Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Town
Brunch
Thursday Noon
Luckily for them, there was a quaint little bistro in the shopping district that had emptied out for the morning, proving that during the week, the Scottish ate early. That worked in their favor.
When they went in, needing some sustenance, the employees working there were more than happy to seat them.
Gryphen ordered for them, and Ian didn’t mind. He liked when the big man fed him. He ordered them both a full Scottish breakfast.
Whatever that was.
As they sat there, drinking coffee, waiting on their food, Ian ran his leg up and down Gryphen’s under the table.
“I hope you weren’t doing that on the other one first. I wouldn’t have known,” he joked.
Ian grinned.
“I’m well aware of which is which,” he admitted. “You don’t have to worry about that. I have a favorite.”
“Oh, which is that?” he asked.
“The middle one.”
It caught him off guard, and it took him a second, but then, a grin spread across his face, and he thought about it.
“Oh, Mr. Patterson, you’re so dirty, but I absolutely like it. Want to come over here and sit beside me? Maybe you can put your hand on it.”
Ian chewed on his lip.
“In a public place?” he asked, feigning being innocent, because he’d feel-up this Marine in a heartbeat in the middle of a public square.
“Absolutely,” Gryphen said, not believing he’d actually do it.
Only, much to his delight, he did.
Ian got up, switched booths, and parked his ass right next to a surprised Marine.
Then, he leaned in and whispered in his ear.
“You make me want to do really insane things, and getting you hard in a public place is one of them,” he admitted, as he cupped him.
And like he promised, Gryphen went hard.
“Jesus, I love you,” he whispered, as the man he loved intimately squeezed him through his pants.
It sent shockwaves through his body.
“And this is why you find yourself bent over and full of my cum,” he said, as he enjoyed the full-on dick fondle in the bistro.
“Yes, please,” he whispered. “Fuck me.”
God, it got hot in there.
Gryphen could feel the flush moving up his body, and he knew later, he’d give the man everything he deserved when they had their evening date.
If you were going to be a dick tease, be ready to be punished.
Bet on it.
Tonight, he’d make Ian scream his name as he came over and over again.
As the waitress came over, she placed the giant plates of food in front of them.
“Uh, Gryphen, who are you feeding? An army?”
He laughed, and winked at him.
“Later, you. Now, us.”
The meaning wasn’t lost on him. He knew what he’d be filling his belly and ass with, and he couldn’t wait.
“Dive in.”
Ian went right for the bacon, and sausages. That tended to be his favorite part when they made breakfast at home.
It was clear that he was starving.
The nonstop sex was making him hungry all of the time, and he liked that Gryphen didn’t want him to be slim just to be slim.
He loved him how he was, and that was a first for him.
Out of curiosity, Gryphen went with the haggis, wanting to try it.
As he cracked it open, he scooped some up. Tasting it, he wasn’t disappointed.
“Try this,” he said, feeding Ian some of it to see what he thought of it.
“Yay or nay?” he asked.
It had an interesting texture, and he didn’t dislike it. It was tasty.
“I kind of like it,” he said. “What’s this?” Ian asked, pointing to a round of sausage.
Oh, well, that was going to be the interesting one.
“That is black pudding.”
“Dessert?” he asked.
“Uh, do you want me to tell you, or would you like to try it first and then find out what it is? Because that’s going to be the one that most people struggle with,” he stated.
He went with the latter.
He tried it, and then shook his head.
Immediately, he knew that wasn’t for him. It didn’t sit right on his taste buds.
“Nope. That tastes like a mouthful of pennies, and since I’m a Fed, and I work with Elizabeth, I know that the copper smell and taste is blood.”
He laughed.
“You’re right. It’s made with blood.”
Yep.
Nope.
That was coming off his culinary tour of Scotland immediately.
“Jesus. That is not a breakfast food. In my world, that’s a case that needs to be solved.”
He snorted.
“Elizabeth would say the same thing.”
What sane person wouldn’t? That’s what Ian really wanted to know.
“Are you going to try it?” Ian asked.
Gryphen nodded.
“Yeah, because then, I can say I did it.”
He took a bite, and then in true Gryphen fashion, he ate the whole thing.
This just solidified the theory that the man was a caloric vacuum cleaner.
As for the rest, they both ate the eggs, neither touched the beans because that was…weird, and they finished just about everything else.
“Full?” Gryphen asked.
Ian nodded.
“Yes. Very. I don’t think I could put anything else in my mouth.”
Gryphen grinned.
“Except that. I could definitely put that in my mouth,” he clarified.
