Epilogue
PARKER
“Happy anniversary!”
The shouted chorus of greetings was so loud, I almost stumbled right back out of the front door of Out of Bounds Scotland. Instead, I backed up into Callum, who’d driven us to work this morning. His big, capable hands steadied me as I pressed a hand to my galloping heart. “What is all this?”
“Has it been so long you don’t recognize a party, sugar?” Jade asked.
The lobby had been festooned with streamers and balloons, and the entire crew was here. Finn and Alex grinned like idiots. Jade’s own smile was smug, which meant she’d known all about this and maybe even had something to do with organizing the whole thing. Even our two newest guides, Imogen and Kieran, had gotten in on the action. Kieran caught Jade’s eye and winked. I tried to hide my smile at the slight flush that crept up her throat. Kieran was a solid eight years her junior and thought Jade hung the moon. She thought the age gap was a deal breaker, but my money was on Kieran wearing her down with his unrelenting golden retriever energy.
“Y’all seriously didn’t have to do this.” But the protest was just for form because I spotted the veritable buffet of pastries spread out on the front deck.
“Of course we did.” Finn stepped forward and wrapped me in a bear hug that lifted my feet clear off the floor. “A whole year of keeping this circus running? That absolutely deserves celebration.”
“Put her down before you break her.” Callum growled the demand, but the amusement in his tone totally undermined his effort to come across as a habitual grump. We didn’t see that side of him much anymore.
I accepted more hugs as Falkor wagged his way through the group, collecting the pets and ear scritches that were his due, before settling into his corner with the new toy somebody had bought for the occasion.
“Remember what this place looked like a year ago?” Alex gestured at the newly organized retail section. “I couldn’t find my own boots half the time.”
“That’s because you left them wherever you dropped them,” Finn said. “Now Parker’s got us so organized, even Callum can find things with his eyes closed.”
“Aye, and that new software’s a godsend.” Callum’s hand settled warm on my lower back. “No more double bookings or lost reservations.”
“Speaking of bookings,” Imogen chimed in, “we’ve got another corporate team coming in next week. That’s what, the third this month?”
Kieran nodded. “The Instagram posts from the last lot went viral. My sister down in Glasgow saw them and didn’t even realize it was us until I told her.”
“That’s all Parker,” Jade said proudly. “She’s the social media wizard. We’re so busy now, we’re having to turn people away.”
“Which is why we hired you two,” I reminded them, nodding at Kieran and Imogen. “Though I still think we need at least one more guide before summer.”
“And maybe someone else to help you man the front desk,” Finn added.
I went brows up. “Are you saying I can’t handle the job anymore?”
“You are the organizational queen supreme. It’s just these monthly team meetings you started have shown we’re growing faster than we thought.”
“The whole village is benefiting,” Alex said. “Ewan says the pub’s seeing twice the business from our clients, and Charlotte says their cottage bookings are up thirty percent.”
“Not to mention how you’ve saved us with a proper beverage station. With actual coffee,” Finn added reverently. “Not that instant rubbish we used to drink.”
“And look at you.” I bumped Callum’s shoulder with mine. “Actually talking to clients instead of scaring them away.”
“Och, I still prefer being out on the trails.” But his smile took any sting out of the words.
“Good thing you’ve got me to handle the people stuff then.”
“Good thing we’ve got all of us,” Alex corrected. “We’re a proper team now.”
“No,” I said. “We’re a family.”
Finn mimed wiping a tear. “That’s beautiful.”
“That also makes you the brother I get to tease incessantly.”
“Careful, Lawrence. Turnabout is fair play,” he warned.
Callum wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Just try it, Patterson.”
“Spoilsport.”
I leaned into his warmth, marveling at how far we’d come. A year ago, I’d made a desperate gamble to escape my life. Even in my wildest dreams, I hadn’t imagined that the life I’d build could look like this. Work I found gratifying, friends who made me laugh and feel supported, the world’s best pooch, and a place in this village where everyone knew my name. With the active lifestyle I led here, I was the strongest I’d ever been. I still had flares and probably always would, but they were managed, and they weren’t dictating my life in the same way they had before.
Most of all, there was Callum. The man I loved, who never ceased showing me every day how much he adored me in return. He anticipated my needs without babying me, something I’d never take for granted. We’d learned to read each other, and it had only made me fall deeper for this wonderful, flawed man who’d chosen me for his own. I’d stayed at the house with him. While it had begun as a necessity out of security, neither of us had wanted to backpedal once the threat had passed. And it had passed. The primary drivers of the consortium had been arrested by Interpol, and the remainder of the organization was in tatters, courtesy of the dead man’s switch Alex had left in place.
