Alex took a step toward her. “Ye willnae make this into a sermon.”
“I will if I must,” she returned. “Because I love ye, and I love those girls, and I willnae have gossip starting with the man who should end it.”
His hands curled at his sides. “I said it was nothing.”
Grandmamma looked from him to Erica again. “Ask the lass if she thinks so.”
“Daenae drag her into this,” he bit out.
“She is already in it,” she said. “We all are.”
He lifted a hand, palm out, as if stopping a charge. “Enough.” She opened her mouth, but he cut her off. “Leave.”
“Alex—”
“Leave,” he said again, harsher.
She stood her ground for a beat, old spine straight, chin up. “Ye daenae frighten me.”
“Leave!” he roared.
The word echoed off the stone. Erica flinched. Grandmamma did not. She held his gaze a second longer, then nodded once, slowly.
“I’m sorry I didnae knock,” she said. “I am. But think on what I said.” She turned, stepped out, and pulled the door shut behind her.
The lock clicked, and the silence came down like a curtain.
Alex stood there, chest heaving. He looked at the door as if waiting for it to open again. It did not. He looked at Erica then, and whatever anger he had worn fell off his face in a breath.
She had not moved. Not even once.
He did not move for a long time. Then he reached for the lock, but her voice stopped him.
“Why are ye so set on refusing me?” she asked. “Am I so undesirable?”
He turned back. “This isnae about ye.”
She laughed sharply. “Could have fooled me. Ye made it sound like marriage was murder, especially after what we just did.”
He flinched. “Daenae say it like that.”
“How else should I say it?” she scoffed. “If Grandmamma had walked in earlier, she would have dragged us to a priest by noon.” She smiled without humor. “Should I be grateful she didnae?”
“This isnae funny,” he said.
“It is the truth,” she shot back.
“I have sworn off marriage,” he said. “I told ye that.”
“So ye want to eat yer cake and have it,” she said.
“That’s nae what I meant.”
“Then ye are doing a good job of hiding it,” she said. “Ye keep me close, ye claim me when it suits ye, then ye speak as if a vow would end ye.”
His hands clenched into fists. “I cannae go through the same ordeal twice.”
“Say what ye want,” she said, voice low. “But ye need to stop walking the middle because ye are scared.”
