AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gavin and I enjoy one more night in the castle. After that, he flies home to America. I am alone again. Aye, my family does their best to keep my spirits up in Gavin's absence, but they're more concerned for Rory---and they should be.
But I'm no longer privy to my brother's gnashing teeth and snarling. I decided it was best for Rory and Emery to have the castle to themselves while they sort out their relationship. For now, I'll be staying at Aidan and Calli's house where I can spend time with my wee niece. Emery says goodbye to me, but Rory is holed up in his office, and I agree with Emery when she suggests I shouldn't bother my brother right now.
Rory behaves rather badly for some time after the wedding, as if he's determined to chase Emery away. But she refuses to give up on him. He almost loses Emery because of his boorish behavior but finally realizes he made a huge mistake. He loves her deeply, a fact recognized by everyone except Rory. Emery, being a sweet and also practical woman, understands that his previous marriages damaged him. That's why he pushed her away. But Rory has declared his love for her at last, and she comes home to Dùndubhan, never to leave again.
If Rory could find his soul mate, why can't I? Gavin might be the one, and I have a newfound resolve to make our relationship work.
How will I do that? By whatever means necessary. Aye, that might be a vague plan, but I can flesh it out later. For tonight, I simply need to share my loosely conceived plan with my sister Fiona. She's very clever and more mature than I am, in terms of her age and her temperament.
"You want to do what?" Fiona says. "You're off your head, Jamie."
"Why? Rory married a woman after knowing her for four days. My idea is nowhere close to as barmy as that."
"Och, Jamie. What makes you think Gavin will agree to do it?"
"Because he loves me. But I need an excuse to ask him, and Ma and Da's anniversary is the perfect opportunity."
Fiona clucks her tongue. "Be careful. This might blow up in your face."
"A chance I will gladly take."
"If you insist, then...go for it."
This is an insane plan, for certain. But as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. Gavin and I have been apart too often lately, and I miss him terribly. This is the only option.
I'm going to get my man.
Chapter Thirteen
Gavin
I'm sitting in my tiny apartment on a Friday night, wiped out from work and ready to hit the hay, half asleep already. Then someone rings my doorbell. I never realized that thing even worked. Nobody rings the bell. They just bang on the door instead. It's a sad commentary on the modern world when ringing a doorbell becomes too onerous a task for anyone to bother with. But who the heck is knocking at this hour? It's almost ten o'clock.
Yawning, I hoist my sorry ass out of my recliner and shuffle to the door. I pull it open without even thinking to look through the peephole.
Jamie grins at me. "Surprise!"
"What?" I gape at her, not sure if I'm awake or asleep. Then I feel drool on the corner of my mouth and realize this can't be a dream. I hastily wipe the saliva off with the hem of my T-shirt. "Jamie? I thought you couldn't make it here for another two weeks."
"I couldn't wait any longer. I miss you."
She leaps into my arms, trusting me to catch her. I do, of course, but I'm still kind of confused. For a moment, though, I just hold her and relish the warmth and softness of her body pressed to mine. It's been too damn long since we saw each other in person.
Finally, I set her down on her feet. "I've missed you too, Jamie. But why didn't you let me know you were coming? I would've picked you up at the airport."
"I wanted to surprise you." She gives me an impish smile. "Cannae do that if you know in advance."
"Uh, yeah, I get that."
She leans sideways to peer past my shoulder. "May I come in? Or do you have another girlfriend hiding in there?"
"Yeah, I'd better tell my three other girlfriends to skedaddle." I pick her up and carry her into the tin-can apartment, setting her down on the recliner. "Are you hungry? No, you probably ate on the plane. I mean, it comes with a gourmet chef, for pity's sake."
Jamie studies me for a moment. "Are you jealous that Rory and Lachlan lent me their jet to get me here?"
"No. Well, maybe." I drop onto the bed, which places me less than five feet away from her. "I'm tired, Jamie. I had a long week at work."
"Let's go to sleep, then. We can talk in the morning."
