But she did.
And she believed I shouldn’t give up on Arro.
Years ago, I’d left it up to Robyn to come to me, and once we discussed our past, I realized quickly that I should’ve gone to her. I shouldn’t have given her the space to come to me if she wanted to, because that wasn’t what she needed. Robyn had needed to know I loved her and wanted to be in her life. I’d let my guilt and self-loathing cloud my judgment.
And when I hurt Arro, I’d done the same thing again. I’d stayed away because I thought that was what she needed.
What if I was wrong again?
What if Eredine was right?
14
Arro
Sunday afternoon, I convinced my brothers to drop me off at my place when Thane took Arran to collect his borrowed SUV. I needed to be alone to figure out my feelings about these notes, and I knew if I went back to Thane’s, Mac would show up after dropping off Eredine.
It was just as well we didn’t have a family meeting to discuss what the hell was going on because Robyn and Lachlan returned from their honeymoon the following day and, despite being jet-lagged had insisted everyone meet at their house after work that night.
Marcello took me to the work site and then dropped me off at home that afternoon, so Eredine picked me up to go to my brother’s. And curiosity got the better of me. I’d asked her if she and Mac talked about anything when he drove her home, but she shrugged and said, “Not really.” Prying would suggest I cared what Mac did or said, so I didn’t pursue the questioning, even though something in her demeanor made me feel like she wasn’t quite telling the truth.
Lachlan and Thane lived in Caelmore in almost identical homes Thane had designed. The small estate on the outskirts of Ardnoch had no other houses around because the surrounding land belonged to me, Arran, and Brodan. It waited there for us to build our homes on it if we so wished. And with a view out over the firth, I had to admit, I saw my future here, with a husband and family, living close to my brothers. Not that I’d admit that to Lachlan and Thane, because they’d start building the bloody house right away. Overprotective as they were, they wanted me closer.
Now more than ever, and I didn’t blame them one bit.
Ery pulled up outside Thane’s house, and I knew by the many cars in both of my brothers’ driveways that we were likely the last to arrive. As I got out of the car, I noted a new black Defender that I didn’t recognize, and wondered who it belonged to. Before I could ask Ery if she knew, Regan opened the door to her and Thane’s place.
“Hey, you okay?” Regan asked as I reached her.
I gave her a hug and lied, telling her I was fine.
“Bullshit,” she murmured but gave me an understanding smile, her dimples barely indenting her pretty cheeks before disappearing again.
“Where are the kids?” I asked as we stepped inside the hallway.
“Watching a little TV before bath time.” Regan gestured toward Lachlan’s. “I just wanted to pop my head out and say hey, but everyone is next door. Thane’s already there.”
“You go be with them.” Eredine shrugged out of her jacket. “I’ll watch the kids.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.”
Suspecting Ery was evading anything to do with the investigation, I gave Regan a pointed look. “Let her.”
Regan studied Ery for a second, mulling something over in her intelligent gaze. I remembered before she first arrived in Ardnoch, Lachlan had called her a vapid princess. It wouldn’t be the first time my brother was one hundred percent wrong about a person. He’d been wrong about Robyn in the beginning too.
“Okay,” Regan decided. “Arro, why don’t you head next door? If the kids see you, you’ll never get away.”
I laughed under my breath, knowing it was true, wishing I could see them. Eilidh and Lewis always brightened my day. But I decided to wait for Regan outside, wanting someone with me when I walked through my big brother’s door.
A few minutes later, after Regan had left Ery with the kids, the two of us let ourselves into Lachlan and Robyn’s.
“In here!” I heard Lachlan call.
I’d missed him.
Kicking off our shoes, Regan and I strolled into the open-plan living space, much like Thane’s in architecture but different in style. While Thane’s had a more traditional feel to the kitchen, Lachlan’s kitchen was ultramodern, with clean lines, hidden handles, and all.