Chapter 30
THIRTY
CIARA
It took me less than twenty-four hours to have second thoughts about the wisdom of subjecting Alex to friend-family dinner.
“I’m not that far out from injury. I can just text them to say I’m not feeling well, and we can stay home.”
Alex skimmed his hands from my shoulders down to lace his fingers with mine. “Is it because we have to go over the gorge bridge to get there? You haven’t been back since the accident.”
“Well, shite, I hadn’t even thought of that.” And I didn’t plan to start now. “No, I’m trying to protect you.”
He slanted me a bemused look. “Don’t be such a feartie. I’m a big lad. I can handle myself.” The suggestive eyebrow waggle took any sting out of the teasing.
“Aye, I’m well aware of exactly how well you can handle yourself.” I was still thinking about the demonstration of… er… competence he’d treated me to when we’d gotten home last night. “But this isn’t about your capability. This is about all the men of my extended found family being frustrated that they didn’t know about us sooner and taking it out on you. I really don’t know how they’re going to behave.”
His dark eyes searched my face. “Are you having regrets about changing the dynamic between us, Hellcat? It’s all right if you have. You’ve been through a lot the last several days. If you want to change your mind?—”
I pressed a finger to his lips. “I’m not changing my mind about you. About us. God knows, it took us long enough to get here. I just… feel weird lying to people. Not only about when and how we met, but about the nature of the threat to me.”
“Would you prefer to introduce me as the incredible shag you had three years ago?” His arched brows underscored the absurdity of the notion.
“Sarcasm is not appreciated, sir.”
“Who’s being sarcastic? It was an incredible shag. I believe there were multiple orgasms on your part to prove it.”
“Six. So not the point.”
“Ah, so you do remember,” he teased.
“Alex.”
“Sorry. I understand your frustration. But explaining that we knew each other before also means explaining why we didn’t admit it. and why you were angry with me. It’s just… complicated. As to the rest, spreading the word that your brakes were tampered with would likely result in a lot of alarmist behavior that would get you even more on lockdown than you already are with me.”
I blew out a breath. “I know. I just… I’m ready for something to be simple.”
The mouth that haunted my dreams curled into a smile. “You aren’t a simple woman, Ciara McBride. Simple would bore you inside of five minutes. It’s one of the things I love about you. Now come on. Get your bag. I’ll get the food. You can brief me on who everybody is on the drive.”
When he nudged me toward the table where I’d left my purse, I went, but my brain was still stuck on what he’d said.
It’s one of the things I love about you .
That wasn’t the same thing as loving me. Being in love with me. But it didn’t stop my heart from leaping into a hopeful gallop. I knew I mattered to him beyond just being Ewan’s sister. He wouldn’t be going to all these lengths to protect me personally if I didn’t. I knew I was more than obligation and guilt over the past.
But I wanted more than that. I wanted that timeless, forever kind of love I saw in my parents. In Ewan and Isobel. Among the rest of my circle of friends who I considered family—those who’d be part of tonight’s probable interrogation. It was what I’d always wanted. I’d wasted so much time fooling myself that I could grow into this with Brodie. But that wasn’t how it worked. The roots were either there or they weren’t.
I’d believed they’d been there when Alex and I had met on that train, and then they’d been brutally ripped out. Initially, I’d told myself that this time with him would be the closure I hadn’t gotten before. But those damaged roots had found the lingering cracks in the wall I’d built between us and dug in deep, reaching all the way to the heart he’d bruised and wrapping it tight. I was in over my head with him. Again. Maybe I always had been. But I had to hope that when the threat was over, I wouldn’t find myself in this alone.
“Are you ready?” Alex stood by the door, the plasticware container of salad I’d made under one arm.
Not even a little bit.
“Yeah.” Grabbing my purse, I watched him set the alarm, then we headed out the door.
As he’d asked, I gave him a quick overview of who everyone was and how they were connected.
“Okay, so you’ve already met my cousin Kyla. She’s married to Raleigh Beaumont, the current Baron of Lochmara.”
“Beaumont doesn’t sound especially Scottish.”
“It’s not, though he’s got Scots heritage on his mother’s side. He’s a cowboy from Texas, who won the estate from Afton in a high-stakes poker game in Vegas.”
“From Afton?”
“Well, more properly, she threw the game because she’d hand-picked him to be her successor. She was supposed to marry Kyla’s brother, Connor, because of a three-hundred-year-old marriage pact; otherwise, both estates would’ve been forfeit to the Crown. When Afton pulled a runaway bride, which put Kyla in the hot seat with Raleigh, and they had to enter a marriage of convenience to fulfill the terms of the pact. They’d planned to divorce in a year, but ended up falling in love with each other instead. Connor, as it turned out, was actually in love with Kyla’s best friend, Sophie, so it all worked out in the end.”
“How exactly did Afton end up back here after all that?”
