Chapter Nine #2
“We’ll put their things in the master’s suit. Hopefully, he likes what we picked out for him. Ethan is a creature of habit,” Michael admitted.
That was an understatement.
“Oh, and I got a text,” Michael said. “It’s from my fellow Archangel. Ivan knows they’re here. So far, they’re opting to give them space to work through this. I’m sure Toady shit a brick or ten.”
Graham lifted a brow.
“Ivan? He seems so nice.”
That made Michael laugh.
And laugh.
And laugh.
“Oh, Graham, my sweet, na?ve man. I’m going to hold your hands when I tell you this. He was MRR. He runs around with a big ol’ stick in his ass. Nice is NOT what we call him, and we actually love him. Imagine what people call him when they don’t.”
He just shrugged.
If his husband said so.
“Maybe after we put their things in their room, you and I can sneak into the caretaker’s apartment, and I can show you what my favorite part of you is.”
Michael lifted a brow.
“Legit?” he asked. “You want a little mid-afternoon delight?”
Graham whispered in his ear, and it was filthy. In fact, Michael blushed, and he was the least prude on the planet.
Oh, holy shit.
“Sign me up, Husband,” he said, as Graham got a head start, and it was only fair.
He was carrying bags of shopping items.
Yeah, Elizabeth wasn’t the only one with a spring in her step. This place was magick.
There was no doubt.
How did he know?
Well, Michael RAN after his husband losing sweaters all the way up the stairs, and he didn’t even care.
They were newlyweds.
And he loved every second of it.
Meanwhile…
It was absolutely beautiful here. From the way the sky kissed the tops of the mountains, to the lower plane with all of the flowers. The grounds were spattered with more dahlias than she’d ever seen in her life.
It was a sight to be seen, and Elizabeth was smitten with Scotland.
How could she not be?
She walked near the lake, and it seemed calm to her. Then again, she doubted the men were making up the whole ‘there’s trouble in there’ story.
The fact that there were remains was enough for her to give it a wide berth.
Trust and believe.
After the walk around the water, as she checked out the waterfowl, she peeked in at the goats, giving them a little ‘BOO’ for good measure.
Oh, and it made her giggle as they all fell over like dominoes. Some off bales of hay, and some right on the ground. It was comical, if nothing else, and made her eyes fill with tears of laughter.
She just couldn’t help herself. A part of her wished her kids were here to see this, because they would fall in love with the little goats.
For sure.
Because it was a big place, she headed out, not realizing there was a horse not in his stall.
With the wind blowing her hair, she took in the smells, sights, and peace.
All around her, something suddenly changed, and the oppressive feelings crushing down on her were not as heavy.
The air just felt…better.
Life seemed less chaotic.
Whether the talk with Finn helped, or she’d just come to grips with it being okay on her own…
She wasn’t sure.
Was she a little sad that no one even bothered to come find her?
Yes.
Was it also her fault since she ran without giving anyone the chance?
Yes.
So, she’d made this bed, and now, she’d lie in it. In a few days, she’d check in, making sure everyone was okay. Only, for now, she was taking some well-needed downtime to regroup and find herself.
After all, she was on vacation.
In a castle.
In Scotland.
Never in her wildest dreams did she think that this was her life. All of those years ago, she’d believed that she’d just be a simple public servant, living out her life in DC.
Then, she met Christopher Leonard, and it all changed.
This was her story, and her adventure, of sorts, so she was going to see where it went.
In a few weeks, she was hosting Ian and Gryphen’s wedding here, and she had no intent of going home before that.
Maybe after.
Well, she had to go home at some point, because she missed her children terribly, but she needed to figure all of this out when it came to work and her relationships.
When she heard the whinny of a horse somewhere ahead of her, as she was walking on the hill, she stopped.
The barn was behind her.
Had there been a horse missing when she’d been playing with the goats?
Uh-oh.
She wasn’t sure.
In that moment, her body went into fight or flight, because as far as she knew, there was no way either of the men would be able to get ahead of her—nor would they try.
Now, her heart began thumping.
When she saw something moving in the mist, heading her way, she stood there. With the wind whipping around her, and that figure approaching.
She heard his voice.
And her heart…stopped.
In that brief moment, a man was coming through the mist on horseback, and she had to be mistaken.
But she wasn’t.
As he got free of the mist, their eyes met. On horseback, and on Hamlet in Scotland, was Ethan.
Her.
Ethan.
Apparently, he had come for her.