That made them both laugh.
“Well, that’s intriguing, but now, what I need is a nap. How do people eat all this for breakfast?”
That was a good question.
If Gryphen needed a nap, Ian was okay with going back to the castle. He’d had a rough time in the town so far.
“We can go back, if that’s what you’d like to do,” he stated.
Oh, he’d ruined the kilt experience, so he wasn’t shitting on this too. There was no way he was going to let Ian miss out on solving his mystery.
“We can’t. We have a date.”
He looked confused.
“We do? With whom?” he asked.
Gryphen said one name.
“God.”
Ian grinned because that meant they were going to the church to do some digging.
“Now I feel bad for manhandling your dick before church,” he said, and then laughed. “Nah, I really don’t. I’m going to manhandle it after too. Who the hell am I kidding? It’s a spectacular dick.”
He snorted.
“I like that itinerary. A lot. I certainly won’t be complaining about that,” he said.
Because the day was ticking away, Gryphen paid the bill, and they both headed out of the bistro.
“If I keep eating like that, I’m going to be plump,” Ian said offhandedly.
When Gryphen looked over with that annoyed look on his face, Ian finished his sentence.
“Relax because I’m good with it. I can’t help it. I like food a little too much, so this cushion for pushin’ is definitely getting bigger. Heads up, I won’t be sleek.”
Gryphen clued him in.
“So? Then, you’ll be curvy, and that’s just as fucking hot. More pounding and friction and I’ll be able to hold onto you even better.”
Ian loved how Gryphen truly enjoyed his body, and it was genuine. He caught him checking him out all of the time, and it gave him a thrill.
After all, he did the same thing to him.
“I mean if you want, you can work out with me,” Gryphen offered. “We can lift some weights, and then, we can have sex after.”
That was an intriguing thought.
“So, heavy on the cardio? Because you know we’ll skip the weights. Neither of us has a whole lot of control.”
Well, he wasn’t lying.
That was for damn sure.
As they walked through the square, people looked at them, but more people didn’t. Even with Gryphen’s hand proprietarily on his ass, not as many people seemed to care that there were two gay men walking among them.
“I like it here,” Ian said. “It’s quaint and peaceful. If we get married, can we come back here for our honeymoon?” he asked. “Do you think Elizabeth would let us use the castle?”
Oh, he had news for him.
“If you asked her nicely, I’m betting she’d let us get married here,” Gryphen said.
He stared at him.
“Would you get married here?”
Gryphen stopped in the snow and stared at him.
“Uh, Ian, if you were to ask me to marry you, I’d do it in a stall in the stable covered in shit. I’m not exactly going to say no.”
He smiled at him.
“So you’d say yes?”
“Wouldn’t you if I asked you to marry me?” he inquired, as they stared into each other’s eyes.
Ian got that thrill at the idea that this man would do something romantic.
“In a heartbeat, Gryph. In a heartbeat.”
And there it was.
In that moment, Gryphen realized that he’d been right. While he told Ian to propose when he was ready, the man would be waiting for him to return the favor.
And he would.
Gryphen would do something romantic and give this man exactly the kind of proposal he deserved.
“I love you, Ian.”
The man smiled, and it was so peaceful and happy that it made Gryphen’s heart ache.
This was love.
This was what he’d always wondered about, and here it was, filling him to the point he overflowed with it. These were the best moments of his life.
“And I love you, Gryphen.”
With a gentle kiss, the bigger man made a silent promise to both of them. They’d both propose, and they’d get married here in their kilts.
Without a doubt.
“We should get to the church. The snow is coming down harder. We don’t want to get trapped in the town.”
They didn’t.
They had a perfectly good castle to stay at.
Gryphen did warn the man though.
“Behave inside,” Gryphen said. “Or else.”
That amused Ian since he was only half of the problem. Gryphen was too sexy for Ian’s own good.
As they approached the church, it was stunning and old.
There was some beautiful windows on the church, and they both knew it was likely the biggest church in this town. The Church of Scotland was the predominant Christian church there, and they made sure everyone knew it.
Opening the door, they walked in, being very respectful of the fact that this was a sacred place to people. Up front, there was a man checking hymnals and moving around the pews.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
This was new to Gryphen, so he let Ian handle it. He’d told him his mother had raised them with religion, so he was better equipped for this.
“Yes, actually, you can. We’re staying at Ravensmire Castle, and we were working on the history of it for the owner.”
The man moved closer.
“Are you now?”
Ian nodded.
