Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
LEWIS
I t was a typical summer day in the Highlands. Five minutes ago, my window wipers were going a mile a minute to keep up with the rain lashing the windscreen. Now I had to pull my visor down as the sunshine blared through the break in the clouds. My SUV rolled forward in slow-moving traffic, and I kept glancing at the digital clock on the dash. Our appointment time was creeping worryingly closer.
“We’ll get there,” I reassured Callie.
“We’re fine.” She sounded much more laid-back than I was feeling.
The past few weeks had been a mixed bag of emotions. First and foremost, I was relieved and over the bloody moon that Callie was giving us a real shot again. We’d been on several more dates, none of which were on the list she’d sent me, but I planned to make those happen in the future. I’d already booked us tickets to see a play in Edinburgh in a few weeks’ time so I could take her on date three and four in the same weekend. I hadn’t told her yet.
My offer on the house was accepted, and I’d invited Callie to see it before I final ized the offer. I wanted to make sure she loved it. Of course, she more than loved it. She thought it was spectacular and had already named it An Caisteal Beag . The Wee Castle. Because of the moat. I finalized my offer, and the house would be mine in two weeks. I was already looking into having its registered address name changed to An Caisteal Beag. And I was very much already imagining Callie and I raising our child there. I could picture sitting in the window box with our son or daughter, reading to them or watching the wildlife in the surrounding forest.
Slow , I reminded myself as I pulled into the car park at the hospital in Inverness. Everything else was going so fast, I had to resist the urge to pick up the pace on the rest.
The last few weeks had been rough for my Callie, and I wanted her to feel safe with me. When I’d heard what Mrs. Rankin (a woman I barely even remembered but who seemed to think she was some kind of mouthpiece for the village) said at the bakery, I’d wanted to rail at her. Her viciousness did catch and there were some others who turned their noses up at Callie if she entered their establishment or passed them on the street.
They were saying she’d trapped me and that’s why I’d come home.
Fucking misogynists.
I couldn’t stand for that. Our family and friends had rallied. The Adairs had influence, and Mum had said loudly and clearly in Flora’s one day, “Well, Flora, if we thought Callie had ‘trapped’ Lewis, do you really think there would be such love and friendship between our families? We love Callie, and if I hear anyone say a bad word against her, they can expect a piece of my mind.”
It tempered some of the gossip. As did the fact that my family was attentive, and Callie couldn’t seem to go anywhere without one of them at her side. Mum, Eilidh when she visited a few weeks back, Aunt A rro, Robyn, Ery, and Monroe. Every single one of them made sure they were seen at Callie’s side.
Then an actor accused of breaking up the marriage of the director on her latest movie fled to Ardnoch and the paparazzi arrived in town. As per usual, they were shut down by its residents and being here was pointless for them, but it got everyone talking about something else. Things seemed to normalize for us, as much as they could.
Except Callie told me about her birth father’s lawyer calling and how her mum was dealing with it all. She couldn’t help but worry about the possibility of Nathan getting parole. The lawyer had tried calling again, but Sloane’s lawyer sent a cease and desist. We were waiting to see what happened next, and I hated her birth father for polluting this time for us.
As terrified as I was to be a dad, I got through it by focusing on the day-to-day. Big-picture thinking was still a bit overwhelming.
Once I’d parked and we paid the fee, I took Callie’s hand in mine, and we strolled toward the hospital entrance. Glancing down at her, I experienced a sense of rightness that calmed my nerves.
Sensing my stare, Callie looked up at me. “Are you okay?”
“Never better,” I promised her.
As we made our way through the hospital corridors to the antenatal clinic, a possessive thrill stirred in me. Some latent caveman part of my DNA was illogically proud Callie was mine, and I’d shown it to the world by getting her pregnant. Fucking idiot. Lost in my amusing (and never to be shared with Callie) thoughts, I barely noticed an older woman coming toward us. But I definitely observed when she visibly startled at the sight of me and hunched in on herself, hurrying past us.
Callie glanced over her shoulder with a frown. “What the heck was that? ”
“It happens,” I answered with a shrug that belied my true feelings.
See, it never occurred to me when I grew my hair out and got tattoos that a small contingency of the public would find me intimidating. I was taller than my dad, as tall as my uncles Lachlan and Brodan. They’d never complained of that kind of reaction, especially from women, but then they hadn’t grown out their hair, gotten a bunch of tattoos, or looked more suited to a motorcycle club than an architect’s firm.
I didn’t perceive it so much in London, but here in Inverness, I noticed some folks—men and women—crossing the street as I walked down it. Even in Ardnoch, a tourist or two had crossed the street to avoid walking past me. And while women, in general, didn’t seem to mind my appearance, there were a few, like the one we just passed, who were visibly intimidated.
That stung because I’d cut off my own fucking arm before I’d ever hurt a woman.
“Why?” Callie was pissed. “Because you’re tall and have tattoos?”
“Callie.” I squeezed her hand, not wanting to upset her, ever, but especially not while pregnant. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine,” she huffed. “I’m so sick of people and their judgmental nonsense.”
