom to fill. Why bother leaving paradise?
‘Perfect?’ she finished for him. They grinned at each other. Ash pulled her closer, his heart swelling with the jolt of electricity she gave him with her touch.
‘I think so.’ He dropped a kiss onto the bridge of her nose. The one she scrunched up when she was concentrating, or laughing heartily at work, or with Violet. ‘Well, let’s practise, eh? See what happens. No pressure. PCOS didn’t stop you before, and we have contacts in the right field.’ He thumbed over to the other people who lived and worked in Carey House. It was true, the gang would be thrilled. They would be ecstatic for all three of them. ‘Besides, we haven’t spent any time in the hallway lately.’ His hazel eyes grew darker, lustful. ‘Be a good place to start.’
She shook her head at him, but she was grinning.
‘You’re naughty.’
‘I know,’ he retorted. ‘You love it.’ Another sneaky kiss attack from him. He always did that when they were close by, talking. She’d be doing the dishes one minute, kissed senseless the next.
Marnie guffawed with laughter.
‘Oh, really?’ She looked back at the girls, who were being twirled around the dance floor in the arms of Kiara and Nya. ‘You really want a baby?’
‘I really want a baby, Marnie.’ He leaned in. ‘Our baby. What do you say?’
One look into those hazel eyes, and she knew the answer. It had been hard to get Violet. Frustrating, expensive, maddening. Then she thought of what Ash had been through. Losing Sam before he got a chance to know him.
With the job that they did, they were better placed than most to know how things could go wrong. Not work even. Fail. Complications happened. Emergencies happened. Not every baby delivered got the privilege of drawing their first breath. They knew all of the lows, but, looking at the girls, she remembered the highs too. All the lives that had come into the world. Some of the babies they delivered would be in the same classes as Violet, and their baby. Marnie knew that even knowing everything that could go wrong, it didn’t stop people. That was life. You rolled the dice, strived for happy. That was what they would do. Strive for happy, and if the worst happened, they had the other to lean on.
‘Okay, deal.’
He waggled his eyebrows again, taking her answer in. ‘Really?’
‘Really. I love you, Ash. Let’s make a baby.’
‘Woman,’ he said, sounding like a cowboy, ‘I simply can’t wait.’ He took her hand in his, kissing the back of it like the Prince Charming he was. ‘I love you.’
‘I love you too,’ she declared to him, as she always did when it threatened to burst from her lips anyway. For a cynical woman down on romance, she was much happier than the engaged woman who’d been on that beach in Bali. She wouldn’t be back there for anything. Here, in Carey Cove, right where she had laid her roots, she felt freer and more hopeful than she ever had. There was a big, wide world out there, and she couldn’t wait to explore more of it with Ash, and their children. Showing Violet the world with him by her side? With their other children? That sounded like a plan worth living for.
Mrs Marnie Ellerington-to-be could not wait to get started. Christmas at Carey Cove really was magical, she decided. Looking around her at the family they had, the love and attention, the care and the shared experiences. It really was a special place, and this Christmas would be no different. It was all part of the plan.