An Unexpected Christmas Read Free Page B

was sitting crossed legged
next to the Christmas tree, shaking a gift next to her ear while the dogs
nudged her for more affection. I smiled at the sight then turned my attention
back to Nate.
    'No.
Well my usual plans for Christmas fell through and Ella was kind enough to
invite me otherwise it would have been just me, a massive tin of chocolates,
and the Doctor Who special.' Why did I say that? I sounded like a weird sci-fi
loving spinster, which to be fair I pretty much was, but I didn't really want
Nate Hamilton to think of me as such.
    ‘I
love the Doctor Who special, I never miss it,’ he laughed. He leaned in closer
and whispered, ‘We might have to slip away to watch it though, everyone else
likes to talk all the way through it and it drives me crazy.’
    He
sent me another heart melting smile and I couldn't stop myself from grinning
back. Nate Hamilton was a Doctor Who fan and he wanted to watch it, alone, with
me! This couldn't really be happening could it? Just the thought of spending
time alone with my celebrity crush was unimaginable and I felt my heart kick up
a beat.
    'You're
here!' I turned at the exclamation that came from the opposite end of
the room to an open door that looked as though it led to the kitchen. I saw a short silver haired woman pull Ella into a
hug then hold her at arms length. 'You look too thin.'
    'It's
nice to see you too Mum.' I could almost hear Ella roll her eyes. She turned
toward where Nate and I were standing, and she gestured towards me, 'Mum, this
is April.'
    I
moved towards them and held my hand out to greet the older woman but it was
ignored as she pulled me into a hug. After a moment she held me at arms length just
as she had with Ella. 'April. It is so good that you could join us. When Ella
said you were going to be alone all Christmas I urged her to invite you
immediately and was so happy to hear that she already had.' She smiled up at me
which was surprising as I was only five foot five and both her children were
hitting six foot. 'Oh, I haven't introduced myself properly, I'm Maggie.'
    'I
am so pleased to meet you.' I smiled at her, 'Thank you so much for letting me
be a part of your Christmas.'
    'Oh
the more the merrier is what I always say.' She turned to Nate, 'Nate dear,
help your sister and April with their bags, there's a good boy.'
    Nate
grinned at her then looked at me. 'I'm thirty three and she still speaks to me
like I'm twelve.'
    Maggie
moved to his side and placed a hand on his cheek. 'To me you will always be
twelve.' Maggie then turned back to me and smiled, 'Once you have settled in we
can have some lunch, how does that sound?'
    'Great.
Thank you.' I really meant it; they had made me feel so relaxed and at ease in
such a short space of time, but I was still reeling a little from the shock of
seeing Nate Hamilton live and in person – I needed a moment to gather my
thoughts.
    Maggie
ran her hand down my arm and gave my fingers a little squeeze then headed back
into the kitchen. Nate leant down and took hold of the handle of my suitcase
and lifted it with ease; his body may look lean and slim but even through his
sweater I could see the strong muscles in his shoulders. He was about to lift
my holdall but I reached forward to help and our hands touched; it was only for
a second but I felt a surge of electricity travel from my fingers and through
my body. I pulled my hand back and sent him a shy smile. He just smiled back
then stepped to one side so I could pick up the bag; Ella was already heading
up the stairs and Nate followed leaving me to take up the rear which gave me
quite a nice view. I gave myself a mental shake; I was not here to ogle at Nate
Hamilton's arse, even if it was a perfect example of male perfection. I focused
on taking one step at a time until I reached the landing at the top.
    'Nate,
you don't mind showing April the guest room do you? I'm going to dump my things
then go and help mum' She grinned at him and disappeared into a room at the