Olivia • Hardzello au

Christmas

It's not christmas without you

"Olivia, have you cleaned your room?"
"Yes daddy!"
"Okay, I'll come and check then!"
Ben goes upstairs and just before he can get in, his daughter pushes all the stuff under her bed, getting up nervously.

"Hey, good job darling!" He smiles, kissing her forehead and stepping on something soft near the bed.
He notices a teddy bear's arm coming from under her sheets and when he kneels down to pick it up, he notices all the mess.

"What's this?"
"I cleaned...!"
He sighs, reaching the door quietly.
"Please put the toys away, or else dad will get mad. And when you're done you can come downstairs to help us with the decorations!"

She immediately starts to clean up, thinking about dad Joe getting mad and feeling slightly scared by the thought.

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Joe's pov

As I take the plates out from the cabinet, I feel two arms wrapped around my waist and a soft giggle near my ear. I turn my head partially, giving my husband a quick peck on the lips as he holds me against his chest.
Then I smile widely, and he makes me do a turn, while singing along to the music that's playing.

"Are you actually gonna help me or you just wanna dance?"
He laughs briefly, kissing my hand and making me roll my eyes, before grabbing the plates to put on our table.
I follow him with some red glasses and the forks.
Then he starts singing softly to a queen song, 'thank god it's christmas', moving his hips to the rhythm in a funny way.
I shake my head with a big smile, taking Olivia's hand and dancing goofily around the table. Ben picks her up and puts her on his shoulders.

"Look! I'm taller than both of you!" She crosses her arms proudly, and Ben pretends to make her fall, catching her right before she can hit the ground. They both laugh and we all hug for a few seconds, before hearing the doorbell ring.

Liv opens the door and everyone's standing there: My parents, Mr. And Mrs. Hardy, Lucy and Rami, and Gwilym, followed by a person I don't know, probably his partner.

They all greet us with love, and after we placed the presents under the tree, we all have a perfect dinner.

As everyone's talking, Ben gives me a look from across the room, and I immediately smile, looking right at him.
He mouths 'I love you', making me tear up slightly, and we quickly go back to eating, intertwining our legs from under the table.

He's always made me feel like I was home, and I don't think I'll ever stop loving him.

Just as I know that he'll never stop loving me.

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Hi sweeties! Now the story of Ben and Joe has really come to an end.

I loved writing this book and feeling all the emotions of the characters as I put down the words.
Writing makes me feel good, so I really hope it's the same for you, readers.

I love you all!

Jules ☆