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We passed through gorgeous hillsides and hugged the shoreline of breathtaking lochs. Lewis announced the names of each one as we passed but couldn’t be bothered to stop at any of them for photo opportunities or exploration. Could I ever become so used to these views that they no longer gave me chills? The ability to breeze past them seemed utterly beyond me. If I’d been in my own vehicle, I would have stopped at every loch, probably several times over, just to revel in the views. Duncan would have laughed at all the pictures I would have taken.
“I can’t get over all these lakes.”
“It is what we’re known for,” he said.
I pulled one leg underneath me and leaned back in my seat to face him. “You say you’ve lived in London ten years, but whenever you talk about Scotland, it’s like it’s still your home.”
“It always will be. It’s in my blood. I like London, but Scotland has my heart.”
A slow smile spread over my face. “Now you’re being unfair. There’s nothing like a man talking about his heart to make a woman’s melt.”
“Then it’s all going to plan.” His mouth twitched a reflection of his humor, and that alone sent a spark zinging through me.
Honestly, everything about him gave me that zing.
“Do you ever think to come back?” If I lived in Scotland, I’d never want to leave it. I would have time to wander through all the open hillsides, walk on the rocky coasts, and actually experience all the little villages I had only glimpsed.
Avoid every haggis-filled butcher shop from coast to coast.
“The thought occurs, especially on a trip like this.” His gaze darted out the window to the lake and back again. “There’s a lot to appreciate here. But I don’t think I could be so far from my girls indefinitely.”
“What are they like? Other than absolutely adorable.”
“They are that, aren’t they?” He scratched his beard, a sweet smile touching his mouth. “Louisa devours books, especially after bedtime when her light is supposed to be out. She’s whip smart and sees right through me. Sophie is a devious little imp, always up to whatever it is I just told her not to do. She’s going to be the world’s first astronaut princess. Most of our tea parties take place on Saturn.”
“On Saturn?” I repeated with a laugh.
“Jupiter is so gauche.”
“If she’s a princess, does that make you the king?” All my senses saidYes, indeed.
“I appreciate that you’d guess that, but no. At best I’m the footman—at worst, jester.”
“Aw. Do you have the hat for it?”
He gave a slow nod, and I giggled at the image. Although he would probably wear a jester hat as well as he wore everything else.
“You laugh. You’re not the one singing Taylor Swift songs at the mercy of a seven-year-old.”
I dipped my head toward him and dropped my voice. “Are you a secret Swiftie?”
“It’s no secret. I have two girls—Taylor Swift is the soundtrack to my life.”
“Is it too soon to ask for a baritone rendition of “Cruel Summer?””
He laughed. “You don’t want to hear me sing, I promise. I was cursed in another life to be perpetually off-key. That’s why it’s the girls’ favorite request.”
“They must run the show with you.”
“And they know it.” There came that sweetness in his expression again, and there went my heart, turning into a puddle. “It’s cliché, but I didn’t know what love was until they were born.”
Well, that was it. My ovaries swooned into a dead faint. Time to just raise the white flag and surrender to the king.
“These little people who are completely dependent on you, who can drive you mad with their antics, yet they hold your heart in their hands. It’s like nothing else.”
“They’re lucky girls. Just listening to you talk about them for five minutes, I can see how much you love them. That’s a really special thing.”
“What about you?” he said. “Do you want children?”
