by MJ Fields
I wouldn’t time-jump to Jamie when I have Ethan. Although the thought of him in a kilt or a white nightgown turns me on completely.
I walk to the back where I find a pair of red wellies and shove my feet in them. Then I open the door, and my heart swells as I look out at the lush green grounds and see Kai running around, laughing in red wellies and a raincoat, her black hair flying around behind her in the wind. Every time I see her smile, hear her voice, listen to her talk, I think there isn’t any possible way I could love her more. But I do, each second of each day.
I look for Ethan …
And then time stops.
“Holy. Shit.”
“He’s a sight, isn’t he?” Isla whispers from behind me. “Go get yer man, Elizabeth Bloom. And welcome to Scotland.”
Walking toward Ethan, unable to look away from him in the red, blue, black, and white plaid patterned tartan, ankle-high black boots, with wool socks peeking out and cuffed, a leather pouch hanging in the front, and a black sweater with the sleeves pushed up, I am a mess of tingles and heartbeats.
Isla chuckles. “Go on now.”
“I-I-I can’t move,” I stutter.
“Ye better get to getting. I’ll be taken Kai to a picture to give ye some time alone to find out if the rumors are true.”
“Rumors?”
“What does a Scottish man wear under his kilt?” She chuckles again.
“Could you give me a shove?”
“Aye,” she says then pushes against my back.
“Daddy, she’s coming!” Kai yells as she runs toward him.
I walk very slow with a clear purpose—to openly gawk at the sight that’s before me.
He’s probably not looking at you the same way.
He loves me.
“Daddy has surprises for us.” Kai jumps and claps.
He smiles at me, and I’m pretty sure I had a small orgasm in front of Kai. Oddly, since she doesn’t know, I’m going to allow myself to bask in it.
When his eyebrow rises, I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this knowledge.
“Can ye wait a minute, Elizabeth Bloom?”
Still unable to speak, I nod, and he laughs.
“What did I miss? What was funny?” Kai asks.
“I think your daddy is the most handsome man on the planet,” I admit.
“Is it because he’s in a skirt?”
I laugh and nod. “It just may be.”
Ethan reaches in the leather pouch and pulls out a black box, no doubt more charms. Then he squats down so he’s eye-level with Kai. “I’m gonna tell ye, Kai, that no matter what yer answer may be, I’m gonna love ye the same.”
She cocks her head to the side.
“Will ye take on the Stewart name, Kai? Will you be Kai Kaplan-Stewart from now until forever?”
She nods. “Yep, I sure will!”
He opens the box, and inside is exactly what I suspected—a charm. Then he pulls out a chain matching mine. “This is for yer wrist.”
“Like the one on Lizzie’s ankle?”
“Aye. One charm is yer heart and yer birthstone, another yer mother’s, and the other mine. There’s a Scottish flag and—”
“Scotch!” She grins.
“Aye, that’s Scotch.” He puts it around her wrist, and she jumps and gives him a hug.
“I love ye, Kai Stewart.”
“I love you, athair.” She steps back.
Now Lizzie’s turn.
He doesn’t stand up. He bends a knee, and I begin to shake.
“Elizabeth Bloom, I love ye.”
Tears spring to my eyes immediately, and I hold my hand to my chest. “Love you.”
“Until ye, I never dreamed I’d be here with Kai, in the country I love, on bended knee without a single doubt in my mind that ye are the best for me, and for Kai. And I promise ye a forever where ye’ll never doubt that we are also what’s best for ye. M’eudail, my chridhe, will ye marry me and take the Stewart name from now until forever?”
“Oh my God, yes!” I nod. “Yes. Yes. Yes!”
Eyes flooded with tears, I don’t even see the ring, but I wouldn’t care if it was tin. I hold out my right hand, and he takes my left, sliding it on. Then he stands up, cups my face in both hands, and kisses me.
“Bonnie wee one,” Isla calls out. “Let’s get to the picture.”
I reach for Kai as Ethan continues to kiss me.
When he pulls back, I wrap one arm around him and pull her into us. “Are you happy, Kai? Are you okay with—”
“I love us,” she says sweetly. “I love us so much.”
We don’t make it a step inside Ethan’s Scotland home before I pull his sweater over his head, breaking our kiss.
