She knew he was sincere. Could see it all over his face and hear it in his voice. Her shield splintered, and her arms fell to her sides. Still, the way he’d looked at her the night of the fire. “But you were so angry with me the night of the fire.”
“Angry with ye?”
“You yelled at me.”
“Ye ran into a burnin’ buildin’. Twice. Ye could’ve gotten yerself killed. And now ye have a scar because ye went in…because of me. After everythin’ I’d said to ye. Ye still loved me enough to save things that meant somethin’ to me.”
Paige shrugged. “They were all you had. I was here. I was the only one who could save them.”
“But ye didnae have to save them. Ye could’ve freed the horses and let the rest burn. But ye didnae.”
“I couldn’t,” she said just above a whisper and looked down. She sucked in her lip to keep it from trembling. “I deserved the things you said to me.” The tears bubbling to the surface hit the edge and spilled over.
Rory took a step and wrapped his arms around her. “Nae, ye didna. I hurled all sorts of hateful things at ye, and when it came right down to it, it had nothin’ to do with what ye had done and everythin’ to do with my fear of ye.”
She hiccupped. “Don’t do this if you don’t mean it or you’re not sure.”
“I mean every word. I am in love with ye. I’d throw Alana’s box away, but I know what ye did to save it. It’s not a memory of her anymore. It’s a memory of how much ye care about me.”
Paige ran her fingers across his lips. He loved her. She tiptoed on one foot and brushed her lips across his. That was all it took for him to kiss her. She softened against him as their lips moved together. It seemed like years since she’d kissed him, and it was like he was kissing her for the first time all over again.
He broke the kiss and put his forehead to hers. “I’ve miss ye. I’ve missed yer softness. I’ve missed yer feel. I’ve missed how ye hold me and kiss me. I love ye, sweetheart.”
“I love you. I love your playful nature. I love the way you laugh. I love the way you love your family. I love your gentle spirit. The way you hold me and look at me.” She balled her hands in his shirt and kissed him again. “I want to keep standing with you holding me, and I want to keep kissing you, but I can’t. My leg hurts.”
Rory picked her up, carried her to the living room, and sat down. He cradled her in his arms. “Is this okay?”
“Better.” And she was in a better position to kiss him.
She sat up and trailed soft kisses along his cheeks before finding his mouth, staying just out of reach. He flattened one of his hands into the small of her back and draped his arm around her shoulders. His lips parted with a soft moan, and he claimed her hers. Her body ached for him.
She’d missed him more than she’d ever thought possible. “I love you,” she said with a sigh and kissed him again.
Rory pulled back, his breath hitting her cheek as he planted soft parted-lip kisses on her. “Were ye serious about movin’ here?”
Her heart pounded in her chest. “I love you. If I don’t have to leave, I don’t want to.”
“Ye’ll nae be leavin’ on my account.” He smoothed back her hair and combed his fingers through it. “I want ye to stay. I want to spend my life with ye.”
“You can have all of me. All of me. Forever.”
He leaned back and locked eyes with her. “I accept. And ye can have all of me. Every breath is yers.”
“I accept.” Paige plunged her hands into his hair and held him still. His eyes closed as she brought her mouth down to his. She came even closer, touching but not quite. Their breath mingled as she watched him while she traced the outline of his mouth with her lips.
His lips parted, and he opened his eyes. “Please kiss me.”
She maintained the minuscule space between them. “Tell me you love me again.”
“I love ye. I’m all yers.”
The hunger she saw in his eyes was raw and unfiltered and mirrored her own. She smiled and closed the gap. He was hers. Every breath. Every inch. And she planned to spend the rest of her life memorizing every part.
CHAPTER 42
Rory slapped Angus on the back. “This is it, brother.”
Angus shook out his hands and took a deep breath.
“Ye nervous?”
“Naw, just ready to be married.”
Rory envied Angus in a way, getting to marry so quickly and make a life with his love. “Ye have twenty minutes.”
A tiny knock came from the door. Rory gave Angus one last smile and pulled the door open.
“Paige,” he said her name like a prayer. “Yer nae supposed to outshine the bride.”
She blushed. “I’m here because Penelope wanted to give this to Angus.” She held out a wrapped box.
Rory took the box, set it on the table by the door, and stepped outside into the hall with her. “I’ll give it to him in a second.” He backed her against the wall and kissed her.
“You’re going to ruin my lipstick.”
“Ye can put on more.”
Paige slipped her arms around his waist and slid them up his back. “I can.”
Someone cleared their throat, and they both turned to find Taran grinning.
“Ye scoot,” Rory growled.
Taran rolled his lips in to keep from laughing and stepped inside the room with Angus.
Paige sighed. “I guess you need to get back in there.”
Rory wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her again. “Now, I probably need to get back in there.” He stepped back with his hand on the knob.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“Come here.”
One step, and he loomed over her. She pulled his lips down to her and kissed him in a way that made his knees weak. These kisses were more than kisses and filled with enough desire to require ice baths.
Paige threaded her arms around his neck and put her lips to his ear. “Marry me. Marry me, Rory.”
