Page 58 of Chasing a Highland Dream

Ben ran his hands through his hair. ‘Shit! This is awesome. I loved that one…’ He clicked his fingers. ‘What was it called? The Long… something?’

‘The Long Way Home,’ Aiden replied.

‘Aye! That’s it. Man, that had me gripped from start to finish. Bloody well done, pal! I’ll have to get you to sign my copy before you leave.’

‘So how come you didn’t say who you were? It seems a bit weird,’ Skye said, eyes narrowed.

Aiden sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment. ‘The fact is… I had a difficult break-up. My wife cheated on me and her new partner is quite possessive. There were threats and I lost my writing mojo for a while. I’m here to get away from all that.’

‘Oh no, that’s horrible,’ Skye said, placing her hand over her heart.

Aiden swallowed hard and stared at the table, the matter was clearly still difficult for him. ‘It almost ruined my career.’

‘Bloody hell, mate, that’s scary,’ Ben said with a shake of his head and a quick glance at everyone else.

Olivia – whose hand had been over her mouth since Aiden’s admission – now chimed in. ‘Well, I can assure you no one at this table knew anything. I’m your host and I had no clue.’ She gave a brief glance to Bella, who was grateful for her discretion. ‘Although I’m more of a romance reader myself, but even so, I can assure you no one here will give your whereabouts away. Your identity, and secret, are safe with us, I promise.’

Bella’s stomach churned and she stood. ‘Can you excuse me for a moment, please?’

She left the room and met Wilf and Marley in the hallway. They wagged their tails and she bent to give them both a quick scratch behind their ears, then, satisfied with that, they returned to their comfy-looking furry bed by the kitchen door.

She made her way to the front door, opened it and stepped outside. It was raining again now, and she was grateful for the stone canopy sheltering her from the downpour. As she stood there, the door opened.

‘I’ve done it again, haven’t I?’ Aiden said.

Bella shivered and her teeth chattered. ‘I think we should stop talking. Because every time you open your mouth, I think you’re going to accuse me of something.’

Aiden closed his eyes. ‘I’m an idiot. And I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions again. You have to understand the position I’m in. I’ve tried to keep my two lives separate for so long but maybe it’s time I came right out and admitted who I am. It would be one less thing to worry about.’

‘I think that’s probably a very good idea, Aiden, instead of being paranoid around the people who actually like you and want to get to know you.’

He closed the gap between them. ‘You still want to get to know me?’ he asked with an air of hope as he gazed into her eyes.

‘I don’t know, Aiden. You’re not making it very easy. I feel like you don’t trust me, even though I’ve done nothing to warrant that. Fair enough, we don’t know each other that well, but if you start a relationship off on shaky ground and there’s already mistrust, it doesn’t stand a chance.’ Harris’s words about trust echoed in her mind. He’d been right.

Aiden nodded and rested his forehead on hers. ‘You’re right. I’m so sorry. And I’m glad you like me, because I like you too. I mean really, really like you.’

She might like him, but was that enough? ‘Then you need to start believing me when I say I’ve kept your secrets. If you don’t believe that, we may as well stop and take things no further.’

He slipped his arm around her waist. ‘I really do want to take things further. Much further.’ He raised his eyebrows and she glared at him. He chuckled. ‘Oh, come on, you can’t be mad at me for finding you irresistible, surely?’

‘Look, Aiden, things between us aren’t going any further until we know each other a hell of a lot better, and until I know you aren’t going to blame me anytime something happens you’re not happy about.’

‘I promise I won’t. I promise that’s all done. I’m going to speak to Nelly about revealing my identity.’

Bella nodded. ‘That’s a start.’

‘Can I kiss you?’ he asked but before she gave her consent, he lowered his mouth to hers and did it anyway.

She gave in and allowed his passionate onslaught for a moment. But all the while, Harris’s words rattled around her head. ‘Someone who makes you laugh, and who you know you can trust implicitly, is what counts. And someone who trusts you and really cares about you is far more important in my book.’

With a gentle push to Aiden’s chest, she stepped back. ‘We’d better get back inside. They’ll be wondering where we are.’

At the end of the evening, Aiden and Bella made their way down to the old stable block. ‘Do you want to come in for a coffee? Or maybe a nightcap? I look rather fetching in a nightcap,’ he joked, but Bella was still feeling a little on edge.

‘No, thanks. I’m really tired. I think everything’s catching up with me and tomorrow is Monday, so I have work.’

He nodded and smiled, but his face didn’t seem to relax. ‘Okay. Another time maybe.’ He bent to kiss her but she turned her face so his lips landed on her cheek.