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My bonnie, sweet, clever, passionate lass. I'm walking away from the only woman I've ever loved.
Aye, Lachlan had walked away from Erica. He did it out of fear, though, not because a greedy woman tried to ruin his life. Maybe Aisley did do that, but it's not the same situation at all. I don't want to leave Calli, and the woman who wants to ruin me has no legitimate claim—unless the bairn is mine.
How many times over the past two weeks have I fantasized about having children with Calli? None of my dreams matter anymore.
Now I'm gathering my things and stuffing my clothes into my suitcase while Calli lies on her back on the bed, fully clothed, staring at the ceiling. The puppies are curled up at the foot of the bed, observing me with solemn faces as if they sense something bad has happened. Animals can be very intuitive that way. I wish I could stay here with Calli and the puppies, but I need to settle things with Seona once and for all.
The zipper of my suitcase makes azzztsound when I pull it shut, and the noise seems to snap Calli out of her semi-trance. She blinks rapidly. I slouch on the mattress near the bedside table, morose and silent, my gaze on the blank screen of the mobile in my hand.
Silence yawns between us. Silence and an invisible barrier that stretches across the distance.
"I'll pack you a snack," Calli says, "in case you get hungry at the airport."
Crawling out of bed, she hustles down the hallway with the puppies trailing after her.
And I sit here glaring down at the floor. Several minutes tick by before I can summon a single thought. Half a thought, actually. Whole ones are beyond my reach right now. A few more minutes elapse before I force myself to get up and go check on Calli. I drop my bags off at the front door on my way to the kitchen.
She's standing in front of the refrigerator, staring blankly at the food inside it. She sniffles, then sucks in a breath through her nostrils and swipes at her eyes, no doubt because tears have gathered in them.
I'm the cause of her tears. The realization stabs a hard pang into my chest.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
She jumps and shuffles around to face me across the bar.
I rest my hands on the back of one of the stools and note the redness in her eyes.
"Nothing's wrong," she says, but her voice is strained. "We don't have much time left."
"Aye." My posture slumps, and I can't help the weariness in my voice. "I…don't want to go."
"You have to. It's time."
Another, even sharper pang pierces my chest. I stifle a gasp at the sensation, though I know it's not real pain but only a ghost of my tangled emotions. "Do I have to leave? We could be together. If you come with me."
"I can't marry you."
"Not yet." I lean forward, desperation tightening my features and infusing my voice. "Stay with me. Live with me. I donnae care about the circumstances as long as you're with me. We can marry after your divorce comes through."
"I have to be here for that."
"You can fly back when the time comes."
"Aidan—" She freezes for a moment, then confusion wrinkles her brow. "What do you mean if I come with you?"
"Back to Scotland."
She scuffles backward a step. "You assume I'll go with you? Why don't you stay here?"
"Do you want me to?"
"If I did, would you do it? Would you stay here to be with me?"
"You know I have to go home to see Seona." I lower my gaze, unable to keep looking at her, my mouth cinching into a tense line. "Besides, I don't belong here. Scotland is my home and I want to share it with you. I know you'd love it."
"You know? How, exactly?" She raises her hands. "Let me get this straight. You assumed from the start that if you could make me fall for you, I'd happily trot off to a foreign country and leave my whole life behind."
"What life? You've got no job, no money—"
