Page 16 of A Summer of Secrets on Arran (Scottish Romances #5)

A few moments after they had driven off the ferry, Bella had pulled into the car park and taken a big breath explaining that she was going to give her mum a heads-up rather than just arriving unexpectedly.

Luke watched Bella as she anxiously paced up and down on the pavement next to the car, telling her mum that she was on the island and had news .

He was in no rush to go anywhere else right now.

It was strange, but from the moment Bella drove onto the ferry, a sense of calm and peace descended over him.

It was as though his life had actually slowed down.

Just like that. He had followed Bella onto the deck outside, pulled on his beanie hat and been completely transfixed as he had watched the sea.

Maybe it was the fresh, salty air and the trails of frothy waves the ferry left behind as it ploughed through the water.

But Luke was incredibly excited about this journey.

Most of all he was excited that he was going off grid.

He felt as though he had come home. Which was strange as he had never set foot on this island before.

A few moments later Bella stopped pacing, ended the call and looked over at him.

He gave her a questioning look and a thumbs up and then down.

If truth be told, he had grown very fond of her in the past few hours that they had spent together.

She was a lovely young woman and her mother had done a great job of raising her, especially as she had done it solo.

Although he and Cindy, his ex-wife, were now apart he was grateful they had been together long enough to raise the kids.

Though he did have to acknowledge that she had been left holding the babies plenty of times when he was touring with the band or away with work.

But he had always been faithful to her and couldn’t wait to return home to his family after being away on the road.

He could only imagine how Bella must have felt all these years not even knowing who her father was.

He could only trust that her mother had her very good reasons for not telling Bella.

And he had to ask himself that if he had known about her when she was a baby would things have been different?

Or if he had known her mother was pregnant at the time it could have changed the course of his life completely.

Maybe he would never have met Cindy and married her.

But then that would have meant that his sons wouldn’t exist. He realised that his whole life might have been completely different.

He momentarily wondered how his sons would react if they learned they had an older sister.

Then, realising that he was getting way ahead of things, he gave himself a shake.

There was no guarantee or proof that he was indeed Bella’s dad.

Only her mother could shed light on that fact.

And then they would have to do a paternity test. He watched as Bella slipped her phone into her pocket.

It looked like they would soon find out.

‘Okay,’ said Bella, getting back into the driver’s seat and puffing.

‘She knows I’m here and that I need to talk to her.

And I know she will now be flipping her lid and be worrying that I’m pregnant or have killed someone.

’ She was talking very quickly and he knew she was worried.

His son, Scottie, was exactly the same when he had something on his mind.

‘Extreme, huh?’ said Luke.

‘You don’t know my mother . . .’

He only had to look at the expression on her face to tell she was very nervous about this. ‘Where is she staying?’

‘It’s in Kildonan, about half an hour away. Mum is here with her best friend. She lives here permanently.’

Luke tried to give her a reassuring smile even though he now felt very skittish. ‘Come on then,’ he said, ‘let’s go and get this over with.’

She gave an excitable laugh. ‘Yes, I suppose so. We will soon find out the truth and whether or not you are my dad.’ She glanced over at the departing ferry which was returning to Ardrossan and then clasped her hand over her mouth.

‘That’s the last ferry for the night. You do realise that you’re stuck here regardless of what mum says? ’

Luke shrugged. ‘I have everything that I need here.’ He gestured to the back of the car.

‘Don’t worry about that. I am in no rush to go anywhere.

In fact, I have a confession to make.’ He watched as she looked at him quizzically.

‘When we were on the ferry and I was outside on the deck, I made a couple of calls, booked a place to stay. I’m going to stay on here for a bit.

Regardless of what your mum says . . . I’ve got some work to do and could do with hiding out somewhere quiet for a while where I won’t be disturbed.

I’m not in any rush to go back to London and I’ve managed to get a cottage to rent here. ’

‘Oh, okay. I wasn’t expecting that but well, why not, I suppose,’ said Bella, starting the ignition.

‘Especially if you don’t have to be anywhere.

That’s a nice position to be in.’ She indicated left out of the car park and followed the road that would take them over to Lamlash and to the south of the island towards Kildonan.

‘I was supposed to be camping with friends this weekend. That’s why Mum is even more freaked out. ’

Luke pursed his lips. ‘Parents always jump to these conclusions. It’s just what happens. It’s the way we’re wired. I think it’s a design flaw. We always worry. It doesn’t matter how old you are.’

She glanced sideways at him. ‘Do you worry about your boys?’

He had told her earlier about his sons and explained that they were away travelling.

‘Of course I do, though my ex probably worries about them more. She had an awful time with empty nest syndrome when they both left home. She just didn’t know what to do with herself .

. . she became quite lost . . . ’ his voice trailed off.

Cindy soon found herself again though and someone else to focus her attentions on and it wasn’t him.

He blinked. He really needed to try and get over this.

‘Earth to Luke,’ said Bella.

‘Oops, sorry,’ said Luke, realising he had got lost in his own thoughts.

‘Do I worry? Yes, I do, though I think it’s probably a bit different with sons.

It shouldn’t be, but it is,’ he added hastily.

‘If I had a daughter then I think I would worry a whole lot more.’ His words hung there, layered with uncertainties. If he had a daughter. Maybe he did.

As Bella drove down the hill towards Lamlash, Luke admired the view of the Holy Isle and kept his eyes glued to the window as he took in the still blue waters of Lamlash Bay.

‘Wow, what a beautiful spot,’ he said quietly.

It looked so tranquil and, despite the cause of the trip over here, he also felt a sense of peace descend over him which he never felt in London, despite his many attempts at meditation.

Staring at the water made him realise how parched he was.

‘Do you mind stopping so I can just nip in there to grab some water?’ He pointed at the Co-op ahead.

‘Sure,’ said Bella, her voice shaking. ‘That will give me a chance to mentally prepare.’

‘Can I get you anything?’ he asked kindly.

She shook her head. ‘No thanks.’

‘I’ll just be a few minutes.’ He unclipped his seatbelt and got out the car, walking briskly across the road.

As Luke entered the store, he headed straight to the chiller section and reached for a small bottle of water.

Turning, he collided with a customer who had her head down as she studied her list. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said immediately, checking that she was okay.

Usually people would give him a second glance when they realised they recognised him from somewhere and would stare at him while they tried to place his face.

However, the woman walked on, oblivious.

Luke was thrilled that he was seemingly invisible.

As he got older, he much preferred keeping a low profile and staying under the radar.

It was a change from his younger days when he had loved all the attention.

And he wasn’t too proud to admit that he had developed quite the ego when he was younger.

Staring at the bottle of water in his hand, he realised it might be a good idea to grab a few other provisions to keep him going.

He quickly found a loaf of bread, some cheese, a box of eggs and some bananas.

It was a random assortment of things but he was aware that Bella was waiting in the car and at this rate would think he had done a runner.

The sooner they saw her mum and cleared all of this up, the better.

He momentarily wondered how long it would take to get from where Bella’s mum was, to the holiday cottage he’d booked.

Hopefully he could call an Uber to take him.

He paid for the groceries, carefully bagged them in a bright blue bag for life, and walked out of the shop towards Bella, who was waiting in the car.