“I am.” He nodded to the ring that glittered on her finger. Beth and Callan had gotten engaged a few weeks ago. “Congrats on the engagement to Scotland’s finest midfielder.”
“Well, I love him in spite of that,” she joked. “Anyway, anytime you want to attend a game, let me know. I can always get tickets.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“You don’t strike me as a fangirling type, but I’m forewarning you that Callan and Baird will be here in about five minutes.”
I felt Sebastian tense and bit my lip against a snort as his voice strained a bit. “Here? In five minutes?”
Beth raised an eyebrow. “Was I wrong about the fangirling?”
Remembering the day he almost tackled me when he found out I knew Callan, I gave a bark of laughter. “Very wrong.”
“Hey, I do not fangirl. I’m … appreciating how jealous Harry and Zac are going to be when I tell them I met Keen and McMillan.”
Unsurprisingly, Sebastian was unflappably cool withKeenandMcMillanwhen they arrived at the party fifteen minutes later. He greeted them with his usual laid-back affability and told them, as if it was no big deal, that he was a Caley United fan. The footballers took it in stride. When I first met Baird McMillan, he’d been loud and gregarious, and I had the impression he would flirt with a wooden pole if it was the only object in the room. However, this was my first time seeing him since his traumatic head injury. While he was still somewhatflirtatious, he was quieter. More introspective. There was a shift in his eyes. A somber, sober quality in him that hadn’t been there before. Perhaps the accident had changed him. It hadn’t been that long since the incident, so it was possible he was suffering psychological side effects. A near-death accident will do that to a person. Only time would tell if the change was permanent.
Sebastian was chatting easily with the footballers and my cousin Luke and his boyfriend. Uncle Cole and Uncle Cam had broken away from the other older men to discuss football with them.
“How is Baird?” I asked Beth. “He seems a bit different.”
My cousin’s expression tightened with concern. “He is different. For the first few weeks after his injury, he was like a totally different person, snarling at everyone, wanting to be alone. You know how social he is, so it was worrying. But the last few weeks, he seems to be getting back to himself. He returns to the game in a month. They think it’ll be okay by then.”
“You’re still worried about him.”
“I am. So’s Callan. Baird is socializing, but he’s … changed.”
“He needs time. And if time doesn’t work, then maybe group therapy with some people who have been through something similar,” I offered.
“So, you don’t think the injury did something to his personality?”
“I’m not a medical professional, so I don’t know. If the doctor said there wasn’t any brain damage, then it’s doubtful. Psychological impact is not out of the question, though. It would be unusual if it hadn’t affected his mental well-being. Don’t you think?”
“You’re the psychotherapist.”
“Not yet, I’m not. Four more years to go.”
Beth winced. “Doesn’t that fill you with horror? I was desperate to finish uni and get out into the world to make my mark.”
I chuckled. “Another four years does sound exhausting. But it’s what I need to do to get to where I want.”
“I’m in awe of you.”
Pleased, my cheeks heated. “That means a lot coming from you.”
Beth nudged my shoulder with hers. “You seem happy. Is he treating you well?”
I looked over at Sebastian who grinned at something Baird said. “He makes me so blissfully happy, it’s terrifying.”
“Oh, aye.” Beth slid her arm around me, giving me an affectionate squeeze. “You’re definitely in love.”
I nodded, not denying it.
“It’s true he’s a member of the royal family?”
“Aye, but I don’t want anyone mentioning it. He doesn’t like to make a big deal of it. He’s not a working member of the family, you know. Only thirtieth in line to the throne.”
“Oh, only thirtieth in line to one of the oldest monarchies in the world. Aye, that’s not a big deal at all.”
