by Anna Durand
"No scheme. A plan, that's all." I turned toward her. "Let's go to Scotland on holiday."
"Scotland? For how long?"
"As long as it takes. I've already cleared it with Evan. He's having Tamsen Spurling come over to fill in for him and for you. She shares vice president duties with Stewart Atkins, so he can handle things at Inverness while Tamsen is here."
"Okay," she said, sounding uncertain. "But I don't know about going on an extended vacation to another continent without my son."
"Chase can come along. I'm sure he'd love Scotland."
"I promised Sylvia and Ed they could have Chase for two months."
"We'll invite them along too. Make it a group holiday."
Her eyes went wide while she made small gasping noises.
I caught her face in my hands. "Say yes, Serena. This will be good for us."
She clamped her teeth over her upper lip, letting it slide free gradually. "Okay. Yes."
We both grinned. I threw my arms around her, and our mouths collided.
My phone rang.
I kept kissing her.
Serena's phone rang while mine was still ringing.
We broke our kiss and answered our phones.
"It's happening," Evan said, his voice higher pitched than usual. "The bairn's coming. Right now."
Serena and I looked at each other and said at the same time, "Keely's in labor."
"I cannae drive," Evan said. "Keely's in pain and—"
He spewed a long string of Gaelic curses.
"We're on the way," I told Evan. "I'll drive you to the hospital."
Their house was five minutes from Serena's, but tonight, I'd break the speed laws to get there faster. Evan might have a panic attack if I didn't.
I jumped up and hoisted Serena off the sofa. "Come on, the newest MacTaggart wants to meet the world."
Chapter Thirty-Four
Serena
Evan seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown when we arrived at their house and I told him it wasn't time to go to the hospital yet. He worried because he loved Keely so much, and because this was the first pregnancy for an over-forty woman. I'd been a nurse in my previous life, as well as a mom, so I knew all about the stages of labor. Logan had resorted to giving Evan a big glass of single malt Scotch to keep him calm.
Keely was serene. Glowing, actually. She couldn't wait to meet her baby.
Until early labor ended, and the real work began.
Logan and I stayed with Evan and Keely throughout the early stages, taking care of them both in their home. Forty-nine hours after Keely had called me and Evan had called Logan, we drove them to the hospital. The main event had finally begun. Logan and I stayed in the waiting room while Evan went with Keely.
Seven hours later, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.
Evan shambled into the waiting room looking exhausted but happy, his grin lopsided. I hugged Evan, crying while I congratulated him. Couldn't help it. Keely had waited a very long time for this, and I'd been there through both her previous marriages and a third failed relationship, all of which had left her demoralized and feeling like happiness wasn't possible. She finally had everything she wanted.
Logan hugged Evan too, though he didn't cry.
Evan took us to see Keely and the baby. She had pale blue eyes like her daddy. The color might change later, but I had a feeling it wouldn't.
"Her name is Joy," Keely told us, looking even more tired than her husband but just as happy. "Joy Serena MacTaggart. It seemed like the right name for a baby who'll be so loved by so many people. It took a lot of miracles to get here, but we made it."
"Her middle name is Serena?" I said. "You didn't have to do that."
"Of course we did. You encouraged me to give Evan a chance, and we might never have gotten married if you hadn't done that."
I started crying again, which made Keely cry too.
Keely and Evan's happy ending had required a lot of miracles, for sure. I'd watched her try to push Evan away, only to fall hopelessly in love with him. Their love story was a miracle in itself, two wounded people who met once and lost each other, then found each other again through a coincidence that felt more like fate.
Then there was Evan's parents. Samuel Drake had been imprisoned for thirty years for a murder he hadn't committed, and Evan had known nothing about it until last year. He hadn't even known his father's name. Today, Sam was free, cleared of the murder charge thanks to his determined son. Evan had been born after his father went to prison, but today, his parents were as happily married as he and Keely were.
If Evan and his mom could overcome obstacles that seemed insurmountable, maybe Logan and I could do the same.
