There With You

by Samantha Young

  Eilidh and Lewis pulled away from his embrace, Lew wiping at his cheeks while Eilidh’s face turned purple with anger through her tears. “That bad man hit Ree-Ree, Daddy!”

  Thane’s heart leapt into his throat. “What?” He stood, glancing from Lachlan’s stormy expression to across the room where Robyn had her arm around Regan on the sofa.

  She had an elbow to her knee and a bag of frozen peas pressed to her eye.

  “Regan.” He moved toward her, and the children ran across the room before he could get to her. Eilidh scampered onto the couch to press against her while Lewis took the seat next to his sister, his serious focus on Regan.

  Thane approached, aware of Robyn at her other side, but unable to take his eyes off Regan. She watched him warily and lifted her head from the frozen peas. Her right cheekbone was swollen. It would bruise.

  Renewed rage flooded him. They’d all just returned from the minor injuries unit in nearby Golspie, but Thane had assumed it was routine after something like this to have everyone checked over. Lachlan hadn’t mentioned that McClintock had attacked Regan.

  The reminder that Thane couldn’t sweep her into his arms and bury his face in her throat so he could feel and hear her pulse rushing, alive and healthy, was a gut punch. Instead, all he could do was lower to his haunches before her and place a comforting hand on her knee.

  “Are you all right?”

  She gave him a wry smile. “Eilidh is all right, so I’m all right.”

  At the disagreeable sound Robyn made in the back of her throat, and the way her eyes blazed, he could see she didn’t think so. He turned back to Regan as she shot her sister a quelling look, and he noted the bruise at her temple.

  “What the—” He cut off his curse just in time as he stretched to push her hair back. Barely able to hear over the blood rushing in his ears, he demanded, “What exactly happened?”

  Regan brushed his hand away and gestured subtly with her head toward the children. Her eyes said “later.”

  “Ree-Ree’s going to be okay, right, Daddy?” Eilidh stared up at him soulfully. Lewis wore the same expression.

  “I’m fine.” She turned, switching the frozen peas to her other hand so she could pull the children into a one-armed hug. They both tried to plaster themselves to her side, and his gut tightened at how shaken up they all were.

  He stood abruptly, leashed fury burning his nerve endings.

  McClintock was going to fucking die for this.

  “Robyn, why don’t you call out for some food?” Lachlan was suddenly at his side, his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I’m going to take Thane outside for a minute.”

  “I’m not leaving them,” Thane growled.

  “You need a minute. And I need to fill you in on what happened.”

  He looked down at his family. Regan lifted her chin, her expression sympathetic. “Go. We’ll be okay for another few minutes.”

  “I’ve got them,” Robyn assured him.

  As he reluctantly followed Lachlan out onto the deck, he snapped, “This better be quick.”

  His brother didn’t answer him. He led Thane down the deck and across the yard into his garden.

  “Lachlan, where are we going?”

  He glanced over his shoulder at Thane, his expression as cloudy as Thane’s. “Trust me.”

  Despite the impatient fury boiling inside him, he followed Lachlan into his house and upstairs to the home gym that made Thane’s look pathetic in comparison. Lachlan led him over to the corner—to the boxing bag.

  “Robyn’s.” Lachlan tapped it. “I put it in here for her. It’s where she leaves everything that frustrates her. It got used a lot in the first few days of Regan’s arrival. And it’ll be the first place she comes tonight.” His eyes darkened. “One parent, Michelle Kingsley, told us McClintock grabbed Eilidh at the gate, but Regan rushed him. He backhanded her, and that’s what drew Will’s attention. He moved in to help, and Regan got Eilidh free from McClintock. Will got hit and McClintock went for Eilidh again. Regan hit him, dazing him long enough to get her arms around Eils and Lew, protecting them with her body. That’s when the other parents descended on him, but the bastard got a few more kicks and punches in to Regan’s head and back before they subdued him.”

  The imagery his brother created made Thane sick with fury; at the same time, his chest ached with gratitude.

