Chapter Twenty-Nine
Monty
M onty made his way up the grassy path, his pulse beating in his ear like a drum.
And there she was. Iona. Beautiful as ever, her long hair dancing in the wind as she stood near the bench, Kisimul Castle in the background. Her eyes were wide, and she gaped at him as if she couldn’t believe he was real. He could hardly believe it himself. Or at least the fact that he was here.
He stopped a little distance away, unsure how to approach this. ‘Hi.’ That was the best his mind could do for now.
She continued to stare, her mouth slightly open, her eyes searching his face. So many questions flashed in those dark blue orbs.
He smiled gently. ‘Are you ok? I see you don’t have your bike or chips this time, so am I safe to come nearer?’
A smile broke on her face, and she closed the distance between them, throwing herself into his arms. He caught her, holding her tightly and rocking with her as he enjoyed the full force of the hug. Her warmth, her scent, everything about her was exactly as he remembered, and his heart was fit to burst.
‘Oh my god.’ She pulled back and stared at him. ‘I have a million questions.’
He stroked her hair off her face with both his hands and clutched it, taking a moment just to reacquaint himself with her.
‘What are you doing here?’ Her eyes darted around. ‘Though maybe you should hang fire on that. I’m supposed to be on the lookout for two guests who I think have wandered off.’
He let out a little laugh. ‘There are no wandering guests.’
‘Wait… What?’
‘It’s just me. I asked Catriona to send you to meet me, but not to say it was me. I wanted to surprise you.’
‘Seriously? She’s in on this?’
‘She certainly is.’
Iona shook her head and clenched a fist. ‘Duh. I didn’t even question her, even though I thought it was a bit odd that she didn’t ask Alex or Ruaridh. I can’t believe I fell for it.’
‘Me neither.’ He grinned. ‘You’re slipping.’
‘I must be. But does that mean you came on the boat?’
‘I did. With my car.’
‘And you survived a four-and-a-half-hour boat trip?’
‘As you see. These little bands work wonders.’ He waggled his wrists to show off the pair of travel bands he’d bought for himself. ‘I actually enjoyed it. Such beautiful scenery, and just watching the sea is so calming. I thought I might see a whale. Some people on the boat said they’d seen porpoises, but I missed all that.’
Iona shook her head and slow blinked. ‘Well, you coming on the ferry is possibly even more unexpected than you being here at all.’
‘Are you impressed?’
‘I am, but I’m also curious. Why are you here?’
‘For you. For us. For a new start… If that’s what you want.’ Monty held his breath, waiting for Iona’s response. Had he read this right? Or perhaps wanting to make this a surprise wasn’t a smart move.
Her eyes held his, then she ran her fingers around his jawline. ‘A new start,’ she repeated softly. ‘With me?’
‘If that’s what you want.’
‘Hell yes.’ She grinned, and a huge wave of calm rolled over him. ‘You’re the first person I’ve ever struggled to live without. I can’t stand not having you in my life.’
‘Same. I’ll do anything to be with you.’ He pulled her into a hug, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, tightening her hold on him.
‘I don’t want you to sacrifice anything for me,’ she murmured in his ear.
‘I’m not. Just finding a way to make it work for us.’ He took her face in his hands, gazing into those beautiful blue eyes. ‘Nothing I do here will ever be a sacrifice.’ Dipping in, he covered her mouth with his, sealing his lips on hers in a long, warm kiss. This was where he belonged. It had always been in his blood, even if he hadn’t been aware of it. Now it was in his heart.
When they broke apart, Iona rested her forehead against his, her breath coming in soft gasps. ‘But what about your job? How long can you stay?’
Monty smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘I’ve negotiated a new role. I can work from home and travel to the Glasgow office every so often. The flights will be good for that. So I can stay as long as you want me.’
Her eyes widened, and her smile lit her face. ‘Really?’
‘Yes. As long as we’re happy together, which I hope is a very long time.’
‘Me too.’ She hugged him again. ‘Though god knows where you’re going to live. You can stay with me, of course, but I only have a little room at the farmhouse.’
‘That’ll do for now, assuming you’re ok with it.’
‘More than.’
‘Then let’s go with that. We can worry about long-term living arrangements another time.’
Iona’s eyes sparkled, and it looked like she couldn’t stop smiling. Monty could relate. His body and soul had never felt more relaxed.
‘You have no idea how much this means to me.’ Iona almost crushed him in a hug.
‘I think I do,’ he whispered, pulling her close again. ‘I really do.’
