Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
THE FIRST WEDDING I PLAN
Callum
The sight of Mathilda’s tears tore a hole right through me, and I stormed across the great hall to where she’d emerged from the den.
“It’s okay, nothing’s wrong,” she sobbed, and my own eyes heated. I dragged her into my arms.
“They’re talking?” I kept my voice low and kissed her on the cheek. Kissed her tears away.
“He’s hugging her, Callum.” My cool and calm Mathilda buried her head in my chest and shuddered as she controlled herself. “After all this time.”
“Look at what you did.” I drew her head back and smiled at her tearstained eyes. “You should be so proud.”
“We should. This was partially your idea, except Scarlet did the yelling, not me.”
“Just proves what an excellent team we are.”
Across the great hall, someone cleared their throat. Loudly. Pulling my head back, I gritted my teeth and eyed the source of the irritation.
“McRae, you need to listen,” said the smaller of the land agents who for some reason still crowded my home. “You can’t keep ignoring this. You’re only making things harder for yourself and your family.”
At the same time that Mathilda had reconciled her family, I’d come to an agreement with Lachlan about the land borders while point blank ignoring the two morons at his side.
Having a broad back to turn had its advantages.
We’d just got to the main point I wanted to ask Lachlan and Mathilda had emerged.
Actually, there were two points, but first I needed to get rid of the infestation of blowhards. I murmured to Mathilda to give me a moment when a war howl erupted from the top of the stairs.
“Think you can take our land? You’ve got another think coming, southerner.” From the landing, the twins appeared. Armed, of all things, with an array of colourful water balloons.
“Jesus.” Mathilda clutched her hand to her mouth.
A chuckle rose in me, but I forced it back.
“What?” Alasdair raised his eyebrows at me, the Devil in his eyes. “You said no weapons. These won’t leave any permanent damage.”
Behind us, the den door swung open, and Scarlet and Maximus appeared. “What was… Oh my God,” Scarlet drawled. “They’re really going to do it. You were meant to be the target, Dad, but I talked them out of it.”
“Thank you,” Maximus replied faintly, his gaze moving from the twins to the land agents, who’d taken a step back.
“Lads, it’s been no pleasure talking to you, but I think you’d better run.
” I folded my arms and faced the men, letting them know where I stood.
With my family and never bowing to them.
“I’ll fix my problems myself, and in no way will that involve giving up one inch of what’s mine.
Boys?” I gestured to the twins, and their eyes widened.
I guessed my brothers had assumed I wouldn’t allow this. But fuck it. Today had already been wild, and a little cleansing with water would do these two the world of good.
“You aren’t seriously going to let them—” the first land agent uttered, then a balloon flew through the air and landed directly in front of him. Water droplets exploded out, soaking the man’s legs. He staggered back with a huff, clutching his briefcase.
“My brother told you to leave. What are you waiting for?” Wasp tossed a balloon, then another quickly followed.
“Laird McRae!” The men shrieked and made for the door, balloons raining down on them. “Chief!”
“Run, pal, run!” the boys chanted and kept up their tirade. Explosions of water surrounded the fleeing men and decorated the flagstone floor in wet splodges.
Beside me, Lachlan let out an almighty guffaw and bent double at the waist. “Oh Christ. Another, lads!”
More flew. Scarlet cheered, and I swore even her father chuckled. The door to the great hall slammed behind the two arseholes, and my wee brothers hung over the bannisters, their faces as pleased as punch.
“How did you know who those two were?” I planted my hands on my hips.
“Gordain told us about the sale, so we knew they were about. And it would’ve been a shame to waste the water.” Wasp wiped his brow. “Lachlan, you have to know Gordain’s cut up about your plans.”
He had a point. I turned to our relative. “Aye, Lachlan. We’ll need to talk. Can you wait a minute or do you have to go after them?”
“Ah, let them get wetter. They can walk to Braithar in an hour.”