He'd been so patient with me, with my mood swings and my inability to explain what was bothering me. Maybe a vacation in Scotland would clear my head and help me figure out why the thought of being with Logan for good made me want to cry. I worried for his safety, sure, but that wasn't the whole problem.
I told Keely I'd stick around to help her with the baby, but she wouldn't hear of it.
"Go to Scotland with Logan," she said. "You've never spent more than two days there, and I know you never took the time to really see the place. Popping over there for the occasional family gathering isn't a vacation. Take Chase and Rob's parents and go. That's an order."
"But you just had a baby."
"And I have a brilliant, highly capable husband who can help out. My parents are coming too, and so are Evan's mom and dad." She shooed me away, even while cradling her daughter with one arm. "Get out of here. Have fun in Scotland with your unbelievably hot boyfriend."
Logan had stepped into the doorway and must've heard Keely's description of him, though he didn't let on he had.
"Are we away yet?" he asked.
"Yes, we're leaving." I kissed baby Joy's head and then kissed Keely's cheek. "I'm so happy for you, sweetie. Send me lots of pictures."
"I will." She switched to a secretive murmur when she added, "Go get yourself happy too. You deserve it."
Logan claimed my hand and led me away.
*****
Wow, Scotland. What could I say? It was beyond beautiful. I'd seen it before, but only small parts of the country. We traveled in Evan's jet, picking up Chase and his grandparents along the way. Before our stop in Vermont, though, we'd made a detour. Logan had balked when I suggested it right after we boarded the jet in Carrefour. I waited until we'd both taken our seats on the sofa.
"Ye cannae be serious," he'd moaned, slipping into casual Scot-speak like he did anytime I made a suggestion he thought was ridiculous. "You're wanting me to show up in Ballachulish with Alex Thorne? Catriona will have me castrated."
"Since when is Logan MacTaggart, lethal secret agent, afraid of his wee lassie cousin?"
"Wee lassie? Ye havenae seen her angry. She's like the Incredible Hulk, only red instead of green."
"You've been hanging out with Chase too much."
Logan dropped his head back onto the sofa and groaned loudly. "If I invite Alex on this holiday, half the family might excommunicate me. Besides, do we really want Alex following us around?"
"What's the real reason you don't want to invite him?"
"He's bloody irritating."
I punched his arm, though not hard. "You like Alex. He's your friend. And the poor guy is all alone since the Reginald thing. I feel bad for him."
"Aye, he has been sounding a bit off lately."
"You've called him every day for the past three days. Obviously, you're worried about him too." I wriggled to get closer to Logan, laying a hand on his chest. "If you convince Alex to come with us, I will do anything you want."
One side of his mouth kinked upward. "You already do anything I want."
"True. What else can I do to entice you?"
"I'll have to think about that." He stretched and got up. "Right now, I'd better tell the pilots to update the flight
plan. We're stopping off in Montana first."
When we arrived in Montana, Alex was waiting on the tarmac for us. Well, waiting inside his very expensive car, the one he'd sent to pick up me and Logan the first time we'd flown here. Back then, a chauffeur had driven the Mercedes-Benz. Today, Alex sat behind the wheel, looking like his usual self. Logan and I met him at the car and escorted him to the plane. Alex seemed fine—cheerful, charming, roguish as usual. He flirted with me shamelessly, but Logan didn't mind anymore. He realized I wasn't in the least interested, and that Alex wasn't interested either. He was just being Alex.
During the flight to Vermont, the three of us chatted. Logan and I relaxed on the sofa, side by side, with his arm around me. Alex took the chair beside the sofa and set his feet on the table. We laughed, a lot. It turned out Alex was not only gorgeous and charming, but hilarious too. I could see why Catriona had fallen for him. But I wondered what drove them apart, what exactly he'd done that had been so awful she cursed him to this day.
It would've been rude to ask him about that, so I squelched my curiosity, for the time being.
Alex surprised me by bringing up the Catriona issue himself.
