Cosy Christmas ✓

11 / new year's eve

A fire roared beneath the mantelpiece, flames crackling on the wood, and Connor stoked it up with an extra log, jabbing it with a poker. His parents were due to arrive any minute now, the minute hand on the clock hitting three as the hour hand hovered at eight. Supper was ready, keeping warm in the oven after Cass had slaved away in the kitchen to make something delicious for their mini New Year's Eve party, and she now sat in front of the fire, watching as Connor coaxed the flames higher. On the sofa, with a cushion propped behind her back, Posy sat with a mug of tea and a glowing smile on her lips. Duke lay beside her, his head on her lap, and she absent-mindedly stroked him.

Connor looked over his shoulder at them, his gaze lingering on the dog before he lifted his eyes to Posy's. "He seems to have taken a liking to you," he said, and she chuckled, scratching Duke's head. That prompted him to roll over, exposing his belly to her and inviting her to pet it. With a quiet laugh, she obliged, and he forcefully wagged his tail against the sofa.

"Good," she said. "He's going to have to get used to me. And the baby." Glancing up at Connor, she pulled her eyebrows together in thought. "Will he be ok with the baby?"

Connor frowned. "I don't know. I hope so. He's never been around kids before, but he's very well trained. He's a gentle giant." He stood with a huff, putting up the grate in front of the fire, and joined Posy on the sofa. Rubbing Duke's stomach, he looked down at the dog. "You won't mind a baby, will you?" he asked, as though the dog would respond, and he got a tail wag as an answer.

"I can be on Duke duty," Cass said. She shuffled along the floor and perched on the edge of the coffee table with her back to the fire, facing her brother. "And I'm sure Mum and Dad would take him in if there were any issues. I read somewhere that dogs can get jealous of babies, so make sure you pay attention to him."

Connor chuckled and let out a contented sigh. It was odd to have so much company after so many years of the house only catering to him and his dog, but that feeling was turning into comfort. Stroking Duke's soft fur, his fingers met Posy's and the contact still sent a shiver down his spine. She laced her hand with his, her other hand resting on her bump as she shifted on the sofa, trying to find a comfortable position. By now, that was almost impossible when every part of her body was crying out for relief, but it wouldn't be long now.

Cass pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. "I can't wait for you to meet Mum and Dad," she said. "They're so excited to meet you. They thought I was joking when I told them Con had actually grown a pair and asked you out."

Posy laughed and Connor let out a pained groan, despairing of his sister's apparent goal of humiliating him. For five days now, ever since finding out what had happened on Boxing Day, she had struggled to believe that her brother – the same brother who took a backseat to any kind of confrontation – had gathered the courage to tell Posy exactly how he felt.

"Cass," he said, sighing at her, and she only grinned.

"Though I have to say, they were a little bit concerned at your caption," she said to Posy. "I told them it was a joke.

Connor frowned, glancing at Posy. "What caption?"

"On Instagram," she said. "I showed you, remember? We took that picture?"

Cass dug out her phone, fingers swiping at the screen too fast for Connor to keep up with as she brought up the app and scrolled down her feed to the last photo Posy had posted. The picture was a selfie that she had taken with Connor in front of her Christmas tree, the star just visible above their heads, and she had added a caption that had garnered quite a few questioning comments: when you bag a babydaddy a week before you're due, with the addition of a thumbs up emoji and several relating to Christmas. Connor chuckled, remembering the grin on Posy's face as she had typed out the caption, lying across the sofa with her head on his lap and her knees propped up. She had asked if he minded the comment and within a minute of posting it, she'd had seven likes and three comments with excessive punctuation.