“She rang a mate of hers who owns a helicopter. They came and picked me up, brought me straight here.”
“Alone?” He furrows his brow, all severe and irate, and it warms my bloody heart.
“No, of course not. I brought a guard with me, set in place by your mum.” I sigh. “Your mother’s bloody brilliant.” I can’t even wrap my brain around the idea that his mum is going to be my mother-in-law. I fucking love her. She may not be a warm, immediately welcoming person, but she’s fierce. She’s strong. And she loves those around her with everything she’s got.
“Good. That’s something, anyway.” He frowns and begins to play with my fingers. Gently, he folds them with his, almost absentmindedly. “How long have you been put up to this by your father?”
I wince at the question. I don’t want to discuss this. I wish that we didn’t have to get into details at all, but we have to.
“Since our first date. That night that I came to meet you for a drink at the club? And we got dinner after? My father had already given me the ultimatum.”
He nods, slowly. “So our entire relationship was built on lies.”
My heart aches. “No, Mac. Our entire relationship was held back. Boxed in. I knew straight away that I couldn’t betray you, and I never would. I just didn’t know how to get out of what my father had planned. I even considered marrying the man he wanted me to, just so that I wouldn’t have to hurt you.”
“Bloody hell,” he says. “I’ve been mulling over the same issues myself, not knowing what to do. It’s been bloody awful.”
I nod, thinking this over. “So what we need, then… is a new start?”
His eyes light up despite his exhaustion, and he pulls me in for a fierce hug.
“Aye, lass. That’s exactly what we need.”
I let him hold me, burying my face in his chest and wrapping my arms around his strong torso. “I’m sorry, Mac. Will you forgive me?”
“Of course I will,” he says, holding me tight. “Will you forgive me?”
“Of course.”
He places both hands on either side of my face, tipping it up to his. “A new start. We’ll forget what’s happened and put that all behind us.” His voice deepens, the blueness of his eyes sharp. “We forgive each other for what’s happened. We go forward with nothing but brutal fucking honesty. Agreed?”
I sigh and nod, my own hands atop his on either side of my face. “Agreed,” I breathe, seconds before he clamps his mouth on mine and kisses me so hard I can’t breathe. When he pulls his mouth off mine, I’m panting and breathing heavily.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“And I love you.”
“Are you sure we’re safe now? No one else is coming after us?”
“Baby, if anyone on your father’s side decided they’d attack at this point, it would be open war. And the Aitkens Clan doesn’t stand a chance against us in war. We’re a far larger, more powerful group, and the only thing they’d accomplish would be tomaybegain some respect, but not without suffering great losses.”
“I see,” she whispers. “Aye. Seems too easy, though, Mac.”
He holds my chin between his thumb and forefinger, trapping my gaze with his. “Do you think being married to a man like me can really be classified as easy?”
I snort. “I doubt it, but I’m willing to put the work into finding out.”
“Atta girl,” he says, kissing my cheek. “You make me proud.”
It’s the first damn time in my life anyone’s ever said that to me.
“Are you crying, baby?”
I sniff like a fool.
“I can’t help it,” I say. “No one’s ever told me they were proud of me before. Especially not someone I try to manipulate.” He laughs out loud, rolls me over and smacks my arse.
His eyes go half-lidded, and his voice deepens.
