Read Online Mistletoe & Bastards by Lindy Dale - Free Book Online Page A

day. Crazy really, that I’d been counting the
hours but at odd periods during the day that’s exactly what I’d
found myself doing. As I’d stood in the kitchen, gazing out over
the rooftops while I drank my morning coffee, a vision of him in
his boxer shorts and apron had crept into my head and forced my
lips to curve against my coffee mug. He’d looked so cute — not that
I’d ever tell him that. Johnny already thought he was God’s gift.
He didn’t need an excuse to make his head swell any further. After
that, I’d found myself thinking about him intermittently during the
day. As I’d been out jogging, I’d imagined him running beside me.
As I stood in the line at the checkout getting rammed by some old
dear and her trolley, I thought of him putting his body between her
and me, being protective the way that Sam was with Millie. Johnny
would be good at protective. He had that look about him. When Kirby
had rung to ask if I wanted to have Christmas dinner with her and
her family, I’d declined but my mind had instantly gone to Johnny.
If I was going to do Christmas he was the only one I wanted to do
it with.
    Now, here I
was, dressed in my best and, despite the fact I’d told myself I was
not putting effort into this ‘date’ because if I had no
expectations they couldn’t be crushed, I was super excited. Every
nerve in my body was on alert; I’d never felt excitement like this.
Ever. I was all fizzy inside, like a big glass of champers, like
Kirby said she felt when she got her hands on the newest shade of
Mac lipstick.
    I liked Johnny.
A lot.
    And I really
wanted this to work.
    I pulled open
the door of the bar where we were to meet beforehand and stepped
inside, looking around for my date. Even though I was a few minutes
early, I knew Johnny would be there; he was never late. Like me, he
abhorred tardiness of any sort, which could prove difficult if we
ever had children — for the children, I mean.
    Oh shit. I’d
just contemplated children. I hadn’t thought about having kids
since I’d announced during my last long term relationship that I
had no intention of pushing something the size of a watermelon from
my body. Which, of course had been one of the reasons for the
demise of said relationship. Being the type to commit fully when I
decided to do something and knowing that raising children was a
huge commitment, I’d always thought I didn’t want children. Now
here I was, on my first date with the man I’d ribbed incessantly
for the past three years, thinking about having his babies. God, I
had it bad.
    I stepped into
the room, the cool air a relief after the usual Christmas swelter
outside. It only took me a couple of seconds before I spotted
Johnny’s blonde head over the crowd at the bar. He looked handsome
wearing a pale blue shirt I hadn’t seen before. It matched the blue
of his eyes. I pushed my way toward him knowing he hadn’t seen me
and intending to cover his eyes and whisper a little dirty
‘surprise’ in his ear but as the crowd thinned between us I changed
my mind. Johnny was deep in conversation with a girl. She was about
our age and absolutely gorgeous. She was also laughing and smiling
into his eyes.
    What the
hell?
    My heart began
to beat faster. I could hear it pumping in my ears, feel it
pounding in the veins of my neck. The air that had been so
refreshing a second ago suddenly became thick and I couldn’t
breathe. Then, as Johnny reached over and said something in the
girl’s ear and laid a hand on her arm in the exact same way he’d
done to me the previous evening, I thought I was going to throw up.
In fact, if I didn’t get out of the room in that instant, I would throw up. And wouldn’t that be an event to really make
Christmas?
    I turned and
shoved my way back through the crowded bar.
    Out on the
footpath, I retched into the gutter. Then, straightening and
sucking in a couple of ragged breaths I dug into my handbag for a
tissue and a mint. I leaned against a