Hearing the hurt in her tone, I studied her carefully. “Have I been an awful big brother?”
She shrugged again. “No. It’s just … I’ve always felt a bit left out. You and Eilidh are so close in age, and I don’t have … you guys are close. I don’t have that with you both.”
It was true that the age gap between us made for a different dynamic. I suppose it had never occurred to me that it might bother Mor. But suddenly, I wondered if she felt like an only child half the time. Was she lonely? I hoped not. She had our parents and a huge gang of cousins a mere few hundred yards away.
“I’m sorry you’ve felt left out.”
Mor seemed to grow some confidence at my apology and finally looked at me. Frustration gleamed in her chestnut eyes. “People at school either tease me for being Eilidh Adair’s wee sister or they just want to be friends with me because of her. They’re so fake. And they all ask me questions about her, and I couldn’t even answer if I wanted to because Eilidh never bothers to talk to me. I haven’t heard from her in weeks. She texted me to ask how I was, and I didn’t reply, and she didn’t even bother sending another text to see if I was okay.”
Damn it, Eilidh.
Not that I could come down on my sister, since I hadn’t been much better. But I would have texted Mor again or called.
I made a mental note to talk to Eilidh about making more of an effort.
“I’m sorry.” I found myself apologizing again. “I’m sorry we’ve been so wrapped up in ourselves.”
Morwenna’s eyes gleamed, and I felt even worse as she blinked rapidly as if fighting back tears. Her lips pursed and she shrugged again before gritting out, “It’s fine. I’ll be leaving when I’m eighteen and I probably won’t talk to any of you for months.”
“That won’t be happening,” I said gruffly. “No way is my wee sister taking off into the world without checking in. In fact, I’ll probably send an armed bodyguard with you.”
The corner of her mouth pulled up, as if she was secretly pleased by the thought. “Whatever,” she muttered, but there was a lightness in her tone that hadn’t been there before.
“So … I came to tell you that you’re going to be an aunt.”
She frowned, processing this information. Then she gaped. “Oh my God, who did you get pregnant?”
I chuckled at her bluntness. “Callie.”
Her eyes widened and then she snorted. “Well, that’s one way to get her back.”
“Cheeky wee shite.” I laughed, and my sister burst into giggles. I hadn’t heard her laugh like that in ages.
Mor’s amusement petered out and we shared an affectionate smile. Then she sobered. “Are you scared?”
I nodded.
Mor considered this and then she offered quietly, “You’ll be okay, Lewis. I think you’ll be a good dad.”
Emotion clogged my throat. “Thank you.”
Twenty-Five
CALLIE
Iwas fully awake when Lewis knocked on the cottage door at three in the morning the next day. The nausea hadn’t kicked in yet either, which was great. Last night, I’d stayed at my parents’ house until eleven in the evening. Dad had been stunned by the news and angry at Lewis, and I had to talk him down from challenging him to a duel.
No, really. I think if we lived in the days of dueling, Lewis would be at the other end of my dad’s pistol.
Yet, to protect Lewis, I found myself explaining everything that had ever happened between us to Dad. Apparently, the truth did the trick. I think Dad had been imagining the worst all this time—that Lewis had cheated on me.
Still, I got the impression that my parents needed me close for as long as possible. Mum had wanted me to stay over, but I knew I had to get used to living on my own at the cottage. Even more so now. Harry was quiet about the whole thing, and I worried that he was anxious the news would make him a target at school again. Hopefully, it would all blow over by the time school started up after summer.
Growing up in a village came with pros and cons. There was always someone there to give you a helping hand, and no one banded together to protect a villager from an outsider faster or more ferociously than those in Ardnoch. We were all so used to the estate’s celebrity members that we didn’t bother them—Ardnoch was a safe space. So much of our economy depended on the estate that no one would dare talk to the press about the members-only club and the people who frequented it.
But bloody hell, did we like to gossip among ourselves. Everybody was in everybody else’s business, and news traveled faster than the speed of light. So I couldn’t allow myself to feel guilty for what was happening to Harry because we’d all dealt with that kind of stuff. Yet I couldn’t help but worry about him on top of everything else.
That night, I’d lain in bed, my alarm set for two o’clock. I didn’t sleep. I lay there worrying about how I was going to manage running the bakery with a newborn in tow. And I worried about this date with Lewis and all the things I needed to say to him. It was a relief when my alarm went off and I could get up to prepare for our date.
