Songbird (Songbird, #1) (36 page)

There was a feeling of peace and good-will running through the whole audience which was uplifting. Throughout the night, Jason gave Kelli the occasional hug, and Marcus rested his hand on my ankle or squeezed my hand. I’m sure at one stage I even saw Cooper give Marcus a “guy hug” as he passed him a beer.

At the end of the night, we all had huge smiles on our faces as we packed up the picnic paraphernalia and walked back to the cars, then embraced each other warmly before heading home for the night.

It had made it feel like Christmas was really upon us, and I was looking forward to lunch at
Songbirds
the following day with my new family.

W
AKING EARLY
on Christmas morning, I quietly slid out of bed to get dressed in my Naughty Santa Christmas outfit, which I’d picked up the week before. It consisted of a red very mini skirt, a red bra and a Santa hat, all trimmed in white faux fur. Then I headed to the kitchen to make Riley breakfast in bed.

I was halfway through making Eggs Benedict when I heard Riley padding out to find me.

“Go back to bed,” I called. “You can’t have breakfast in bed if you’re not actually in bed.”

He chuckled, and turned around to go back into the bedroom. “Okay, I’m in bed,” he called out. “Kinda lonely in here, though.”

I put the plate of eggs, a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee on a tray, then carried it in to him and placed it across his lap. He sat up, taking in my outfit with wide eyes, and a huge smile on his face.

“So before you eat I need to know, have you been naughty or nice?” I asked suggestively.

“Well I’m having some pretty naughty thoughts right now,” he replied cheekily, still looking at my attire as he lifted the tray off his lap and put it on the side table. “I think I would rather have you across my lap.” And he pulled back the covers.

I looked down with a smile. “Is that for me?” I asked, taking in his arousal.

He took hold of my hand, and laughing, pulled me onto his lap.

An hour later I was lying in Riley’s arms, trying to catch my breath again.

“I think your breakfast has gone cold,” I joked. “Would you like me to heat it up for you?”

“Well, I have already eaten, but I could probably fit something else in,” he said, kissing my nose as he stroked my hair.

“You are naughty, aren’t you? You’re not supposed to eat dessert before the main meal. But it is Christmas, so we can make an exception.”

“Speaking of Christmas …” Riley said as he jumped up out of bed and went to rummage in his bag. “Merry Christmas, babe.”

He handed me a pale blue gift box tied with a white ribbon, but it wasn’t just any shade of blue. It was Tiffany & Co blue.

I pulled one end of the ribbon to untie it. I had never owned anything from Tiffany & Co, and my hands shook as I opened the lid.

“Oh Riley, it’s beautiful!” I exclaimed.

Inside was a silver charm bracelet with five charms. There was a treble clef to represent my love of music, a fox, which had become my nickname, thanks to Cooper, a four-leaf clover to signify Riley’s Irish heritage, a butterfly, which is how Riley had once described me, and a heart-shaped locket with a diamond in the centre.

It was absolutely exquisite, and it brought tears to my eyes at how thoughtful the gift was, with each charm having a significant meaning. I tried to put it on but my hands were still shaking, so Riley helped do up the clasp.

“Do you really like it?” he asked, looking at my face.

I shook my head. “I don’t like it; I love it.” I threw my arms around his neck. “And I love you. This is going to be the best Christmas ever.”

Keeping my arms around him, I held up my hand so I could see my wrist. This was the first Christmas where I had received a gift that was personal and thoughtful from someone who truly loved me.

“I have something for you too,” I remembered, and reached into the drawer of my side table.

I was nervous now about giving it to him, as it wasn’t as thoughtful or personal as the bracelet.

“This is for you. I hope you like it,” I said a little warily.

He smiled and ripped the paper off like a little kid, then hesitated for a second before opening the case. I had bought him an iPod Touch and loaded all the photos from Fiji onto it, as well as the music that he had saved in the Tara & Riley playlist on mine.

He looked at it for a few more seconds before lifting his head to look at me. “Can I Skype on it? Will I be able to see you when we talk?” I nodded, and his eyes welled up. “This is perfect. I love it, Tara, thank you so much.”