He sighed, linking his hands behind his head and leaning back in his chair. "I probably should have said no when you invited me on this little holiday. The two of you won't be popular with the other MacTaggarts for this."
"Logan invited you," I said. "Not me."
He smiled with a touch of smugness. "Ah, but you pull his strings. He told me so. 'Serena ordered me to ask you,' he said, 'and I can't say no to her.' Sad, really, when a man hands his testicles over to a woman."
"Trust me, Logan has kept all his manly bits. And I wanted you to come with us because you've been through a lot lately, what with Reginald turning on you and Falk Mullane's blackmail nonsense. You need to be with friends."
He raised a single brow. "So this is an 'Alex is pathetic and needs our meddling to set him right' sort of holiday?"
"Exactly."
"I see." He grabbed a bottle of water off the floor, where he'd set it earlier, and swigged it. "You'd better prepare for a blood bath when Cat sees me."
Since he'd brought up the subject of Cat, I took that as permission to butt my nose into his business. "What did you do to make her hate you so much?"
He turned the water bottle in his hand, staring down at it. "That's a long story. Let's hold off on it until another day."
Rats. I'd really hoped he would tell me. My curiosity was clamoring for an answer, but I had no right to push for one.
The silence dragged on for a very long moment.
Until Logan cleared his throat. "Catriona isn't the only MacTaggart who might beat you bloody. Her brothers are extremely protective of their sisters."
"Ah yes," Alex said with feigned wistfulness. "The Three Macs. A Scottish brotherhood as ruthless as the mafia."
"How do you know that's what my cousin Iain calls them? You've never met any MacTaggarts other than me and Cat."
"But she loved to talk about the family. I know more about you and your clan than you realize." Alex slid his feet off the table. "Logan, why would you risk alienating the rest of the MacTaggart clan simply to cheer me up?"
Since Logan's expression had blanked, I answered. "He's doing it because you two are friends."
Alex got that devilish glint in his eyes and a devilish slant to his lips. "Friends? Me and Logan? Serena, you are beautiful, but you're also clearly insane."
"Come off it. You and Logan are friends."
"Maybe." He screwed the cap back on his water bottle, seeming absorbed in the task. "I still think bringing me along was a bad idea. Luckily, I like bad ideas. They make life more interesting."
The conversation devolved into good-natured jibes after that. Eventually, we all decided to play poker. It was Alex's idea, naturally. He suggested strip poker but rescinded the offer when he realized he had "no desire to watch Logan get his kit off." We played regular poker instead.
I won. Twice.
After that, the men lost interest in the game.
We picked up Chase, Sylvia, and Ed in Vermont, then took off for Scotland. Chase was thrilled to meet a "real, live British guy," and he wound up talking comic books with both Alex and Logan. Logan announced British superheroes were all bampots, and Alex countered by stating Scottish superheroes were so pitiful no one even knew their names. Chase had a ball listening to their good-natured argument, and I loved seeing Chase and Logan, the two men I loved most in the world, having such a great time.
Sylvia, Ed, and I got reacquainted during the long journey "across the pond," as Alex called it. I'd forgotten how nice it was to have parents, even if they weren't my actual parents. Sylvia and Ed felt more like Mom and Dad to me than my own family.
The mood on board sobered when the pilot announced we would land at Inverness in fifteen minutes. I'd told Sylvia and Ed about the Cat and Alex situation. They agreed it sounded like Alex needed a vacation with friends, but none of us was excited about the moment when Catriona and Alex would meet again for the first time in eleven years.
Once the jet had landed, Logan positioned himself in front of the door. "I think Alex should stay on board while the rest of us greet whoever is out there waiting for us. I hope it's my sisters and parents, and only them, but I can't guarantee it."
Alex smiled with devious amusement. "Am I meant to hide in here until the way is clear and then skulk out of the plane?"
"No. But let me assess the situation before you come out."
"Should we have a secret signal? You tap your nose or whatever?"
