Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 120838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 604(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 604(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
“I think perhaps, at this time, you might wish to take your leave, Bally,” Kenna suggested.
“We’ll talk,” Bally said quickly. “When we’re all home, as a family, once it’s not as fresh, we’ll talk.”
“It isn’t fresh, Dad. You’ve been doing her for decades,” Davi said. “We’re all just tired of pretending we dinnae think you’re an arsehole for doing it.”
Bally took that hit and looked wretched.
I didn’t feel bad for him.
In fact, I thought every man who broke a woman’s heart and shattered a family should have to go through much the same thing.
“Blake—” Bally started, his attention coming to me, and I tensed.
But then Dair was blocking his view of me and growling, “Dinnae even fuckin’ look at her.”
Good Lord.
My belly warmed again as my gaze pinged from Kenna (who was studying her lovely flats, but her mouth was curved up) to Davina, who was openly grinning as she examined her fingernails.
Okay, okay, okay.
Seriously!
What was happening?
“Bolt,” Dair grunted to his father.
“I understand why you’re upset with me, Alasdair,” Bally said quietly. “It guts me I did that to ye. To all of ye.”
“Stop fucking havering,” Dair gritted. “And bolt.”
There were several very tense moments before movement resumed at the door. I couldn’t see much with Dair’s big body in the way. Though I did see the door open, I heard the wheels on a bag wheeling, and the door shut.
For good measure, but unnecessarily, Dair slapped the security latch closed before he stalked back to the couch and threw himself on it.
I would have bounced, but he was sitting so close to me, he was nigh on sitting on me, so he kept me in place.
Whereupon he muttered to himself many words, only a few of which I caught, and they included “bawbag,” “arsepiece,” and “fuckin’ walloper.” Although I could put two and two together and understand what those words meant (loosely), it gave me the impression he was curbing his Scottish considerably while talking with me. Seemed they all were, which was kind of sweet.
When he was down to trying to make his coffee cup explode with his eyes, I touched his arm and whispered, “Hey.”
He looked to me.
“It’s over. And I’ll make steaks tonight.”
For a second, it seemed like he no longer comprehended English.
That second passed and he smiled his audacious smile.
“Good to hear it, lassie.”
Did I just play into his hands?
Well, whatever.
Kenna liked steak too, so did Dad, therefore we were having that with hasselback potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts and bakery rolls. I wasn’t going to make the rolls from scratch because I was going to make dessert. My vanilla cake.
All sorted, I snuggled back into my corner of the couch and asked the room, “Now, who all is going to the rental car place with me and Dair?”
“Give me a chance to shower, and I’m in,” Davi said.
“I’m going to wander around the square. From what I could see, it looks like there are some lovely shops and Chloe said she had one there,” Kenna said.
“I’ve got to shower too. Half an hour?” Dair asked his sister.
“Ye do ken I have a vagina, dinnae ye?” she asked back.
“You’ve tried all your life, ye can’t make me retch,” he returned. “Forty-five?”
She refilled her cup and wandered to the door saying, “I’ll be ready when I’m ready.”
The door snicked shut behind her.
Dair looked to me. “Keep Mum company.”
I smiled. “Of course.”
His eyes dropped to my mouth.
My stomach dropped entirely.
“Thanks, hen,” he whispered, leaned in, kissed my cheek (my cheek! what was that?), angled out of the couch and sauntered away.
“Now, Blake,” Kenna said, leaning forward to finally partake of the food, “you’ve been here often. Which shops shouldn’t I miss?”
I shared all the places she could go (definitely Chloe’s casual, with some outdoor wear for the stylish set shop was one of them).
And I took her pulse (she didn’t hide the sad, but she seemed to be holding up) as we waited for the Wallace kids to shower and get ready.
Chapter 7
Awesome
Dair
* * *
Dair’s hair was damp, and he was still rolling up the sleeve of his shirt as he walked down the hall to his mother’s room.
That morning, once they’d secured their car, Blake had rushed off, saying something about her urgent need to get to the grocery store.
He’d dropped Davi off at the square so she could find their mum, and he’d gone into the hotel and changed clothes, then met Judge for a five-mile hike.
Ned had been correct.
This country was beautiful.
After their hike, he and Judge shared a beer at Judge’s house, and Dair again got to spend time with their wee bonny son JT, who Chloe referred to solely as Jimmy, although no one else did.
He’d kicked it home when Blake texted her address (along with three scrolls’ worth of directions, something that made him chuckle). After she did, he’d Googled it and realized he didn’t have a lot of time to get back, shower, change, collect his mum and sister, and get to Ned and Blake’s.