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I roll my eyes. “You forget Isawit.”

“Aye, aye, I know.”

I wrap my arms around his stomach, pulling him closer. “Did you talk to your dad yesterday?”

“I did,” he sighs. “Things are still…strained with him and Mum. But she’s talking to him now, at least.”

“I mean, it has to be a shock for her.”

“I s’pose so.”

I kiss his shoulder. “Do you think you can fix things between you and your mom? Eventually?”

“I imagine so,” he says. “Maybe after things have settled.” I feel his finger poke into my side, and I shriek and squirm as he maneuvers onto his side, propping his fist up on his elbow. “And what about you, eh, princess? Have you decided what you’ll be doing next?”

My brow wrinkles. “What do you mean?”

“Well, not that I don’t enjoy your company, but we can’t exactly live in this wee shack forever.”

“Are you already kicking me out?”

“More asking what I might have to do to get you to settle somewhere more permanent…here. In Scotland.”

My pulse quickens as my lips quirk. “Settle, huh?”

“The way I see it,” he says seriously, “you’ve got everything you need right here.”

“Oh, do I?”

He nods. “Oh, aye.” He holds up one finger. “You’ve got your granny and grandpa, for starters.”

“True.”

“There’s the pub,” he goes on, holding up another finger.

My mouth twitches as I try to hold back a smile. “Rory and Blair would probably miss me, yes.”

“And Bethie,” he adds. “She’s grown rather fond of you.”

I can’t help it now, my lips tilting into a grin. “Just Bethie?”

“Hm.” He taps a finger against his lips, his brows knitting in thought. “There might be someone else.”

“Really.”

His lips twitch. “S’pose I might like you. Just a little.”

“Ass,” I laugh.

He smiles at me. “You didn’t think that would change because of a few kisses, did you?”

“Apparently not,” I hmph.

I feel his lips at my hair, his hand curling around my shoulder, stroking it gently.

“Someone might want you to stay very much,” he tells me softly. “Someone might even think about giving you a proper home here, if you wanted.”

My eyes prick with tears, not sad or frustrated like they have been so often of late, but happy for once.