His body tensed at the word.
“Do you want to talk about earlier?” he said softly.
“There’s nothing to talk about. I got caught in a tug of war between Lake and my parents.”
She tried to shrug it off, but she could still hear every painful word from the family argument as it echoed in her ears. Alastair squeezed her tight.
“They don’t deserve you,” he said. “Don’t let it get to you. You’re your own person, Rainbow.”
He yawned loudly and Rainne giggled. He wrapped her tight in his arms and she sighed against him.
“This is the way it should be every day,” he told her, his words laced with sleep. “Stay here with me, Rainne,” he said. “This is where you belong.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, and pressed a kiss to his chest to seal her words.
“I don’t mean tonight. I mean forever.” His voice was heavy. “You belong to me, Rainbow. We belong together. Move in here. We’ll figure things out as we go.”
Rainne’s heart beat faster. Alastair kissed her forehead softly.
“Let me take care of you, Rainne,” he whispered as he fell asleep.
Rainne lay in Alastair’s arms listening as his breathing became deep with sleep. Stay with him. It was so easy. A tear ran down her cheek. So easy. She’d gone from doing what her parents wanted to doing what Lake wanted, and now there was Alastair. It would be so easy to do what he wanted. To let him take care of her and to never have to stand up for herself. She wanted it. She knew he loved her. It was written in every look and kiss. There was no denying the boy was perfect. No. Not a boy. An honourable man.
When Rainne was sure that he was sound asleep, she slid out from his embrace and silently pulled on her clothes. On the desk, she found a pen and paper. I can’t, I have to leave. Please understand, was all she wrote before she put the note on the bed beside him. With one last look at her beautiful Scottish boy, Rainne slipped through the door and down the stairs. She borrowed a coat from the hook beside the door and went out into the night.
There was a glow over central Invertary. The party was in full swing. She turned her back on it and walked down the side streets to the main road out of town. She had her wallet in her pocket and nothing else. Everything she owned was in the flat above Lake’s shop. Never her shop. Always Lake’s.
She stuck out her thumb when a campervan came up the road. It slowed to a stop beside her. An older couple she’d met in the shop the day before waved out at her.
“What on earth are you doing out here this time of night?” the woman who was driving asked.
“I’m going to Glasgow,” she said. “I don’t suppose you’re heading in that direction?”
The couple shared a look.
“Wouldn’t you rather wait until morning and get the bus?”
Rainne wiped a tear from her face.
“I have to leave now,” she said.
The woman gave a terse nod.
“Get in the back, love. Donald will make you a cup of tea.”
A second later the door opened and Rainne climbed in gratefully.
“We have four daughters,” Donald said as he put the kettle on.
His wife appeared beside him. She put a hand on his arm and communicated by telepathy.
“It’s your turn to drive,” she told him out loud.
“You’re right there,” he said, and was gone in a shot.
The woman patted Rainne’s hand.
“I’m Isobel, love,” she said as she opened the cupboard over the tiny alcove table. “I’m sure there’s chocolate biscuits in here somewhere.”