‘I had to see you,’ he gulped. ‘We have to talk.’
‘OK?’ She nodded. That’s just what she wanted too.
‘I wanted to thank you, first of all,’ he said, brown eyes wild and sparkling. ‘I should have told you when I had the chance. You see? When I met you, I was stuck. And so was Dad, actually. For a long time.’
Ally nodded. ‘I know.’
He took her hand, the words tumbling out. ‘I only really started moving on when I came here. When I met you. You showed me the Nithy Brig and got something unstuck in me.’ He thumbed his chest, right where his heart was beating so hard Ally thought she could see it through his clothes. ‘You helped me remember a bit of Mum out there.’ His eyes locked fast with hers. ‘And you let me hear her voice again.’ His own voice trembled. ‘And hearing her got something moving inside Dad as well. He’s trying bereavement therapy, you know? After all these years. That was you who did that!’
The burst of warmth in her chest made its way to her face. She was grinning wildly back at him. ‘It’s never too late,’ she said.
‘Never,’ Jamie agreed. ‘I think Mum will be watching him and feeling proud, you know?’
‘I think she’ll be proud of you too,’ said Ally.
He was looking right into her, wonder lighting his face. ‘It feels like you brought me closer to her than I’ve ever been. Or rather, you’ve brought me closer to myself. You taught me to imagine a world where things were better and work towards that. You showed me healing was possible. You showed me…’ he stumbled closer. ‘You showed me love was possible.’
His hands travelled up over her arms. She answered his body, pulling him closer. It turned into a tight hug.
‘Thank you, for all of that,’ he said close to her ear.
When he pulled back, he kept his hands on her arms.
‘Jamie,’ Ally began, wondering if she could express in words this great warmth blooming inside her. She hadn’t dared imagine she’d see him again, and here he was holding her. ‘Jamie, I have to thank you too. For giving me courage. For making me unstuck. And for letting me go too. I mean, I don’t mean letting me go, exactly; I mean encouraging me to do what I need to do.’
‘Me too, I feel the same way.’
‘Yes, but…’ she knew it was coming, could feel it welling up. ‘I’ve fallen in love with you.’ She blinked in astonishment as the words stayed in the air between them. They sounded so good she said it again. ‘I’m actually in love with you.’
Jamie, to her surprise, laughed brightly. ‘Me too. I fell for you the second I saw you, and that day in the bothy, I was a goner.’
Ally crushed him to her, hugging him so tight she thought they both might pop. He squeezed her and they rocked, laughing like children.
Warmth. Simple joy. This must be what it feels like to get what you need.
Ally pulled back, suddenly sharply aware of the time ticking on.
‘What are we going to do?’ she asked, dazed. ‘Are you going to wait for me?’
‘Yes, I am. If you want me to?’
She laughed again at the very notion of not wanting him. ‘I’ll be gone for ages.’
‘I know. I even looked into transferring to the Swiss police!’ He laughed too. ‘But no dice.’
‘Oh.’ She wasn’t even that deflated. He was talking crazy now. It was all so wonderfully mad.
‘But I am moving here to Cairn Dhu,’ he said, his tone assured. ‘As a Regular.’
‘You’re what?’
‘In the new intake. Edwyn’s already signed off on it. They need officers here, and I’m going to be one of them.’
‘What about Edinburgh?’ she said, eyes moving across his beautiful features in fascination.
‘Ach, they’ve got Rebus and plenty other gritty, city cops. I’d rather be a Highland officer any day. And it means I’ll be right here,’ he pointed at the spot where they stood, ‘when you come home. I’ll have cleaned up these mean streets by the time you return.’
His lips, saying those words, looked better than they ever had, and she had to kiss him again.