“Give me yer fucking lips back, woman,” he demands as he grabs my ass and hauls me closer to him, kissing me so hard that my lips may bruise, but I don’t give a damn.
One hand in his hair, the other reaching between us, gripping the wool fabric of his kilt as I bunch it up, I hit velvety hard, bare skin.
“So fucking hot,” I moan into his mouth.
“Yer cunt best be wet, ’cause I want to root myself inside of ye and never come out,” he growls as he storms into the house, kicking the door shut as I stroke his hard length.
“Shamelessly drenched,” I admit as I unwrap my legs from his hips, pushing down the long underwear and kicking off the wellies.
“Get yer arse over here,” he grunts, grabbing my hand and pulling me behind him as I hurry to keep up, nearly tripping over Lord knows what as I watch the bulging muscles across his back flex as he moves with purpose toward the stairs.
I pull his hand, and he looks back. I nod toward the fireplace.
“Aye.”
When he walks past me, I jerk his hand again and he turns toward me, looking slightly confused.
“The chair.”
“Ye want to ride my cock, Elizabeth?”
“More than anything else.”
“Fuck,” he spats as he lets go of my hand and begins to unbuckle his kilt.
“Don’t. You. Dare,” I say, pushing him back into the chair.
Reaching beneath his kilt, I grab his cock as I straddle his lap. He grips my hips as I rub him between my slick folds. Lowering himself down on him slowly, he hisses.
“Don’t toy with me. Ye want to ride”—he thrusts fully into me—“now ride.”
So, I do.
Epilogue
One Month Later…
Lizzie
“I’m thinking now’s a good time for you to accept my offer.” Tonya laughs as she hands me a water bottle and a wad of toilet paper.
“I’m going to kill him,” I say as I lean back against the cold tile wall in the bathroom.
“It takes two to tango, so they say.” Tonya smirks as she pushes up from the countertop and sits cross-legged, smiling at me.
“I’m telling you, he purposely left my pills behind, or he threw them out.”
“And when you discovered this, you surely made him wrap his dick in latex, right?”
I point to the floor. “Friendship circle, Tonya, or there’s the door.”
“So, about my offer?”
“You have to promise me that you’ll never sell to one of these rich bitches in the surrounding McMansions.”
“I will only sell to the richest bitch in the big brick corner mansion.”
I open the water bottle and lean back. “If this comes back up, I’m pretty sure I’m going to die.”
“Elizabeth Bloom, soon-to-be Stewart, where are ye?” Ethan calls from the front door.
Kai asked if she could visit her grandparents for the first time in almost six weeks, and Ethan agreed to one day, promising if it went well, we’d revisit an occasional overnight.
“And that’s my cue.” Tonya slides off the counter. “My lease is up in December. You’re getting married in Scotland over winter break. It’s go time, Lizzie. And I think maybe I’ll ask my boy toy to move in with me.”
&nb
sp; “I’d be thrilled for you if I didn’t feel like shit right now, Tonya, truly.”
“Elizabeth!” Ethan yells as he starts up the stairs.
“We’ll talk later.” Tonya blows me a kiss then walks out the door.
“Elizabeth in the bathroom?” Ethan asks from outside the door.
“She is.” Tonya laughs.
When he walks in and looks at me, a shit-ass grin starts to spread across his devilishly handsome face.
“I love you, Ethan, but I’m warning you right now, there’s a very fine line.”
When his eyes mist over and he looks at me in that way, the way that makes my heart melt, there is no way possible I can be upset with him or the situation.
As Tonya said, it takes two to tango.
“I’m not going to say I’m sorry that I threw away those pills.”
“So, you’re admitting it?”
“Aye.”
“Ethan, I’m going to feel like shit for our wedding.”
“Ye’re going to feel loved, m’eudail.”
“But why?”
He walks over, crouches down beside me, and pulls me gently against him. “’Cause I didn’t want ye to have to get in yer head out of a decision. I didn’t want ye to worry, and when ye’re in a state other than this, when ye’re feeling a bit better, ye’re going to get that look on yer face ye do when ye’re truly happy and at peace. Ye want children just like I do, love, so why not start now?”
I wrap my arms around him. “I hate puking.”
“I’ll get ye feeling better in no time.”
