Christmas with two children was never going to be a quiet affair. Yet, with his former in laws and Betsy's family descending upon them for the holidays, the house would soon be awash with activity. He still hadn't expected...this. A part of him had almost forgotten about the interview and photo shoot they had agreed to as part of the latest PR campaign. Even so, he still didn't understand how this has been scheduled the day before his in laws were due to arrive.

"Welcome home, sir." His ever efficient driver chuckled as he pulled open the door to the car.

Nick slid from the back of the car and his mouth dropped open. It was like Santa's elves and the sugar plum fairy had had a massive party. Fairy lights shone in every window, ornate Christmas reindeer stood on the manicured lawns, and someone had even braved a trip up to the roof and covered it in twinkling lights. It was surprisingly tasteful yet a part of him wondered whether his house could now be seen from space.

Nick glanced at his watch and gave a sigh. Less than an hour.

With a shake of his head, he offered a hand to his driver. "Thank you as ever. Everyone is making their own way here so this is me formally giving you Christmas off. Have a lovely time with your wife and the little one. I know Betsy will expect lots of cute pictures."

Nick wrinkled his nose even as he said the words. The things the woman had him doing these days.

His driver nodded and grinned widely. "Thank you, sir." He stated, before glancing up at the house. "Though are you sure you don't want me to stay. With the guests arriving soon, I'm happy to wait around just in case you need me."

Nick shook his head. "No, while the gesture is appreciated, the security team will have everything in hand should our guests cause any trouble. "

"Of course," the younger man stated, closing the passenger door gently before turning to face his employer. "Well, if I won't be seeing you beforehand, have a great Christmas."

"You too."

With the last exchange, his driver climbed back into the vehicle. Nick turned away and headed up the front steps and into the home beyond. He was instantly greeted by the warm comforting scent of freshly baked cookies and also the hint of spice - perhaps cinnamon. Peeling his jacket from his shoulders, Nick went to hang up his coat only to find the coat rack gone. With a frown, he glanced around.

While his home was never messy, it was an entirely different level of clean. All of the little touches which made it a home rather than a giant mausoleum were gone. Someone had removed the coat rack, and the dozens of pairs of shoes which usually spilled over the sides of the shoe rack and pooled on the floor beside it.

In its place were elegant Christmas lights and artful silver tinsel. It was beautiful but also sterile. After spending the previous Christmas with Betsy and the kids, with homemade decorations hanging above every doorway, the current decorations were lacklustre. Hollow.

"It feels wrong, doesn't it?" Betsy murmured as she strode to greet him. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss to his cheek before taking his coat. "I'll put this away. They'll be here shortly so you may want to run up and get ready."

Nick nodded his head, reaching out to tug on the curl which has escaped the artfully messy bun. Gone were her preferred casual clothes. Instead she wore a pair of black tailored slacks, a deep green cashmere sweater, and a pair of black boots which added several inches to her height. Small diamonds glittered from her ears.

"You look beautiful." Nick muttered, giving her hair a soft tug. Though, if he was honest with himself, while she looked beautiful in her attire, a part of him had come to appreciate the dungarees and Crocs she still wore when she thought no one would see.

Her cheeks turned pink as she smiled up at him, leaning in to give him one last kiss.

"Are the kids ready?"

Betsy nodded her head. It had been a hot topic over the past few days. The PR Team had set up the exclusive interview to be released in the New Year as part of their plan to increase 'brand awareness'. Nick had protested profusely. It went against everything he had stood for so far. He wanted to keep his private life separate from business but, they knew just what he needed to say. It was about taking back control of the story.

He just wished he could keep his children out of it. They were no one's entertainment. But, his team had been correct on some fronts. It wouldn't matter if it was now or later, the press would be determined to get pictures of the kids. They would do anything and everything to get those pictures. This would be their opportunity to control the situation. To ensure that those pictures were done in a safe and protected manner. At least, that was how his PR team had sold it to him.

Maybe this is a mistake?

"Are we doing the right thing here? We could still do the interview without them being in the photos."

Betsy smiled softly, her hand reaching up to cup his cheek. "We could. I'm happy to follow your lead on this. The PR team agreed this would hopefully put to bed the those rumours about you. About us. About our family."

Nick winced. It appeared his actions before Betsy were coming back to haunt him. It had been years since he had graced the society pages with a model on his arm. The legacy was still there. The newspapers had recently been inundated with 'Kiss and Tell' articles from his previous bed mates. Not that there was much to tell on that front. Most of his past lovers had agreed to mutual non disclosure agreements. It worked for them both. Still, with each rehashing of one of his previous one night stands was drudging up bad memories and, worse, speculation as to whether he was still keeping up with some of his past sexual partners.

