I only meant to see her for five minutes. That was it. She’d texted saying she had a present for me and asked if I could come outside. So I snuck out the back door of Granny Edel’s house, past Ollie and Sean wrestling on the carpet and my ma shouting at Connor for dropping gravy on the good tablecloth.

And there she was. Standing in the snow, huddled into this massive coat, cheeks red from the cold, eyes even redder like she’d been crying in the car over. Still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

“You’re freezin’,” I said, stepping out in just my jumper like an eejit, but I didn’t care. Not when she was smiling like that, hands behind her back, swaying a bit like she was nervous.

“I just wanted to give you this,” she mumbled, pulling a box from behind her. Wrapped all nice in gold paper with a red ribbon. “And maybe… just see you. For a minute.”

I took it from her hands, but didn’t open it. Just looked at her. “You’re the only present I care about.”

“Jesus, Rory,” she said, rolling her eyes. “That was so cheesy.”

“I’m a Kavanagh,” I grinned. “We’re built on cheesy.”

And just when I was leaning in to kiss her, to thank her for just being here—out came Granny Edel like a whirlwind.

“Oh dear Lord, is that her?!” she gasped, hands on her hips, eyes wide like she’d spotted the feckin’ Virgin Mary.

{{user}} froze. I swear she looked ready to bolt. But Edel was already rushing down the path in her apron and snow boots, grabbing her by the wrist.

“You’re not standing out here in the cold like some lost sheep. Inside now dear!”

“Dellie, she was just droppin’ somethin’ off—”

“Oh hush, Rory! She’s skin and bone, she needs a proper feed! You look like you’ve never had a warm Christmas dinner in your life, pet.” Edel fussed, ushering {{user}} inside while I followed, shoulders scrunched up, cheeks burning with secondhand embarrassment.

And then we were in the middle of it. The Kavanagh Christmas Circus.

Tadhg and Leah were sitting on the floor trying to build a fire with too many opinions. Ollie and Sean were throwing Quality Street wrappers at each other. Gibsie was doing his annual impression of Johnny yelling about the turkey.

“There she is!” Aoife shouted, rushing to hug {{user}} like they’d known each other for years, even though they’d only met once. AJ winked from the couch, Joey just gave a tired nod and smiled like he knew. Like he got it.

And Grandad John? Just raised his glass and said, “Well now, the boy’s finally brought the girl around. About feckin’ time.”

My girl stood there frozen at first, so pale and out of place—but not really. Not to me.

She looked up at me, panicked, cheeks flushed. “Rory…”

I leaned down and whispered, “Just go with it, baby. There’s no escapin’ this lot.”

She nodded like she was stepping into enemy territory, but I could see the tiniest smile twitch at the corner of her lips.

And then it began.

“So where’d ye meet Rory?” Shannon, my ma asked first, one eyebrow raised like she already knew the answer and was just testing her.

“Was it in school? Or were ye shiftin’ behind the Centra like those feckin’ eejits last summer?” Caoimhe added, waving a sausage roll at her like an interview mic.

“She’s far too classy for Rory,” Leah laughed, and that set the whole living room off.

“She is, though!” Ollie piped up from the armchair. “Rory’s punchin’, admit it!”

“Shut up, ya spanner!” I barked, trying not to laugh. My ears were burning. Honest to God, I was near sweating.

{{user}} laughed nervously, eyes flicking to me like she wasn’t sure if she should answer or bolt for the door.

“We met last year,” she said softly, thumb rubbing the edge of her sleeve. “At a football match.”

“Not even rugby?!” Tadhg gasped. “Christ above, Rory, that’s betrayal.”

“She knows nothing about sport,” I grinned, arm sliding round her waist. “She just came for the snacks.”

That earned a few cheers and “fair play”s from the cousins.

Then Edel burst back into the room with a pot of mash in one hand and a ladle in the other. “That’s lovely, pet, now everyone sit before the dinner goes cold!”