By the time Riley and I arrived at
Songbirds
for lunch there were already a few people there. We had intended to get there early to help Marcus set everything up, but had gotten side-tracked in the shower, and had to quickly throw on some clothes before racing out the door.

As it so happened, we were wearing each other’s favourite outfits; the red crossover top for me, that showed way too much cleavage, and the blue shirt for Riley, that matched his eyes.

Kelli and Cooper were chatting to Jason, and Kelli was showing him a ring—on her right hand, I noted to myself—while Marcus organised the crockery and glasses. So we weren’t too late after all. We had still beaten Jay, and Cassie and her flatmate Samantha, or Sami, as she preferred to be called.

Standing back for a moment, I took in my mismatched family and the feast that was laid out on the long table. It was the first Christmas I had been looking forward to in quite a few years. I loved these people who had adopted me into their lives, helping me through such a tough time and out the other side, into a much brighter and happier future. I now felt closer to my friends than my real family.

We had all volunteered to bring a plate each, and it looked like there was already enough food to feed an army. There were platters of ham, turkey, and prawns, and bowls of salads. I had made a Christmas pudding and custard that just needed to be heated again in
Songbirds
’ unused kitchen. We’d also brought some of the cherries and strawberries we had picked a few days ago, but not the chocolate sauce. We were keeping what was left for another purpose.

I quickly put the presents with the others under a haphazardly decorated, lopsided fir tree. Riley placed the pudding, custard and fruit on the table with the other dishes, then we joined the group and began greeting everyone with hugs and kisses and wishes of merry Christmas.

Next to arrive were Cassie and Sami, with a large platter of fresh fruit, and another of different cheeses. I introduced Sami to Riley and Cooper, who hadn’t met her before, and Cooper immediately started calling her Red because of her strawberry-blonde hair. Another nickname to add to the list, I thought, laughing.

I was mid-hug with Cassie when Jay arrived, followed by Cole.

Jay looked at me and shrugged apologetically, and I smiled and shrugged back before greeting him with a hug.

“As soon as I mentioned I was coming here for lunch, he decided to invite himself as well,” he said quietly in my ear.

I told Jay not to worry about it; we had more than enough food, and it was Christmas, so the time for tolerance.

I greeted Cole with a wave and a Merry Christmas before noticing his T-shirt. It was bright red, and read in big white letters
Santa, I am really good … just ask your wife
. He watched my face as I read it, and chuckled when I rolled my eyes at him. This was going to be an interesting day.

Sitting down with the girls, I excitedly showed them my bracelet, and Kelli showed us her new sapphire ring. The ring was beautiful, with an oval sapphire in the centre and two smaller oval diamonds, one on either side, but I had to laugh at Kelli’s lack of enthusiasm. She was so hoping for an engagement ring, and I could imagine when she saw the ring box this morning she would have thought her wish had finally come true. But not this time; maybe for her birthday, I said encouragingly.

We decided to hand out the presents before eating and everyone raced over to the tree to collect what they had brought for others. I let Riley give out the presents that were from us. This was the first year that I hadn’t spent Christmas lunch with my family in their stuffy house with my mother’s suffocating rules, and I took great delight in seeing everyone’s faces as they unwrapped their gifts.

Marcus absolutely loved his Jimi Hendrix memorabilia, and hung it on the wall straight away.

We gave Jason a set of Judy Garland DVDs. She was his favourite old-time actress, and I promised to watch them all with him. I even promised to learn the song and dance routines with him, which he thought was the best thing ever.

We gave Jay his tickets, and he immediately said I would have to go to see the orchestra with him, if that were all right with Riley.

Cassie and Sami were given some scented candles for their apartment, and lastly we gave Kelli and Cooper return tickets to Tasmania, so they could visit their families.

Cole was standing beside me with a wrapped present half hidden behind his back, watching the chaos with an easy grin on his face.

I turned to him. “I’m sorry, Cole, I didn’t know you were coming today, so I didn’t buy you anything.”

Like a lifetime supply of condoms
. I had been in the unfortunate position to actually see firsthand that he did indeed use protection. I did genuinely feel terrible, though; he was the only one without a Christmas present.

“Don’t worry about it, Tara, I’m not really into the whole gift-giving thing.” Then, as if he could read my mind, he said, “Besides, a lifetime supply of condoms would cost you a fortune.”