Chapter 15
Trust Me
Deja
“Ya could have told me the date would be here. I could have saved ya the trip to come get me and driven myself,” I say as Cole opens my door for me.
He holds his hand out for mine, giving me a pointed look as he purses those sexy lips. Taking his hand, I step from the car while biting my lip. I can’t help looking him over.
“There was no way I was going to allow ya on the road without me now or later.”
“I’m a big girl, Cole. I know how to take care of myself.”
“Aye, but as long as I’m around, ya don’t have to.”
He gives me a smile and my breath hitches. Cole is already a gorgeous man, but that beard is enough to make a woman drool and swoon. I asked him to dress to make me wet and he has. He’s in white slacks and a light-green shirt this evening. No waistcoat this time.
It’s his tight ass, broad back, and thick thighs for me. Then there’s the way his arms stretch against his shirt. He’s absolutely mouthwatering.
He places my hand in the crook of his arm and flexes his muscle. I look up at him and smile. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
“Speaking of ya being around. When do ya plan to head back to America?”
“When you’re ready.”
“Cole, my gran is ill. I can’t up and leave now.”
He looks down at me as the wheels turn. I’ve thought about this all night. I want to leave with him.
I miss Kate and the others. I could start a new life in New York City. Having Cole in my life would be a bonus.
If things don’t work out, I’m resourceful. I’m not the same girl who was whisked away to Scotland. I can protect myself now.
I don’t have to be as fearful as I was back then. I actually don’t have to be fearful at all.
“I don’t mean to pry, but I heard she’s not doing well. I wouldn’t be able to wait with ya, but I can come back for ya. Ya know, when ya don’t have to be here to care for her, I can come to get ya.
“I’ll come to visit as often as I can. Logan has some dealings I’ll be needed around for, but that shouldn’t stop me from coming to see ya as much as I want. I’m not going to rush ya, love,” he says.
I sigh in relief. More time to figure things out without him around will be grand. I’m not going to flush everything my mother said to me down the drain.
“So there’s no girlfriend back in New York who’s waiting for ya?”
He stops in his tracks and turns to glare at me. I start to snicker when he pulls me to him and puts me into a one-arm headlock, the way he used to do when we were younger. He kisses the top of my head as he sways me in his arms.
“Shut the fuck up.” He snorts. I’m not offended. I know it’s a New York thing.
I actually smile. This is the Cole I remember. He kisses the top of my head once again before he continues.
“I traveled over three thousand miles to come see ya. Do ya really think there’s anyone else?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”
“I haven’t been in a steady relationship in years. I can’t stand airheads, but they seem to love to chase me. I’m too busy for that shit. I stopped fucking around the moment I asked Felix to look for ya.”
“Felix Black?”
“Aye. Wait until everyone sees ya.”
“The Blacks live in New York?”
“No, they’re still in California, but I travel there for business enough. Yer bound to see them all sooner or later.”
“How are they? Yer cousins and Uncle Joe and Aunt Cass?”
“Ach, they’re all doing grand. Keeping busy with the PI and bounty business, as far as I know. We see more of Felix because we’re doing him a favor with a friend.”
“Oh, now that sounds interesting. Is this friend a lass?”
“Aye, they are. Enough about them. Come, I want ya to see what I’ve set up for our date.”
He releases his hold around my head and laces his fingers with mine. I’m a wee bit bereft of his arm around me. It’s such an intimate embrace that says so much about us.
I’m having trouble preventing myself from falling into old comforts around him. With my hand in his, he leads me through the castle. I’ve been here quite a few times when I was younger, before my mum disappeared.
I would come to play with Kate when she was here, and I was with my family for a visit. Mum would bring me and stick around for a bit with Ian and Finlay Black. I can remember a few times when Wyatt, Noah, and John were here visiting too.
The place is still as magical as I remember. There’s something special about the Black Castle. It has an aura of its own.
As Cole leads me down the stairs to the lower level of the castle, my words are only proven to be true. There have been renovations since I last was here. The winding staircase now has new sconces mounted on the walls. Not the old ones that needed to be manually lit.
These have a vintage yet modern vibe about them. They are definitely brighter than they used to be. As we get to the bottom of the stairs, I smile.
I know exactly where he’s taking me. The Black Castle has its own underground indoor pool area. It’s huge. Ian Black once told me that the space had once been a bathhouse. He was the one to turn it into an indoor pool instead.
