Cosy Christmas ✓

11 / new year's eve

Within five minutes if posting the picture, she'd answered a call from Maddie and from what Connor could hear, she was fairly excited.

Cass put her phone down on the table and grinned at the two of them opposite her. "Still can't believe you guys are actually, like, a thing." She furrowed her eyebrows, shifting her eyes to Posy. "Sure this isn't just your hormones tricking you into liking my brother? Maybe you'll have the kid and realise you made a horrible mistake."

"I'd only be thinking that if I'd said no," Posy said with a smile, rolling back her shoulders as she tried to alleviate the ache in her back. She took her tea from the arm of the sofa, sipping the lukewarm drink and allowing her gaze to flutter over to Connor. She squeezed his hand and he felt as though she had squeezed his heart. "You're more likely to realise you've made a mistake," she said, "but I'm going to take advantage of every second that passes before you figure that out."

He leant across Duke to kiss her, his nose pressed against his cheek, and Cass cooed.

"You guys," she said, fluttering her eyelashes. "So cute. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"You doubted me?" Posy looked at her, acting offended though she wore a playful smile.

"I told Connor not to get involved with a pregnant woman," she explained. Cass had always been a blunt person, saying whatever was on her mind, and throughout her teens she'd had to learn a little tact. "I said it'd be messy and you wouldn't want to get into anything and I can proudly say I'm glad he didn't listen to me."

Posy grinned, her fingers curling around Connor's. "So am I."

Outside there was the rumble of an engine close to the house, and then the sound of the car coming to a stop. Connor stood, peering through the curtains to see his parents' car, and he jumped into action.

"They're here," he said, running on adrenaline. Posy had come over before lunch to hang out with him and Cass while they cleaned, and she had hardly moved from the sofa all day since her feet had first begun to ache. Slowly drinking her way through Connor's tea, the only times she had stood were for her frequent trips to the bathroom and back, and now Duke had claimed her with his head pinning her down.

Connor took a deep breath, hoping that after the day of cleaning and cooking and preparing, there was nothing he had forgotten, and he pulled open the front door before his parents could knock. His mother stood on the doorstep, her husband right behind her, and she pulled Connor into a warm hug. Inviting herself in past him, she wrapped her arms around Cass for one of her warm embraces and Neil followed suit.

"It's so good to see you again," Sandra said, fussing over her children as though it had been more than six days since Connor had left: Cass had been with them until yesterday, when she had driven back to give her brother a hand with getting the house guest-ready. "Do tell me we'll have a chance to meet Posy? Cassie told us you two are together now, and we would love to meet her."

With a chuckle, Connor nodded. "She's in the sitting room," he said, his hand on his mother's shoulders to guide her to the right room, and he took the bottle of wine that she offered him. There was plenty to drink, with the leftover alcohol from Christmas with Posy's family, and Connor planned to have a couple of glasses of wine over supper. The last day of the year, he looked forward to greeting the next one with a warm heart and a smile.

Sandra wasted no time in hurrying into the next room, swooping down to hug Posy before she had a chance to stand. Duke still lay across her, having claimed ownership of her, and she was trapped as Connor's mother embraced her in a cloud of perfume.

"Darling, hello, it's so nice to meet you," Sandra said, and Connor joined his mother, his father following him in. "Connor's told us so much about you."