‘I’m sorry I did this all wrong,’ Rae replied. ‘I never wanted to hurt you.’
‘I know.’ Martha squeezed her shoulders, eyes twinkling. ‘Come on. Let’s stop all this pining nonsense once and for all.’
Rae took her hand, and together, they made their way through the crowds towards the orchard.
Towards him.
38
Struan hoped that all of those romance books recommended by Eiley and Harper would at least amount to something. He was grand-gesturing to the extreme, and the vulnerability he felt as he waited in the orchard made his fingers tremble over his guitar strings. He’d already forgotten half the chords, but hoped that the trail of white petals and tea lights he’d scattered between the rows of apple trees would make up for the inevitable ruin of Rae’s favourite song, given to him by Martha.
Really, he wouldn’t blame her if all this did was chase her away for good, but he had to show Rae what she meant to him. Not just her, but Martha, too, to put her mind at ease now she’d offered her blessing.
‘Shite. What on earth are you doing to yourself, you wee plonker?’ he murmured to himself when he saw colours weaving between the tayberry shrubs. Mum was the first to appear under the stone archway, giving him an excited wave before stepping aside. Vik was next, flashing him a thumbs up before joining her under the shade of the drooping plum tree. When he saw Martha towing a hidden figure along, his stomach collapsed in on itself, and he had to turn his back to gather his composure.If he was going to make an arse of himself, he wasn’t sure he could look at her while doing it.
And yet, when he heard Martha urge, ‘Comeon,’ his body twisted of its own accord, as drawn to her as it had been from that day he’d seen her again in the farmhouse kitchen. In Glasgow, he’d felt the distance between them like a hollow tunnel. Now, he saw the light at the end of it: her, wearing a pink dress patterned with strawberries, ash-brown hair wreathed in daisies and cascading over her shoulders – more beautiful than any waterfall. Her lips were as deep red as the fruit behind her, cheeks rosy as she finally locked eyes with him.
‘Please don’t “Wonderwall” me,’ she begged.
He grinned and positioned his fingers over the first chord of ‘Strawberry Wine’ by Noah Kahan. At least, he thought it was the first chord. His brain was empty of anything but her, just the way he liked it.
As he strummed, Martha winced and plugged her fingers in her ears. Very reassuring. Vik hid her laugh behind her hand, Mum’s brows raised a little too high to make her enthusiastic claps believable. Rae’s face, though, softened as though he was as talented as any musician. She edged towards him, humming the right tune when his fingers failed him, giggling when it didn’t help him get back on track because she distracted him too much to gather his composure. By the time he got to the bridge, he’d completely lost his grip on the melody, so he lowered the guitar with a huff. He’d wanted to sweep her off her feet. Give her the serenade she deserved.
‘At least I don’t have to worry about you only liking me for my musical talent,’ he gritted out finally.
She laughed, her smile radiant and unwavering. ‘If you wanted to impress me, this probably wasn’t the best way to do it.’
He grunted, lifting up the guitar strap and propping the instrument against the oak tree. He didn’t want a barrier between them for this next part, regardless of how it went.
‘I liked it anyway,’ she whispered, looking up at him from under her dark lashes. ‘In fact, I think I enjoyed it better than the original.’
‘Liar.’
She shook her head. ‘No. I’ve never been able to lie to you.’
He dipped his chin, tucking his wind-tousled hair behind his ear. Without the guitar to root him in place, he felt lost, unsure how to stand, act, move. All he wanted was to pull her in, but he needed to know she wanted it, too, first. ‘You look breathtaking.’
She smoothed the sheer fabric over her hips timidly. ‘Thank you. I thought your course didn’t end until next week.’
‘I’m heading back to finish up Monday morning.’
‘So… why are you here? This could have waited.’
‘No, it couldn’t.’ He cast a smirk Martha’s way. ‘Besides, I was warned that my balls were in jeopardy if I didn’t get my arse here and make things right.’
She snorted. ‘Well, we can’t have that. Though, really, you’re not the one who ruined things. I did. I was a coward.’
‘That’s because Martha is terrifying.’
‘Oi!’ Martha shouted.
He shot her a shooing motion, and even from here, he saw the roll of her eyes, but Mum was kind enough to drag her and Vik away,giving them much-needed privacy – not before Martha threatened, ‘If you hurt her, you’ll lose more than just your balls!’
He didn’t doubt it, but he also didn’t intend to hurt Rae. Ever. He longed for the day Martha would start to believe that.
He took Rae’s hands, running a gentle thumb over her knuckles. ‘I missed you so fucking much.’
‘I missed you, too.’ Her voice shimmered with the sincerity of it, enough to make his heart plummet into his stomach all over again. He’d been filled with doubts over the last week, her absence filled by the certainty that she could never want him with as much ferocity as he did her, but now she was here, he could see his own desperate adoration mirrored in her and he knew: he was hers. When they were this close, it wasn’t even a question, which was perhaps why he’d fallen so quickly, so deeply, to begin with.