On a personal front, Callum had finally introduced me to his family after Christmas. He’d been beyond anxious, but I’d done my Southern debutante thing and charmed them all. His mom, in particular, had been incredibly emotional when she’d thanked me for bringing her son back. I wasn’t sure I deserved the credit for that, but either way, bridges were being built, and I couldn’t see that as anything but a step toward healing whatever wounds he still had on that front.
“Earth to Parker,” Jade called. “You’re getting that misty-eyed look again.”
“Can you blame me?” I gestured around the office, at this family I’d built. “Sometimes I still can’t believe this is my life.”
“Believe it, Hobbit.” Callum pressed a kiss to my temple.
“Not to break up the love fest, but we do have clients coming in an hour, and some of us probably do need to do some work,” Alex announced.
I laughed. “I thought I was the taskmaster.” But moved toward my desk. After all, these adventures wouldn’t book themselves.
The morning flew by in a blur of bookings and preparations for next week’s corporate group. Before I knew it, Jade was shooing me away from my desk.
“Go on. Kieran can handle the phones.”
I glanced at Callum, who was already shrugging into his jacket. “Lunch at the pub?”
“We’ve got other plans.” The corner of his mouth quirked up in that secret smile that always made my heart flutter. “Fancy a wee walk?”
“Always.” I grabbed my own jacket, surprised when he headed for the back door instead of toward the village. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
He took my hand as we started up the slope behind the office, picking our way through the gorse. Falkor bounded ahead, secure in the knowledge that Callum had me, and he could be off duty for a bit. There wasn’t precisely a path through the stand of trees, but Callum seemed to know exactly where we were going. Because of course he did. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, dappling his short-cropped hair. The climb was just steep enough to warm me up, but not so much that I’d regret it later.
“How have I worked here for a year and never known this was back here?”
“Most people stick to the marked trails.” He steadied me over a fallen log. “This one’s a bit of a secret.”
We emerged from the trees into a sheep pasture, and I stopped dead in my tracks. “Oh, my God.”
There, stark against the brilliant blue sky, stood a circle of ancient stones. Well, I had no idea if they were truly ancient, but they certainly looked it. They weren’t anything on par with Stonehenge for size, but they had their own quiet majesty. Minerals in the weathered gray stone glinted in the sunlight, making me think fanciful thoughts of fairies and magic.
“How does no one ever talk about these being up here?”
“The locals know. They just don’t advertise them. Keeps the tour buses away.” He pulled me closer. “I thought you might appreciate them.”
“They’re incredible.” I moved toward the nearest stone, reaching out to touch the rough surface. “Thank you for sharing them with me.”
“Brought a picnic, if you’re hungry.”
I turned to find him pulling a blanket and plastic containers from his pack. “Ten out of ten for setting.”
“Actually...” He set everything down but didn’t move to open the food. “I brought you up here for more than just lunch.”
“Oh?” I grinned, running my fingers over the weathered stone again. “Are we going to touch them and travel back in time?”
“I’m a lot more interested in the future.” His voice had gone soft and serious in a way that made my heart skip.
When I turned around, he was down on one knee, and my breath caught. Falkor sat at attention beside him, tail sweeping across the grass.
“Parker.” He cleared his throat, his focus dialed in only to me. “You walked into my life a year ago and turned everything upside down. Made everything better in ways I didn’t even know I needed.” His hand shook slightly as he pulled a small box from his pocket. “Marry me?”
Simple. Direct. Perfectly Callum.
“Yes.” The word came out half-laugh, half-sob as I launched myself at him. “Of course, yes.”
He caught me against his chest, overbalancing so we tumbled back into the grass. I kissed him hard, spilling out all of my unending joy. His hands tangled in my hair, and we melted into each other under, losing ourselves under the brilliant blue sky.
When we finally came up for air, he fumbled with the box, sliding a beautiful ruby ring onto my finger. A circle of tiny diamonds surrounded the center stone.
“It looks like the sun.”
“Aye, that was the idea. Because you’re my sunrise. You brought the light back into my life.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” I kissed him again, softer this time. “Even when you’re being a grump.”
“Especially then.”
Falkor chose that moment to wiggle between us, clearly feeling left out of the celebration. We laughed, and Callum pulled us both close, right there in the shadow of the ancient stones where our future was just beginning.