Chapitre 30 #2
“The Taken Heart” commits to:
– Loving “The Heart Thief” in good times and bad, including during Hamish’s escape attempts and tense family dinners.
– Respecting her independence and professional expertise, even when she insists the McGregor tartan is objectively more elegant than the McKenzie one.
– Supporting her in all her projects, whether they involve redesigned shops, secret passages, or stubborn sheep.
– Never again using the word “arrangement” to describe their relationship, except in a floral context.
Article 4: Shared Memories
Both parties acknowledge the importance of shared moments, including:
– Their first hostile meeting in “The Taken Heart’s” office
– The fake engagement bell, forever remembered as the worst romantic gift in history
– Training for the Highland Games and the unsettling closeness it created
– Their first real kiss in a barn, surrounded by hay, after a sheep-related escapade
– The discovery of Archibald and Elspeth’s treasure, proving that history can sometimes offer a second chance
Article 5: Special Clause
“The Taken Heart” hereby formally proposes that “The Heart Thief” transform their fake engagement into a real one, with the option to convert it into marriage when both parties feel ready.
To validate this clause, the signature of “The Heart Thief” is required, accompanied—should she accept—by wearing the ring attached to this contract.
Her voice breaks on the last words. When she looks up at me, her eyes shine with unshed tears.
I drop to one knee and pull the small box from my pocket. The gesture is traditional—but the setting, in front of a sheep enclosure with Hamish and Rosita as witnesses, is anything but.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Hamish has wandered closer, clearly invested in the situation.
— Keira McGregor, I begin, opening the box to reveal a white gold ring set with a blue stone surrounded by small green ones, the colors subtly arranged to echo the intertwined patterns of the McKenzie and McGregor tartans.
What started as a business arrangement has become the most precious thing in my life.
Will you turn our fake engagement into a real one?
She looks at the ring, then at me, then back at the ring.
— No bell this time? she teases. Like the one you gave Hamish?
I laugh, grateful for the way she eases the intensity.
— No. This time it’s a real ring—for you, not a sheep accessory. Though, given our history, I was tempted.
She wipes away a tear that escapes down her cheek.
— You’re completely insane, you know that?
— Your fault. You made me lose my mind.
— In that case, since I’m responsible… I suppose I should deal with the consequences.
I rise, slip the ring onto her finger.
— It’s beautiful, she whispers, admiring it. The colors…
— Our two families. United, I explain. Like us.
And then I pull her into me and kiss her. It’s not our first kiss, but this one tastes different—like a promise, like a future we’ve chosen together.
Hamish picks that exact moment to bleat loudly, as if giving his approval, followed by Rosita and their lambs in a full chorus that sends us both into laughter.
— I think we have their blessing, Keira says between laughs.
— The most important one, I agree. Without them, we wouldn’t be here. But there’s one last detail.
She looks at me questioningly as I pull a pen from my pocket and hand it to her.
— Keira McGregor, do you agree to sign our contract?
She studies me, and the emotion in her eyes mirrors my own.
— I accept your proposal, Mr. McKenzie.
She signs. I fold the document carefully and tuck it back into my inside pocket. No way I’m losing that.
— There you are!
We turn to see Lachlan striding toward us.
— Everyone’s waiting for you at the ceremony, you two stars of the show—he pauses, noticing our expressions, then the ring on Keira’s finger. Oh. I see. You decided to do this in front of a sheep enclosure. Very romantic. Very… you.
— It was symbolic and appropriate, Keira replies with dignity, though her cheeks flush slightly.
— Of course it was, Lachlan says with a smirk. Well, once you’re done making out in front of sheep aristocracy, the humans would like to celebrate too.
He heads back toward the castle, leaving us alone for one more moment.
— Ready? I ask, lacing my fingers through hers.
— More than ever, she says, squeezing my hand.
The signing ceremony unfolds in an atmosphere of joyful solemnity.
The documents are arranged on the ancestral table, and the legal representatives from both families briefly go over the terms of the agreement: the creation of a new joint entity for producing the Archibald on the right, the McKenzie property, the distillery’s copper roofs gleaming in the evening glow.
But what strikes me most is the absence of any visible boundary between them. From here, they seem like a single, harmonious landscape, as if the division had only ever existed in our minds.
— It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Keira murmurs.
— It is, I agree, though my gaze has shifted to her instead of the view.
A faint blush warms her cheeks as she notices.
— Who would’ve thought, she says, playing with her new ring, that we’d end up here when I first walked into your office that day?
— Certainly not me, I admit. I thought you were the most irritating person I’d ever met.
— And I thought you were an arrogant, insufferable snob.
— I probably was.
— Probably? she laughs. Definitely.
I laugh with her, then my expression softens.
— You know what’s ironic? We started with a contract—a professional arrangement, a signature on a legal document. And now…
— Now we’re celebrating another contract, another signature, she finishes. But this time, it’s not just ink on paper.
— No, I say, taking her hand, feeling the ring beneath my fingers. This time, it’s a signature on our hearts.
She rolls her eyes, but her smile gives her away.
— That’s unbelievably cheesy, McKenzie.
— I know. But it’s true.
We stand there, hand in hand, watching the sun slowly sink over our now-united lands, over the future we’ve chosen together.
Down in the garden, I can see Hamish and Rosita in their enclosure with their lambs—those two stubborn creatures who, simply by following their instincts, somehow played a part in all of this.
Sometimes, I think sheep might be wiser than we are.
— What are you thinking about? Keira asks, catching my smile.
— I think Archibald and Elspeth would be proud, I say. We finished what they started.
— And started something that’s ours, she adds, turning toward me.
— Exactly.
I lean in and kiss her again, sealing that promise as the sun disappears behind the hills, leaving the sky to the first stars beginning to shine.
Our story, like our whisky, is only just beginning. And like it, it will only get better with time.