Chapter 24 #2
My turn to stare now. I knew she cared for me, and this shouldn’t have felt so monumental after everything she’d already said. But the L-word coming from her lips held more power than I could ever have guessed.
If I hadn’t been holding her up, I would’ve dropped to my knees.
Scarlet hid her face in my chest. “This scares the hell out of me.”
“Same.” I tipped her chin to deliver a soft kiss, then set about washing us and then drying us with fluffy towels.
Exhilaration had us both grinning. Happiness drove energy through me.
“Got a hairdryer?” I asked Scarlet. “It’s cold out, so we need to dress up warm, and ye can’t have damp hair.”
She blinked at me, all bundled up and pink. “In my suitcase. Where are we going?”
“Wait and see. I’m still planning these dates in case ye change your mind about the whole love thing and need more persuading.”
I found the hairdryer and took my time over her hair. Scarlet let me fuss, even though I was probably doing it wrong. When I finished, she wound it into a braid and got dressed in quick order.
Outside, a clear evening reigned. None of the fierce storm of last weekend. I led her to the end of the dock. “Wait here.”
“Where are you going?”
I didn’t answer but ran to uncover the boat and push it into the water. Then I leapt in and paddled out, standing to hold the dock. Scarlet stared, her hands at her mouth.
“Oh God. But it’s night time!”
“Do ye trust me or not?”
She sighed, taking a seat at the edge of the platform and eyeing the rippling surface. “You know I do. But I’m also scared of cold water, and this is… Whoa!”
I picked her up by the waist and brought her in. Under me, the boat wobbled, but it steadied again as we gained our balance.
Scarlet hissed. “You jerk! If I’d gone in, you’d go with me.”
I gave the dock a shove, and we glided out. My grin wouldn’t keep off my face.
“I’m lucky you love me then. I’d make up for it in kisses.”
She folded her arms. “Don’t get cocky.”
“Tell me again.”
Now, her gaze turned coy. “I love you.”
“Again.”
“I love you!” she yelled, the sound bouncing off the surrounding hills and the loch’s surface.
From the seat opposite her, I threw my head back and yelled. “I love you, too, Scarlet Storm!”
Scarlet broke out in a laugh, draping her arms over her knees. Then her smile dialled back a degree. “I’ve never loved anyone else, outside of my family. What if I mess it up? It almost feels safer to keep admiring you from afar.”
I raised a shoulder, two strong pulls on the oars taking us into deeper water. “What could you possibly do to mess it up? I adore ye. You’re my world. You and Cait.”
She gazed at me as I rowed. “Want to tell me about your bad day now?”
“You go first.”
“Ugh. Okay. I’d decided to go for a job in Edinburgh. But I didn’t get it.”
“You were going to move to Scotland?” My mind whirred. “Wait, how the fuck did they turn ye down?”
“Devon applied for it before me. They’d already agreed.”
“That arsehole?”
“I know!”
I grumbled, rowing harder under the dark sky with its blanket of stars. Then it was my turn.
“I went to Kaylee’s grave this morning.”
Scarlet’s jaw dropped. “Oh God. How was that?”
“Horrible. Do ye mind me talking about it?”
“Not at all.”
“I’d worked all night and nae slept. It was a strange set of emotions. Anger and gratitude coming out on top.”
“Gratitude for Cait?”
“Exactly.” I swallowed, because even though she’d said this was fine, it was still awkward. “What we did earlier, the no condom deal, I have never done that with anyone else.” I meant Kaylee.
Scarlet’s eyes widened, her understanding clear. “Oh. Then the condom couldn’t have worked, right?”
“She told me she was taking contraceptives. How likely is it that both failed? That’s the part that I got stuck on.
It suggests Cait was deliberate.” I shook my head.
“But I can’t regret that so I had to let the frustration go.
I thanked her for my bairn and I left to find a message from you.
A Godsend because I needed ye more than ever. ”
I got a sad smile in return. Then a memory popped up, something I hadn’t examined yet.
“There were flowers on the grave.”
Scarlet tilted her head to the side. “From who?”
I gestured at my head. “No idea. Couldn’t read the handwriting. But it’s weird as they were fresh, and I didn’t think Kaylee had any other family.”
“Apart from Georgia Banks.”
“Aye, exactly.”
Scarlet tapped her chin. “Did you say handwriting? That’s odd. It suggests that Georgia Banks visited there not long before you did.”
“Maybe she found out the location the same time I did.”
“If she’s her next of kin, which would make sense if she’s her only family, she would’ve been told all this before. Why is she visiting the grave now?”
“What are ye getting at?”
Scarlet blew out a breath. “I had an idea. If this woman causes you any problems with the custody case, the best way to deal with her is outside of the court. Face to face would be better.”
“I’m not so tactful. Even the thought of her makes me angry.”
“Which is why I thought I’d try. But to do that, I’d need her address. I bet she’s in Inverness.”
I didn’t follow at all. “Why? She could be anywhere.”
“If she’s been around for over a month, she would’ve visited the grave already. And those flowers were fresh with a handwritten card.”
“Maybe a florist wrote and delivered them.”
“To a grave? Perhaps, but I bet not. And if Kaylee came from Inverness, I’d lay odds that her relative did, too.”
“So, what does this mean?” At my back, the opposite shore loomed, and the glowing lights of the village twinkled. I had a dinner arranged for Scarlet in Sawney’s bar. Candlelight, music, and a quiet corner.
I changed course to hit the gravel shallows.
“It’ll make her easier to find.”
Stones grated along the bottom of the boat, and I carefully stood then leapt out, dragging it to dry land. Scarlet took my hand, but I swept her into my arms instead, holding on to her.
“Ye mean to find her and persuade her? To help me?”
“I do. But to help us.” She held my gaze. “I want you, endlessly, so that means putting Cait first. And I’ll do everything in my power to bring down anyone who tries to hurt my family.”
I gave a startled laugh but spun her around. “Watch out world, I have Scarlet Storm on my side.”
My lass leaned in and took my mouth in a kiss that spoke more than I could ever say.