“Fine,” I chirp, desperately trying to sound normal. Like he’s just another bookstore customer. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Yep.” I glance down at him. He’s carrying a periwinkle paper bag, Dog-Eared Pages’ signature color, that’s absolutely stuffed with books. He hefts it with a wry smile. “Everything you recommended.”
“Lucky kids to have an uncle like you. They’re going to be spoiled for bedtime stories.” I concentrate on hanging the last bat from the ceiling.
“I got another set of the woodcut series, too. For our pups.”
For our pups.I have to grab onto the ladder to steady myself, and in doing so, I drop the damn bat.
“Tell me it’s still happening, Julia,” he murmurs, stooping to pick it up. He hands it to me, and when our fingers brush, it feels like every hair on my body stands on end. “He’s not going to stop us, is he?”
I know who he means. My husband. The person who’s supposed to love and cherish me. The person who just told me he doesn’t care what I do as long as it doesn’t inconvenience him. No, Richard’s not going to stop anything.
Wordlessly, I shake my head. I hear Ian’s small, sharp intake of breath.
“Saturday, then. I’ll pick you up at Heidi and Nicole’s at six.” And then he’s gone.
What did I just sign up for?
Wobbly and lightheaded, I finish the display and put away the ladder, then focus on unboxing new stock in the back room and packing up the returns so I don’t have to interact with the public for the rest of my shift, because all I can think about is Saturday night. I have no idea what’s going to happen, but I’m positive it’s going to change my life forever.
Chapter 15
Ian
Conall told everyone I found my mate, of course, the little shit. My phone is blowing up with congratulations and offers of help from my brothers and extended family. They’re assuming a regular mating and eager to plan a handfasting feast that’s not going to happen.
I’ll break all their hearts later. For now, I put them to work cleaning up my property, clearing brush, washing windows, and finishing the nursery under the guise that I’m going to stage ahuman proposal. But I can’t lie to Pa and Mam. Them, I tell the truth when everyone else has gone home for the day and the place smells like lemon floor wax and fresh paint.
Pa leans on his cane and eyes me from under the brim of his worn tweed cap. “That’s wanluckit. But who knows, she might come ‘round yet.”
“Conall said you’d say that.”
“He claims she’s a beauty,” my mam says encouragingly, nodding her sleek, silvered head.
I sigh, thinking of the curve of Julia’s cheek, and the dark warmth of her eyes. How I’d like to take her glasses off so I can kiss her more thoroughly. “The most beautiful. And she knows how to clean a fish,” I add, for my pa’s benefit. He nods approvingly.
“How could she not fall in love with you, my sweetest son?” Mam grabs both sides of my mane and tugs like I’m still ten years old.
“Because she’s in love with someone else?” Despair creeps in as I glance around my immaculate cabin. No amount of dusted windowsills or cobweb-free corners will entice Julia to file for divorce if she really loves her shitty husband. Love makes everyone ignore reality. I’m the living proof.
“Fate is not so cruel. Whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye,” Pa drawls, his eyes shiny as he raps his cane on the floor.
“What does that mean?” I ask, too frazzled to interpret his brogue. He goes full Scottish when he’s emotional.
“It means your fate is your fate. You’ve got to embrace it.” Mam licks the side of Pa’s face affectionately. “I agree. Give it your whole heart, Ian. Then you’ll know you did what you could to satisfy your fate. If she walks away after having your pups in her arms, we’ll be here to dry your tears,mon poussin.”
I don’t even balk at the childhood endearment. I let them both wrap me up in a warm hug. “I’m glad you don’t think I’m moon-mad for doing this.”
“Not at all. Or if you are…I think she’s as moon-mad as you for signing that contract. So you’re a pair. Everything will work out.” My mam’s eyes are shiny now, too.
“Get some rest tonight, lad, because you won’t be getting any tomorrow!” Pa claps me on the shoulder with a bark of laughter as Mam nudges him with her elbow.
“Don’t be crass, Stephen. We can’t wait to meet her when she’s willing,” she adds to me. “Invite her to Conall and Meg’s howl next week. It’s the perfect event to ease into the clan. Everyone will be focused on the pups, so they won’t sniff around her too much.”
I shake my head, chuckling. I know my family better than that. They’ll be campaigning on my behalf the whole time. “We’ll see.”
Just in the hope he’s right, I take Pa’s advice and go to bed early, even though I’m not particularly tired. I thumb through all the bedtime stories I bought at the bookstore, since the nursery bookshelves still have wet paint and I can’t put them away yet. The books make me smile because I imagine every one in Julia’s voice. But when I’ve read them all, and I’m alone with my thoughts, I can’t sleep. Tomorrow night, Julia will be here in my bed, if everything goes right.