  “There was no way he would have gotten Eils,” Lachlan assured him, his eyes bright with pride. “Regan would have died before letting that happen.”

  Thane found it hard to swallow, his throat so thick with emotion.

  “I misjudged her,” Lachlan admitted softly. “I wanted to believe in her for Robyn’s sake, but there was always a part of me waiting for her to show us who she really was.”

  He thought of Regan using her body as a shield to protect his children and felt like his heart might explode. “This is who she really is,” he replied hoarsely.

  His brother nodded. “The question is why she needed to protect Eilidh. Who is McClintock, Thane?”

  “The man Fran had an affair with,” he bit out, knowing the truth was unleashed now, no matter what.

  Lachlan looked away for a second, the muscle in his jaw ticking. “She cheated on you?”

  “Aye. He was a colleague at her school. I caught them a few months before we found out Fran was pregnant with Eilidh. It had been going on for months.”

  “And you forgave her? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Hearing the disbelief in his brother’s voice, Thane bristled. “She was my wife and my son’s mother. I had to try. Especially when she told me she was pregnant again. And I didn’t want you to treat her differently. The only person who knows is Regan.”

  Lachlan’s eyes widened slightly at that detail, but then something else seemed to occur to him. He exhaled slowly. “Is Eilidh McClintock’s?”

  “No,” Thane growled.

  “You did a paternity test?”

  “No. I don’t need to.” Thane took a menacing step toward his brother. “She’s my daughter.”

  “And if she’s not?” Lachlan pushed.

  “Lachlan, brother, unless you want my fist in your face rather than that punching bag, don’t say another word.”

  Realizing Thane couldn’t even entertain the thought of another man being Eilidh’s birth father, Lachlan let it drop. He pushed the boxing bag toward him. “Let it go here. You can’t go back into the house the way you are now. You’re seething. And the kids need you calm.”

  Taking Lachlan’s advice, Thane shrugged out of his jacket, whipped off his jumper and the shirt beneath it, and brought his fists up to his face. Instead of the boxing bag, he saw McClintock. He saw McClintock terrifying his children. Punching Regan. Regan shielding them while she took blows to her head and back. His rage flooded out of him, and he roared as he threw a punch powered by its intensity.

  By the time the worst of it drained out of him, sweat soaked his hair and skin.

  Head bowed, hands on his hips, Thane whispered, trying to choke back the tears, shaking with the force of it. “What if she isn’t mine?”

  Arms came around him, and he found himself pulled into his big brother’s embrace. “We’ll deal with it … and you won’t lose her. We’re not losing her. I won’t let that happen. Whatever it takes, Thane, I mean it. Whatever favors I need to owe, whatever palms need greased, laws fucking broken—I will do it. Nobody is taking our wee girl from you.”

  Thane tightened his hold, needing to believe more than he ever had that Lachlan Adair could do anything he set his mind to.

  23

  Regan

  “Freaking wonderful,” I muttered as I looked into the mirror above my bathroom sink. The kids had been reluctant to let me out of their sight, but as we’d sat on the couch waiting for Thane and Lachlan to finish whatever they were doing, I’d felt cramps in my lower stomach.

  With everything that had been going on, I’d lost track of the time, but sitting there, I real
ized what date it was.

  Excusing myself to the annex bathroom where I kept my toiletries and stuff, I discovered my suspicions correct.

  My period had arrived.

  Perfect.

  Nothing like holding a frozen bag of peas to your face and a heating pad to your belly as a visual representation of how shitty your day was going.

  Walking back into the main house just as Thane and Lachlan did, Thane ran his eyes down my body and back up again, a deep scowl scoring his brows. “Where were you?”

  “I needed something,” I said vaguely, not wanting to announce to the room about my period. Then noting both he and Lachlan had changed shirts and Thane’s hair was wet, I frowned, “Where were you?”

  His attention moved to where Eilidh and Lewis were curled on the couch, watching a movie with Robyn. When he turned to me, he looked so shattered, I wished I could embrace him. “Expelling some of my anger.”

  Fuck it.

