Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Bryn
“I love you.”
His voice is far off in the distance, but it’s Mac, I know it is. I try to open my mouth, but I can’t speak. My lips are too heavy, my mind a haze of confusion.
What happened? Where am I?
The most I can do is lift my hand, and I immediately feel Mac’s hand on mine.
“Bryn, love. Can you hear me?”
With effort, I nod my head.
“Thank God,” he says, his voice choked. He sounds as if he’s about to cry, and it breaks my heart. “Thank God.”
I need to see where I am. I need to talk to him. I open my eyes and am immediately surrounded by bright white light. Mac’s sitting beside me, leaning over the bed, still wearing the suit from the wedding.
It’s then that I realize my head is pounding. The pain is nearly unbearable, and I almost close my eyes against it, but I have to keep them open,
“Where am I?” I ask, with effort.
“We’re back in my hotel room, lass,” he whispers. “We’ve got a suite. I’ve connections here, and thankfully they cleaned up the mess in the bar, the doctor’s seen to you, and we’re safe.”
“What happened?” I whisper.
He gives me a stern look, that look I’ve come to crave, his voice hard when he asks, “That’s the question I need to fuckin’ ask you.”
I put my hand weakly to my head and my eyes flutter closed. “My father—”
“Will be summarily dealt with,” Mac says, his lips thinned. “Leith has been informed about what’s happened, what he put you up to. And my mother told him everything.”
I sigh, and he holds me closer. “How could you tell my sisters, but you couldn’t tell me?”
There’s a deep well of hurt in his eyes. “Because he would’ve hurt you,” I whisper. “And I love you. I only told them so they could help me rescue you.”
He glares at me. “You thought killing yourself would save me? Honest to fucking God if you weren’t hurt, and in this bed—”
“Relax,” I say, shaking my head. “I didn’t take the damn poison. I took a sedative. I don’t know why my head hurts so badly…”
He frowns. “You whacked it on the bar when you fell.”
“Oooh.”
He shakes his head. “Bloody hell, woman. You took a sedative.”
I nod. “Plan was to let my father think that I took the poison instead. It’s why I asked you to take a picture and send it to him.”
“Oh, I sent him more than a picture,” Mac growls.
I smile, even though it hurts, and place my hand on his cheek. “You’re so sexy when you’re all angry like this, do you know that?”
He cracks a smile, that dimple forming in his cheek. I sigh.
“I love you.”
“And I love you.”
“Let’s run away together. Just me and you, Mac.”
He holds me, and I feel a bit nauseous. Not just from the sedative, but because I need to know what happens next, how we get out of this.
“We won’t have to, Bryn. Leith has worked out a compromise with your father,” he says.
“Has he?”
“Oh, aye,” Mac says soberly. “Your father put a hit on me. Clan bylaws say we have a choice. We either go to war, or his life is forfeit.”
I look up at him and blink. “Really?”
“Aye.” He smiles. “But we managed to work out a third option.”
“And what’s that?” I sit up, wincing as my head moves.
“Poor lassie,” he says softly. “We’ll get you some pain meds, love.”
“Tell me the plan, Mac.”
He smiles. “Leith has managed to convince your father that if you marry me, we’ll forgive his grievances against us.”
My jaw drops. “Marry… you?”
He grins. “You act as if that’s the worst possible choice.”
“Oh, God, no, Mac! It’s just that… how will my father agree to that?”
He shrugs. “Well… it’s a bit archaic, but Leith has offered an ample dowry, and your fuckin’ father’s easily swayed when it comes to money.”
“Ample dowry. For me?” It feels bittersweet, but the momentary stab I feel at being literally—bought?—quickly dissipates at the possibility before me.
Me. Married to Mac. A member of the Cowen Clan?
He scowls. “Of course for you! Jesus, woman. Do you doubt your worth?”
I love him.
I shake my head. “But Mac, this is so confusing. I thought you broke up with me. I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me. I don’t understand…”
He closes his eyes briefly and holds me to him again. “I’m so sorry about that, sweetheart. So bloody sorry. It was Leith’s idea.”
“Leith has a lot of ideas,” I say, frowning. He grins.
“Aye, love, but he’s also fuckin’ brilliant.”
“He told you to break up with me!”
“But listen, lass, it was temporary and there was a reason.” He explains everything, and when he’s finally done, I mull it all over. “But still,” he says when he’s done. “That was bloody awful, I’m fully prepared to fucking grovel for you.”
Swoon.
Happy sigh.
“Well, don’t let me dissuade you from that.” I sigh. “But honestly, Mac, you don’t need to grovel, because I’ve things to tell you as well.”
He waits, giving me a curious look.
“So I…” I sigh. “The day we met. You came into the shop.”
“Aye. And my plan was to seduce you.” He winces.
I blink in surprise. “That was no accident?”
He shakes his head. “No, and I’m so sorry, Bryn. I want to go back to the earlier me and kick my own fuckin’ arse.”
“Mac, what a bloody mess we made of everything,” I say. “That very same afternoon, my father gave me an ultimatum. He said I had to either agree to an arranged marriage, or… seduce you. He wanted me to ruin you. Wanted me to… kill you.”
He nods. “Figured as much, after reading his texts. I hate that he used you like that.”
“You’re not angry with me?”
“Angry with you? How can I be? He coerced you, love. But hold the phone, I want to get you the meds you need. Is there anything else?”
I shake my head, thinking, really, I have everything I need right here.
He places the call, and a moment later, he’s joining me on the bed.
He’s already lost his suit coat, and his white shirt is stained with blood.
He looks more tired than I’ve ever seen him, and I can tell that it’s more than just physical weariness.
But there’s relief on his face as well. We both have made it through.