Logan scratched his chin like he was considering the problem. "Why don't I shout your name? 'British Bastard, get your erse out here.' Would that work for you?"
"Yes, that sounds lovely."
The rest of us headed down the steps to the tarmac.
Luckily, we didn't have a horde to deal with. Logan's parents and sisters had come, but the rest of the clan had stayed home. After his family greeted me and Logan with hugs and joyful cries, we introduced them to Chase, Sylvia, and Ed. They treated my family like long-lost members of the MacTaggart clan, not like strangers they'd just met.
God, I loved these people. All of them.
After the hellos were done, Logan whistled to get everyone's attention. "We have another guest with us. Please keep an open mind about this."
"About what?" Isla asked.
"You'll see." Logan shouted toward the jet's open door, "You can come out now."
Alex strode down the steps toward us.
"Who is that?" Kirsty asked. "He's beautiful."
Once Alex reached us, Logan introduced him. "This is my friend, Alex Thorne."
At the mention of his name, Logan's parents and sisters froze. Five pairs of eyes were locked on our guest.
Isla spoke first. "Alex Thorne? As in the man who shattered Catriona's heart? The British Bastard?"
"Yes," Alex said, "that's me. Though I'm partial to the Limey Louse."
All the MacTaggarts except for Logan exchanged baffled glances.
Finally, Kirsty stepped forward to offer Alex her hand. "I'm Kirsty, Logan's sister. Welcome to Scotland."
He stared at her hand for a moment, seeming baffled himself. Then he shook it. "Thank you. Believe it or not, this is my first time in Scotland."
Elspeth hurried forward. "Really? You've never been? We'll have to show you the sights."
"Aye," said the third sister, Isla. "But only if Catriona says it's all right. She is our cousin, after all, and you are a stranger."
"I understand," Alex told her. "Please don't feel obligated to be nice to me. I expect to be assaulted repeatedly by various MacTaggarts."
We all piled into the limo Logan's cousin Rory had hired for the day, to bring the gang to the airport and to ferry us back to the home of Logan's parents. I wouldn't see Rory or any of the other MacTaggarts until tomorrow. It was getting late, a
nd we all needed a good night's sleep before dealing with the rest of family.
Logan's parents assumed we would share a room, but I had to make sure Chase was okay with that.
"Duh, Mom," he said when I asked. "I told you, I know about sex. And I like Logan. He's the awesomest."
Yep, I was sleeping with the awesomest guy on earth, and my son wanted me to share a bed with the man who was James Bond and Superman wrapped up in one kilt.
"Besides," Chase added, "you'll sleep in the same room after you get married."
Ohhh-kay. I did not want to go anywhere near that discussion. Not yet.
As I lay in Logan's arms, listening to his soft snoring, I tried for the umpteenth time to figure out why I couldn't shake this feeling I wouldn't have him for long. Was it plain old fear? Was it something more?
Maybe this vacation would help me answer those questions.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Logan
No gathering of the MacTaggart clan ever went as planned or ever stayed low key. My parents and my sisters liked Alex, but they held off final judgment until they saw how Catriona reacted to his presence. Our extended family had arranged—what else?—a day of sports and revelry at Dùndubhan, the castle owned by my cousin Rory. It was now a museum run by my cousin Jamie and her husband, Gavin, but Rory reserved the right to take over the estate whenever he liked.
No tourists were allowed today. Dùndubhan was hosting a private party, with outlandish games and sports.
Jamie and Gavin met us in the courtyard, greeting us as we climbed out of the car. Everything was fine until Alex stepped out.
"Who is this?" Jamie asked.
"Yeah," Gavin said, "you didn't tell us you were bringing somebody else. Is he Serena's brother?"
"No," I told him. "This is Alex Thorne."
Jamie frowned at me, then at Alex. "Cat's Alex? The British Bastard?"
"Aye."
My wee cousin marched straight up to Alex, pulled her arm back like a baseball player about to pitch a ball, and smacked him in the face. The sound of her palm striking his cheek reverberated in the walled courtyard.