  I walked over and put my arms around him, pressing my cheek to his chest, and not giving one shit what his brother or my sister thought. To my relief, Thane closed his arms around me.

  Tight.

  He took a shuddering breath. “Thank you,” he whispered. “What you did today … I can’t ever repay you for that.”

  Lifting my head, my heart in my throat and most likely in my eyes, too, I whispered back, “You never have to thank me for that.”

  Thane’s gaze dropped to my mouth, and for the first time since the attack, I couldn’t feel the throbbing in my cheek. All I could feel was the promise of his lips on mine.

  The doorbell rang, breaking the moment. We both blinked rapidly, guilt flooding me as I remembered where we were. Pushing away from each other, I caught Lachlan’s eyes over Thane’s shoulder and experienced more than a twinge of concern at the suspicion in his expression.

  Before anyone could answer the door, it burst open and Arro’s voice carried toward us. “We brought food! Where are my babies?”

  “Aunt Arro!” Eilidh and Lewis clambered off the sofa and dashed across the room to meet their aunt as she strode into the room with Mac at her back. She beamed and dropped to her knees to pull them in for a hug, but as soon as they couldn’t see her, her expression filled with anguish. She looked up at Thane as she hugged them, and her brother approached to squeeze her shoulder in reassurance.

  “Food,” Mac said, his own countenance grim as he placed bags of takeout on the island. To my shock, my belly rumbled. I didn’t think I’d be able to eat so soon after what happened. Mac’s eyes caught mine and zeroed in on my cheek. “You all right?” He came to me, and before I could answer, he pulled me into his powerful, comforting embrace.

  And that was how we got through the next few hours.

  The family closed ranks.

  They distracted the kids, making them laugh when I didn’t think they could laugh so soon after, and they fed us. I was more grateful for them than I could say, especially when two police officers knocked on the door around an hour after their arrival.

  To my gratitude, Thane wanted me with him in his office to speak with them. Lachlan was present too.

  “We’re sorry to interrupt your evening after a day like today, Mr. Adair,” the constable who’d introduced herself as PC Diana Kerr said. “We just wanted to update you on the situation with Mr. Sean McClintock, the man who attempted to kidnap your daughter this afternoon.”

  Thane nodded impatiently.

  The male officer, PC Brian Shanks, had been staring at Lachlan in awe the whole time. Now that I knew him, and because people in Ardnoch were so used to him, I forgot Lachlan was famous. The officer finally dragged his attention away from Lachlan at the silence and found his colleague subtly glaring at him. The officer whipped his head to us, his expression a little sheepish. “Uh … do you know Mr. McClintock?”

  I wanted to reach for Thane’s hand. Instead I placed it more subtly on his back to remind him I was there for him. He was tense and hot beneath my touch, but he also leaned into it.

  “He was a colleague of my late wife’s.”

  The officers nodded and PC Kerr said, “Did you know that Mr. McClintock’s wife and daughter were killed two months ago in a car crash? Mr. McClintock, it seems, was driving the vehicle in question and survived, while his wife and child did not.”

  Oh my God. I shared a disbelieving look with Lachlan, and he scrubbed a hand down his face, visibly distraught.

  Thane bowed his head and exhaled a curse before replying gruffly, “No, no, I didn’t know.”

  That was why he’d shown up at Thane’s work too.

  “Mr. McClintock is being detained while the charges are brought against him for attempted kidnapping.”

  “What if I don’t want to press charges?” Thane shocked me by asking.

  PC Kerr gave him a compassionate but tight smile. “I’m afraid we have enough evidence from witnesses, Mr. Adair, to proceed with charges regardless. If you have concerns, you’re free to contact the procurator fiscal as the case goes forward.”

  Thane nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Officers.”

  At the door, PC Shanks gave Lachlan a somewhat embarrassed look. “I hope you don’t mind me saying, considering the circumstances, but I’m a big fan of your films.”

  Lachlan gave him a tight-lipped smile. “That’s very kind, thank you.”

  “I’m sorry for your troubles today.” The officer gave us a sympathetic nod and followed his colleague out to the patrol car.