Nick grimaced at the thought. He had had zero attachment to those dates beyond mutual release. He had been open and honest from the very beginning. Both parties knew exactly where they stood. At least, that was what he had thought. Some of the interviews painted him in a less than favourable light. Those were definitely not the stories he needed floating around. For him. And for Betsy and his children.

When the last article about Betsy had drawn no visible response from their household, all eyes had turned to him. He preferred it that way. At least, he was used to the limelight. But, the speculation that he was cheating was a cross he was not willing to bear silently. Betsy deserved more than that.

"I wish I could spare the children from this." Nick muttered, reaching up to hold her hand before turning his face. He pressed a kiss to the delicate skin on her wrist.

"I know that. And those kids know we both love them more than anything else and will do whatever we can to keep them safe." Betsy sighed softly. "I would love nothing more than to keep them away from the media but after that incident at the salon, I fear that the attention from the paparazzi will only get worse if we refuse them access. I don't want the children to ever feel afraid or to end up hurt."

Nick's stomach lurched. It was a fear he shared.

"You're right." He admitted before allowing her to take back her hand. "I'll need twenty minutes to get ready. The guards at the gate will confirm once they get to the gates."

"Got it. Now go and get ready."

Betsy playfully shoved him towards the stairs. While the gesture would usually make no difference, he allowed himself to stagger towards the stairs. He took the few stairs quickly, glancing back at the feel of her eyes on him. Her lip was caught between her teeth, her head canted to the size as she watched his arse with each step.

"Stop looking at my arse." He called back with a chuckle, climbing the rest of the stairs. "If you keep looking at me like that, I'll show you how much of a bad idea it is."

"Promises." Betsy called after him, mirth in her voice.

As Nick strode to their room, he cursed their agreement to the interview. Still, he promised himself that he would show her exactly what her lip biting did to him - later.

**

After a flurry of activity and strangers walking through his home, ones who insisted upon rearranging his furniture as they admired the 'tasteful' Christmas decorations, Nick sat on the sofa in the lounge. Betsy was sat at his side, her thigh pressing against his. Delilah and Tommy played on the floor. Nick had never seen the pair so quiet. He didn't like it; he much preferred their joy and exuberance which made this old house come alive.

Betsy's fingers closed around his, giving a quick squeeze. Nick lifted his attention just as a woman took a seat across from them both.

She smiled in greeting as a tech member immediately closed in on her, his hands fiddling to detach the interviewer's long platinum blonde hair from the microphone. The woman was an up and comer. She was an unknown entity to Nick but Betsy and his PR team had reassured him that she was trustworthy.

"Okay, everyone in positions. In three, two." A tech muttered, holding up a single finger before backing away.

The practised smile slid onto the hosts smile as she turned to cameras. "Welcome to Behind the Closed Doors. I'm your host Elena Michaelson and today we will are here with Nicholas Davenport and his beautiful family. Nicholas is a savvy businessman and one of Britain's richest men. His partner Betsy, is deeply involved with the charity XX and is also a well know ambassador for the charity SANDS." She turned and set her charm on the pair sat opposite her. "Thank you for welcoming me into your home."

Nick dipped his head and murmured, "You're welcome."

"Now, I'm not offended but we know that the pair of you have previously had less than complementary things to say about the press. Why did you agree to the interview now?"

Nick opened his mouth to speak but Betsy got there first. Her features warm, welcoming, and the picture of calm, she replied, "There would be little point in denying that we have been critical of the press in the past. I truly believe that journalism has a place in the world. However, I do believe people have a right to privacy, particularly in their own homes."

"You're talking about the articles which emerged over a year ago."

Betsy swallowed and nodded her head. "They were taken through the windows of a house we were staying in. When on private property, in this case the home of friends, we should be able to expect to be safe in our bedrooms without fear of being photographed." Betsy clasped her her hands in front of her. "I don't believe it would be impugning on anyone's right to free speech if newspapers and media outlets agreed not to publish these pictures, ones where it is clear that an invasion of privacy has occurred. It remove the incentive for these invasions to occur if there was no chance of them making a financial gain."

"I understand." The host said softly, clasping her hands in front of her. "The thought of anyone taking pictures when your so exposed is abhorrent." She picked up the cards from her lap, her eyes flitting down to the words for a brief moment. "Now, on a different topic, business. Nick, you've been incredibly successful in the past decade. Is there any secrets to your success that you can share with our viewers."

The next few minutes began with the usual tame questions which almost lulled Nick in a false sense of security. It was all rote so that Nick almost tuned out the interviewer's voice. He answered on auto-pilot. Until the questions suddenly took on a sharp change.

"On to more recent news, there has been much speculation around fidelity. It's not unknown that Nick has has dated some incredibly beautiful women in the past. Betsy, do you feel concerned that there may be some truth to the rumours?"