Tentatively, she watched him get off of the horse, and as he stood there, she held her breath.
She wasn’t sure how this would go.
Before all of this, she would have known, but now…not so much.
It looked as if time would tell.
While he was riding, he lost track of time. Hamlet, the good boy, just wandered around, leading him on the horse tour of the grounds.
He had some grass as a snack, ate a few flowers he found, and even located some apples on a wild tree in the woods.
And the whole time, Ethan was calm.
For some reason, all of his worries melted away, and this place was like a drug.
From the winds whispering over the fields, to the trees blowing all up and down the trail, he hadn’t felt any stress.
Maybe it was because his wife was here.
Maybe because it was Scotland, but either way, the second he got on this horse, his body stopped running and allowed him to just…breathe.
Here, nothing chased him.
Nothing.
At.
All.
In that moment, he realized that he’d been in a constant state of stress before coming here, and this was needed to help ground him.
Yes, he had a lot on his mind, like what to do about being Shaman or an FBI employee, but it didn’t seem as important.
There was something far more vital to his survival.
Finding Elizabeth.
What he knew was she was out shopping, and at some point, she’d come back.
If she told him to leave, he would.
Only, he wasn’t going home.
Instead, he’d go down to the village, get a hotel room, and still be around if she needed him.
Because he needed her to need him.
Far too long, he’d relied on her, and now, he was ready to carry her for as long as she needed him to. This had been a wakeup call as to how complacent he’d been as a partner to her.
And she deserved more.
Elizabeth deserved better.
As the horse carried them into the mist, he trusted that Hamlet knew where he was going and that they wouldn’t fall off a cliff.
The barn was in this direction, so it was just a matter of time before he moseyed back to the place that he’d ‘stolen’ him from, right?
As the horse paused, lifting his head, Ethan knew he’d scented someone.
They weren’t alone.
At first, he thought it might be Michael or Graham. Only, Hamlet kept going, and as they moved through the mist, he whinnied at something.
That’s when he saw the figure.
Oh, and his whole being knew who it was. The heart knew the person who was instrumental in teaching him to love again.
There.
She.
Was.
Walking the grounds, it was clear that his wife had returned from shopping, and he was about to come face-to-face with her.
And that face was carefully blank.
Oh, Ethan realized when she knew it was him, and she came to a complete stop.
He saw her guard go up, as she braced for some sort of emotional barrage.
Did he blame her?
NO.
He’d earned that wariness.
Now, he’d see how receptive she was to seeing him. Again, he was letting her make the decision on if he stayed or went. For now, seeing her safe and okay made him relax.
Getting off of the horse, he stood beside Hamlet, and he thought back to when he’d run from Gene. When he showed up, he did one thing, and that broke the ice.
So, Ethan did the same.
Instead of speaking, he opened his arms for her, giving her the opportunity to make up her own mind.
And that was all he had to do.
His gorgeous wife, her hair whipping around her and her long skirt flapping in the breeze, ran at him, full speed.
In that moment, he knew they’d be okay. There was no doubt that she’d not expected him to be there, and he was glad. Now, he could heal the damage he’d done and try to find them again.
Because they began this all years ago in Salem.
So, they’d work through this.
As she crashed into him, he held up under the hit, and caught the woman he loved.
THE ONLY woman he’d loved other than his mother.
Their mouths met, and the kiss…
It said it all.
She had tears on her cheeks, and he was so very sorry that he’d put them there by making her feel so alone. She was anything but, yet, he understood the burden was weighing her down.
For once, she needed someone to carry it for her as she walked beside them.
And that someone was him.
Because he desperately needed to, Ethan held her in his arms, and the kiss was more than an apology. It was also a promise.
He wouldn’t let her roam the world alone.
He’d follow her for a change.
This time, he’d let her lead, let her make a choice, and let her feel not so abandoned.
When he broke the kiss, he stared into her eyes.
“I came for you. I love you, Lyzee. I’ll always find you out in the world. I’ll always look for you. I found my faith. It was you all along.”
She sobbed that he understood.
That he got it.
Ethan didn’t let her wander alone. He came for her, despite the obstacles she’d put in place.
And he held her.
“Shhhh, I have you. I’m here.”
Yes, yes, he was.
As she cried, he let her. Instead of trying to convince her it would be okay and that she was strong, he let her be weak, like she let him all of those times she carried him.
Now, he’d do the same thing.
Because marriage wasn’t one person being strong. It was about both people being strong for each other.