“And we were told that you might have records here that could help us figure out a bit more of the history. Do you? We have a journal, but unfortunately, some of it is missing and we’re at a loss.”
He smiled in welcome.
“Aye, we have some things. Mostly, the death certificates.”
“Is there anyway we can look through them and use what you have to fill in some of the blanks?”
The man waved them toward a different part of the church.
“I can. Come with me,” he said, leading them through the pews.
Ian couldn’t help himself.
“It’s gorgeous in here,” Ian admitted.
The man led the way, and kept talking to them about the church.
“It is one of the oldest churches. It was built in the fifteen hundreds by the Granndach family.”
Well, holy shit.
“Duncan?” he asked.
“No, his father, Adhamh,” he said. “Today, you would know the name to be Adam. He built most of this town, and it’s only here because of him. He owned all of these lands.”
Ian pulled a little notepad from his pocket, and wrote it down. He was taking notes, not wanting to miss a single solitary thing.
The whole time, it made Gryphen smile. The man might have been the head of the Secret Service, but he loved solving shit. That was probably Elizabeth’s doing too.
He’d been bitten by the mystery bug.
“While he only had one son, he was prosperous here, and he made sure that this town took root for centuries to come.”
“It’s a beautiful place.”
“Aye, that it is,” he admitted. Then, he realized he didn’t introduce himself. “I’m Alfie McCullum,” he said, shaking their hands. “This church is my responsibility, along with the elders.”
Ian followed suit.
“I’m Ian,” he said. “This is Gryphen. Like I said, we’re guests at the castle, and we’re working on figuring out what happened back in fifteen ninety-three.”
In the back room, he showed them all of the books.
“Well, Laddies, you have your work cut out for you,” he stated.
That they did.
“We really appreciate this,” he admitted. “The owner is dying to know what happened to Ceit, Duncan’s wife.”
Okay, he was the one dying to know, but the little white lie wasn’t that bad. He knew Elizabeth, and she’d be curious too.
“Well, if it’s here, you’ll find it. My suggestion is start with the death records. Even then, that was the predominant record the church kept. If she wasn’t from Scotland, she won’t have a birth certificate here.”
“Is Ceit a Scottish name?” he asked, spelling it how it was in the letter.
“It sounds Gaelic so Celtic or Irish to me. She was likely an arranged marriage to the family, and brought here for some alliance.”
Well, that was likely a dead end.
“And we can go through all the books here?” he asked. “You don’t mind?”
He reassured him.
“Aye, you can. There are only two things I ask. You wear gloves for the older books, and when you find out the truth, you let us know. There is much mystery surrounding that castle. Some say it’s haunted.”
Oh, well, you could say that.
“We’ve heard,” Ian said, refusing to look at Gryphen or he’d break out in laughter.
Someone saw some shit in that castle.
The minister shrugged.
“I don’t believe that myself, but if it was, I can only imagine it would be justified. The late fifteen hundreds was a turbulent time here with the struggle to keep our lands and the British rulers.”
Well, if anything, History told the tale about England and its quest for domination.
“Thank you,” Ian said. “I’ll be very respectful and share what we find.”
The man lowered his voice and looked around to make sure no one else was there.
“By any chance can you give me a wee little hint as to who bought Ravensmire?” he asked. “Everyone in town is curious what her fate is going to be.”
Ian wished he could, but there was no doubt Callen and Chris wanted this kept on the downlow.
“I can’t. I’m sorry. The owner prefers privacy.”
The man sighed.
“I can assume an American,” he said, seeing the tattoo on Gryphen’s arm now that his coat was off, and his sleeve pushed up.
Ian didn’t see any harm in sharing that.
“Actually, yes, an American has purchased it.”
The man looked worried.
“Will they be destroying it or renovating it to its glory?” he asked. “Or can’t you tell me? We here love that castle. It’s part of our history, and we don’t want to see it destroyed.”
Knowing Callen and Chris, and how much they loved Elizabeth, there was no way they’d tear a castle down. Oh, they were going to restore it, and then gift it to her just to make her insane.
Oh, and she was going to lose her shit over this one. There was no doubt there.
“It’ll stay a private residence for the family. I can tell you that they are in the process of restoring it now.”
The man looked so much more relaxed over hearing that information. There was no doubt the whole town would know before the sun set.
“Good. History matters,” he said. “The Granndachs were powerful here with The Church of Scotland, and allies. Duncan was a brave knight.”
Oh, he couldn’t wait to find out more. Truth be told, Ian was giddy with having his way with the books.