"Absolutely not." Betsy replied with certainty. "I trust Nick and he has never given me a reason to doubt that. Nick has a past but I don't hold it against him. He was single and not in a committed relationship at the time he was dating those women."

Nick's hand reached across and squeezed her hand. "I've not hidden my past from Betsy. We've discussed everything from my late wife to my dating history before we met." He turned his head to stare at the beautiful woman beside him. He knew his face was showing everything but he couldn't find it within him to care. "Truthfully, since Betsy came into my life, the thought of sleeping with another woman hasn't even crossed my mind."

Betsy tilted her face up and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, the happiness on her face clear for all to see.

"Beside, between spending time with my family and running an international business, I'm not sure where I would find the time."

The interviewer nodded but her features were stern, as if determined to route out our deepest and darkest secrets. "Well, that does seem to be the source of the latest rumours. Our sources state that your personal assistant for the past decade, Tina Bennett, is due to be promoted. It is rumoured that your relationship is more than purely professional."

Betsy snorted out a laugh, quickly hiding behind his hand. While Nick also wanted to laugh, he instead address the question.

"Tina Bennett has been an employee of Davenport Enterprises for almost a decade. Part of why my business is so successful is the people. We develop our staff and always look to recruit and promote internally before looking outside of the business." He turned to the camera and offered a warm smile. "Tina has been my assistant for a long time and the reason she flourished so well in the business is because she is intelligent, driven, and brilliant at what she does. Do I care for her as more than employee? Of course. She's been a part of my life for several years and is almost family to me. Do we have or have we ever had an intimate relationship? Absolutely not. I think Tina would have more than a few words to say on that if she were here."

"I think she'd definitely have that." Betsy chuckled. "I think she'd be a little disgusted at the thought."

Nick snorted. "I'm not sure whether to be pleased or insulted by that comment."

"So you're saying theirs no basis for these rumours? After all, usually, there is no smoke without fire."

"On this occasion, I would say you're not even seeing smoke. There is absolutely no basis for these rumours. I think when a couple is happy, as we have been, some people like to find some fault or problem." Nick said before sighing. "We're not perfect. We are like everyone else and will argue about whose turn it is to take out the rubbish."

"Always yours," Betsy chipped in with a grin.

"But I can gladly claim that infidelity is not something either of us worry about."

The host nodded her head, her smile turning soft as Betsy rested her head on Nick's shoulder. "It sounds like you both are very much in love. Is there any sign of wedding bells in the future? Anyone who has followed you both in the press will know you both have been married before. Are you both open to trying again?"

"Never say never," Betsy replied before them both, her hand resting over his. "Yes, we have both been married before but I like to think that enough time has passed that if or when we decide to take that next step, we will be ready for it."

"Exactly what Betsy said."

"So no engagement yet?"

Betsy held out her hand and wiggled her bare ring finger. "I think you would have noticed if I was wearing a ring." She teased before glancing up at Nick. Impulsively, he was almost tempted to take the ring out of his wallet, where it had been for months, and slide it on to her hand.

He didn't. He couldn't. Betsy deserved more than a televised proposal that would be shared and gossiped about locally and internationally. She deserved something special. This wasn't it. Though what 'it' was, he still couldn't say. 

"Well, thank you both for your time and for sharing your beautiful family with us." The host stated. "And thank you for watching. Good night."

The light on the camera went off and the tech raised a thumb. With her gleaming smile in place, she turned to the couple. "Great job," she praised before glancing down at the children. "I think if we get a few photos for the promotional ads and the web interview we should be set. Then we can all get to getting ready for the holiday celebrations."

"Sounds good to me." Betsy replied brightly. Though, knowing her so well, Nick could spot the signs of strain starting to creep in. Being 'on' for extended periods was exhausting.

Finally, two hours later, Nick watched the tail lights disappear down the driveway. Nick closed the door with a sigh before allowing himself a moment to relax against the wood.

"Are they gone?"

Peeling open his eyes, Nick met a pair of worried blue eyes and smiled gently. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Retrieving it, he nodded his head. "All gone."

"Thank heavens. That was exhausting." She murmured as he stepped closer and pulled her into his arms. He felt calmer as her curves relaxed into hers and he breathed the delicate perfume lingering on her skin.

"You did well."

"You too." Betsy replied. "The kids looked tired. Shall we say pizza and then bed?"

He arched his brows and said in a low rumbling voice, "Are you trying to proposition me, Miss Jones?"

Betsy pulled away just enough that she could stare up at him. "Perhaps I am."

"Oh good, I was hoping you would say that." Nick replied. "Pizza, it is."

"Sounds good to me."