“I used to love it down here. Kate would get so spooked out, but it has always made me feel … I don’t know,” I say as I lift my shoulders to my ears.
“Like ya were stepping into a whole new world? Isn’t that the song ya would sing every time ya came here?”
I look up at him in shock. “Ya remember that?”
“Aye, ya were cute. The way yer face would light up. I think ya were one of the only ones who got what Granda was doing,” he says.
He was getting us to use our imagination to get out of situations. The pool never once looked the same. One time, there was a dragon whose mouth opened up as a waterslide.
That one was one of my favorites. You had to find your way around the dragon’s body to get to the steps to slide back down. I was one of the first to find the stairs.
“Do you remember that time he had the pool frozen over and we all became human chess pieces?”
“Aye, we all had to work together to play the game. I remember because that was the year Sam came with Logan.”
“Sam?”
“Aye, Logan’s best friend. The Italian.”
“Oh, with the gray eyes. Ach, I do remember him. That was fun.
“All his ideas were fun and made ya think on yer toes.”
“It was all fun and games back then, but now I have to wonder what he was getting us all ready for. I mean, his quests have helped me in training, but—”
“Training?”
Shite. I’ve said too much. The pool area comes into view right in that moment. My eyes widen and I gasp.
“Oh my God, Cole. It’s beautiful. Did ya do this for me?”
He tugs me into his chest and wraps his arms around me. “Aye, I remembered what ya told me ya would want this place to look like if ya could choose the theme. Did I get it right?”
I look around and take it all in. Did he get it right? He did.
It’s better than I imagined in my head. The pool is lit from within with what looks like candles. The light-bluish-green water itself is sparkling as if sprinkled with glitter.
More candles surround the poolside along with teal and pink flowers. There are bright pinks and rich teal colors everywhere, taking the space from dark and dim to bright and breathtaking. Then there’s the table set for two with candles on a holder that has three tiers, a candle on each.
I look back to the pool and squint. It looks like pages are floating on top of the surface. I knit my brows until I remember what I told him so long ago.
“The prince’s letters to the princess?”
“Aye, took forever to figure out how to get candles underwater. Felt a bit stupid when I figured it out,” he chuckles as he rubs the back of his neck.
“LED lights. Yeah?”
“Aye, I had the LED lights epoxied into old candle glasses.”
“How are the pages floating without getting ruined?”
“Take yer shoes off, I’ll show ya.”
Excitedly, I take off my shoes. Cole kicks his off too and begins to roll his pant legs up. He then takes my hand and leads me to the edge of the pool where the invisible steps are.
They make the pool seem seamless, like there’s no place to enter, but I know they are there. We glide down the steps into the pool. The skirt of my dress is getting wet, but I really don’t care.
I reach for one of the letters and can’t help but smile. He had them laminated. I begin to read the letter and tear up as I see it’s actually one of the originals.
“I found them here in storage. Granda must have kept them,” he murmurs into my ear as if he has read my mind as he holds me from behind.
I’m choked up. Kate and I came up with this elaborate story about the prince and princess who met and fell in love in this castle.
When we were teens, Kate and I decided the two had a love correspondence.
I then wrote a bunch of letters to the prince and Kate talked Cole into helping her write a bunch back to the princess in response to mine.
“Ya do know I meant every word? Ya were writing to some fictitious character, but each time I replied to the mischievous, brilliant writer of those letters. I didn’t realize how far gone I had been even back then.”
I turn in his embrace and look up at him. As I think of the letters, I remember how the prince and princess started as friends and developed a deep, passionate connection over time.
I loved Princess Skye and Prince Pádraig. Their friendship was awe-inspiring. However, I don’t think I ever thought of it as ours until right now.
I was seventeen the last time we exchanged letters. I stopped writing because he had so much going on with his granda and all. I thought the letters had been childish even though he replied to every one.
I begin to laugh. “Is that why ya changed his name from Clyde to Pádraig? Kate was so mad at ya for that.”
“Aye, if I was going to speak for him, he had to have my name.” He winks at me.
“I knew it. Pádraig, Patrick. Ya always had to have yer way. Clyde was a grand name.”
He cups my face and dips his head to peck my lips. “Aye, but it wasn’t my name.”
“My name isn’t—”