“I’ll look up those nappy changing courses,” she said, then she slipped out the door.
I slumped against my seat, watching until she’d disappeared from view.
I was still floating in a confusing, post-kiss haze when I returned to Lochbrae. Weston was in the library, reviewing a stack of files, with Milo passed out on the carpet at his feet.
“Lena put you to work before bed?”
He chuckled. “I find I’m the most productive now when Aisling is asleep. Something you’ll probably learn soon.”
Ah, yes.The baby.
“Drink?” he asked, gesturing to the bottle of whiskey on the table. It wasn’t MacRae’s, though I knew he had a few bottles of that kicking around. I nodded, and he poured the amber liquid into a glass, passing it to me.
I accepted, taking a seat in the armchair.
“So,” he said.
“So,” I parroted, lips twitching. I’d known this conversation was coming from the moment I’d let the news slip.
“A baby.”
“Trust me,” I assured him. “I was as surprised as you when I found out.”
“It was that day you made the offer on the distillery, wasn’t it?” Weston asked, setting his files aside. “I remember she was waiting here to talk to you when we got back.”
“Yeah, that was when she told me.”
“I thought you were faking a relationship for the sake of the hotel deal,” Weston said. “I didn’t know a baby was part of that.”
I barked a laugh. “It wasn’t supposed to be. We were together one night. A bit of fun. No strings attached.”
“This is a bloody long string,” Weston pointed out. “Are you ready for that?”
“Well, that’s why they take nine months, right? So you have time to get ready.”
He inclined his head as if to say touché.
“I’m committed, but I suppose at some point you just have to dive in and figure it out.”
“And the land deal?” Weston asked.
“That’s a separate thing. I genuinely want Isla to have access to the land. To keep her childhood home, and the natural landscape around it that she loves, safe from destruction. But more than that, I want to do right by her and the baby.”
“What does that look like?” Weston wondered. “You’re going to be parents, but the rest of your relationship isn’t real? If that’s the case, you guys are damn convincing.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be real,” I admitted, sighing into my glass. I sipped the whiskey, trying to let it burn away the taste of Isla on my lips. “We were going to lock down the distillery and thenstage a breakup once everything was in place. Keep things clean and simple. Then we’d just co-parent. But now…”
Weston’s eyebrows arched. “What about now?”
“I’m starting to wonder if there is something genuine between us.” I glanced at him, unnerved by his silence. “Is this the part where you read me the riot act?”
Weston leaned forward, hands folded in front of him. “I want to, but I don’t think I have any right. I’m the guy that married Lena to fulfill the terms of Grandad’s will. It was supposed to be six months and then a divorce, remember? But somewhere along the way, it became real too. And look at us now.”
“So what are you saying?” I asked him.
He sat back, lips pursed, thinking through his answer. “I guess if you have genuine feelings for Isla, it makes sense for you to make a go of being a couple. You don’t want to spend your whole life wonderingwhat if, especially now that you’re forever tied together. Just…don’t screw it up.” He lifted his finger in warning. “The town council and Dougal aren’t the only ones who’ll be ticked off with you if you don’t treat her right.”
The corner of my mouth quirked. “Ah, there’s the big-brother routine I was waiting for.”