“Now, I want you to tell me everything.” He holds my hand. “It’s time.”
I nod, keeping my voice soft because my head still hurts. But I want to tell him the truth, because he’s right. It is time.
“I’m so sorry, Mac. God, I’m so relieved I can tell you now. I was dead sick over it. I wanted to tell you the truth, from the very beginning, I did.”
He nods. “Aye, love, I know you did.”
“Did you? How?”
“I could see it in your eyes. Hear it in your voice. You didn’t want to deceive me. Jesus, woman, you nearly took a fuckin’ bullet for me. You came all this way…” His voice trails off, and he gives me a curious look. “How on earth did you even get here?”
I blow out a breath. “Well…
I’m not really sure I want to tell him this part of the truth, because I don’t want his sisters to get in trouble. And it seems like they’re very good at doing that.
“Not one minute ago you said you’d tell me the truth, and you’re already hesitating. Why?”
I bite my lip before I answer, and finally in a rush of words tell him everything.
“Yes. I got away from the guard and went up to the main house. And there…” my voice trails off.
His eyes darken. “It was my sisters, wasn’t it? That’s why you don’t want to tell me. You don’t want them to get in trouble.”
Goddammit, he knows everything.
“You might as well tell me, because I’m going to find out anyway. And don’t worry about anyone getting in trouble. It’s time everyone knows the truth. And if they helped you get here, I want to thank them.”
I nod. “Everyone helped. Your sisters. Nan. Your mum.”
“What? My mum and Nan? What did you do, lass?”
I can’t help but laugh when I tell him. “Your mum’s got contacts all over the damn country, did you know that?”
“No, but I’m not surprised.”
“She rang a mate of hers who owns a helicopter. They came and picked me up, brought me straight here.”
“Alone?” He furrows his brow, all severe and irate, and it warms my bloody heart.
“No, of course not. I brought a guard with me, set in place by your mum.” I sigh.
“Your mother’s bloody brilliant.” I can’t even wrap my brain around the idea that his mum is going to be my mother-in-law.
I fucking love her. She may not be a warm, immediately welcoming person, but she’s fierce.
She’s strong. And she loves those around her with everything she’s got.
“Good. That’s something, anyway.” He frowns and begins to play with my fingers. Gently, he folds them with his, almost absentmindedly. “How long have you been put up to this by your father?”
I wince at the question. I don’t want to discuss this. I wish that we didn’t have to get into details at all, but we have to.
“Since our first date. That night that I came to meet you for a drink at the club? And we got dinner after? My father had already given me the ultimatum.”
He nods, slowly. “So our entire relationship was built on lies.”
My heart aches. “No, Mac. Our entire relationship was held back. Boxed in. I knew straight away that I couldn’t betray you, and I never would.
I just didn’t know how to get out of what my father had planned.
I even considered marrying the man he wanted me to, just so that I wouldn’t have to hurt you. ”
“Bloody hell,” he says. “I’ve been mulling over the same issues myself, not knowing what to do. It’s been bloody awful.”
I nod, thinking this over. “So what we need, then… is a new start?”
His eyes light up despite his exhaustion, and he pulls me in for a fierce hug.
“Aye, lass. That’s exactly what we need.”
I let him hold me, burying my face in his chest and wrapping my arms around his strong torso. “I’m sorry, Mac. Will you forgive me?”
“Of course I will,” he says, holding me tight. “Will you forgive me?”
“Of course.”
He places both hands on either side of my face, tipping it up to his.
“A new start. We’ll forget what’s happened and put that all behind us.
” His voice deepens, the blueness of his eyes sharp.
“We forgive each other for what’s happened.
We go forward with nothing but brutal fucking honesty. Agreed?”
I sigh and nod, my own hands atop his on either side of my face. “Agreed,” I breathe, seconds before he clamps his mouth on mine and kisses me so hard I can’t breathe. When he pulls his mouth off mine, I’m panting and breathing heavily.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“And I love you.”
“Are you sure we’re safe now? No one else is coming after us?”
“Baby, if anyone on your father’s side decided they’d attack at this point, it would be open war.
And the Aitkens Clan doesn’t stand a chance against us in war.
We’re a far larger, more powerful group, and the only thing they’d accomplish would be to maybe gain some respect, but not without suffering great losses. ”
“I see,” she whispers. “Aye. Seems too easy, though, Mac.”
He holds my chin between his thumb and forefinger, trapping my gaze with his. “Do you think being married to a man like me can really be classified as easy?”
I snort. “I doubt it, but I’m willing to put the work into finding out.”
“Atta girl,” he says, kissing my cheek. “You make me proud.”
It’s the first damn time in my life anyone’s ever said that to me.
“Are you crying, baby?”
I sniff like a fool.
“I can’t help it,” I say. “No one’s ever told me they were proud of me before. Especially not someone I try to manipulate.” He laughs out loud, rolls me over and smacks my arse.
His eyes go half-lidded, and his voice deepens.
“When you had me punish you… was that because you felt guilty for what you were doing?”
I nod. “Aye. Silly, isn’t it?”
He shakes his head. “Not silly at all, darlin’.
I understand completely. You had a guilty conscience.
And even though you didn’t come completely clean, a part of you felt as if you needed to.
Understandable. The only problem was, you weren’t the only one that was in the middle of it. I was guilty as well.”
“Well then,” I say. “I think you’re right that it’s time for us to put this behind us. I think it’s time for us to move on altogether. And like we said… a fresh start.”
He nods.
I smile up at him.
“Hello, there. My name’s Mac. Fancy a drink some time?”
I smile, and place my head on his chest, feeling so at ease for the first time in my entire life. “Nice to meet you, Mac. And I’d love to.”