“There are no ointments or potions for morning sickness, Ethan.”
“There is. Now stop yer worrying and get to the happy, peaceful place. I’d love to go there with you.”
Seven Months Later…
“Mrs. Stewart?”
I look up from Kooper’s angelic face toward the door.
“Do you need anything?”
I look back down at our son and shake my head.
“Well, if you do—”
“I know Dr. Stewart can be difficult at times, but I’m not nearly as demanding as he is.”
“Wife,” Ethan’s voice comes from somewhere behind her.
She smiles, and I wink as she steps out of the room and lets him in.
“Are ye talking about me already? We’ve only been married a minute or two.”
“How was Kai?”
“She’s got her little crew coming over for a few hours. She’ll have them out when we get home.”
“They can stay, Ethan. Truly, it’s no problem.”
“She can handle a few days without them. It’s our home, not a hangout.”
“You’d think your daddy would be happy that she has so many friends, and that they want to hang out at our house and not somewhere else where he can’t hover.”
He kisses my head and then Kooper’s.
I look up at him. “You need some sleep.”
“I’ll get some when ye’re home.”
I move over in the bed. “Sit with us.”
“Don’t want to hurt ye, love.”
“You should have thought about that before you knocked me up,” I joke.
“Can’t say as if I’m sorry I did. Won’t promise I won’t be doing it again in about six months.”
I laugh as I look at Kooper. “Things you should never say to your wife a day after she pushes a nine-pound child out of her vagina and has to get stitches.”
“Look at him, Elizabeth Stewart; how could something so brand new already own part of yer soul forever?”
I sniff back tears and lean against him. “Thank you, by the way.”
“For what?”
“For this, for Kai, for loving me.”
“The moment I saw ye, I wanted to give ye the world. That will never stop.”
Gaelic Phrases
Tá tú go halainn - You're beautiful
M’eudail - My family
Slainte Mhath - Good health
A sheòid - Little hero / warrior
A chuisle mo chroi - Pulse of my heart
Athair - Father
Chridhe - Heart
Acknowledgments
A HUGE thank you to Vi and Penelope for opening up this world for not only other authors, but true fans of their work, like me.
I have met both of our, ‘Cocky Queens’, and have the utmost respect for their love of books, as business women, and as human beings.
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Also by MJ Fields
IN THE STEEL FAMILY OF BOOKS
(Best read in this order)
The Men of Steel Series
Jase, Cyrus, Zandor, Xavier, Raising Steel
The Ties of Steel Series
Abe, Dominic, Eroe, Sabato
The Rockers of Steel Series
Memphis Black , Finn Beckett , River James , Billy Jeffers
The Match duet
Match This!, ImPerfectly Matched!
The Steel Country Series
Hammered, Destroyed, Wasted
Tied in Steel
Valentina, Paige, Gia
Steel Crew
Tagged Steel, Branded Steel and more to come.
IN THE LRAH or THE LEGACY SERIES FAMILY OF BOOKS
These families’ stories are intertwined starting with The Love series, they move to the Wrapped Series, the Burning Souls series, Love You Anyways, 27 Truths, 27 Lies, Her First Kiss, and His First Crush.
Many more series will spin off from these characters already written and each will be a standalone series but for those of us who love a story to continue I recommend reading in this order.
(Best read in this order)
The Love Series
Blue Love, New Love, Sad Love, True Love
The Wrapped Series
Wrapped In Silk, Wrapped In Armor, Wrapped In Always and Forever
Burning Souls Series
Stained, Forged, Merged
LRAH Legacy Additions
Love You Anyway, Love Notes
The Truth About Love Series
27 Truths and 27 Lies
Firsts series
Her First Kiss, His First Crush, Their First Fall, 27 Truths About Their First Goodbye, Their First Time
The Norfolk Series
Irons, Shadows, Titan
The Caldwell Brothers Series
(co-written w/ Chelsea Camaron)
Hendrix, Morrison, Jagger, Visibly Broken, Use Me
Standalones
Offensive Rebound
Visit her website
www.mjfieldsbooks.com
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author MJ Fields write books that scorch pages and melt hearts. Her style is real, raw, romance.
Love an alpha and a strong heroine? She does too.
Visit her website
www.mjfieldsbooks.com