How far would you go to protect your daughter?

When Alice Adams met her daughter’s boyfriend, she was far from impressed. He was everything she didn’t want for her little girl and so decided to give fate a helping hand.

Luckily, they were invited to spend Christmas with his family which was just the opportunity she needed. Three days to ruin their relationship and save her daughter from a lifetime of regrets.

However, Alice has secrets she hopes her daughter will never discover. In interfering with fate, she unlocks the past with devastating consequences.

As the snow falls and the sleigh bells ring, this will be one Christmas they will all want to forget. There are more than presents under this Christmas tree and as they unwrap the past, the future will never be the same again.

Alice Adams thought she was prepared this Christmas – she was wrong.

Chapter One

“I think she liked you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, I’m sure. She is my mother, after all.”

“I think she’s still watching us.”

Grinning, I turn around and wave at my mother as she peers through the window. Laughing, I blow her a kiss and take Oliver’s hand in mine. “Thanks for that.”

“What?”

“Sitting through twenty questions. You did well though.”

“Do you think?” He groans and flicks the lock on the car before opening the passenger door like the true gentleman he is.

It doesn’t take long before we leave the little street that I call home and head towards the dual carriageway. Oliver, turns on the stereo and the car fills with the latest tracks on Spotify and he breathes a huge sigh of relief. “Well, at least that’s out of the way. I was a little nervous, but she seems nice.”

“She is, the best actually.”

I can tell that Oliver wants to say something but probably doesn’t want to hurt my feelings and I know just what it is. My mother is one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet but even I know she is a little over the top sometimes. Maybe it’s because I’m all she’s got; she’s always been a little overprotective. Not that it should concern me but sometimes it’s a little stifling.

I know Oliver got a grilling back there. I did pre-warn him but it was worse than usual. That bothers me a little because it’s important that my mother likes him. 

Looking at him with a sideways glance, my heart beats a little faster as it always does around him and I congratulate myself on finding him in the first place. Oliver Buckland is one of a kind; popular, good looking, funny and thoughtful. Everyone knows Oliver at Uni because he’s their star football player and number one on every girl’s ‘to do’ list. Now he’s mine and I still can’t believe my luck.

“Are you sure she liked me?”

I hear the worry in his voice which makes me smile. For someone who has it all, he is still a little insecure which makes him even more attractive. Reaching across, I grasp his hand and give it a squeeze. “She loved you, Oliver. The fact she asked you so many questions means she could tell I was serious about you. I don’t make a habit of taking guys home to meet my mum, you should be honoured.”

“I am, it’s been a long time coming and I’m glad we finally did it. You know, as far as I’m concerned that was the biggest hurdle we had to face. Now she knows, we can breathe a sigh of relief and start living a normal life with no secrets.”

His words remind me why I kept quiet about him for so long. What we didn’t tell my mum was that we have been dating seriously for six months already. I never once told her I had fallen completely in love with the most sought-after student on campus and I suppose it was because I couldn’t believe he would stay with me. But he did and now with our finals just a few months away, we have the rest of our lives to plan out – together. Yes, my mother had to meet Oliver because ultimately, he will be part of our family one day and not coming from a large one myself, I want that more than anything.

By the time we reach campus, I feel tired. It’s been a long day, and the evening spent with my mother was draining. As we park outside the halls of residence he reaches over and drags my lips to his. 

Making out in the car with Oliver is every girl’s dream. I know the blinds will be twitching as the other students look out and see his unmistakable car. Oliver comes from money and drives the biggest Range Rover any student has ever had. He really does have everything and so do I – him.

Groaning against my lips, he says huskily, “Come back with me tonight. I hate leaving you here.”

Laughing, I push him back a little and say firmly. “Not tonight, you know I have that essay that’s due in first thing. If I’m going to pass these exams, then I need to step up a gear. I’ll see you tomorrow though, breakfast in the Pitstop, usual place?”

He grins and as my heart melts I feel my resolve weakening. I would love to spend every minute of every day and night with him but Mrs Ellwood my economics lecturer is so scary it acts as a good deterrent.

After one more long, lingering kiss, I reluctantly leave the car and head to my dorm and a night spent with google and my economics essay.

My roomie is already in bed and appears to be watching Netflix on her iPad with a million crisp packets littering the bed. She looks up in surprise as I push the door open.

“Hey, Lily, I didn’t expect you back tonight, is everything ok?”

I don’t miss the hope in her eyes because like everyone else, Nancy idolises Oliver and they are all waiting in the wings for our relationship to end. Feeling a little smug, I shake my head. “Yes, it’s all good but unfortunately I have an essay to finish by the morning. I’ll be at it all night, so if you like, I’ll head to the library so I don’t disturb you.”

Shaking her head, she casts her iPad aside and sits up looking interested. “So, how did it go? Come on, what did your mother think of Oliver?”

I sit on her bed and grin. “I think she liked him, well, how could she not? He was polite, attentive and answered her questions with good grace and humour. I don’t think he put a foot wrong.”

“Great, so what next?”

Shrugging, I pick up my folder and iPad. “My essay.”

“Not that you idiot. I mean, obviously we break up next week for Christmas, will you get to see darling Oliver over the festive period, or will you have to endure Christmas apart?”

She grins because everyone knows we are inseparable and once again, I feel a little smug as I say, “Actually, Oliver’s parents have invited us to spend Christmas with them. We arrive on Christmas Eve and leave on Boxing day. They thought it would be good to meet my mother, and she was surprisingly quite excited about it.”

“Man, you lucky…”

I hold up my hand. “I know - you don’t have to say it.”

As I gather my things, I think back to the look in my mother’s eye when Oliver extended his mother’s invitation. She looked excited and, to my surprise, accepted it eagerly. It surprised me because we have always spent Christmas together in the flat. In fact, it’s always just been the two of us ever since dad died and I thought she would hate the idea. 

Pushing aside any thoughts of Christmas, I reach for my books. Christmas will have to wait because getting through the next week is much more important.