“I’ll be fine.”
The stilted conversation definitely had a double meaning, and all the things they weren’t saying tugged on her heart.She’d never made any promises to Rhodes.Their handful of dates had only consisted of friendship on her part.Still, she cared about him, and there wasn’t ever going to be anyone but Tavish in her heart.
He paid for his coffee and stuck the change in the tip jar.He took a deep breath and smiled at Mairi.
“I hope he knows what he has,” he told her.
“I think he does.”
He nodded.“Good.Then that’s how it should be.See you around, Mairi.”
“Bye, Rhodes.”
He exited the shop and her shoulders slumped.
“You okay?”Keegan asked.
“I’m fine,” she replied.“I just hope he finds the person meant for him.”
“I’m sure one day he’ll find his mate.”
The morning stayed busy, but once the rush of morning had passed, Keegan was a dog with a bone.
“So, tell me what happened?”
“Not gonna let this go, are you?”
“Nope,” she replied, popping thep.
“Tavish received a call from his assistant,” she explained.“He was needed for a meeting so he had to return to Scotland.”
“Are you going to join him?”
Mairi blinked and frowned.“I have a commitment here, with you.”
“With me?What do you mean?”
“Here, you know.”She gestured around.“The coffee shop.You can’t run this alone.”
Keegan gave her a soft smile and took hold of her hands.“I love you, cousin, and I love that you thought of me when you needed a haven.But you don’t have to worry about me.”
“But this place...”
“I was running it fine before you, so I’ll find someone who needs a job.”
“Wow, what a way to make me feel loved,” she teased.
Keegan rolled her eyes.“You know what I mean.But tell me, and be honest, what do you want to do?”
She stared at her cousin as her mind raced.It was her decision to exile herself in America, afraid of confronting Tavish about his ideas of her.Back then, she wanted to bury her head in sand in order to hold onto him.She had accused him of being selfish, but perhaps she was selfish as well, trying to hold onto him in the only way she knew how, by running away.
“Say what you’re thinking, Mairi,” Keegan ordered.“Right now.Just say it.Blurt it out.”
“I want him,” she whispered.
Keegan smiled.“Then go to him.Take back all the years here and be with your mate.”
“What if he decides he doesn’t want me?”It was a fear she lived with every day, and even though he told her he wanted to be with her, it was hard to maintain that belief.The little devil on her shoulders wouldn’t shut up.