“We’ll let you know what we find when the book is reconstructed.”
That seemed to work for him.
The man nodded, and handed them both gloves. Then, he walked out, leaving them to go through the numerous tomes.
“Well, have at it,” Gryphen said. “I’m going to park my ass in the corner, and take a little nap. Sit your sexy ass there, and don’t leave this room.”
He glanced over.
“You’re not going to help?”
He found him amusing.
“Baby, I think this is your mystery to solve. Besides, I’m not getting haunted by Ceit. You’re going to have to do the dirty work, Nancy Drew.”
Ian laughed.
Honestly, he didn’t mind, but he’d still bust the man’s ass.
“Chicken.”
Hell right he was.
Gryphen wasn’t afraid of much, but he wasn’t playing stupid games with ghosts and winning those kinds of crazy-ass prizes.
Pass.
“Bock. Bock. Just listen and obey. Don’t leave this room, and let your man get a nap. I’m having a food coma.”
That seemed fair.
Gryphen was right. This was his mystery, and he was going to work on it. He was just grateful to have a supportive boyfriend who didn’t mind entertaining this notion.
And with that, Ian got down to work, and honestly, he didn’t mind.
He loved doing research and learning.
Oh, and he did.
He learned a lot.
* * * The Ravensmire Chronicles * * *
Ravensmire Castle
One P.M.
Scotland
When he arrived back to the grand lady, Graham had a lot to do. He knew that Ian wanted to surprise his man with some fun, but he also knew that Gryphen wanted to surprise his boyfriend with a fancy dinner.
This put him in a unique predicament. He had to choose precedence over one or the other.
They both couldn’t have their plans play out. There was just no way.
So, he went with the fancy dinner, pretty sure that they were going to be tied up in the town for a while. Plus, he saw how rattled Gryphen was, and he knew when he felt like that, he needed a distraction.
It looked as if he was playing evening festivity planner for the two men.
It was about finding a way to stall for Gryphen so he could have his dinner, and not let on that Ian had also planned something romantic.
Then, he had an idea.
Pulling out his phone, he hated to be the bearer of bad news but someone wasn’t getting their romantic evening plan.
Not tonight.
He sent a text to Ian and lied his ass off.
‘I just got back from the town, and I couldn’t get skates in Gryphen’s size. They will be in later tonight. Can you push your little adventure to tomorrow? The ring will be done around the same time. Let me know—G.’
He hit send, and hoped the bossy man that hovered wouldn’t find the text.
While he’d been crystal clear that he wasn’t interested in Ian, the man still came across possessive and suspicious.
Honestly, he couldn’t blame him.
Graham swore if he ever found love again, he’d hold on, and he’d not make the same mistakes he’d made the last time.
He’d do better.
He’d work harder.
He’d…fight.
As he waited for Ian to reply, he got their dinner prepped, and went with a succulent ham. He was trying to accommodate for American tastes, and he knew it was something they’d likely enjoy.
He also had to get the dining room set up like he’d promised Gryphen. If the man wanted a formal dinner, he’d give him the works.
The fine China.
The candles.
The whole thing.
After all, Callen had told him to let them have anything they wanted. Apparently, the woman he married favored these two men.
While he’d read about Elizabeth Blackhawk, and seen her on the telly, he was fascinated to meet her. Oh, he was sure that day would happen.
When his phone chimed, signaling he had a text, he pulled it from his pocket.
‘Darn. Okay, that works. That gives me time to work here on the mystery. Thank you for doing this for me. I appreciate it. I also heard you hit on my man. Don’t make me get mean, Graham. Keep it in mind—I.’
Well, that was handled, and it amused him to no end. Yeah, he liked these two.
The smaller man had balls, and that was something he knew Gryphen would need when he had moments where he felt out of control.
They all needed that anchor.
Unlike him, who was drifting out to sea all alone.
Glancing at his watch, he did the math, and it was just after eight in Washington DC.
Dialing, his phone call was answered pretty quickly, but he still hoped he wasn’t bothering his boss.
“Hey,” Callen said. “Is everything okay?” he asked, worried about the two men they’d sent there.
“Aye, it’s right as rain, Sir. Are you busy, Mr. James,” Graham asked. “I have some things to discuss with you, but they can wait if you’re working.”
He reassured him.
“We closed our case last night, and now, we’re prepping for our son’s wedding. I’m clear. What’s up?” he asked.
“Everything is going well here. Gryphen is holding up, and Ian is fine.”
Callen relaxed.
