AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ugh, I heard that. At least it’ll be the two of you giving her wee grandchildren instead of me now.”
“Leave me be. We’ll be down shortly.”
I released my wife and sat up, hating that I had to let her go.
“See that ye do.”
Becca leaned close and whispered, “I think she’s annoyed with us.”
“I don’t give a damn.”
“At least one of us doesn’t.” She got up and headed into the loo. “I’m going to take a shower. The last thing I want to do is leave with your mom mad at me.”
“Oh, hen, I hate to see you leave, but I do love watching you walk away.”
She laughed and closed the door behind her. But every bit of what I’d said was true. She and I would make this work. We had to. I couldn’t let anything get between us.
BECCA
With Taylor taking his nephews to the rink for the hockey game he’d promised them, I had time for one last walk through the beautiful fields surrounding his family home. I needed it. Something about this country soothed me, felt like it was welcoming me back to where I belonged. But maybe that was more about the person I was with than the land itself. Taylor had a way of pulling me into his orbit no matter what. Case in point, my impulsive wedding. If he’d been any other man, I would’ve laughed him right off my porch. But he was charming, and I was a glutton for punishment.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come watch them kick my arse?” he asked as I tied my shoes.
He was leaning against the wall across from me in the entryway, his eyes glimmering with mischief.
“As much as I love watching you be an amazing uncle to them, I really want to soak up one more walk out here in Scotland. Who knows when I’ll get to come back, you know?”
“I’ll bring you back here whenever you want. Hell, we can buy a house here and spend as much time in Scotland as you’d like.”
Why did that make me sad? Maybe because I’d never had anything like this before. The ability to simply buy a house in Scotland and jet off to visit whenever I wanted. Money had been tight for my entire life. Clara had scrimped and saved and worked hard to ensure we stayed comfortable. Instead of spending our parents' life insurance, she’d set up accounts for each of us, then worked two jobs to support our family. It had been hard, I was certain, but she never let us see how it affected her. Now, as a business owner, I understood. I wasn’t extravagant. I didn’t spend money recklessly. Sure, I had fun, went out, and splurged here and there, but I knew it could all go away at any time.
“Hey now, hen, what’s that face?” Taylor fell to his knees in front of me and cupped my cheeks with his large hands.
“The money stuff. It’s unnerving.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m not used to it. That’s all. I don’t like spending your money.”
“It’s ours now. If you want to spend it, spend it. God knows I make more than anyone should.”
My stomach churned. “Do I even want to know how much?”
He chuckled and pressed his forehead to mine. “Probably not. But I want you to have everything. If you need a new car, buy one. If Scarlett wants to move out, help her get a house. What’s mine is yours.”
“I... I just need you to know that even if you didn’t have money, I love you. This isn’t about what you can buy me. You give me so much more that can’t be bought, Taylor.”
Fuck, why was I crying?
He brushed the tears away with the pads of his thumbs and kissed me softly. “I know that. Even when it was about the money, I knew you only took it because there wasn’t another option. But I’m the luckiest fucking bastard because if you hadn’t agreed, I’d be stuck on some reality show like poor Petrov, dating women who have gold digger tattooed on their arses.”
Twin Scottish beasties burst through the front door, nearly taking their uncle down as they collided with him.
“Bloody hell, you two, didn’t your godforsaken mum teach ye to knock on the door? Ye think you can barrel in here and take over like a couple of English invaders?” He might’ve sounded angry, but he was very clearly playing with them. “Just because your dad is an Englishman, I’ll give ye a pass.”
“We were waiting at the gate, but you were taking too long!” Harry—or was it Hamish?—said.
“Fine. Tell this pretty lady to come watch us when she’s done with her walk, will ye? She willnae listen to me.”
