The Christmas music played loudly in the hall that had been hired out by Skye's family. Skye used to love Christmas, a wonderful time surrounded by family and friends. Every year, without fail, Skye's parents would throw this party, a chance for the large family to get together and celebrate.
"Mummy, Mummy!" Skye's daughter, Kylie, ran over to her mother. She beamed at her as she stared into the sad eyes of her parent. "Oh, Mummy," Kylie reached up to her mother's face and held it in her hands. "Please don't be sad."
Skye smiled as she took her young daughter's small hands in hers. "Oh baby, Mummy is fine." She looked around the hall before spying her daughter's cousins, "Gemma-Lynne and Amber are on the dancefloor, baby. Why don't you go and dance with them?"
Kylie turned away from her mother, her eyes wide before she ran off to her cousins. Skye was left with her best friend, Roxi and her closest cousin, Gabriella. "If she can see you are sad, then maybe you need to start thinking about how you are actually acting." Roxi was honest with her friend, even if it was not what Skye wanted to here.
Reaching for her head, Skye sighed as she leaned back in her seat. "Are you going to take Kylie back to yours still tonight?" She asked her cousin as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Gabriella nodded, "Of course I am. Let your hair down," she smiled at her favourite cousin.
Skye reached for her drink, her mind not in the room; instead, she was thinking about the horrible truth that bubbled away at the back of her mind. Her partner and father of her daughter and unborn child were still working, and even today, three days before Christmas he was nowhere to be seen. He'd called around four days before, explaining that he probably wouldn't be home for Christmas. To say Skye was upset was an understatement, she was downtrodden but livid at the same time.
"Hey," Skye felt a hand on her shoulder, turning her head she smiled up at her mother. "How are you feeling, love?"
"I'm okay," she lied to her mum as she looked back at the table.
Her mother, Grace, laughed loudly, "Looks like Santa had arrived to see the children." She hurried away to greet the dressed up person, a smile on her face.
As Skye looked up at the person who had arrived in full costume, her eyes looked over at her daughter, who looked extremely excited to see Santa. Skye sighed as she turned her head to Roxi, "Where does my mum find these idiots every year?"
Roxi and Gabriella laughed at the comment from the pregnant woman before Gabriella spoke, "Hey, with Daniel away, maybe you could spend some time on Santa's knee?"
Skye rolled her eyes at her cousin's words. "Santa doesn't need some fat woman on his knee." She let out a small chuckle at her own comment; she would never do anything so ridiculous.
The three women watched at the children lined up to see Santa, each one sitting with him and telling him what they wanted for Christmas. Skye got to her feet and walked across the room as Kylie walked closer to the Santa, her face full of smiles. Skye sat at a table close to her daughter and the man dressed as the Christmas figure; she listened as Kylie began to explain what she wanted as her gift.
"My mummy is really sad," Kylie said as she looked over in her mother's direction. Skye saw the love her daughter had for her; it was the smile on her face, the glint in her eyes. "She misses my daddy; he's been working really hard. All I want is for my mummy to be happy."
Skye bit her lip as she heard the words her daughter was saying. She might only be young, but she definitely saw and picked up on most things.
"How can we make your mummy happy again?" Skye heard the Santa ask, his voice was deep and rough, his accent unrecognisable.
Kylie shrugged her shoulders, "Bring my daddy home. I miss him, too; he works too much."
The words that her daughter spoke were true; Skye agreed that Daniel worked too much. He worked much too hard for someone who had a family waiting back at home for him.
Skye watched as her daughter hugged the man before she scampered back to her mother, hugging her tightly then running off to the dancefloor again, forgetting everything in an instant. Skye looked back over at the Santa if only he could bring her partner home. For a second, the man looked over in her direction; she managed a smile before she got back up and returned to the table she was initially sat at.
Fifteen minutes later, Skye found herself getting bored and ready to leave. Everyone had eaten, they had played stupid Christmas games, and the children had met Santa. As she pulled her coat on, Roxi laughed, "Looks who's coming to put you over their knee."
Looking up, Skye spotted the Santa approaching their table. "Good job I'm leaving then," she rolled her eyes before putting her arms through the sleeves of the coat. "I just want to get home and sleep; I might even put Netflix on as I fall asleep."
"Go you, you be adventurous," Gabriella laughed as the Santa came to the table.
"So, you must be Kylie's mum?" He asked Skye, who hitched her bag upon her shoulder. "What can I get you for Christmas?"
Skye stared at the Santa, her eyes meeting his. There was something familiar about them, something that drew her to him. "Oh," she held her hands up in front of her and shook her head. "I don't think you can get me what I want," she looked down at her friend before looking back at the man in front of her. "Unless you can magic my partner here right now."
The man dressed as Santa in front of her let out a chuckle before pulling down his beard, showing his true self the woman in front of him. Skye's eyes widened before she shook her head and smiled, "You're telling me you've been here all this time and only now decided to talk to me?"
Daniel stared at his partner and chuckled before he pulled her up and put his arms around her, she didn't refuse his hug, she embraced him back as he held her tightly. "What kind of surprise would this be if you knew?" He kissed her on the cheek before he pulled back and looked at her face, his hands cupping her cheeks. "Are you going to forgive me?" He pouted as he winked at her waiting for her answer.
"Well," she shrugged her shoulders. "I think you have a lot more grovelling to do than that."
He gave her a faked shocked look before he moved his hands down and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "I'm sure I can think of something to make it up to you," he assured her with a cheeky smirk. "But first can this Santa get a quick dance with the mother of his children?"