“Oh, she showed back up at Connor and Sophie’s wedding. There was a moment when everyone thought she’d come back to object, but it was just poor timing of her arrival, as the ceremony had already started. Turned out she’d always been in love with Hamish, who’s Connor’s best mate.”
“You’ve been on hand for a bloody soap opera.”
I grinned. “It hasn’t been dull. Of course, you’ve met Kyla and Connor’s great uncle Angus and his husband Munro. Total second chance romance there. Angus is also a former semi-finalist on The Great British Bake Off .”
“That explains the Jaffa cakes.”
“Then there’s also Charlotte Vasquez, Raleigh’s second mum, who followed him over from Texas and ended up married to Malcolm Niall, the estate manager at Lochmara. They have a foster son, Gavin, who’s about to head off to his first year of uni.”
He frowned in intense concentration. “Anyone else?”
Watching him listen intently, with a clear ear toward memorizing everything I’d told him, was rather fascinating. It was a good distraction from the fact that we did, indeed, have to cross over the gorge bridge on the way to Lochmara. I white-knuckled it the whole way, but I made it to the other side without giving in to the anxiety that settled in my gut at the sight of it.
Because I’d faffed about, we were the last to arrive at the manor house. Alex parked beside Hamish’s car, and I led him to the kitchen entrance. This was family, so I didn’t knock, simply opened the door and stepped into the chaos that seemed a bit more pronounced than usual. People were everywhere. Lily, Kyla and Raleigh’s daughter, who was now two, was racing around barefoot, in nothing but a nappy, shrieking in glee as her father gave chase.
“We’ve got a runner!” he announced.
Lily darted behind Hamish and ducked under the kitchen table, followed by Dugal, the family dog, who thought this was a marvelous game.
A harried Kyla wandered in with a wet shirt and some piece of child’s clothing in hand. “She’s slippery as an eel, that one. Lily, love, you have to put on clothes for dinner.”
Connor crouched at the edge of the table. “C’mon, wee one. Uncle Connor will protect you.”
Lily crawled out, lifting her arms in the universal gesture for “Up!”
My cousin scooped her into his arms and promptly blew on her belly. His niece erupted in more giggles before he passed her off to Sophie, who pressed smacking kisses to both of Lily’s cheeks, before passing her on to Munro. And so it went, from adult to adult, until the squirmy wee tyke landed in my arms.
“Are you having a laugh at your mum and da?” I asked her.
“Yeah!”
I settled her on my hip and peppered her face with kisses, delighting in the little girl's laughter. When she spotted Alex, her giggles faded, and the golden-brown eyes she’d gotten from her father fixed on him.
“Who dat?”
Leave it to the toddler to get straight to the point.
“That’s my special friend, Alex.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Connor muttered.
I ignored him and pivoted toward Alex. “Can you say hello?”
“’Lo.” She reached for him.
To my utter shock, Alex didn’t hesitate a moment before plucking her up. “You must be Lily.”
She nodded soberly and promptly stuck her fingers in her mouth.
“I have a wee niece a little older than you. Do you know what she loves?”
“Wha?”
“Putting on a fashion show for dinner. She wears something different every night.”
Lily’s eyes rounded. “Show, dada!”
Raleigh came to collect his offspring with a look of grudging respect. “Well played. Let’s go pick out your outfit so we can eat. Grandma Charlotte made your favorite mashed potatoes.”
“Tatties!”
They exited the kitchen, and suddenly everyone was staring at us. I immediately wished for my wiggly wee shield again. “Right. Everyone, this is Alex Conroy. Alex, this is most of my extended family. I believe you’ve met several of them already.”
“Your special friend,” Connor repeated.
I fixed him with an infinitely patient expression. “Do you want to explain the nuance of ‘boyfriend’ to a two-year-old?”
“I’m guessing you’re Connor MacKean. You’re a blacksmith, aye? I’ve seen the sword you made for Ewan. It’s incredible work. Do you take commissions?”
Some of my cousin’s belligerence faded. “I do.”
“We should talk.”
By the time the rest of the formal introductions were made, Raleigh was back, a pajamaed Lily riding his shoulders, with a miniature tiara in her red curls.
“What are we actually having tonight?” I asked.
“Steak,” Raleigh announced, with all the satisfaction of a lifelong cattleman.
“Can I do anything?” Alex offered. “Light the barbecue?”
Raleigh, who’d been on his way to the door to step outside to do the honors himself, froze as the rest of us collectively groaned.
“Now you’ve done it,” Connor muttered.
Raleigh turned, hand over his heart, a look of deep pity etched on his face. “My good man, you must be educated. Barbecue is a thing that you cook or method of cooking. The device on which it is done is a grill or a smoker.”
“Please don’t get him started,” Kyla begged.
“You don’t argue with the results of what comes off of my grill,” Raleigh drawled.
She rose to kiss his cheek. “That is absolutely true. Go man your steaks, love.”
I leaned toward Alex. “I did mention he was from Texas, aye?”