Free Love You Better by Natalie K Martin Page A

with his dad? Oliver sighed and sipped his wine. Apparently, he wasn’t focusing on the film either.
    ‘Are you okay?’ Effie asked.
    ‘Fine.’
    He sighed again, and she looked at him as he absent-mindedly rubbed one of her feet.
    ‘Have you ever spoken to your dad about what he did?’
    ‘Why would I do that?’ he replied without looking at her.
    ‘Because it clearly affects you. It happened such a long time ago, I just wondered if maybe it’s time to try and put what happened behind you.’
    He looked at her and scowled. ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘It clearly makes you miserable. I know I’m not one to talk given my relationship with Mum, but it’s Christmas.’
    Oliver sighed and looked back at the television. ‘You have no idea what you’re talking about.’
    Effie bit down on her lip. ‘But—’
    Just as James Stewart’s car ploughed into a tree on the screen, Oliver pressed ‘Pause’ and looked at her.
    ‘Effie?’
    She turned to face him, and a flicker of apprehension passed across her face at his monotone voice.
    ‘Please, drop it. It’s Christmas and we’ve had a great day. Don’t ruin it. Okay?’
    Effie slowly nodded, and he squeezed a hand around her foot. She didn’t want to ruin Christmas, not when he’d gone so out of his way to make it perfect. It would be like their honeymoon all over again, and she wanted to play her part in making it perfect. Maybe she was being childish, expecting him to be able to open up about his dad. After all, she was pretty closed off herself when it came to her relationship with her mum sometimes.
    ‘Shall we carry on watching the film?’ he asked. ‘No more talk about messed-up families.’
    ‘Sure.’ Effie smiled and he returned it before turning back to the television and pressing ‘Play’.
    ‘Come here.’ Oliver stretched his arm out, inviting her to curl up next to him, and she folded herself into him. Being like this was exactly what she’d been looking forward to all day.
    ‘I’m sorry if I sounded short,’ he said and dropped a kiss onto the top of her head. ‘It’s just annoying when Izzy starts banging on about making up with Dad. I really don’t want you to start doing the same.’
    ‘I won’t. I get what it’s like to have a parent who screws things up for you.’
    ‘Good. I don’t want their crap to start spoiling what we have.’
    He kissed her again, and she snuggled deeper into him. She couldn’t have said it better herself.

8.
    Y ou look stunning,’ Oliver said, standing behind Effie with his arms wrapped around her waist. ‘I say we stay here instead.’
    ‘Stop it.’ She laughed and wriggled out of his arms as she put her earring in.
    He ran a hand through his hair before straightening his tie. ‘You can hardly blame me. You look good enough to eat. In fact, I m ay well do that later.’
    Effie smiled and checked her reflection. She was dressed to the nines for Izzy’s New Year’s Eve party. Oliver had insisted they buy new outfits and treated her to a day out on King’s Road. They’d wandered in and out of shops, and she’d been overwhelmed by the expense of it all. She’d actually seen a pair of socks for seventy pounds. Socks. It was mental. She loved beautiful clothes as much as the next girl, but she’d never dream of dropping seventy quid on a pair of socks. She’d eventually settled on a black Biba shift dress. She’d wanted the one with the embellished collar, but Oliver had told her it might look too over the top.
    ‘If you’re going to insist we go, we need to go now – otherwise, we’ll be late,’ Oliver said, and she gave herself a quick squirt of Christian Dior.
    ‘I’m ready.’
    He hooked an arm around her waist and dropped a kiss onto her shoulder. ‘Have I told you how much I love you lately?’
    She smiled. He had. Over and over again. And she could never get tired of hearing it.

    A couple of hours later, Effie and Oliver sat in their new BMW, crawling down the private country