Cosy Christmas ✓

11 / new year's eve

"You too, Sandra," Posy said with a grin. The past few days had been something of a game of catch-up, the two of them sharing anecdotes and Connor warning Posy of the intensity of his mother. "It's lovely to meet you too. I'd get up, but Duke seems to want me to stay put."

"Oh, goodness, no," Sandra said, waving her hand. "You don't need to get up for us. You should be relaxing. Goodness, I was on bedrest for the last two weeks of both pregnancies; I know how you must be feeling. You stay there. Anything you need, I'm sure my son will oblige."

Posy beamed, looking up at the man she could now call her boyfriend. "He's done more than enough for me," she said. "You have a wonderful son."

Sandra grinned and squeezed Connor's arm. "I think so too."

Neil was more understated in his greeting, shaking Posy's hand with a strong grip and a warm smile. It was then that Duke jumped off at last and she stood to stretch out her legs, cracking her aching back. Sandra's eyes popped.

"My, my, that's quite the bump you've got there," she said, and Connor cringed.

"Mum," he said, but Posy laughed and nodded.

"It is, yeah. Probably all down to the fact that I haven't stopped eating. Bit of a shame that I won't be able to use pregnancy as an excuse for stuffing my face for much longer." She sighed, feigning disappointment, and stroked her bump. Sandra laughed, shedding her coat and preparing to make herself comfortable in the home her children now shared.

"Trust me, you won't be starved. I've spent my life eating the children's leftovers. Cassie here was such a fussy eater when she was little that I would end up eating everything she left, and my own dinner too."

Connor stood to the side, watching as his mother and his girlfriend conversed as though they had been friends for years, and Neil caught his eye. With a glimmer of a smile from his father, the flicker of approval in his eyes, Connor felt his shoulders relax. He had made the right decision, and the thought raised his spirits as he anticipated the next year of his life.

*

Cass had done it again. With a flourish, she served up the food she had cooked earlier that day, full of flavour and a kick of spice that kickstarted Connor's heart. He had never been one for spice, eating his food as bland as possible when he was younger, but his sister was always pushing him to try new things and he was growing used to the kind of food she liked to make. His spice rack had never been so full before, nor had it had so much use.

"Wow," Sandra said after the first mouthful. "This is wonderful, Cassie." Then she nodded at Posy, who looked up. "Careful, Posy," she added. "I hope you can take your spice. This might induce labour."

Cass widened her eyes. "Shit. I didn't think about that."

Posy just laughed and continued to eat. "I love spice," she said. "My dad loves jerk chicken and my mum's a curry fan, so I've grown up with it." Patting her stomach, she added, "Baby's just going to have to get used to it."

"Do you know what you're having?" Neil asked. He was a quiet man who tended not to talk unless he felt it necessary, the strong and silent type, but he had made an effort throughout the evening to chat to the woman who made his son so happy. She shook her head, slicing up a silver of chicken.

"Nope. My mother is sure it's a girl, but my best friend has decided it's a boy, so one of them will be disappointed. I don't care, as long as it's healthy." She smiled down at her plate, her left hand resting on top of her bump, and Connor gazed at her with a fond smile.

"What about names?" Cass asked. "I recommend Cass for a girl. And Andy for a boy."

Posy laughed at that and paused her eating to talk. "I don't know. I wasn't going to think about that until it's born. My mother still wants me to give it a flowery name, even if it's a boy, so I'm trying to steer clear of floral names." She pressed down her peas with the back of her fork, piercing a piece of meat, and her cheeks pinkened as she thought about the fact that soon, she would have a child, and it would need a name. She looked up at Connor, her eyes locking onto his. "I might need your help," she said, and a smile bubbled over, spilling onto his lips.