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"Was it all true?"
She squirms. "Well, yes. But still..."
Courtney pats her mother's hand. "Relax, Mom, we aren't stupid. Eric's best friend escorted us all the way, and he didn't leave until we walked into the house. Now he's on his way to visit his sister who lives in Inverness."
"You're talking about that bodybuilder guy, Russell."
Courtney nods. "See? We aren't as gullible as you think."
"That's a relief."
"You know, if anyone's irresponsible here, it's you, Mom." Courtney bumps her shoulder into Rebecca. "I mean, you're shacking up with a Scottish guy you met a few weeks ago."
"It's not like that."
Eric grins. "What is it like, Mom?"
"I---Well, it's, um..."
Courtney and Eric both start laughing.
Rebecca makes a stern face that's sheer rubbish. "What happened to respecting your elders? I should disown you both."
Watching these three tease each other reminds me of my family. And that makes me want to share something about them with Rebecca and her children. "My family is a lot like yours, you know. We like to harass each other with sarcasm, but we always end up laughing. Only families that really love each other behave that way."
Eric slides forward, resting his arms on his knees while he focuses on me. "Tell us more about your family. We should know everything since we'll be your stepkids pretty soon."
Rebecca smacks his arm. "Eric! For pity's sake."
He holds his hands up. "I'm just saying what we all know is true."
"The laddie might have a point," I interject. "So, I should tell you about my clan. I have a brother, Ramsay, as well as a sister, Iona. My parents are Keith and Elsa."
Eric's brows lift. "Elsa doesn't sound very Scottish."
"My mother was born and raised in Sweden, but she came to Scotland on holiday and fell in love with a braw, strong Scotsman. That would be my father, Keith."
Our conversation goes on for a while, with all of us exchanging stories about our families. My clan is much larger overall since I have many cousins, aunts, and uncles. But Rebecca's family includes only her parents and her two children. She has no cousins. Eric and Courtney have their father, but he's an only child and his parents passed away years ago.
As the conversation winds down, I tell them, "I could entertain you three with many stories you wouldn't believe, but they're all true. The story of how Domhnall Sterling and Fiona MacTaggart got together is quite a tale. It ends with a strongman competition, a raucous round of Highland games, and a kidnapping."
Eric crosses his arms over his chest, eying me with feigned suspicion. "Oh, come on. You can't expect us to believe that."
I lean forward and chuckle with a wee bit of menace. "Believe it, laddie. Of course, the most incredible tale involves your mother, and it happened last week."
"She wasn't kidnapped. Somebody would have told us."
"No, she wasn't taken. But she did set off a land mine just outside this house to save me from a villain."
I wink at Rebecca. She understands my signal and goes on to share the story of how a former double agent tried to assault us. They love hearing how Odin helped out. So, I promise to introduce them to my llama security system in the morning. Right now, we're all jeeked and need a good night's sleep.
Maybe I will never have children of my own, but I have discovered something just as good. Better, even. It's all because of the woman who has captured my heart.
And it's time I introduced Rebecca and her children to my family.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Rebecca