I tightened my grip, gently pulling her into me as I lowered my voice. “You don’t know why she reacted that way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe something happened to make her afraid. If so, I feel bad for her, not angry.”
Callie halted in the middle of the corridor. The morning sickness seemed to be over, and Callie had some energy back. Her skin glowed healthily, and there were no dark circles under her eyes. She was beautiful either way, but right now she was so stunning, my self -control was on a tightrope. “You are the sweetest man I’ve ever known.”
I smirked, abashed. Leaning down, I murmured, “How about the sexiest?”
Her blue eyes glittered with laughter and flirt. “That too.”
There had been a lot of flirting these past three weeks. Some kissing, hand-holding, hugging. But nothing else because we were taking it slow. And fuck, was it killing me slowly.
We checked in for our appointment and as soon as we sat down in the waiting area, Callie grumbled, “From avoiding you in the corridor to practically panting all over you.”
I asked her what she meant as I rested our clasped hands on my thigh.
“The receptionist,” she murmured under her breath. “She was undressing you with her eyes. Totally inappropriate. You’re here with your pregnant girlfriend.”
I didn’t hear anything else but “pregnant girlfriend.” I grinned.
Callie glowered. “Oh, you like that?”
“The pregnant girlfriend part, aye. Didn’t know we were calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend .”
Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d let slip. “Well, I mean, we’re d-dating?—”
I cut her off with a quick kiss. “I’m your boyfriend.”
“Aye?”
“Aye.”
A smile tugged at her lips, giving her away even as she shrugged casually. “Cool.”
I chuckled. “Cool.”
Our appointment slot came and went as we waited, so we passed the time chatting quietly about the new house. It came partially furnished, but Callie reckoned I needed to switch some pieces for softer, plusher furnishings to add coziness. She was right. As it was, th e house was very masculine, and I loved it, but I hadn’t only bought it for me. Even if it took me the entire pregnancy to convince Callie to move in with me, I wanted the place as inviting as possible to her. So I was subtly trying to get her to put her stamp on it.
“Maybe we could go sofa shopping,” I suggested. “I need your help to pick something.”
“Sure.” She shrugged happily.
“And mattress shopping.” The bed in the primary suite was built into the design, but I didn’t like the current mattress. “Something sturdy so I can give it to you how you like it.”
Callie’s eyes practically popped out of her head as she smacked my arm with her free hand and glanced quickly around to make sure no one was listening. “Lewis!” she hissed.
My shoulders shook with quiet laughter as our eyes met. I’m sure mine were reminding her of how hard she wanted it the last time we had sex because her cheeks bloomed an uncharacteristic shade of pink.
Fuck, she was adorable. I stole another quick kiss.
“Callie Ironside,” a voice called from our right, and we turned to see a woman in a dark blue smock.
We stood up, and her eyes fell on us.
Callie’s hand tightened around mine in a way I knew she wasn’t even aware of, and I pulled her into my side.
The woman moved toward us, a friendly smile on her face. “Hi, Callie, I’m Verity. I’ll be your midwife.”
“Nice to meet you. This is my … boyfriend. Lewis.”
Boyfriend. That hurt in a really good way. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too. Come this way.”
She settled us into a private room. I saw the midwife note Callie’s tight grip on my hand, and she gave her an understanding smile. Verity was warm and kind, and I was relieved to observe Callie relax. The first few questions were easy. Where Callie lived and who she lived with. I was hoping the latter answer would change sooner rather than later.
“Do you have friends and family nearby?”
Callie nodded. “I’m hardly ever alone.”
Her gaze flicked between us. “And I do have to ask if Lewis is the father?”
“He is.”
“I am.”
Verity gave me a smile. “Congrats to you, too, then.”
“Thanks.”
She asked me for my full name, date of birth, and all that stuff, and then asked Callie if she’d ever been pregnant before, if she smoked, how much alcohol she drank, about her mental and physical health.
“And do you have a job, Callie?”
“I run a bakery with my mum.”
The midwife paused and looked up from her iPad. “Not Callie’s Wee Cakery?”
Callie smiled. “That’s the one.”
“Oh my goodness.” Verity beamed. “I am in love with your bakery. My wife and I make a trip into Ardnoch once a month just so I can get my fix. The new pastries are to die for. I could swim in a vat of those Ardnoch Saint Honorés.”
“Thank you so much. That means a lot.”
“I knew you looked familiar and now I know why. I’m sorry if I’m fangirling, but I always tell my wife how lucky we are to have a bakery like the cakery so close when you could be working in a top restaurant.”
Joy lit Callie’s eyes and pride filled mine as I lifted her hand to kiss the back of it. I could have kissed Verity, too, because she had no idea how much my girlfriend needed to hear such kindness about her talent.
The appointment lasted an hour. Verity took Callie’s measurements, measured her blood pressure, took some blood and urine, and explained exactly why she was doing all that. I tried not to let myself get anxious about all the bloody things that could go wrong with this pregnancy, even as Verity assured Callie that she was young and healthy.
