As if he sensed I needed a rescue, my dad led Mum over to us.
Sean tapped Gary on the arm. “Let’s grab another drink.”
I thanked my friend with a nod. Sean Iwouldmiss because he was taking a position at a firm in Manchester.
My dad was only a few inches shorter than me, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “So proud of you, Lew.”
“Thanks.” I patted him on the back and then leaned down to kiss my mum’s proffered cheek. “Where’s Morwenna?”
My youngest sister was thirteen years old this year and the complete opposite of Eilidh. While Eils had always been outgoing, outspoken, and social, Morwenna was quieter and preferred her own company most of the time. According to Dad, she’d found a group of friends at high school that she spent a lot of time with, but on the few occasions I’d ventured home or when my family had visited me, Mor usually had her nose in a book. The age gap between us meant we weren’t as close as Eilidh and I were, but I hoped she knew she always had me.
“She opted to stay in the hotel and read,” Mum said in her only slightly diluted Boston accent before she nibbled her bottom lip. She and her sister, my aunt Robyn (married to my dad’s brother Lachlan), were transplants from the US, and neither of them had entirely lost their accents the way Callie had. “Your father assured me she was safe to do so.”
“The door is locked, she has her phone, and she will call us if she needs us.” Dad slid an arm around her waist.
I frowned. “I’m not sure I’m keen on Mor being left alone. You should go be with her.”
“But it’s your graduation party.”
Snorting, I gestured around. “I barely know half the people here. It’s an Eilidh party.”
“Your sister means well,” Dad reminded me.
“I know that. But honestly, if you need to get back to Mor, go. I’m good.”
Mum reached out to take my hand. “Are you sure?”
“Of course. Thank you for coming all this way.”
She gave me a quizzical smile, the dimples in her cheeks flashing. “Sweetheart, my son just graduated. Where else would I be?”
Longing for my family scored through me. It seemed foolish and childish to still need them like this. I pulled Mum into a hug, her familiar perfume cascading over me and filling me with nostalgia.
“Your dad wants to talk to you. Please hear him out,” Mum whispered in my ear before pulling back to press a kiss to my cheek. “We’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast.”
I nodded, bemused, and waited for her to kiss Dad good night before she strode through the crowd toward Eilidh.
Dad’s attention lingered on her, and I recognized the love in his expression. He was lucky. He’d found the love of his life and managed to keep her.
Some of us could not say the same.
Finally, Dad turned to me and gestured to a quiet corner of the terrace that overlooked the city. “Let’s talk.”
I followed him out of the crowd and into that small space of privacy. London stretched before us like a dark blanket sewn with a thousand golden lights. A cascade of neon stood out across the Thames as the London Eye lights reflected in its waters.
“What’s up?”
Dad leaned against the balcony. “I want you to consider coming to work for my firm in Inverness.”
There was that pang of longing again, this time fiercer, more painful. “Dad …”
“I’m a partner now. My name is on the building. I get to hire who I want. And this isn’t nepotism, Lewis. The work you’ve done is incredible, and it fits our firm to a tee. You could create some special sustainable buildings in the Highlands. And we could use a fresh eye.”
“I’ve already said yes to Adam Wyatt.” I referred to one of the partners of the firm who’d offered me and Gary positions.
“So?” Dad shrugged. “You’re allowed to change your mind, Lew.”
I stared out at London and as much as it had been the place I’d lain my head every night for the past seven years … it had never felt like home.
