25
Arro
Lachlan had outdone himself this year.
I strolled into my family’s ancestral home, my attention drawn upward to the expansive ceiling now camouflaged by tree branches, leaves, and blossoms. Four mammoth, very real-looking, faux trees stood in each corner of the massive reception hall, their branches arching toward each other across the ceiling to create the canopy. Strings of LED lights dripped from the branches, shining like thick strands of golden diamonds.
Blossoms in pinks and greens and purples and blues brought color to the canopy, and fairy lights had been wrapped around the large tree trunks. Flowered garlands draped the galleried balcony above and all the way down the stair balustrade. The scent of jasmine filled the air, and there were oversized vases filled with flowers and more twinkle lights. Waist-high tables had been strategically placed for people to gather around and talk while they drank champagne and ate canapés served by waitstaff. A violinist wearing a formal evening gown played music from her spot on the landing.
It was fantastically overwhelming to the senses.
“This is amazing,” Regan said behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder at her and Thane. He was so handsome in his kilt, Regan stunning in a golden-green dress that made her copper-red hair pop. Eredine, to everyone’s surprise, had offered to babysit the kids alone. It was the first time since Regan’s stalker, Austin Vale, had knocked Eredine unconscious to kidnap Eilidh and Lewis. I shuddered thinking about it.
Having been told the story, Arran had decided at the last minute he didn’t want to attend the ceilidh and would stay behind to watch the kids with Ery. I didn’t believe the decision was a last-minute one at all, and while I might question his motives, I was grateful to him for keeping her company.
“Is it always like this?” Regan asked as she ventured farther in among the glamorously attired guests.
“No, he’s definitely gone all out this year,” Thane murmured, taking it all in. “Sometimes it’s hard to remember what this place used to be like.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Yes,” we answered in unison.
Regan gave us a sympathetic look, but I shrugged. “Lachlan did what needed to be done to save it. It’s just … it holds so many memories for us.”
“And it always will.”
I spun around at my big brother’s voice to find Lachlan, Robyn, and Mac standing before us. Smiling at Lachlan, I reached out to embrace him. “The castle looks tremendous.”
“Thank you.” He hugged me back. “That means a lot.”
I pulled away to hug Robyn. “And Mrs. Adair looks stunning, as always.”
Robyn chuckled, shaking her head. “It’s still weird being a Mrs.”
“Not as weird as being a mum, I’ll bet,” Thane murmured, pulling Regan to his side with a tender look.
“Are you pregnant?” I gasped.
Thane chuckled as Regan shook her head frantically. “No, no, no.”
“Then what …?”
Regan looked at Thane, teary-eyed, as she smiled tremulously. “Eilidh called me mum tonight.” She shrugged, but I saw the complex emotions roiling in her gaze. “Just casually. ‘Mum, can I go to bed later tonight since I can’t go to Uncle Lachlan’s party?’”
I looked at Thane, wondering how he felt about that. As if reading my thoughts, he said, “It feels right. Eilidh knows and will always know about Fran, that she was her birth mum, but Regan loves her like a mother, and Eilidh loves her like a daughter. It feels right.”
Robyn, sensing the heightened emotion, drew Regan in for a tight squeeze, and I heard her murmur, “You okay? You happy?”
“Extremely,” Regan choked out. “But I’m close to bawling like a baby, so maybe some champagne?”
“On it.” Robyn gave Thane a small smile and took Regan’s hand to go find champagne and probably talk a little more about the momentous occasion.
Lachlan approached Thane to do the same, and so I had nothing else to do but finally acknowledge Mac. He looked extraordinarily sexy and handsome.
He’d never dyed the grays that had started growing in around his hairline in his midthirties—that just wasn’t Mac. He couldn’t give a shit. And honestly, that and the dusting of gray in his stubble gave him a rugged, distinguished air. His hair was so long at the moment, it curled behind his ears.