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The dog parent thing lasted what? Eight weeks or so? After they could leave Fred, the puppies would go to new homes and that would be it. I had to wonder if the vet had spayed Fred as part of the c-section surgery. If Earl planned to keep humping Fred, no one wanted a puppy repeat.
Sooooo…
So what the hell was I doing in Scotland?
The photo was an image of my life. Puppies. My kid–even though he was grown and on another continent, he was still a huge part of it. I didn’t need to drive him to the dentist or control his screen time any longer, but I was his dad, and I wouldalwaysbe there for him.
I also had meddling siblings. For a short time, I even had a woman, too. I didn’t have to take my business back, but why did I have to leave Hunter Valley? I longed for the life I’d had to abandon when I had Danny. I’d wanted to go to college, play football. Backpack across Europe. Drive a semi-truck across the desert in Australia. Ski in Chile. Play in the Highland Games. Besides having some fun tossing a few cabers in a kilt, did I really want those other dreams anymore? And I could toss cabers at home, just like I did with my brothers and even the Jameses.
I definitely didn’t want to drive a semi-truck. I was too old to be happy sleeping in a hostel bunk bed and living out of a backpack. I could ski in Montana. I didn’t have to go to South America to do it.
My dreams had changed. How had I not noticed it until now?
I was alone in this bed. Alone in the country.
Melly was in Hunter Valley. I could have her. I could be with her and that bottle of lube that had probably been delivered. I could get to know her and make her mine. Extend our sex contract to forever if we wanted.
But nothing…nothingwas going to happen with me here.
46
MELLY
I could read a book anywhere.Maybe it was because of my job or because I just loved to read. I didn’t get carsick, and I could read through any kind of noise.
But I couldn’t get through the chapter during my layover. I was too nervous. My anxiety kept me from sitting still and so I paced the gate area. My continuing flight to Glasgow was on time, but I was debating if I should get on it.
Danny had said he’d text his dad and find out where he was. What if he got the wrong information or if Daniel had moved on? Would I end up spending the week wandering Scotland alone searching for a traveling lumberjack? And worse, what if I did find him and he wondered why I showed up? Or if he was with a woman.
I dropped into an empty boarding area seat.
Oh God. I hadn’t thought of that until right now. He hadn’t wanted a relationship with me, which was fine because that was our arrangement. But that meant he was open to being with someone else. We may not have shared for those few days we were together, but we weren’t exclusive now.
I had no doubt Scottish women were lovely and couldn’t resist Daniel’s brawniness and charms.
I was just the nerdy librarian he slept with for a few days.
No. He invited me! He wanted me to go with him!
I turned him down, so now he could be with anyone!
“Daniel Pearson, please return to gate twelve for a left item.”
My head whipped up at hearing Daniel’s name on an airport announcement. What?
My heart thumped hard.
“Did you hear that?” I asked the businessman beside me who was working on his laptop, some complicated spreadsheet on the small screen.
He blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Did you hear that? For Daniel Pearson?”
“That’s not my name,” he replied, then turned his attention back to his work.
“Daniel Pearson, please return to gate twelve for a left item.”
I popped to my feet as if I got bingo and wanted to snag the cash prize.
