Maybe This Is Love, |✔️

Chapter 24

Authors note- more chapters coming! Whaddya think? One or two a day?

They arrive at the driveway of a stately home. The house was embellished with all types of Christmas lights and decorations. As if someone had really spent time putting them together to look good for the neighbours. There were little light-up reindeers lined up in a row on the porch. Each reindeer had a small smiling elf sat on top of them.

Neither Parker nor Harley-Blair felt in the Christmas spirit anymore. If he stayed at home, Parker would have gone over to his Uncle Fabrizio's house who lived a few towns over from Beaumont. It was never really that enjoyable for him. There were always a bunch of little kids running around and Aunt Gia would always guilt-trip him into eating more than he should. His mother always felt a little left out partially due to being the youngest child in her family as well as being the only single parent. The way her siblings would pick on her made her feel like a kid again and Parker always noticed that. Yet he could hardly say anything to them. Who would listen to a teenage boy?

It was lucky for him that his mother was called into the hospital to work on Christmas this year so Uncle Fab had agreed to take Rose. Parker left before he could even offer to take him too.

Christmas at the Thompson household was basically non-existent. Harley watched in awe as the Christmas lights twinkled in the night. Her parents never really celebrated Christmas but her brother always got her a little gift so she wouldn't feel left out with the other kids at school. She loved that Silas did that. He would always knock on her room at the stroke of midnight with his little Santa cap on and hand her a delicately wrapped gift. He must've been surprised when he discovered that she wasn't there this morning. That's if he even bothered to come home. Her first Christmas without him. She checks her phone in her pocket and sees all the missed calls from him but none from her actual father.

Sighing, she looks over at Parker who was sat staring at the house with a glassy look in his eyes.

"You okay, Spidey?" She asks, reaching over to squeeze his hand. He removes himself from his reverie and forces a close-mouthed smile at her.

"Yeah, just wondering what it would be like to actually have a normal Christmas." He chuckles, dryly.

"Same." Harley puffs her shoulders up and then releases them. "So, are we going in or are we going to risk getting frostbite sitting here?"

He looks at her. Her eyes were eager and welcoming. He appreciates her. If it wasn't for Harley being here he would've turned the car back ages ago and went home.

"I love you." He says, squeezing her hand gently. Words he'd never even dreamt of saying to anyone yet he found himself saying it and meaning it.

"I love you too, Parker." She squeezes back. "But seriously, let's go, I can feel my breath crystallizing."

For the first time since the sunset, he actually chuckles and exits the car with her.

They walk to the front door that had a huge decorated wreath hanging from it. She could see the worried look on Parker's face and he was breathing more than usual. She held her hand out for him to hold. He takes it appreciatively.

Two knocks on the door, a pause then another two knocks.

Finally, a red-cheeked man who looked strikingly similar to the boy standing beside her appeared.

"Carollers?" He stares at the messy clothes that they'd been wearing all day. Harley in a ridiculously oversized sweater borrowed from Parker's trunk and Parker in the dirty joggers he'd been wearing since yesterday. They didn't look like they were there to sing songs.

"Colleen, Kids! The Carollers are here." He calls out into his home. He had Parker's startling grey eyes and dimpled cheeks. He looked like an older version of Parker. Only 1% of the population had grey eyes so it was no coincidence that he was his dad.
If Harley noticed this then surely his dad would?

Parker was dumbstruck when two little boys around the ages of 4 and 6 appeared alongside a short woman with long blonde hair.

The lady took one look at Parker and her expression changed. She clutched her kids who were both holding on to either one of her legs, tighter. They were all wearing matching Christmas reindeer pyjamas with their names engraved on them. Her name was Colleen and the children were called Axel and Artie. "Erm, honey, I don't think they're here to sing for us."

Harley waited for Parkers cue but he stood there frozen and unable to speak. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She gave his hand a little squeeze of encouragement which helped him a little. He stuffs his hand into his pockets and looks the man before him straight into those familiar eyes.

"Hello, Dad."