“Surprise!”
“Isla?” I said, stunned.
She launched through the door and into my arms. I took a beat to process the fact she was here and not in Braeburn. It was a pleasant shock to the system to breathe in her scent as my hands slid down her back, my nose pressed to the top of her head. Contentment surged through me, eating away at the stress and irritation that had plagued me for the last hour.
“I know I should have told you I was coming,” she said. “But then it wouldn’t have been a surprise.” Her mouth flattened into a thin, worried line as she stared up at me. “I hope that’s okay?”
I caught her face between my hands. “It’s thebestsurprise,” I assured her.
She beamed at me. “Good. I thought we both deserved a mid-week treat.”
“Did Ranger come?”
“No, Lena and Weston are dog-sitting.”
“Lucky for him.”
“Lucky foryou,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.
My hand automatically dropped to her stomach. “And how is little Lockette?”
Isla snorted. “Happier now that we’ve been freed from the car. There was a ridiculous amount of traffic on the motorway.”
“I’m surprised Lottie made it all the way here,” I said. I couldn’t resist the urge to rib her about her blue Toyota. The moment I thought she’d let me get away with it, I’d be replacing the damn thing. I didn’t need it breaking down with my child in the back seat.
“Lottie is perfectly capable of making it to Edinburgh.”
“Yeah, probably sputtering the whole way. You’d do better to hitch her to a team of sheep.” A laugh bubbled free. “Hey, there’s an idea for winter. We’ll strap a set of runners to her undercarriage.”
“And what?” Isla said, clearly amused. “Tell Aisling that Santa’s sleigh looks a little different this year?”
“Sometimes upgrades are necessary. Though now that I think about it, Lottie is more of a downgrade.”
“Hey now, watch yourself,” she said, nudging me in the ribs. I caught her hands, pressing kisses to her fingers. God, I’d missed her. “So, are you gonna show me around, or what?”
“Yes,” I said, realizing this was the first time she’d ever been to my place. I gestured down the hall. “Would you like to start with the bedroom?”
“Actually, I’d love to start with the bathroom,” she said, looking a little sheepish. “I really have to pee. I think this baby has set up shop right on top of my bladder.”
I went to direct her down the hall, but her eyes went wide as she glanced past my shoulder. “Oh my God, look at your view!”
I turned as she brushed by me, heading past the leather couch to the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked Edinburgh castle, the city skyline, and even a bit of the Firth of Forth.
“It’s amazing!” she cried, practically pressing her face to the glass. “I bet the castle is gorgeous when they light it up for the holidays.”
I’d grown used to the view over the years, but when I bothered to take the time to appreciate it, I had to admit that itwaspretty fantastic. She turned to me, her eyes darting around the rest of the massive living room. Her lips pursed.
“What?” I laughed.
“Nothing,” she said, walking back toward me. “Your place is…nice.”
“Nice?” I said, narrowing my eyes playfully as she folded into my arms. “Why doesn’t that sound like a compliment?”
“It’s just sort of…” She gestured around. “Naked. Don’t you think?”
“I’d like to getyousort of naked,” I murmured.
“Maybe kind of perfunctory,” she continued, ignoring my comment.