“Not so fast, Callum.” Mathilda crossed the great hall, her heels clicking on the floor, the echoes sounding to the rafters. She bent at the knee and collected an unexploded balloon.
“What are you doing?” I eyed her hand as she straightened.
“Before all the excitement, you and I were having a little chat. But as I recall, you seemed to be stuck on a pretty major point.”
Right. That. “Mathilda. You can create a business here, that’s fine, invest in prettying the place up, that’s all yours. But—”
With a flick of the wrist, she threw and caught the balloon. If she was aiming for menacing, I adored her enough to consider pretending to be afraid.
“Dinna you even think about it, lass. I’m the laird here.”
“And I’ll be the lady, correct? Equals, remember? Wedding vows tend to include lines about being richer or poorer.”
“Aye, but nowhere in that is a vow to bring you down with a sinking ship.” My words came automatically, built on pride and years of coping alone, but I wasn’t sure I meant them. Mathilda’s proposal would save my home, offer security to my brothers. Why was I arguing?
We eyed one another, and I readied myself to force back my pride.
Mathilda’s menacing look became speculative, and she squeezed the balloon. “Is this how our marriage is going to be? You bark and I obey? Because you’re going to have to think again.”
“There is nae chance that you’ll soak me with that balloon.” Not in front of our family. I knew it… At least I thought I did.
She tensed her arm.
Shite.
I moved to the balls of my feet, readying to dodge.
At the top of the stairs, the twins gave a yell of encouragement. Traitors.
“I don’t seem to recall,” her father stepped forward, “anybody asking me for my daughter’s hand.”
We both stopped.
He was right. No matter how antiquated a tradition that was, I had the feeling it would mean a lot to him. But first, “Would you like that?” I addressed Mathilda.
She loosened her shoulders and popped her hand to her hip, the balloon still readied. Then she gave me a little nod. “Actually, I would. I’d like everything to be perfect.”
“Then, sir, I’d like to formally ask for your beautiful daughter’s hand in marriage.”
Maximus Storm paused, and the room fell silent. “Mathilda, I told you Dominic made a claim that Callum was manipulating you.”
She stared. “And?”
With a sober expression, he regarded me.
“I travelled to Manhattan this past weekend to secure an investor for Storm Force, should my daughter choose not to join my business. I had good reason to suspect she’d made plans elsewhere.
I gained a good deal with a new partner and am now in a position to pay the contract to you as promised.
Does this make a difference in your offer to Mathilda? ”
“Dad!” Mathilda and Scarlet shouted in unison.
The money would be paid in full. A wide beam spread over my face. “Not one bit.” Then I bit my tongue to stop from making a remark to the man who’d be my father-in-law, who was just doing right by his family. Finally. “But I think you’ve just prevented me getting soaked.”
“I think you just might have.” Mathilda dropped the balloon to the floor and moved in on her father for a hug. Then she came to me. “Don’t think I wouldn’t have done that, McRae,” she mumbled.
I held on to the woman I loved and let my joy overflow. “Aye, I’m starting to realise just how dangerous you are.”
With Maximus asking Mathilda about her business plan, and providing good advice from what I’d overheard, I snagged Lachlan before he left the castle.
“A moment.” I jerked my head toward the fire, and we took opposite seats. “You never told me your motivation for selling. I know your daughters dinna want the place, and your lady has her own businesses to think of, but why now?”
My relative heaved a sigh and stuck one booted foot on the opposite knee. “He’ll never be able to afford it.”
Gordain’s want for Braithar was no secret, and Lachlan knew exactly where I was taking this.
“Give us time. We might be able to work something out.”
“You have an idea of the offer price, aye? For Christ’s sake. He earns an officer’s salary, your father pissed away any inheritance he might have claimed. What do you want me to do, Callum? I can’t give it to him. That isn’t fair to my lasses.”
“On that…” From my back pocket, I extracted the piece of paper I’d found in Da’s office. The IOU. Brandishing it like a weapon, I passed it to Lachlan.