We discussed how the baby would develop over the coming months, what kind of diet would be best and what foods to avoid, antenatal classes, breastfeeding, if she intended to have the baby at the hospital or at home, the tests and scans that needed to be scheduled. I hung on to every word because I wanted Callie to know that other than actually physically having the baby, she was not alone in any of this.
“Do you regularly exercise, Callie?”
“Pilates and tae kwon do.”
“She’s a black belt,” I offered proudly.
Callie smirked. “We both are.”
Verity nodded. “How long have you been training in tae kwon do?”
“Fifteen years.”
“Okay. Well, Pilates is perfectly safe to continue while you’re comfortable to do it, though you may have to avoid certain positions the further along you get. I encourage you to keep that up. However, I do think you should tell your martial arts instructor you’re pregnant.”
“He knows, and I’m already excluded from sparring and breaking.” It was part of the rules that Fyfe had to enforce as an instructor.
“That’s good. I think since you’ve been training for years, it’s safe to continue classes as long as you’re avoiding physical combat with your peers.”
We’d talked about tae kwon do after Fyfe agreed to let Callie back into his cla ss. He was nervous of her being there while pregnant, and Callie was frustrated by the limitations set on her but willing to oblige. Though I knew she already missed sparring. I’d reminded her it was only for the next six and a half months, and then she could try to kick my arse any time she pleased after that.
Not long later, Callie and I were walking back to the car.
“Verity was really lovely,” she said with relief.
“She was. How are you feeling?”
“Like reality is kicking in a bit. You?”
“Same.” I held open the car door for her and hurried around to the other side. It had been a few days since I’d been out on the Harley and while I missed it, I had more hope than ever that once the baby was here, I’d have Callie back on my bike.
“Did you take everything in that she said?”
“I did,” I promised. Then as we started driving out of the car park, I forced myself to say, “I’ve been checked. I know she’s running tests for STIs, but I want you to know that I had a health check after Roisin. And you were the last person I slept with.”
“I know. You don’t have to worry about that. I had a health check after Gabriel. So I’m pretty certain all is good there.”
Gabriel.
I’d avoided bringing him up since seeing him in the village that day because I didn’t want to ruin anything between me and Callie. In fact, both of us seemed to be avoiding discussing the seven years we’d been apart, which I wasn’t sure was healthy and knew we’d need to broach soon. There hadn’t been an opportunity to approach the subject of Gabriel. Until now. “So … what was he doing in Ardnoch?”
“Gabriel?”
“Aye.” I tried to keep my hands loose around the steering wheel. The truth was I d espised how jealous that bloke made me feel. I was the one in a car with Callie, being called her boyfriend while she was pregnant with my child. That’s all that mattered. At least I wanted it to be all that mattered.
Callie released a slow breath. “He was honestly just stopping by on his travels. And he wanted to apologize.”
“For what?” I frowned. “Shit. You don’t need to tell me. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s fine. He … look, I told you before, what he and I had wasn’t serious. We never shared anything too personal with each other. Especially Gabriel. In fact, he could be downright evasive. But the last few weeks we were together, he was really distant, and I ended things weeks before I left Paris because of it. He acted like he didn’t care. So he was apologizing for being a bit shitty in the final weeks of our relationship.”
I nodded, trying to stop myself … but I couldn’t. “So, the kiss at the bus stop?”
“You saw that?”
“How else do you think I knew he was in town?”
“I’m sorry.” Callie reached over to caress my knee in apology. “Really. It was only a goodbye kiss.”
I nodded again.
She patted my knee and sat back. “You want the truth?”
My stomach churned. “Always.”
“It was awkward. Gabriel being in Ardnoch. Selfishly, I didn’t want him there. I wanted him to remain in Paris as a memory. He was only a distraction, Lewis. Everything that came after you … it was all just a distraction. Life … life feels real again. And I don’t know if that’s particularly healthy for either of us.” She let out a huff. “But I can’t help but feel that way. It’s like … like we really are two halves of one whole.”
Relief and joy and overwhelming fucking love choked me, and I couldn’t speak. I wanted nothing more than to kiss her so hard, she’d never f orget it. I could feel her waiting nervously for my response and slumping in disappointment when it didn’t come.
Finally, after we crossed the Kessock Bridge, I pulled over onto a layby, switched off the engine, unhooked my seat belt, and cupped my hand around Callie’s head. I swallowed her sound of surprise in the hungriest kiss I’d allowed myself in the last three weeks. I stroked her tongue with mine, inviting her to devour me right back. She moaned and looped her arms around my neck, pushing up off her seat and into me. Her tongue met mine and I shuddered, wishing we were anywhere but in the car.
A horn blasted, jolting us apart.
Breathless, we held onto each other for a few seconds more. Then I pressed another soft kiss to her swollen lips and whispered, “I feel the same, mo chridhe.”
Her smile was slow and sweet as I released her so I could clip my belt back on.
As I merged into traffic, heading home, Callie suggested, “Maybe we could go sofa shopping in a few weeks?”
“And then mattress shopping after that?” I shot her a wicked grin.
“Hmm. But remember … it’ll need to be sturdy .”
I burst out laughing, feeling lighter than I had in years.