“Here’s one for Lucy,” Warren says, handing me yet another present as I sit on the floor with my back leaning against the sofa and Mark’s legs on either side of me.

“Lucy, what’s this?” I ask as she crawls towards me.

I lift up the label. “To MY LUCY, Merry Christmas, Love! From Daddy.”

“What?” I pause. “This is from John. How the hell did it get here?”

“A man gave it to me yesterday and said it was for Lucy, but he was in a rush,” Warren says.

“Why? What’s wrong?” Jenny asks.

“It’s from John,” Mark says as he takes it from me.

“I’m sorry,” Warren says.

“It’s not your fault,” I reply.

“Are you going to open it?” Jenny enquires.

“I don’t know. I think I need to, just to see what it is.”

I take it back from Mark and open it. It’s a pink teddy with a zip back. I unzip it and notice a letter inside that reads “For Lucy’s eyes only” on the outside.

“I don’t think so,” I say, opening the letter. I immediately start reading it to myself.

 

To Lucy,

Hi, I’m your dad, John. Your mum chose for us not to be together. If I had known you were mine, I would have married your mum and given you everything you wanted and needed in life. I hope your mum has done that. Just be careful. She chose for me not to have any access to you. She placed things in the way that means I can’t even talk to you. She is a very nasty woman. Contact me, please. I will look after you. We can be a family.

 

Love, Dad

XXX

 

“What?” I sit there crying.

“What does it say?” Jenny asks.

I drop the paper to the floor, pick up my daughter from my side, and pull her close. “I’m never letting you go,” I whisper into her ear.

“Kate, can you pass me that paper?” Mark asks.

Kate runs over and passes it to him. He reads it aloud to everyone.

“You’re a great mummy,” Kate says, giving me an enormous hug.

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Jenny says.

“Watch the language,” I state as I try to calm down.

“Sorry.”

“Kate, are you going to help me make a snowman?” Warren asks.

“YEAH! You come too,” she says, pulling at my arm.

“I’ll be out soon. You go and get started. Make sure you wrap up well.” I smile, letting Lucy down onto the floor.

“What should I do?” I question, letting Mark’s arms wrap around me.

“Nothing,” Mark says. “Don’t rise to him.”

I reach under the sofa and pull out my phone to quickly text my mum; instead, I find a message from John.

Merry Christmas, Lucy! I hope you got everything you wanted. When we are finally together, I will give you everything and more. Love, your ONLY daddy XXX

“What the hell is he playing at?” I am so mad and confused.

"Baby, don't worry. I will sort it out. I'm not letting him do anything to you," Mark says assertively.

"Mate, shall we pay him a visit tomorrow?" Warren asks.

"Yeah, sounds like a fucking idea," Connor says.

"No, leave it," I say, running out of the room with tears streaming down my face.  Mark is not far behind me.

"Baby, I can’t just leave it."

"I don't want him to take my baby girl from me though," I reply.

"He won’t, hun. It’s Lucy, you, and I forever.” He grabs my hand. “She has had a great Christmas,” Mark says to comfort me.

“Right,” I say, regaining my composure. “Let’s go make snowmen.”

I grab my coat and gloves before heading outside to see Kate and Warren busy making large snowmen with lots of small ones all over the grass. Connor follows after them with a bag of carrots.

“I have noses for them,” he says as he runs over the grass to join them.

“You’re silly, Daddy. They are carrots,” Kate exclaims.

“There’s my scarf,” I tell her, pointing at Kate’s neck.

“It’s mine for now,” Kate says, giggling and holding it tightly.

I stand there watching them add the facial details to the last snowmen. They use gravels for the eyes and mouths and carrots for the noses.

“What are their names?” I ask.

“Crystal, Michele, Jennifer, Suzanne, Ella, Elle and Johnathan,” she says, pointing at each one in turn.

“Who’s Johnathan?”

“A boy at school.”

“Oh, do you like him?”

“Yes,” she says, covering her face.