Free A Little Christmas Magic by Alison Roberts

anywhere nearby. Like my
children.
You’re suggesting that I allow you to put them in danger for the sake of a school
play
?’
    ‘It’s a
Christmas
play.’ Emma was not going to let her voice wobble like Poppy’s had but it was a close call. ‘It’s special.’
    ‘
Ach
…’ Adam turned and strode towards the door. ‘I’m going to find somewhere I can get away from this nonsense. And I don’t want to hear anything more about it. From
any
of you.’
    Bob followed his master from the kitchen but his headwas hanging low. Benji started to follow Bob but then stopped and slowly slunk back beneath the kitchen table.
    Emma swallowed a gulp. She reached out with one hand to squeeze Poppy’s hand. She would have squeezed Oliver’s too, but he promptly put both his hands in his lap to avoid her touch.
    ‘It’s okay,’ she told them with as much confidence as she could muster. ‘Daddy just needs time to get used to the idea. He’s a little bit cross but he’ll get over it, you’ll see.’ She found a smile. ‘Why don’t we all have some ice cream?’
    ‘We’re not allowed,’ Oliver informed her. ‘We haven’t eaten all our vegetables.’
    ‘I’ll bet Benji would eat them if we put them in
his
dish.’
    The children looked astonished. Was an adult actually suggesting something naughty?
    It wasn’t the first time that Emma had been struck by how like his father Oliver was. He was deep, this little boy, and there was a sadness in him that shouldn’t be there. It made her heart ache.
    ‘Sometimes,’ she said softly, ‘we all need a cuddle. And having a treat like ice cream—it kind of gives us a cuddle from the inside and makes us feel better. A tummy cuddle.’
    Poppy climbed off her chair and onto Emma’s lap. She wound her skinny arms around Emma’s neck and buried her face on her shoulder. Emma happily gathered the little girl closer and rocked her a little as she cuddled her. She held out her other arm in an invitation for Oliver to join them but he stayed where he was with his head bent as if he was staring at his hands.
    They heard the roar from Adam all the way from the living room. Oh … dear Lord … Emma had forgotten thetree they’d installed in there as soon as they’d got home, thanks to the clever stand the Christmas-tree man had sold her along with the spruce the children had declared the best.
    They could hear the furious footfalls as he came storming back into the kitchen.
    ‘Whose idea was
that
, as if I couldn’t guess?’
    It was Emma receiving the full force of the glare this time.
    ‘It has to stop, do you hear me? I won’t have it.’ Adam didn’t have to reach far above his head to grab hold of one of the paper chains. And it didn’t take much of a tug to have it break and drift down in pieces.
    ‘We don’t do Christmas.’ He wasn’t shouting but the quiet words were chillingly final. ‘Not in this house.’
    Poppy burst into tears. Oliver was staring at the falling paper chains and Emma just knew she was going to see this staunch little boy cry for the first time, too. But the sound that came out of his mouth was more like a cry of fear.
    ‘
Daddy
…’ His pointing was urgent and Emma turned her head automatically, in time to see the flames from the paper chain that had landed on top of the stove.
    With a vehement curse Adam flung himself towards that side of the kitchen. He grabbed a tea towel, put it under the cold tap and then covered the pile of burning paper. It was all over in seconds.
    Except that it wasn’t over. Both the children were sobbing and this time Oliver had no objection when Emma gathered him under her free arm and took both children out of the kitchen and away from their father.
    They were still sobbing by the time she’d got them bathed and into bed. Poppy fell asleep almost instantly, totally worn out by her misery. When Emma went backto check on Oliver again, she found he was also asleep—a tight ball of child entirely covered by