Chapter 7 Eredine #2
Fran was Thane’s deceased wife. I hadn’t known her as well as I know Arro, but I’d liked Fran.
She was warm and friendly and had a great sense of humor.
She’d died from an aneurysm not long after Eilidh was born.
Thane woke up and found her in bed beside him, just gone.
Imagining how that must have been for him always brought tears to my eyes.
I’d assumed Thane would never settle down again, but to be honest, I never saw passion between him and Fran like what I’d witnessed between him and Regan.
With Fran, it was their quiet, affectionate contentment I’d envied.
With Regan … his eyes barely left her if she was in the room.
I’d caught them making out in his office one day, and the fire between them was something to behold.
In fact, although I’d told Arran there was something extra special about Arro and Mac’s relationship, now that I really thought about it, the Adair siblings all loved their partners with an enviable fierceness.
It was unreal how epic their love affairs had been, but I guessed the fates were making up for all the stalking, kidnapping, murder, and mayhem also thrown their way.
Robyn’s expression abruptly changed. Her brow pinched tightly. “I’m worried about Lachlan. It feels a little more like hovering. He doesn’t want me to go anywhere without him, but he’s also really inside his head. I can barely get a conversation out of him.”
“Why is he so worried?” Regan frowned. “You’re young and healthy.”
Robyn flicked Arro a look before shrugging.
Arro’s expression shuttered a little. “It’s because my mum died after giving birth to me, isn’t it?”
A tense silence fell among us, and I wanted to reach a hand out to Robyn and Arro.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to bring up something painful for you.” Robyn gave Arro an apologetic look.
“It’s all right. It affected us in different ways, but Lachlan was the oldest. He remembers her. Talk to him, Robbie. Don’t let him spiral with this.”
She nodded contemplatively but asked, “Dad isn’t hovering over you and my soon-to-be little brother or sister?”
Arro grinned. “He’s hovering a fair amount, but I think the normal amount.”
“Good.”
“Well, not to be completely rude, but no more pregnancy talk for the next hour,” Regan interjected. “We can talk babies after we do book club. Books out, please.”
As we did just that, I said, “I’m a new fan. Bought a bunch more romance novels after reading this one.”
Regan’s eyes lit up. “Really? I’ll give you some recommendations.”
“Great.”
“I liked how it wasn’t all just sex,” Robyn offered. “The heroine went through this compelling journey, and although the hero was kinda bossy, like a certain man I know, she stood her ground with him.”
“Like a certain woman we know,” Regan teased.
“Can’t let them steamroll you. Adair men are natural leaders who think they know what’s best for everyone. They need women who’ll remind them to be team players.” Robyn laughed.
I frowned because I wasn’t sure Arran was like that at all. He was so easygoing. Though he had bulldozed his way into my life, so I guessed he had a bit of a bossy spirit.
“Those sex scenes were hot.” Arro pretended to fan herself. “Seriously, Mac was especially pleased with my reaction to them.”
“No.” Robyn pointed a finger at Arro. “No, no, no, no, no.”
Arro chuckled. “Sorry, I forget sometimes.”
“You forgot when we just discussed it two seconds ago?”
Arro shot me a smirk, and I covered a snort by hiding behind my book.
Robyn grumbled under her breath while Regan smiled devilishly. “Oh, Thane loves my devotion to romance novels. This one time, he actually acted out this—”
“La, la, la, la, la, laaaa!” Arro stuck her fingers in her ears like a child, and I burst into laughter while Robyn high-fived Regan in thanks.
Dropping her hands to her lap, Arro scowled. “Okay, new rule for book club. We do not mention our sex lives.”
Regan flicked a look at me, and I squirmed because now I knew what she was thinking.
I didn’t have a sex life.
I dropped my gaze, feeling like an outsider.
That wasn’t anything new, but for once, just once, I wished I felt normal.
That I could join a conversation about sex with my friends and have it be based on current life, not on the relationships I had in my late teens and early twenties.
Relationships that now felt part of someone else’s life so long ago, they seemed so distant from who I’d become in Scotland.
ARRAN
The familiar sight of red hair stopped me in my tracks.
Monroe Sinclair stepped out of Morag’s, a grocery store and deli on Castle Street, with a bag in hand.
She turned her head, saw me, startled, gave me a hesitant wave, and then hurried to the car park outside the Gloaming.
I was too far away to catch up, so as I sauntered away from Flora’s with a to-go coffee in hand, I didn’t bother to hurry after her.
She was in her car and driving in the opposite direction out of Ardnoch, presumably to her mum’s on the eastern side of the village.
The reminder had me fumbling in my pocket for my phone as Zuzanna, the owner of an outdoor clothing store, walked toward me with her teenage daughter, Maja, at her side. I nodded hello to them and grinned as Maja beamed flirtatiously. “Hi, Arran!”
“Hello, lovely Maja.” I winked at her, making her giggle, while her mother shook her head with a small smile.
Hitting Brodan’s number on my phone, the smile dropped from my face as it rang.
When I’d first bumped into Monroe with Ery, I’d tried to reach Brodan, but I could only get him via voice mail and text.
There was no way I was telling him about Monroe like that.
Since he still hadn’t told us if he was coming home for the anniversary ceilidh, I had an excuse to keep calling until I got him.
To my shock, the line clicked on. “Do you know what fucking time it is here?” my brother grumbled.
I chuckled. “Sorry about that. I keep forgetting you’re in Canada.”
“Try not to.” I heard him yawn loudly and felt a prickle of guilt.
“Shit, I am sorry for waking you.”
“Don’t be. I’m on set early every morning, so the alarm was just about to go off. Everything all right?”
Sighing, I took a sip of coffee before answering. “I was just calling to see if you’re coming home for the ceilidh? It’s been a while, Bro.”
“I know, I know,” he groaned wearily. “It’s just been one project after another, and my manager says it’s rare that it’s like this, so I should enjoy it while I can.”
“Aye, I get it.” Disappointment filled me. “Is that a no, then?”
“I just … I’ll see if I can squeeze in a quick trip, but I don’t know.”
My stomach churned as I prepared to mention Monroe.
“You still there?”
“Aye, I’m here.”
“You okay?”
“Fine, fine. It’s just, um … well, I thought you might want to know that Monroe is back in Ardnoch. Permanently.”
A heavy silence fell between us.
“Monroe Sinclair,” I stupidly added.
“I know who the fuck Monroe is, Arran,” he snapped.
“Of course.” An awkwardness I hadn’t felt with my brother in a long time settled in. Jesus Christ, I’d give anything to take back that night.
“Family okay?” Brodan abruptly changed the subject.
“They’re good.”
“Arro and Robyn doing okay? Can’t believe they’re pregnant at the same time. More nieces or nephews or both, eh?”
“The more, the merrier,” I offered, wincing at the small talk.
Brodan obviously couldn’t take it. “I have to get up and get going. I won’t be able to make it to the ceilidh, but give everyone my love. Bye, Arr.” He hung up before I could say another word.
I scrubbed a hand over my face, wracked with guilt.
All these years, and Monroe was still a thorn between us.
Because of what Brodan considered my betrayal … or because he’d never gotten over her?
As selfish as it was, I hoped like hell it was the latter, not just because I didn’t want that kind of ugliness between me and my brother, but because of Ery.
One day soon, I hoped I’d have reason for another awkward fucking conversation with my brother, and it would really help things along if Monroe Sinclair, and not Eredine Willows, was the woman renting space in Brodan’s head.
“Fuck,” I muttered, very much not looking forward to that inevitable discussion.
Well, inevitable once I convinced Ery we’d be great together.