After speaking to Gryphen, he’d been worried all night, and he wasn’t the only one. His wife was stressing a wedding, Will Jackson, the case they just closed, and Ian’s well-being.
He hated seeing her bear so much burden.
“Perfect. If they need ANYTHING, we want you to handle it for them. There’s no questions asked when it comes to either of those two men. Think of them as my children. My wife loves them dearly, and your utmost concern is them.”
That was exactly what he was trying to do.
Again, he wasn’t sure how it would feel to have people care that much about him. That was missing from his entire life.
“If you need help with anything, call me. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night. Just not during the actual wedding. My wife will skin me alive.”
He laughed.
“Well, Sir, since you brought that up…”
Callen waited.
“Gryphen is planning a romantic dinner tonight, and he needs a distraction. Is there anyway you can get your lass to call and talk to Ian to get him away from Gryphen for a wee bit?” he asked.
Callen laughed.
Oh, well, that was easy.
“I can do that. She’s only asked about twenty times if he’s okay. I can practically guarantee that she’ll be more than happy to distract the man all the while questioning him to death. She wants to Mom the hell out of both of them.”
Yeah, he had no clue what that was like.
“Perfect. I would say around eight our time, so around three your time.”
Callen needed more information.
“On the land line?”
“Aye, I have to get him away from Gryphen so he can get into a kilt.”
“I’m sorry, pardon? Did you just say our Marine was going to be wearing a kilt?”
In the background, Graham heard it.
Chris was laughing beside him.
“Oh, he’s got it bad. Gryphen is stupid in love,” Chris admitted.
Callen understood that. He’d wear roadkill dangling off his dick if his wife said that was her new kink.
And who was Chris kidding?
He would too.
Graham explained.
“Yes. They both purchased them, and he wants to surprise Ian. Thus, why I need a distraction that can buy the man some time.”
Callen was amused.
“I imagine Gryphen is a HUGE distraction in a kilt. All that Marine with tats and the attitude to match. You won’t be able to get Ian away from him once he sees that.”
He would bet he was right.
“Aye, I am sure. If you can, send me a single Marine, Mr. James, that would make my day. This one is madly in love, and has no need for a slightly dinged up soldier. He’s found his joy.”
Callen knew what Graham had been through. Saint had clued him in.
His body and heart had been beat to hell and back, and the one person who should have loved and protected him bailed when he needed him most.
“I’ll work on it. We have some Marines lying around. While I have you on the phone, how are things going related to the castle?” he asked.
He shared what he knew.
“Well, construction is on hold for permits still, but I will say that Mr. Patterson has found a little bit of a mystery that needs to be solved.”
Callen was intrigued.
He had him at mystery.
That was their jam.
“What kind of a mystery?” he asked. “That’s something right up our alley.”
Graham explained.
“He found some of the journal belonging to the Granndach family. Now, he’s currently on the hunt for some answers. They found the crypts, and the question that Ian is working on is why is Duncan’s ex-wife, and mother of his child, not buried there with her husband, and who is in the unmarked crypt.”
Oh, boy.
“That is always a valid question, I guess. Let’s not let my wife know there are bodies in the basement. When she finds out that the B and B plans are off, and we’re making it a private home, I’m a dead duck.”
Chris wasn’t laughing now.
“Oh, she can’t find out about that,” he said in the background.
If they said so.
Graham didn’t understand how both men were so afraid of their wife, but to each their own.
“I understand, Sir.”
Callen was irritated.
“One more thing, Graham.”
“Aye?” he asked.
This was a conversation he’d had many times with this man, and he understood. He’d had to break in the Marines too.
“Call me Callen. It’s just Callen. Really. We’re not formal, and you work for us. You’re family.”
He didn’t understand that, but if his boss wanted him to call him by his first name, so be it.
“Aye, Sir.”
God.
Soldiers were so damn stubborn. Honestly, he didn’t think he even realized he’d done it again.
Callen moved on because this was a war he wasn’t going to win.
“Are they having a good time there on their vacation?” he asked.
“Aye, you could say that. The two of them ran into the resident ghost, and they found out that the castle has some spirits of its own.”
Oh, Jesus.
“PLEASE don’t tell my wife that there are ghosts in the castle we bought that she’s already going to skin us both alive over. We’ll never get her there. She particularly dislikes things that go bump in the night and try to talk to her through her phone.”
Graham didn’t understand what that meant.
“Are there two extra crypts?” Chris asked. “Asking for the dead men who will be put in them when she shows up there when it’s finished.”
He clued them in.
