Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
NORTH
As I stood staring around at the people crowded into the Gloaming—a pub, restaurant, and hotel owned by Lachlan and Arran Adair—I felt a sense of melancholy that was about more than the occasion that had called us there.
Despite the bad blood that reportedly had existed between Adairs and McCullochs for generations, Lachlan had insisted on celebrating the life of local farmer Collum McCulloch in the two-hundred-year-old building they’d renovated.
He’d invited the entire village to attend and all around me were people, not just taking advantage of the free food and access to alcohol, but sharing stories about Collum. They were celebrating the man.
Friends and neighbors brought together by one person.
Over the past few weeks, friends who’d gone quiet resurfaced, calling and texting. Not one to hold a grudge, I’d responded to those I genuinely liked. However, standing in that pub in a tiny village in the Highlands, I’d never been more aware of how few loyal friends I had.
Unbelievably, Theo could be counted among the most genuine. Even more unbelievably, I maybe even missed his presence now that he’d returned to London.
There were my foster parents. They sincerely cared about me.
But that seemed to be the list.
I’d been so focused on building a career that I hadn’t bothered to nurture any real friendships.
As I chatted with Walker, I considered he’d make a good mate.
He hadn’t been able to trace anyone to my threatening letters, and no others had arrived since.
But I could see from the determined glint in his eyes he wasn’t quite ready to give up on the mystery yet.
It was a pity he couldn’t be lured away from Ardnoch because he was apparently the best private security out there.
I could make do with friendship instead.
For the first time in a long time, I wanted to put down roots.
Glancing across the room at Aria as she chatted with Sloane and Monroe Adair, I knew she was partly the reason my perspective had changed.
Of course, being temporarily ostracized from Hollywood had kicked off my introspection, but Aria had only emphasized to me how important connections were.
She’d been like a new person since she and her sister had sorted out their issues, even if she’d been sad to see Allegra return to the States.
I’d always known the importance of family.
Losing mine had made sure of that. But somewhere along the way, I’d allowed myself to focus elsewhere.
But now that I’d found someone I wanted to be around as much as I did Aria, I felt that itch beneath my skin, that driving force that had gotten me where I was as an actor. Now it was focused on her. On a life with her.
When I was old and gray, would any acting award or accolade make up for the fact that I was alone?
The thought filled me with dread. Not just the alone part … but the part where Aria wasn’t old and gray at my side.
Fuck, I wanted that. Aye, I wanted roots, but more than that, I wanted mine to be entwined with Aria Howard’s.
My eyes raked hungrily over her back. She wore a black dress with a skirt that flared out from the waist, and I’d imagined sliding my hands beneath it from the moment I saw her.
“Things seemed to have turned around for you.” Brodan Adair sidled up to me and Walker at the bar, drawing me out of my overwhelming realization.
Like his brother Lachlan, Brodan had retired from acting.
Unlike his brother, Brodan had been more than a good-looking action star.
He was taken seriously and on the road to an Oscar win when he gave it up to come home, marry, and become a father.
We’d seen each other around on the award ceremony circuit, but we’d only exchanged a few words here and there. I held out my hand. “Nice to see you.”
“Aye, you too.” He shook my hand. “I’m sorry about what you’ve been put through. I hope Hollywood has come crawling back on their knees.”
I grinned. “They have that. I’m in training at the moment for my next role.
Filming starts in a few weeks.” It was true.
Aria had already commented that she could see a difference in the breadth of my shoulders.
I didn’t want to bulk up too much, but I needed a lot of upper body strength for some of the stunts.
“Good. Glad to hear it.” Brodan gestured around. “What brings you here?”
I forced myself not to look at Aria. “Aria and I are friends. She wanted to pay her respects, and I thought I’d keep her company.”
He and Walker exchanged a knowing look I pretended not to see.
“Collum seems like he was quite the character.”
Brodan frowned. “He was always a crabbit auld bastard to me, but I have to forgive him because he saved my brother’s and Robyn’s lives.”
“Aye, what happened there?” I asked.
But before Brodan could tell me, a hush fell over the room. I turned to see what had drawn everyone’s attention.
Standing in the doorway was the man I’d seen usher Sarah McCulloch from the castle that fateful morning two weeks ago. Sympathy scored through me as Jared McCulloch looked around the room, dark circles of grief under his eyes.
