Page 28 of His to Keep (Reluctant Vows #6)

E ilidh

When I wake from the most restful sleep I’ve enjoyed in years, Pipsy, my stuffed cat is on the pillow next to me and Gio is sitting on a chair by the bed staring down at me.

There’s a weariness in his expression and he’s changed into the sweatpants and t-shirt I love to see him in.

His hair is wet as if he took a shower. I sit up and lean back against the padded headboard of my bed.

“I don’t need details; just tell me if it’s done.”

Gio nods. “It’s done.” He scrubs a hand over his face. “It was a long fucking night.”

“A long night?” I glance around the room and realize it’s bright. I waited up for Gio until ten o’clock and then fell asleep reading one of my favorite books from when I was a teenager. It’s on the nightstand. Gio must have put it there.

“Yeah. It’s eight a.m. You slept like a log.”

“I did.” I fidget with the hem of my sleep shirt. “Do you think I’m weak?”

“Why? Because you didn’t hang around to watch two men being tortured?”

“No. For forgiving them.”

Gio gets up from his chair, sits on the edge of the bed, and takes my hands.

“Eilidh, I think you’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met. I’d never have the inner strength, that core goodness, to forgive them the way you did.”

“It wasn’t out of the goodness of my heart. I did it so I could move on.” I draw in a deep breath. “Does Sandy hate me for it?”

Gio shakes his head. “No, kitten. He admires you for doing what he couldn’t.”

“I don’t want him to hate me. Not now we’ve found each other again.”

“Your brother could never hate you.” Gio gets up and pulls the covers off me. “Come on down for breakfast and you’ll see that for yourself.”

“Okay. Let me throw on some clean clothes and we can head down.”

Gio steps out of my way, and I go to the closet.

Molly, a sweet woman in her fifties, who worked for my parents, came in and unpacked my luggage for me yesterday.

She cried as she hugged me and told me how pleased she was to have both me and Alexander in the house once more.

It seems she’s the person the Dalglieshes employed to keep the place in order while we were away.

Seeing her brought back memories of how things used to be and for once I didn’t feel sad about it.

Being here is soothing to me in a way I didn’t expect.

I throw on a cream cashmere sweater and a pair of slim-fitting beige pants. I pull my hair back into a ponytail and use a clip from my dressing table to hold it in place.

“Right.” I slip on a pair of black ballet flats. “I’m ready.”

When we get to the smaller of two dining rooms, which we always used for breakfast, we find Alexander sitting at the head of the table. For a second I’m taken aback to see him in Dad’s chair, but I shrug it off quickly. He’s the head of the household now.

“Good morning,” I say as I enter the room and take the seat to his right. I notice there are only three places set. “Isn’t Cara joining us?”

“Not this morning. She’s indisposed.”

I narrow my eyes. “Is that code for nursing some wound you inflicted?”

Alexander scowls. “I don’t mistreat women.” His tone softens. “Dad taught me better.”

“Yeah, I know. I just worry.”

“She’s adjusting to her new life, that’s all. She’ll be better in a couple of days.”

“Okay.” There is no way I’m waiting a couple of days to see my new sister-in-law. Perhaps I’ll check on her later if I can sneak away.

As I get myself a coffee and do the wifely thing by pouring one for Gio too, Molly comes into the room with three plates of breakfast, expertly balancing one on her arm. She places them down in front of us and my mouth waters.

“A full Scottish.” I grin broadly. “I’ve dreamed of this.”

Alexander smiles. “Gio said you might not have had a proper fry up in a while.”

“Not like this I haven’t. This is perfect. Bacon, fried egg, Lorne sausage, tattie scone, black pudding, skirlie, baked beans, and mushrooms.” I frown. “No tomato?”

“There’s beans,” Alexander says. “That’s enough vegetables for anyone.”

“I think beans are a legume, not a vegetable,” I tell him.

“And a tomato’s a fruit,” Gio adds helpfully.

“Yes, it is,” Alexander responds, “but it’s a tomahto, not a tomayto.”

“Don’t sit there discussing it.” Molly breezes back into the room with several slices of toast on a rack. “Eat it before it gets cold.”

“Was she always this bossy?” I ask as she leaves the room.

Alexander shrugs. “I don’t remember, but we should eat before she comes back.”

We all tuck into our breakfast, chatting about the castle and Gio’s impressions of it. He’s like a little kid, almost jumping out of his seat when my brother offers to show him the battlements later.

When I finish eating, I lay down my cutlery and sigh. “That was amazing. I don’t think I’ll be able to move for at least an hour.”

“That’s good,” Alexander says, “because I want to talk to you.” He glances at Gio. “To both of you.”

“That sounds ominous.” Gio sets down the cup he was drinking from.

“It isn’t, I promise.”

“Well, spit it out then.” My tone is curt, but I haven’t the patience for beating around the bush right now.

“Okay,” my brother says. “I’d like you to come home, to Dunblair.”

“I don’t know.” I turn to Gio. “I mean, we…”

“Hear me out,” Alexander interrupts and I give him my attention once more. “I’m giving you fifty percent of CCH.”

