Single Daddy Scot (Hot Scots)

I thought she was addressing Mac and Dylan, with maybe Ivy and myself to tag along as referees, but as Dylan’s large hand lands on my shoulder, I realise she meant only the siblings.

‘This has been a while coming. I think we’d be better steering clear.’

‘Aye,’ exclaims Natasha. ‘Firecrackers, the pair of ’em! Or maybe just crackers.’

‘I’m Dylan, by the way.’ He holds out his hand for me to shake. And, wow, is he handsome. More so even than he is in magazines, the movies, or on TV. And though I’ve no idea how he looks in his home movies, I could imagine. Very easily.

‘H-hi,’ I stammer as our fingers touch. ‘I’m Ella.’

‘I know. I’ve heard all about you,’ he says with a wink.

My heart plummets, because he can’t mean . . .

‘Seems you had the same unorthodox introduction to the family as I did. And yeah, I do mean a naked one.’ He chuckles at my horrified expression, carrying on. ‘You should know there are very few secrets in this neck of the woods. And at least you didn’t have Ivy standing behind her dad like I had Mac.’

‘He never said—’

‘No, I expect not.’ His expression clouds. ‘They’re not as close as they once were. That’s kinda my fault. But, hey,’ he adds brightly, ‘we’ve all been looking forward to meeting you. Ivy especially, and I should tell you, Fin is a big fan.’

‘I can’t see how. We barely said hello.’ I realise that sounds a little combative, though I add a smile for clarity.

‘Fin might not know you very well yet, but she knows Mac. She was very clear in her descriptions of his reactions to you. She left us with the impression the big fella was pretty smitten.’

‘Nah,’ Natasha interjects, ‘what she said was that he looked at you like he wanted to eat you. And by that, she meant—’

‘We get it, Nat.’

‘And I’ll be getting a lovely pot of winnings,’ she adds, delightedly. ‘Fin and Ivy have been running a book on when we would meet you. I was pretty close on the timeline and my first meeting details were the nearest,’ she qualifies. ‘My money was on post sexy times, naked, and discovered by Geordie. Sounds like a game of Cluedo, doesn’t it? Geordie discovered the pair rutting in the bedroom,’ she adds in a deep and manly tone. ‘The man has a gift,’ she adds in her own voice. ‘I wished he’d share the secret of his timing wi’ me.’

Hells bells and buckets of blood. They all know!

‘Nat, you’ll frighten her off,’ Dylan laughingly chastises. Meanwhile, I think my eyes are on stalks. ‘Now that you’re here, I can totally see what Fin meant because, contrary to Nat’s turn of phrase, Fin said you were beautiful and very sweet. I can see both things are true.’

From someone else, that might seem like a come-on. From the heartthrob in front of me, it seems almost laughable.

‘But, yeah, the first meeting?’ He coughs as though clearing his throat. ‘Everyone knows.’ Despite his attempt at pulling it together, the end of his sentence weighs heavy with suppressed laughter.

‘You’re in good company,’ adds Natasha. ‘Not that it matters. You can get a look at Dylan in the buff on the internet any day of the week. Let me know if you want a peek. I know all the dark spots on the interwebz.’

‘She’s not kidding, unfortunately.’ His eyes slide back to his wife. ‘The things you’ll do for love are baffling.’

But then Mac’s voice becomes the focus of my attention—the focus of everyone’s attention within a mile radius, probably.

‘It was wrong of you to lie,’ he shouts suddenly. His chest heaves, though he looks more hurt than annoyed. ‘Then you tell me you’d shagged some bloke in a nightclub, which is bad enough for any brother to hear, but to find out later that, not only had young Alisdair a father, but you were already married to him!’

‘I know I was wrong,’ Ivy bellows back. ‘You think I don’t regret it? I would’ve told you if I could, but I was messed up. But I thought—I thought you’d forgiven me.’

‘I forgive, but I can’t forget. And I can’t forget the part either of you played.’

‘It’s not like you’re perfect, though, is it?’ Hands clasped in fists by her side, I wonder if she’s thinking of thumping him. She looks cross enough.

‘Go on then, Poison. Spit it out. Say what you’ve got to say.’

‘Ohhh!’ It isn’t even a word, though Ivy manages to drag it out over several syllables. ‘But I’m not the only secretive one, am I? You didn’t tell us you were seeing Ella.’

‘What?’ For the world, this sounds more like whit. ‘Whit are y’ blethering about? About five minutes after I told her I loved her, Da walked in on us in bed! So don’t try that one. Secretive,’ he grumbles. ‘If only!’