People seemed to wait with bated breath as his gaze landed on Lachlan.
Then he determinedly crossed the room. Lachlan drew himself up as if preparing for a confrontation. But Jared merely held out his hand to shake. “I’m going to do what my grandad wanted to do but was too stubborn to admit he wanted … bury that damn stupid feud.”
Lachlan pressed his lips together, his eyes looking suspiciously bright. He clasped Jared’s hand in both of his. “Despite everything, I admired the hell out of Collum. And I’ll never forget what he did for me and my wife. His loss is felt deeply.”
Jared swallowed hard and nodded his thanks.
Clapping a hand on his back, Lachlan embraced the younger man and turned him toward the bar. “Let me buy you a drink.”
“Sometimes my big brother is a pain in the arse,” Brodan murmured at my side. “But then he goes and does shit like that, inspiring the rest of us to be better men, which only makes him an even bigger pain in the arse.”
I chuckled softly as the volume again increased.
The Gloaming had been built in the square with a large car park for visitors out front.
The historical architecture and design of the village appealed to tourists as much as we celebrities staying on the village outskirts.
Everything predated the mid-twentieth century, and dominating it all, near the Gloaming, sat a medieval cathedral.
Shops, restaurants, and bed-and-breakfasts scattered throughout the village on quaint row streets.
Castle Street was the main road off the square that led out of Ardnoch toward Ardnoch Castle and Estate.
It was an avenue of identical nineteenth-century terraced houses with dormer windows.
Many of the homes had been converted into boutiques, cafés, and inns.
I’d only ventured into the village a few times, but I’d been struck by how picturesque it was.
The Gloaming itself was like most old pubs in Scotland. It had low ceilings with dark wooden beams, a large fireplace, and traditional furniture with a modern twist.
Aria stood with Monroe near a large table occupied by the Adair family.
And they were an outrageously braw-looking bunch.
I spotted Eredine, the Pilates, yoga, and mindfulness instructor from Ardnoch.
I’d taken a few of her classes over the last year.
According to Aria, she was engaged to the youngest Adair brother and pub co-owner, Arran.
He sat at her side, his arm wrapped around her shoulders as they chatted with the couple opposite them—an attractive redhead and a bearded man who shared too much of a resemblance to the Adair men not to be one of them.
Since I knew Arran, Lachlan, and Brodan, the man had to be Thane Adair, and the woman at his side was presumably his wife Regan.
Beside them were three kids. One I knew was Sloane’s daughter Callie, and the other two were dark-haired, a boy and a girl.
I didn’t know who they were, but they clearly belonged to the Adairs.
And tucked into the corner was a man I knew because he’d followed Lachlan Adair everywhere as his bodyguard back in the day—Mackennon Galbraith.
He held a baby in his arms while the striking woman at his side, whom I knew was Arrochar Adair, sat chatting with Lachlan’s wife, Robyn, who also cradled a young child.
Monroe held her and Brodan’s son. The Hollywood star who gave up acting for the childhood sweetheart he’d reunited with had fascinated the world, and I remembered the paps had hounded them for a while.
But Brodan hadn’t given up Hollywood entirely.
He’d turned his hand to screenwriting, producing, and directing.
He’d found a way to have everything he wanted by returning to his roots. To the Adairs.
They were a big, growing family. Close as could be.
I felt a pang of envy watching them.
My eyes moved to Aria. “Excuse me,” I muttered and crossed the room to place a hand on Aria’s back.
She glanced up with a surprised smile of welcome. “Hey. You okay?”
I nodded. “You?”
“It’s sad, but it’s also really amazing to see how someone’s life can affect others. All these people came out to say goodbye to Mr. McCulloch. There are famous people who can’t inspire that level of emotion.”
Her words hit a wee bit too close to home. Who would truly miss me if something happened to me?
At my flinch, her eyes widened. “North—”
A bell rang out around the bar, cutting her off, and we all turned.
Arran Adair now stood behind the bar, drawing everyone’s attention.
“I just want to thank you all”—his voice boomed around the room—“for coming here today to celebrate Collum and the indelible mark he’s left on Ardnoch.
I’m sure he’d be mortified by the attention, which just makes me glad we did this all the more. ”