“I’m quite serious.” It takes a pivot and a quick shuffle of feet, then I’m next to Bella with my arm around her waist. “This is my lovely bride, Arabella MacTavish.”
“Hello.” Bella’s smile is fixed as she stares at her.
“And sweetheart, this is Sheena Graham.”
Neither of them holds out their hand for a shake, and I’m thinking it’s a good time to show my bride the rooftop gardens. I’m gently pulling her in that direction when Sheena loses it.
“Darling, you’re joking!” Her voice is rising to a pitch that could shatter glass.“Married?Dinnae be ridiculous! Is this a prank?” Her right eye twitches as she glances at my sister. “Kenna, bring me in on the joke, aye?”
“The only joke is your dress,darling.I’m very happy that Arabella is my new sister. The whole family is over the moon about her.” Kenna’s looking like she’s ready to bite into Sheena’s hand, which keeps creeping over to my arm.
Sheena’s face flushes as red as her hair. “What the bloody hell do you-”
“You’ve had too much to drink,” Sloan says crisply. “We are walking away and you should go put yourself back together in the ladies’ room.”
Bella’s silent until we make it to a quiet corner of the garden. “Ex-girlfriend, I take it?”
“Well, she wasn’t ever Logan’s girlfriend, more of a quick podger-”
“Kenna!” I snap. “Not helpful.”
“Good to know it was never anything serious,” Sloan agrees. “The way she was swinging her lady dick around? She’s used to having her way, isn’t she?”
“I assumed Logan dinnae break free from a monastery just before he met me,” my wife says calmly. “We all have pasts. I’m just happy most ofminelive elsewhere.”
“Really?” Kenna’s expression is pure glee. Ach, she really hates me. “Give us some highlights, then. Do ye prefer them blond or dark? Serve the tea, sister!”
Bella’s lips twitch. “Sweetheart, would ye mind getting me another glass of wine?”
“Me too.” Sloan holds out her glass blindly, keeping eye contact with my wife.
“I’ll have a Macallan,” my sister says, turning her back to me.
Kai meets me at the bar. “I do distinctly remember warning ye that your past would catch up, aye? Dinnae ye buy that one enough jewelry to get her to leave ye alone?”
“Not helpful, brother.” I take a quick shot of vodka before collecting the girls’ drinks. “What would be helpful is ye sending in Luna to smooth all this shite over. She likes me.”
His laughter is loud and hearty. “She dinnae really like ye that much. Sending her over would just make it four against one.”
“I know it’s wrong, but I think about punching ye in the throat a lot.” I tap my empty shot glass and the amused bartender refills it for me.
Arabella…
My husband is a handsome bastard. So tall, all those muscles, his sharp cheekbones and rakish pirate grin. It’s a given that any woman would leave heel marks on the entire male cast ofBridgertonjust to get within touching distance of Logan.
But having his past displayed so prominently on our first big outing as husband and wife is deflating. And it’s not just that enraged, drunken ginger.
Sloan deftly moves me through the hall as two narrow-eyed women attempt to engage us in conversation. Kenna nobly throws herself on the sword to stay behind and hold them off until we can get back to the rest of the family. My mother-in-law, Isla, is looking at the two embittered girls with an expression that, had it been a physical thing, would have set them on fire.
“My son made many ill-advised decisions in his past,” she says, her fiery gaze turning to me, softening to a smile. “His decision to marry ye redeems all his former mistakes in my eyes. Dougal and I are very happy ye chose to be his better half.” She winks. “In this case, I mean that quite literally.”
We clink our glasses together, and the night feels glorious again.
***
Maybe I should be upset, yet it’s a wee bit hilarious.
The smell of red wine is strong in the car, because my husband has a full glass of it on his formerly pristine white shirt.