Rory leaned back and locked gazes with her. “I thought ye wanted to wait awhile.”
She lifted a flirty eyebrow, one corner of her mouth curled up, and she straightened like she’d said nothing. “Okay.”
He pinned her against the wall. “Oh, no. Yer not gettin’ away that easy. Answer me.”
Instead of using words, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. Then she did the one thing that consistently brought him to his knees. She held him still, lips so near it was torture, and kept them just out of reach until it drove him mad.
He closed his eyes and parted his lips. She breathed him in, and his heart doubled its pace. “Oh, ye can have anythin’.”
She grazed her lips across his, and her hot breath caressed his skin. “I want you. Only you. I want to love you. I want to live with you. I want all of you. I don’t want a fancy church or big dinners or lots of guests. I don’t want anything but you. I want to make your house a home and to be waiting for you when you come home every day.” Her voice was full of love and longing.
Rory fought for air. “Just tell me when.”
“Not today. It’s Penelope’s day. I want to cry over her dress, celebrate her happiness, and then watch her leave with the man she loves. It’s all about her today.”
He nuzzled her with his nose. “Dinnae ye want her at yer weddin’?”
“Two weeks and one day.”
He pulled back and looked at her. “Okay.”
Again, she threaded her fingers in the back of his hair and held him still. “I have plans for you, Rory MacLachlan. Don’t forget it.” Her lips grazed across his once, twice, and just when he thought she wasn’t going to kiss him, she devoured him. His only saving grace was that he was in a church and it was his brother’s wedding.
She pulled away, and he panted, trying to catch his breath. “If ye keep doin’ that, I willna be able to wait two weeks.”
Paige smiled against his neck and caught part of his skin between her teeth. H
e tried to fight back the moan and lost. “I’m yours, can you feel it?”
“Aye.”
“I’ll be thinking of you today, picturing you standing at the front, waiting for me.”
“Paige…”
She let him go. “Give Angus his gift, and I’ll see you in the church.” With a peck on the cheek, she sashayed down the hall, leaving him wishing they were the ones getting married rather than Angus and Penelope. He took a few deep breaths and went back into the room with Angus.
“Were ye havin’ fun?” Taran teased.
Rory snatched the box off the table and gave it to Angus. “It’s a gift from Penelope.”
“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Angus asked.
“I dinnae. Open yer gift and leave me alone,” Rory grumbled.
Angus glanced at Taran and smirked. He opened the box and inhaled sharply. “Oh.” He pulled a thick bracelet out and turned it over in his hand. “It’s inscribed.”
“Well, what does it say?” asked Taran.
“I don’t know if I can read it aloud.” He handed it to Taran.
Taran looked down at the inscription and back at Angus. “Oh.”
“Well? What does it say?” asked Rory.
“My love,” Taran read, “You are my heart, and your love makes it beat. Your smile is my air, and your laughter is my joy. I love you, and I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much.”
“Oh.” Rory looked at Angus and then Taran. “Brother, ye break her heart, and we’ll all come after ye.”
Angus nodded. He wiped his eyes and put the bracelet on. “Penelope is more than I ever thought I’d have.”
Rory looked at the clock. “We have to go!”
CHAPTER 43
P aige, Penelope, and Sarah stood just outside the doors to the sanctuary. The ceremony would start any moment, and she was giving Penelope away. Angus and Rory’s mom and dad were already seated. Annis was fussing with the flower girl and ring bearer.
“You look beautiful,” Paige said.
“You’ve said that a dozen times now,” Penelope said with a smile.
Sarah smoothed the back of her dress out. “Because it can’t be said enough.”
The music started. Sarah straightened and clapped her hands together.
“Ohhh!” Paige shoved her bouquet in her hands.
Sarah turned just as the doors opened and started her procession down the aisle.
Paige leaned into Penelope. “I asked Rory to marry me in two weeks and one day.”
Penelope’s jaw dropped. “What?”
Paige grinned. “Our turn.” She hooked her arm in Penelope’s and took a step, nearly pulling her sister into a walk.
“Are you serious?” Penelope whispered as they walked down the aisle.
“Smile, sis, it’s your wedding day.”
Penelope looked forward, and Paige knew the instant her eyes locked with Angus’s. The serene look of happiness was shining through.
Angus wiped his eyes.
Paige flicked her gaze to Rory and quickly to Angus. Rory leaned forward to look at Angus and then back at Paige. He smiled.
She knew he’d cry. The dress had been beautiful in the shop, but Penelope floated in it. The sheer veil covering her face and the long train gliding behind her…it was a storybook, and her sister was the princess.
They stopped at the front, and Paige hugged her sister and then gave her hand to Angus. “Break her heart, and you won’t have to worry about wind gusting up that kilt.”
Angus’s cheeks turned red as cherries, and he laughed. “Message received.”
Paige took her spot next to Sarah and smiled.
The promise to love. An exchange of vows. A kiss to seal the commitment and the covenant with God.
Paige bent slightly and caught Rory’s gaze. That was going to be her. And soon.
The church erupted with claps and cheers. Paige was sure she was clapping and cheering the loudest. Penelope and her new husband held hands as they walked down the aisle and out of the church as showers of rice pelted them.
