“I know it was hard for me when Arro made me watch them,” he called after him.
“You’re a bastard,” my brother answered back.
Laughing, I fell against Mac as we followed him out of Thane’s office. “That was cruel.”
“But so worth it.” Mac snorted.
We were still laughing like schoolchildren when we wandered into the living room to find everyone—Robyn, Lachlan, Arran, Eredine, Thane, Regan, and Eilidh and Lewis—settled around.
Robyn made a face at us. “You two are so sickeningly adorable.”
“Adorable.” Mac tugged playfully on her ponytail. “I’ve never been called adorable in my life.”
“Well, you are.” Robyn grinned at him, so much love in her eyes. I knew she was happy for her dad because she’d told me several times it overjoyed her to see him so content.
“So, what’s going on?” Arran asked. “Not to be rude, but we’re waiting on a call from the solicitors to let us know our payment’s gone through.”
He referred to their payment for the purchase of the Gloaming. It had been weeks of checks and surveys and back-and-forth with Gordon’s solicitors, but they’d finally agreed on a price, and the contracts had all been signed. By the end of today, my brothers would be the proud new owners of one of Ardnoch’s most beloved haunts.
It was much talked about around the village because, of course, Gordon was also beloved by our community. Some felt like the Adairs owning such an important business was only an invitation for us to buy up more and more, while others seemed to think it was fitting that Gordon passed the reins to my brothers since he and his wife had no children of their own.
Again, the Adairs were giving Ardnoch much to discuss. Word had spread quickly about Guy’s attack, and since it had been right on the back of Mac’s, we were all anyone was talking about. Members at Lachlan’s club who ventured into the village during their stay had confessed it was one of the joys of Ardnoch that the villagers gossiped more among themselves than about the Hollywood stars living only a few miles from them.
Not fun for us, really. People gawked at me for weeks after Guy’s attack. But I was feeling much calmer about the incident months later, even proud of how I’d fought back. It hadn’t taken long for the trial against Guy to go ahead. Thankfully, because of the cameras I’d forgotten were installed in our modular cabin to protect our computers from theft, there was no question about Guy’s intent that day. Moreover, the disturbing items—several knifes, ropes, and heavy-duty cleaning products—discovered in his car that day only served as further evidence. It hadn’t been easy to watch that footage from the cabin. I think it affected Mac worse than anyone.
But it was footage we needed. While Guy was sentenced to fifteen years for attempted murder, I was cleared of all charges. Guy, from prison, had filed a civil suit against me for hitting him with my car, if you could believe it. My solicitor wasn’t worried a damn bit, so I wasn’t either. I was just relieved that Guy’s criminal charges meant he would likely never be allowed to set foot in Scotland again. His creepy cousin Duncan was fired and charged with harassment (for leaving the notes) and theft (for stealing Marcello’s phone). He’d probably end up with a slap on the wrist but I really only cared he was out of my life.
As for Lee Kilmany, he awaited trial for suspicion of murder on multiple counts and attempted murder. Roisin Bankman awaited a separate trial for conspiracy to commit murder and for attempted murder. There was no doubt in any of our minds that they’d see the inside of a prison cell and stay there for quite some time.
As Mac wanted, we moved on with our lives without letting the shadows of the past hang over us.
Thane sat down beside Regan, who had the kids snuggled beside her. Eilidh’s excited bouncing in her seat drew my attention to the purpose of our gathering. What was going on that made Eilidh look ready to burst? Her bright blue eyes met mine, dancing with delight, the secret trembling on her lips.
“Someone better tell us why we’re here, or Eils is going to do it,” I warned, laughing.
“Can I?” Eilidh turned to Regan and Thane. “Please?”
The couple shared a look, and then Regan gave Eilidh a dimpled smile and a nod.
In an instant, Eilidh jumped off the couch, arms and legs stretched like a sea star, and announced with an excited shriek, “Mum and Dad are getting married, and I get to be a flower girl again!”
The room erupted in joyful shouts of congratulations and tearful hugs of joy.
As I hugged Regan, she whispered, “I hope this doesn’t seem like it’s stepping on your toes.”
“Not at all.” I pulled away to tug at the hand she’d been hiding from everyone. Her engagement ring was stunning and as perfect for her as mine was for me. While mine was a solitaire with a simple platinum band and pear-shaped diamond in a prong setting, Regan’s was a little flashier. Thane had chosen an emerald-cut ruby with a diamond halo and diamond band.
“Do you love it?” I asked, staring at it, a little in awe.
“Um, yeah.” She gaped at it like it was her first time seeing it. “He nailed it. And the stones are ethically sourced, so I can feel good about that.”
“I think you can feel good about a whole lot,” I said, looking around at our family, watching Eilidh regale Robyn about being a flower girl twice over.
“Hey, this is just a thought.” Regan’s words brought my gaze back to her. “And we totally understand if you don’t want to, but Thane and I want to have a simple wedding, nothing over the top … and we thought maybe that sounded right up your alley too.”
“What are you saying?”
“Do you want to have a double wedding? I kinda like the idea of it being this big family thing, you know. Of sharing that with you. But,” she rushed to say, “I totally get it if you want the day to yourself. You and Mac have waited a long time.”