The older man took it, and his eyes widened.
Then he laughed.
“I’d forgotten all about this. Where did you find it?
Wait, let me look at the date.” He scanned the note.
“Callum, this is a quarter of a century old. A relic from before you were even on the planet. Christ, I remember it now. It was from a competition. We’d quarrelled over Marianne, my bride.
He took the IOU for Braithar to hold over my head. ”
“I wanted to remind you of how close our families are. You are my chief—”
“I know.” Lachlan shifted in his seat. “You and I should be closer, and I’m sorry we aren’t.
It’s my fault. Mine and my memories. We were like the twins, your da and I.
Always together, always into mischief. Then he inherited sooner than I did, and the pressure broke him.
After he lost your ma, it was all over.”
With a sigh, he dropped the hand with the paper to his knee. “He wasn’t always a drunk. But—”
I cut in. “But sometimes people make the wrong choices. It doesn’t mean those who come after and suffer for it need to forgive them. You and I can try harder.”
“And on that, I agree. I’m glad to know you’ll never claim the same fate. You might look like the man, but you could hold the weight of the world on those shoulders, my lad.”
Lachlan rose from his chair, and I stood, too. Beating him for height and in bulk. “I’ll give you this. Three years. If the boy can come up with a deposit, I’ll sell to him. If not, the agents of doom get it. I’ll write it into the contract.”
“Thank ye.” In my heart, I still didn’t believe Gordain had a hope, but I wanted it. To make good on his childhood. To keep the estate together and in McRae hands and not developed into a Highlands theme park.
Three years gave us time to work out a plan. And work we would. I’d even consider talking to James about it, should he ever call me back.
“Congratulations.” He walked away, indicating across the room to Mathilda, her patient expression holding as her father pontificated and her sister rolled her eyes.
The lass interjected with a smile and her hand on her da’s shoulder.
It warmed my heart to see them together. “I’ll be waiting on my wedding invite.”
With a nod, he left me, and I dropped back into the hard, wooden seat, closed my eyes. Happy, finally.
In the dark of our room, Mathilda trailed her fingers over my bare back, finding the outline of my sword tattoo.
“Dad and Scarlet go home tomorrow. They are going to take a holiday with Mom. Work on how to live with one another without fighting.”
“They are welcome to come here. Anytime.”
“I know. Scarlet will come by herself, more likely. Mom and Dad need to work on rebuilding themselves, and that will be the harder part. Mom needs therapy, and a lot of it. Dad, too.”
She rounded my shoulder then trailed her fingers up my throat and over my chin until she found my lips. I kissed the tips.
“I have a question.” With a swift roll, I pulled Mathilda onto my chest and reclined. “How quickly can you quit your job?”
“My contract is up in two weeks, but they like me there. If I want, it’ll be extended for another three months.”
My heart seized. In idle conversation, she’d mentioned being out of contract soon. “Do ye…want that?”
Every fibre in me wanted to demand she quit and start her business here. But I’d learned my lesson.
Mathilda dipped her head and found my lips. She kissed me like the first time when she’d laid her lips on mine in Inverness airport. Where she’d knocked me out in the stormy Highlands rain. I’d never been the same since.
I slid my hands to her hips and adjusted our naked bodies into alignment, my hard cock snug against her. We’d been in our solar for an hour already so this wasn’t the first or last time tonight we’d be celebrating our engagement.
“I already quit, and with the holiday they owe me, I don’t actually need to work another day.
So, I booked a consultation with my friend, a wedding planner, who will help me get my business off the ground.
She’ll be here next week, then we can start looking at a plan for the works needed.
Really, Callum. Did you think I’d leave you?
” With a clever movement, Mathilda sheathed me inside her, and I bucked my hips, sliding home.
“You’re staying.”
“I am.”
“And you’re mine.”
“All yours. But more importantly, Callum McRae, you’re mine. And the first wedding I plan will be ours.”