He held her, letting the warmth of her embrace seep into his bones. He’d never tire of this. They stood together, wrapped in each other’s arms for what felt like forever, neither wanting to break the moment.
Eventually, Iona pulled back slightly. ‘We should probably head back to the farmhouse.’
‘Yeah, let’s do that. It’s not like there’s any time limit on these hugs now.’
His plan to surprise her meant they both had their own cars but had randomly parked not far from each other.
Iona gave his BMW the once over. ‘That’s such a wanker-banker-mobile.’
He smirked. ‘Well, you can make an island man out of a banker, but you can’t take the banker out of the island man.’
She leaned up and kissed him. ‘I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
He followed her out of the village and back along the single-track road towards the farmhouse. Waves rushed up and broke against the rocks as the road cut close to the sea. The island looked as rugged and beautiful as ever. This wonderful island that had brought them both together.
As Monty parked in the driveway, Catriona was waiting outside the farmhouse with little Eilidh. Even from this distance, he could see Catriona’s smile.
As soon as Eilidh spotted Iona, she ran over and wrapped her arms around her legs.
‘You’re back!’ Eilidh squealed. ‘Did you find him?’
Iona ruffled her hair and turned around. ‘Sure did.’ She winked at Monty. He popped the boot and took out a bag.
Catriona folded her arms. ‘Did you not find the guests, then?’
Monty closed the boot in time to see Iona’s glare. ‘You sent me on a wild goose chase. I can’t believe I fell for it.’
Catriona laughed, then turned to Monty. ‘Everything go to plan?’
‘Definitely. Thank you for helping me pull that off.’
Catriona approached him and gave him a little hug. ‘No problem. It was fun. I can’t believe Iona fell for it.’
‘You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?’
‘No,’ both Catriona and Monty said at the same time.
They all laughed.
‘Come on,’ Catriona said. ‘Why don’t you pop your bags upstairs, Monty, then we can sit out at the picnic table and enjoy the view. I’ll get us some drinks.’
Monty headed up with Iona. ‘You’ll have to excuse the messy room. I didn’t know I’d be getting a guest.’
‘I hope this is ok. I probably should have warned you about it, but the idea of surprising you seemed like fun. If you’d rather I find accommodation elsewhere for the time being—’
She stopped on the stairs, turned around and put her finger on his lips. ‘I don’t want you anywhere but with me.’
That was all he needed to hear. He popped his bags in a corner of the room while Iona had a quick tidy around. When she was done, she came over and gave him a quick kiss.
‘Shame we have to go downstairs really,’ she said.
‘There’s no rush to do anything. I’m not going anywhere.’
She smiled, and they headed downstairs and took their seats at the picnic table. The sea sparkled behind the dunes in the distance. Iona put her hand in his, and their fingers entwined. ‘What does your mum make of this?’
‘She thought I was mad at first,’ Monty said. ‘But she’s come round to the idea. She might even visit one day. You never know.’
‘My parents might too if they discover I’m dating a banker. They’ll love you.’
‘Why? Because I have the right job?’
‘Exactly.’
He shook his head. ‘You need to show them some kite surfing. If that doesn’t impress them, I don’t know what will.’
She squeezed his hand. ‘Maybe. We’ll see.’
Catriona returned with a tray of drinks, setting it down on the table, and Eilidh added a tray of heart-shaped biscuits with various icing designs and sprinkles.
‘Did you do these?’ Monty asked.
‘Yes.’ She smiled at him. ‘I like that one best.’ She pointed at one covered in pink sugar beads.
‘It does look good, but you better eat it, if it’s your favourite.’
Catriona handed out napkins. ‘If you two can survive the summer season in Iona’s room, you can rent the annex for the rest of the year, if you like. Possibly indefinitely if I get the glamping pods up and running.’
Iona flicked her gaze to Monty. ‘Really?’
‘Really,’ Catriona confirmed.
Monty squeezed Iona’s hand. ‘That sounds great. Thank you so much.’
‘Yes, thank you. That would be so great.’ Iona leaned over and hugged her.
Catriona sat beside Eilidh and lifted a biscuit. ‘No trouble. And I hope you’ll be able to give me some more help with the business if I need it.’
‘Of course.’ Monty chose a biscuit for himself, smiling his approval at Eilidh, who was watching him. ‘I’d be happy to.’
‘Such a beautiful day.’ Iona let out a contented sigh.
‘Stunning.’ Monty kept his eyes on her as he sipped his drink. The sea washed up beyond, its soothing music like the stuff of dreams. A dream Monty was going to live for a very long time. This was where he belonged, on Barra, beside Iona, ready to face whatever came their way.