“Go on, the two of ye. I have to burn the juniper branches before the celebration and I’d like to be done before the bonfire is lit.”
“There’s a bonfire?” I asked, perking up at the news.
Agnes nodded. “Aye. All part of the Hogmanay traditions. Ye’ll see for yerself. Remember to dress warmly.” She kissed Callum’s cheek and gave me a puzzled look. “Is he short of breath?” She turned and gave him a poke with the juniper branches. “Are yer sinuses acting up again, lad?”
Callum’s brow furrowed and blew out another long breath. “I’m fine.”
“Ye dinna look fine. You sound like yer suffocating,” Agnes told him. I covered my mouth to hide my giggle when Callum opened his eyes and gave her an exasperated look.
“What?” Agnes asked.
“I love ye,” Callum replied, sweeping her up into a hug and kissing her forehead, “and I believe ye.”
“About?”
His eyes met mine over the top of Agnes’s head. “Everything.”
“Including the fey?”
“Yes, even them.”
Agnes pulled back with an excited look in her eyes. “Then I want to talk about the lock. It—”
Callum shook his head. “It stays, Auntie. Granda wanted it to stay. End of story. I’ll not have hellion sprites running through my business.”
Agnes sighed and waved her juniper branches. “It was worth a try.”
Callum caught my hand and pulled me toward the door. “We’ll see ye at the bonfire?” he asked.
She nodded. “Now shoo! I’ve got a bakeshop to air out, and I don’t need to be dancing around the pair of you lovebirds to do it.”
We waved our goodbyes, and it wasn't until we were on the street that either one of us spoke.
“Thank you.” I hugged Callum close and slipped an arm around his waist.
He gave a grunt and leaned into my touch, but said nothing as we walked toward the print shop. All around us townsfolk were laughing, singing, and imbibing their Hogmanay cheer, making me laugh when I saw their too-bright eyes and rosy cheeks.
“I just wanted her to know I love her,” Callum said when we arrived at the print shop. “But that doesn’t mean I’m letting her take this from the door. If I do I’ll come to work to find her having a right fey tea party in my office.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think that could brighten the place up a bit. Don’t you think?” I grinned at his look of consternation and slipped my arms around his waist. “Plenty of room over there in your office for her to entertain.”
“Enough fey talk,” Callum said, turning to face me. He surprised me when he lowered his head and kissed me. My back bumped against the cold surface of a printing press, and I tilted my head up and opened my mouth, eager to deepen the kiss. The warm pressure of Callum’s hand on my waist set a fire ablaze in my belly. My fingers slid through his hair, nails scraping at his scalp and making him groan in pleasure.
“Lass,” he murmured, breaking our kiss for a second to pull back and look at me.
I frowned at him, hands reaching for his jacket lapels. “Don’t stop.”
“Have t’ stop.” He chuckled and nudged me back when I tried to follow him. “The bonfire.”
I sighed and leaned back against the printing press. “Right, right,” I mumbled, but when Callum moved to step away from me I caught his arm and said, “But I’m sure that no one ever gets to a party right when it starts, and when does the celebration kick off? Eight… Nine?”
“Six,” Callum supplied with a shake of his head when I tried to steal another kiss.
“It’s just past four. There’s plenty of time to get there,” I reasoned.
“Agnes and the whole town are expecting to see you there.”
“See us,” I corrected, raising myself up on my tiptoes to kiss him. It was a chaste kiss, but it still set my heart to racing.
