"Look up Muffin," he grins, pointing towards the ceiling. I follow his hand and laugh heartily as my eyes land on a piece of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling directly above us.
"Who put that there?" I giggle and Jake shrugs before dipping me down, his hand resting behind my back. I squeal loudly and look at him with pure love and adoration in my eyes.
Jake Melvin is mine, all mine.
"Who cares?" He smirks before his lips crash against mine hungrily. I sigh contently as he pulls me back up in one swift movement, grinning at me like a Cheshire Cat.
"I love you," he murmurs, resting his forehead against mine. I suck in a sharp breath, loving how those words sound coming from his lips. Hearing him tell me he loves me would never get old, it would always send shivers running through my body. I peck his lips before replying — "I love you."
Chapter Sixty Nine - Christmas Eve karma.
The time is 6am on Christmas Eve.
I am way too excited. I've been tossing and turning for hours knowing that Christmas is only a day away. I adored Christmas when I was younger, my father made it so special. We would wake at the crack of dawn, open presents and he'd make little breakfast pies with our initials on them just for Christmas morning. I remember my little heart squeezing tightly with excitement when the cookies had disappeared off the plate and Santa left a little 'thank you' note behind for me.
The presents underneath the tree weren't always piled high but that didn't matter to me. Seeing the joy on my parents face all day was all I ever wanted.
A loving happy family.
I smile fondly at the memories, tracing my hands over the window ledge. I decided to leave Jake in bed so he could sleep for a few more hours whilst I came downstairs. The house is quiet, still. A cold frost hangs in the air and I'm wrapped up tightly in one of Jake's hoody's, red Christmas leggings and boots. I walk over to the fireplace in the centre of the living room that's decorated over the top with garland and Christmas ornaments. It springs to life once I turn it on and I sit in front of it, my hands hovering over it in an attempt to heat up.
The sun hasn't fully risen outside yet and there's almost a magical presence in the air. Soon enough the heat spreads through my body causing my goosebumps to disappear. I re-adjust myself so I'm sat cross legged on the rug and reach for a blanket to wrap around my shoulders for extra warmth. Glancing around the beautifully decorated room, my heart warms from how much my life has changed compared to last Christmas.
I remember it so vividly. . . I don't think I could ever forget. Mum attempted to cook a traditional Christmas dinner but the night before Trevor lost a massive contract so to say the least, he was angry. I remember saying a witty remark to Mum and that was it, he flew off the handle. I flinch as I remember how he'd punched me in the face repeatedly until I saw stars, knowing that I was on school holidays so no-one would see me. I spent my entire Christmas in my room locked up and only went downstairs when Mum announced the dinner was ready.
The Turkey was dry, the potatoes were underdone and my vegetables were raw. I fiddled around with my food, pushing it aside and keeping my head down the whole time. I was ashamed of the black eye I was sporting. My beaten eye barely opened due to Trevor and his anger issues.
"Eat your fucking food," Trevor warned me, giving me a hard kick underneath the table. I remember glaring at him with as much hate as I possibly could before forcing the food down only to be sick later on. It was definitely my worst Christmas ever and that night, I cried for hours silently wishing for my father to come back. It was the only present I wanted for Christmas.
A year on and I have another loving family who treat me like their own. Ivory and Tobias are like a brother and sister to me and Myra and Michelle treat me like their daughter. The relationship between Jake and I strengthened day by day. We're both slowly working through our issues and the nightmares we're both plagued with. We're each other's lifelines, relying on each other every single day.
Pops is back in my life and everyone who ever caused me pain was out of my life. It's funny how much can change in such a short space of time. My life has been flipped completely upside down and now I wouldn't trade it for anything. Such a simple thing in life that so many people take for granted. Safety.
I glance at the window that's covered in frost and squint, noticing something fall from the sky. I gasp and stand to my feet, running over to the window. My suspicions are correct, it's snowing.
I squeal quietly, jumping on my feet before running up the stairs to Jake's room. He's stood on the top of the stairs, rubbing sleep from his eyes. I charge straight into him, sending us both flying backwards on the soft carpet.
"Good morning to you too," Jake groans, chuckling sleepily as I fall on top of him.
"Sorry," I whisper, giving him an apologetic smile. He smiles warmly at me, placing a soft kiss on my forehead. "What's the rush Muffin?"
"Guess what?!" I tell him, almost bursting with the excitement.
"You've realised I'm amazing at sex so now you want to stay locked up with me forever and let me do as I please?" He responds, a cheeky sparkle in his blue eyes. I stare at him,
