I potter back from checking the turkey to see even more opened gifts. Kate kept running and showing me what she had gotten. She received lots of drawing supplies and craft items. I see so much potential in her. I told them all to carry on without me, so I don’t know what everyone else has opened. There were many things that I had bought that had yet to be opened. I walk into the lounge, change over the bin bag and leave an empty one.

“Thank you, baby,” Mark says as I sit back down with Lucy. He sits on the other side of her. “This gardening kit is amazing for beginners. It has lots of little herbs.”

“I want you to teach Lucy. I want her to have the same passion about gardening that you and Annabella have.”

“Of course, I will.”

“I thought we could section off part of the garden and add some raised plant beds for you two to play with.”

“That would be great.” He kisses me on the cheek.

“Mark, this is yours,” Kate says, giving him another box. Opening it, he finds lots of strawberry smellies and some adult strawberry gel.

“Oh, Miss Madden,” he says.

“This is for you as well,” I reply, reaching under the sofa and bringing out a box.

He slowly unwraps the black paper embellished with silver writing. Removing the tissue paper, he finds a plaque with his grandad’s details on it, including his name, date of birth and death. It is all enclosed in a wooden frame.

“Thank you, baby,” he says with a tear falling down his face.

“There is a cherry blossom tree in the back for you to plant wherever you wish and place the plaque in front of it as a memorial to your grandad.”

Mark pulls me in close. His eyes are covered by my shoulders, and I can feel him crying. “I don’t want to upset you.”

“You didn’t. It’s just such a special gift.” He snorts back more tears. “Thank you.”

Mark told me weeks ago about his grandad and him always going to this cherry blossom tree where no one could see them to have their talks. It was their special time. The tree was cut down days after his grandad passed away. He was heartbroken over the tree because it was the last tangible piece that he had linked to his grandad.

He takes a deep breath. “For you,” he says, passing me a box that he had hidden behind Lucy. He must have done that while I was out of the room. I’m so impressed with how Lucy is acting, sitting there trying to open her presents by pulling the paper and playing with the stuff, not crawling around.

I open it to find some little charms. “To add to the rest of them,” Mark responds.

There is a silver heart locket. I open it to find a picture of Lucy that Mark took the day she was born. He’s also placed a pair of little feet with Lucy’s name and date of birth on them. The last one confuses me. It is a ring charm with an engraving on the inside, “You will be the future Mrs. Reed.”

“I don’t want to ask you today. It will not be as special. I will though and very soon. I don’t want to be without you,” he says.

I feel myself getting choked up. All I can do is nod in response to him. I’m totally speechless. “You will get the rest of your presents throughout the day. I hid them because I didn’t want them getting damaged.”

“Thank you.”

I sit there watching everyone open their presents, but the excitement is gone and people are starting to get bored.

“Okay, why don’t we leave the rest until this afternoon?” I ask.

Everyone agrees. Kate is eager to get her dolly’s pram sorted. She pulls Connor off to do that.

“I’m just off to get dressed,” I say.

Leaving the rest of them sitting with presents all over the place, I quickly run upstairs and fling on black lacy underwear, leggings and a cream jumper. As I grab my bag, I glance at the clock. I need to go.

I find Jenny changing in her room.

“Jenny, can you keep an eye on everything for fifteen? I need to pop out and get something,” I tell her.

“Yes, of course, go.”