Always You (Adair Family 3)

I’d fucked up.

For years, I’d been so afraid of hurting her that my fear had done just that.

This was a good thing, I said to myself. I pushed her away to protect her from me because look what I could do to her. I humiliated her. I didn’t deserve her.

I hurt the people I loved.

* * *

Sliding open my office desk drawer, I stared down at the black velvet box. For some stupid reason, I couldn’t get rid of the bloody bracelet. Arro had wrapped up all her hopes in that gift, a gift I never should’ve given her. Because I’d lied. Yes, I’d seen how much she admired Robyn’s bracelet, an extravagant gift I’d given to somehow make up for lost time. But that wasn’t the real reason I’d given Arro the piece of jewelry.

For just a second, I’d wanted to pretend that she was mine to give diamonds to.

To feel some kind of claim on her whenever I saw her wearing it.

And that made me a bigger bastard than she even knew.

All these years, I’d kept Arro at bay to protect her from me, and I’d hurt her anyway with my mixed signals.

I slammed the drawer and reached for my phone. I had to talk to her. Had to fix things.

I couldn’t give up hope we could be friends again.

I’d never been one to say someone was a “best” friend, but Arro … she was my best friend.

Like always, however, the call rang out.

I hung up, glaring at my computer screen.

She had until Robyn and Lachlan returned in a few days, and if she didn’t pick up any of my calls in that time, I’d go to her. We needed to have this out once and for all.

13

Arro

I’d woken early to a text from Eredine asking me to breakfast the Sunday after our talk. I’d gotten calls and texts from Ery all week, and it was lovely. She was acting very protective of me, but the truth was, I felt a million times better after confiding in her. It was a massive weight off my shoulders. Ery didn’t judge me for my wrongdoing in the whole situation, and she didn’t judge Mac either. She just let me feel what I wanted to feel about it and made it clear she was there for me.

It was a special friend who kept her opinions and bias out of an emotional situation. I was grateful to her.

For the first time since that night, I was looking forward to a social situation—breakfast at An Sealladh, a roadside café fifteen minutes outside the village with a view across Ardnoch Firth. It was called the View in Gaelic, and they cooked the best Scottish breakfasts. Hoping it wouldn’t be too busy that morning, I hurried to dress to pick up Ery on my way. There was no point in taking two cars.

I’d just stepped out of the house when a Range Rover pulled into the driveway with Arran at the wheel. He must’ve borrowed one from Lachlan’s new fleet. What was he doing here?

My brother got out of the SUV and bleeped it shut behind him with a point of the fob. “Where are you off to?” he asked before I could question him.

“Breakfast with Ery. What brings you to my door, especially at this hour?”

His face brightened suspiciously at the mention of Eredine. “I was coming to take you for breakfast myself. How fortuitous. Shall I drive or …?”

Rolling my eyes at his boyish smile, I answered by walking to my Defender. He followed like a happy puppy, and while it thrilled me to have him home, I felt the need to repeat myself. “Ery’s off-limits.”

“You can’t make people off-limits, Arro,” Arran replied humorlessly as he pulled on his seat belt.

I did the same thing but glowered at him. “I can make her off-limits. She’s my friend. And she doesn’t need you blowing into town, devastating her, and then blowing back out.”

He shot me a dark look. “Not everything has to be taken so seriously, wee sister. Frankly, Eredine needs to indulge in a wee bit o’ lighthearted flirting.”

“What do you know about it?” I huffed, pulling away from the house.