  “I swear, if he asked you for a selfie, I was going to hit him,” Thane growled, his frustration palpable. And we both knew it wasn’t about the starstruck police officer.

  I turned to Lachlan. “Can you give us a minute?”

  Lachlan studied us, then gave me an abrupt nod before he left us alone.

  I took hold of a somewhat dazed Thane’s hand and led him back into his office, closing the door to give us privacy.

  “Fuck.” He shrugged in disbelief.

  I pulled him into my arms like I’d wanted to all night, pressing kisses to his cheeks, across his bearded jawline, my fingers digging into his shoulders. “It’s okay,” I murmured over and over as his arms banded around me.

  He buried his face in my throat with a groan and breathed me in. I sighed at the touch of his lips near my pulse.

  We stood like that for a while.

  Holding on to each other.

  Finally, Thane exhaled a heavy sigh and straightened. Studying my face with those beautiful, soulful eyes, he brushed my hair gently from my cheeks, his thumb tracing the outer edges of where Sean had hit me. When our eyes met, he looked at me with such tenderness, my lips parted in surprise.

  Could he … did he feel—

  A knock on the office door jolted us apart seconds before Arro stuck her head in. “Food is getting cold and the kids are asking for you.”

  Thane nodded, not meeting his sister’s gaze as he pulled the door open. “Right, coming.”

  She watched him march away and then turned to me with a frown. “You okay?”

  I nodded because there was nothing else to do.

  “You need more ice on that cheek.” Arro grabbed my hand to lead me back into the kitchen where she proceeded to mother hen me almost as much as Robyn did.

  I didn’t mind. Not in the least.

  And I thanked God for all of them as we congregated on the huge sectional after dinner, a movie playing for Eilidh and Lewis while the adults talked about anything but what had happened.

  Everyone left before nine o’clock so we could put Eils and Lew to bed. Robyn and Lachlan were the last to go, and my sister was so reluctant to leave me, Lachlan had to manhandle her out of the house.

  The only reason she allowed him to was because of Thane.

  “I don’t want you sleeping in that annex alone tonight. You’ll stay with us,” Robyn had commanded.

  “She’s staying here,” Thane replied. “In the guest room. I think the kids will appreciate her being close tonigh
t.”

  Robyn couldn’t argue with that. She kissed my good cheek, hugged me tight while I ignored the new aches in my upper back and right side, and took Lachlan’s hand as he led her out.

  Once everyone had gone, Thane and I ushered the children upstairs to bed, but Eilidh and Lewis grew subdued again. We took turns tucking them in—me with Eilidh first while Thane was with Lewis, and then we swapped.

  “And you’ll be just down the hall?” Lewis asked for the second time as I got up to leave.

  Bending over, I kissed his forehead and promised him once more I would be.

  Meeting Thane outside their rooms, he shook his head and whispered wearily, “I just lied to my children.”

  “They asked who he was?” I guessed, wondering when one or both of them would. To be honest, I thought they’d shown immense restraint to not ask again sooner. They’d asked at the school, but I’d avoided answering in all the chaos.

  Thane nodded grimly. “I told them he was just a man who had lost his family and was in pain. That the pain made him confused about who Eilidh was.” He looked away.

  I cupped his cheek, bringing his focus back to me. “They don’t need to know anything else.”

  “What if they do?”

  Knowing what he alluded to, I shook my head. “We’ll cross that bridge if we get to it.” I pressed onto tiptoes to kiss him lightly and murmured that I needed to retrieve some things from the annex. Five minutes later, I crept upstairs with a small bag of necessities to find him waiting for me.

  “I’m going to turn on the alarm.” He brushed his fingers along my stomach as he passed me to go downstairs. I’d never been more grateful for the security system. As it was, I hated I couldn’t sleep in Thane’s arms tonight. I didn’t want to be alone.

  But that wasn’t reality, so I entered the guest room at the end of the hall, the easiest room in the house to clean since all it needed was dusting and vacuuming. After brushing my teeth, I changed into my nightie. I was about to turn the bedcovers back when I heard behind me.