“There is one empty one, and it’s not that big for two men. You might need to make other plans. There’s rumors that there are graves on the property. If you want, I can find them…”
Callen laughed.
“We won’t need much space when she handles us, and no, let’s let sleeping ghosts lie. They can haunt the woods but not my wife. She’ll kill us and then them.”
They all laughed.
Oh, Graham couldn’t wait to meet the lady.
All he knew was she was gorgeous, had multiple partners, and chased serial killers.
She seemed like quite the lass.
This town wouldn’t be ready for her when she finally showed up.
“I will keep it all quiet. If you can get her to distract Ian for about twenty minutes, Gryphen will be able to pull off his romantic dinner.”
“Can do. Oh, and Graham?”
“Aye, Sir?”
“You’re doing a good job. Thank you for handling the castle, and our family for us. They mean a lot to Elizabeth, and us.”
He was glad to have such a good job after leaving the military. It wasn’t like his skillset was used in the daily lives of a normal person.
“It’s never a problem, Sir. I love taking care of the lady. She’s a magnificent castle.”
Callen happened to agree. The minute he saw it, he was compelled to buy it. Granted, he’d bought things for Elizabeth before, but this time, it spoke to him. There was something about Ravensmire, other than the name, that made him feel…
Home.
The energy there was very familiar.
“Call if you need us,” he said. “Again, just not on Saturday. That’s our son’s wedding. It’ll be on the news and it’s the only day I’ll be shutting off my phone.”
Graham couldn’t help but be curious. It looked like he’d be watching the news Saturday night to get a glimpse of this family.
“I’ll be sure to catch it then.”
With that, he hung up.
Well, that was one more thing handled that he could mark off of his list.
It was time to get everything ready in the formal dining room so that the Marine could woo his gentleman.
This was going to be fun.
The old castle needed some love.
It had been alone and cold for a long time.
Then again, hadn’t they all been?
* * * The Ravensmire Chronicles * * *
The Church
In Town
Some Time Later
Ian was engrossed in his research as Gryphen sat not far away, his feet up on a chair, and taking a little nap. It proved that the man could literally sleep anywhere.
It was a good thing that he’d checked out and was snoozing away.
Why?
Well, when his phone vibrated in his pocket, the other man didn’t even hear it.
Thank.
God.
When he pulled it out, and saw that it was from Graham, he read it, replied, and deleted it.
Why?
Because the sexy, hyper-masculine man tended to be suspicious of everything. It was damn hard to evade a Marine, specifically a paranoid one.
The last thing he wanted Gryphen to think was that he was carrying on an affair with the other guy.
Please.
He couldn’t even think of anyone but his sexy Gryphen.
It wasn’t easy surprising him with a romantic date, and so far, Gryphen was oblivious.
He needed him to stay that way.
To pull this off, he needed Gryphen to not have a freaking clue what was going on.
Oh, there was a little part of him that felt horrible about sneaking around behind Gryphen’s back on this. Only, it wasn’t like he was having an affair.
Right?
He was planning a romantic date.
The bottom line was if Gryphen found out, he’d come clean and be one hundred percent honest with him.
He’d own it.
He was in cahoots with another man to do something sweet for them.
When he saw Graham, he’d have him get a little picnic ready for them for tomorrow, so when they went sledding and skating, they could have hot cocoa, and make it a memory.
He couldn’t wait.
Yeah, his sexy Marine wouldn’t expect a fun sledding and ice-skating adventure.
Putting his phone away, he flipped through the pages, and that’s when he found it.
“Oh, shit!” he said, and then realized he was cursing in church. “I mean crap. Sorry, God.”
Gryphen opened an eye to make sure his man was okay. He’d been catnapping and waking up periodically to ensure his man was safe.
“You good, boo?” he asked.
“Yeah, I just found something important! It’s right here,” he said. “It’s definitely a clue!”
Well, that intrigued him.
Ian was so excited, he wanted to share in it with his sexy man. Putting his big boots on the floor, he headed over to read over Ian’s shoulder.
“What did you find?”
He pointed.
“A divorce.”
He lifted a brow.
“Really?”
“Yeah, and get this. The journal entries we found were in the late part of fifteen ninety-three. This is dated January fifteen ninety-four. The journal entries are accurate. She’d been asked to leave, so Ceit cursed him and the Ravensmire Castle. That bastard wanted a divorce from a pregnant woman. We’ve basically confirmed the journal’s authenticity.”
Both men knew one thing.
There was only one reason a man would do that.
He’d definitely found someone else and maybe buried her in the other crypt.