It was a flurry of activity and racing to the reception. Of helping Penelope pin her train and making sure everything went smoothly. By the time things had settled, Paige leaned against the wall of the rented hall and toyed with her necklace as she watched her sister and Angus dance.
“Were ye serious earlier?” Rory asked as he walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist.
“Yeah.”
“Two weeks and one day. Are ye sure about that?”
Paige twisted in his arms. “Absolutely.”
“I’m ready when ye are,” he said as he held her gaze.
She caught her bottom lip and smiled, working to keep herself in check. “I’d kiss you, but I wouldn’t want to get carried away at my sister’s reception.”
“It could be embarrassin’.”
She took a deep breath and laid her head against his chest. “I thought when Tyler left me it was the worst thing in the world to happen to me, but now I’m thinking I’d like to hunt him down and thank him.”
Rory pulled her tighter against him. “I feel the same way.”
Paige looked up. “I love you.”
“And I love ye.”
CHAPTER 44
Penelope tapped her glass with her fork and stood. “I’d like to say something!” she said and looked over her shoulder at Paige and Rory.
Two weeks and one day. Their wedding had been beautiful and sparse, but according to Paige, everything was what she wanted. Sarah couldn’t have been happier for her.
“If you ever give me grief about how quickly I got married, I will push you in the mud the next time we come across a puddle,” Penelope said.
Paige stuck her tongue out at her.
“On a serious note, I’m so happy for you. Even though you did marry the second-best MacLachlan.” Her sister laughed.
“Hey!” Taran called from down the table.
Sarah giggled next to him, and he put his arm across her shoulders.
“I’m nae chopped liver,” he said and leaned in.
“Not at all. And they don’t know what they’re talking about,” Sarah said.
“To Rory and Paige, may you have nothing but happiness and a life filled with love”
Everyone raised their glasses. “To Rory and Paige,” they said in unison.
Sarah leaned forward and spied Paige who smiled and blushed as Rory whispered in her ear. “I’m so happy for them.”
“It’s a little fast.”
“For me, yes, but I’ve known them my whole life. It was just perfect for them. They needed your family. I think they were lost and clinging to each other.”
“Well, my mum is thrilled to have girls to fuss over.”
“Women,” she corrected him.
“Sorry. Women.”
“I’ve enjoyed spending time with you, Taran.”
He tugged her a little closer. “Aye.”
“I can’t stay, though.”
“Aye,” he said, his lips pulling down at the corners. “Let’s leave that for later. It’s Rory and Paige’s wedding day. For now, we be happy for them and worry about us later.”
Sarah nodded and smiled. “That sounds good.” She leaned her head against Taran’s shoulder. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but he was right. For now, she’d be happy for her two best friends and worry about herself later.
Maybe there was a solution and they’d find it. Until then, she’d enjoy the moment and celebrate Paige’s wedding.
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Looking for something else to read? Turn the page to read the first chapter of Her Pretend Billionaire Boyfriend.
SNEAK PEEK! HER PRETEND BILLIONAIRE BOYFRIEND CHAPTER 1
Tristan Stone swiveled his chair away from the boardroom table and looked out over the Seattle skyline. The sun g
linted off the windows of the Space Needle while a white-capped Mount Rainier stood in the background. He wished he was there, on the top of the mountain, and not dwelling on the board meeting that had just ended. He didn’t want to think about the dozen or so men and women who’d argued about which direction his grandmother would’ve wanted him to take the cruise line he’d inherited.
He missed her.
Find someone to love, sweetheart. Not all women will want you for your money. His grandmother’s words were like a megaphone in his head. He could still feel the aged hand touching his cheek and see the wrinkled face smiling up at him. Even while she was sick, she’d been thinking of him.
He’d tried to convince her he didn’t feel lonely, but she could always see through him. Three months, and not a day went by that he didn’t miss her laughter and wisdom.
“Tristan!” Grayson Matthews’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Are you listening to me?”
“No,” he said without taking his eyes off the skyline.
“Nice. Real nice.” Grayson huffed, pulling a chair directly in front of him and sitting backward in it.
Tristan leveled his eyes at him. “What?”
“That board meeting was out of control. Why didn’t you do anything?”
Why? Because he didn’t want to do anything. His grandmother wasn’t even cold, and vultures were circling. “My head isn’t here.” He had tasks to finish for his grandma. One of which was taking a cruise on the last cruise ship she’d designed so he could spread her ashes over the ocean.
Grayson’s icy blue eyes softened. “Buddy, I know you miss her, but if you want this company to continue, you’re going to have to bring that alpha dog reputation you’ve created to the table.”
Alpha dog. Tristan snorted. “I know, but this is different. I’m not buying up a company. This was her company. A company…people…I promised to take care of.” He was used to taking over companies, bulldozing over anything that got in the way of making it successful and turning it into a thriving business. This was different. He’d made a solemn vow to take care of her employees, among other things. Things he wasn’t willing to tell his best friend.
Mending the Billionaire Scotsman: A Clean Scottish Romance Book Two Page 19