“CCH?” Gio asks.

“Our family business. Our father left it to me, but half of it is Eilidh’s by right.”

“Wow!” I always imagined he would give me a share of the company or a lump sum of cash from our dad’s estate, but fifty percent of the business is more than I expected. “But I don’t know a thing about running such a huge organization.”

“I’m hoping you and Gio can learn it together. I’d like him to work by your side.”

“I don’t know.” Gio sounds uncertain. “I’ve never run a business either.”

“Yes, I realize that, and I know you’re capable when it comes to the brutal aspects of our lifestyle, but I can tell your heart’s not in it. This is a way out. I’ve plenty of muscle in my organization. I don’t need you for that.”

Gio rubs his chin. “There’s a lot to consider. I mean, where would we live? Here?”

Alexander shakes his head. “I was thinking of giving you Rowan Cottage. It’s on the estate, about a mile from here. It needs some work, but…”

“It would be perfect.” I clap my hands together. Excitement swells in me and then dissipates as I realize Gio might have other ideas. I turn to him. “But it’s up to you.”

“No,” Gio says. “It’s up to us.”

“Why don’t you head down to the cottage and have a look,” Alexander suggests. “It might help you decide.”

I immediately jump up from the table. “Yes, let’s go. We can walk through the woods. That way Gio can see some of the estate.”

Without waiting for him to agree, I hurry to the door. This is so exciting. I love Rowan Cottage. I just hope Gio feels the same.

Gio

For the entire walk through the woods, Eilidh chatters excitedly about the house we’re going to see. It’s clear what she wants to do, but I’m torn. My brother expects me back in New York soon. Everything I know is there and there’s a role for me within the family business if I want it.

I have to admit, though; Alexander’s offer is tempting. It would be nice to work in an organization where I didn’t have to get my hands dirty and in a place where people won’t be constantly comparing me to my brothers and finding me lacking.

“There it is.” Eilidh points through a gap between the trees to a white house that’s more a mini-mansion than a cottage. “Don’t you just love it?”

As we get closer, I see the exterior could do with a lick of paint. The door is definitely shabby, and the tiled roof is a disaster. The garden to the front of the property is wildly overgrown. Yet, for some reason, I do kind of love the place.

“Can we go inside?” I ask because Eilidh didn’t stop to collect a key.

Eilidh nods. “There’s a key under the plant pot.”

“That’s not very secure.”

“The whole estate is well protected, and nobody has lived here for years. We used to play here as kids.”

She hurries up the pathway and finds the key. When she has difficulty turning it in the lock, I move her hand away and do it for her. A musty stench hits us the moment we step inside.

“There’s five bedrooms, two sitting rooms, a dining room, kitchen, three bathrooms, and a huge attic we could convert if we needed more space.”

“What, for Fernanda Euphemia and Alberto Lachlan?”

Eilidh throws her head back and laughs. “Why not?”

I look around, noting the original moldings on the ceiling and the fireplace that could be made beautiful if we got the right person in to restore it. Eilidh clearly misreads my expression as I consider the work that needs to be done. She thinks I don’t like the place.

“We don’t have to stay here,” she says.

“Do you want to live in Scotland?” I ask. “Do you want to run the family business and restore this house?”

Eilidh bites her bottom lip. “I want to be with you and if that’s in New York, I’ll learn to live with it.”

“You’re not keen on New York?”

She shrugs. “I’m just afraid of the unknown, I guess.”

“It isn’t fear that makes you prefer to live here. It’s a sense of belonging. You’re anchored to this place.”

“Like you belong in New York?” she asks sadly.

“No, kitten. I belong wherever you are. I love you, Eilidh Volante. You’re my home.”

Tears well in her eyes. Her lip wobbles, then her face breaks into a grin and she slaps my shoulder.

“You’re a sentimental asshole, Gio Volante.”

“I’m your sentimental asshole, so you’ll just have to get used to me.”

Eilidh throws her arms around me and pulls me in for a lingering kiss. Then she draws back, concern marring her pretty features. “What about your family? Won’t they be mad if you don’t go home?”

“They’ll understand I want to take a different path. As long as I promise to visit regularly, they’ll be fine.”

At least, I think they will. After all, my brothers put their own wives first these days. They’ll understand my need to give Eilidh the life she wants. They’ll also be happy to have me in the UK where I can forge new connections and liaise closely with our Italian cousins.

“I’ll still have to meet them,” Eilidh says.

“Yes, we’ll arrange something soon.” I grab her hand and lead her toward the stairs. “Now let’s go christen the bedroom.”

“Just one? We have all day.”

I sweep Eilidh up into my arms and kiss her forehead. “I love you, Eilidh Volante.”

“I love you too,” she murmurs.

As I carry her upstairs in search of a bedroom, a sense of calm sweeps over me. I came to Scotland to climb mountains, but that didn’t fill the gap in my life. Now that I have Eilidh, I feel complete and I will never let her go.

The End