Page 16 of Snowy Surprises in the Highlands (Scottish Highland #5)

‘It’s not good though, Bells,’ Skye insisted. ‘If he’s really persistent, that’s sexual harassment in the workplace and there are laws against that kind of thing.’

Bella felt her face heating. ‘Anyway, enough about me, how’s wee Freya, Liv? I can’t believe she’s only four months from being two. And Theo is four flipping months? Where has the time gone?’

Skye reached into her handbag. ‘Here, look at his cheeky chubby little face.’ She handed over her phone to Bella, of course the camera roll was full of candid snaps of the infant and his dad.

‘He looks just like Ben,’ Bella said with her hand over her heart. ‘Such a cutie.’

‘And my little twenty-month-old has quite the temper on her if she doesn’t get her own way,’ Olivia said. ‘Not actually sure where she gets that from! Her favourite word is no.’

Bella laughed. ‘Oh, heck, and that’s before the terrible twos phase.’ She turned to Skye. ‘How’s the feeding going?’ Skye had struggled at first and had almost given up.

She rolled her eyes. ‘Better now but he is such a greedy baby. I’m not sure my milk will be enough for him for much longer.

We’re thinking of switching to formula. We’ve been discussing it with the health visitor.

I felt like a failure when it was first brought up, especially after how much I struggled at the start, but now I know it’s a fairly common thing and it’s not my fault.

Heather, the health visitor, is so lovely and has really put my mind at rest.’

‘Hey, you’ve done amazingly. You made a whole human in your body, don’t forget that,’ Bella said with a warm smile.

‘Do you think you’ll try for a family, Bells?’ Olivia asked.

Bella dabbed at her mouth with her napkin.

‘We’ve chatted about it, and we both definitely want kids, but I think we’re planning on waiting a year or so before we start trying.

My interior design business is going really well, and I want to make sure I’m properly established before we add to the family.

Bertie will do for now.’ She laughed. ‘He’s a handful as it is. ’

‘I bet he’s a lot less trouble than a stroppy toddler who throws a tantrum when you give her the wrong yoghurt,’ Olivia said with a giggle.

‘Or a baby who waits until you have his nappy off to pee all over you,’ Skye added, laughing.

‘No, he has more of a tendency to pee on the floor when he’s excited or to run away with my socks,’ Bella said, with a chuckle.

‘And the other day I couldn’t find my left trainer anywhere, I searched in every room and thought I was going mad until Harris found it behind a bush in the garden.

’ They all joined in her laughter. ‘Anyway, I bet neither of you would change your families for the world.’

Olivia smiled. ‘I certainly wouldn’t. Freya’s already got her own personality, that’s for sure.

And she takes after her grandad Dougie when it comes to her love of mud.

She’s not afraid to get dirty. He’s already said he can’t wait to get her out planting trees around the estate like me and Brodie used to. ’

‘It’s funny, you know, I was so house proud and terrified of my lovely home being overrun with baby things but now he’s here it doesn’t bother me as much as I expected,’ Skye said. ‘In fact, it’s quite nice to see rattles and teddy bears all over the place.’

Bella sighed and smiled. ‘Look at us three, all grown-up.’

Skye laughed. ‘I know! When did that happen?’

‘When we were least expecting it, for sure,’ Olivia added.

* * *

Back at Drumblair that evening, Bella decided to head out for a walk down to the loch while Olivia bathed Freya.

It was a walk she used to love taking and had missed it since relocating to Skye.

She wandered down the gravel path past the stable block apartments that she’d had the honour of completing the interior design on – the job that really helped her to create a name for herself – and on by the trees, inhaling the fresh fragrance of pine.

For a moment, she stopped and closed her eyes, listening to the birdsong.

She had stood on this very spot so many times she had lost count and still its beauty tugged at her heart.

She reached the chapel and walked around the outside, running her hand along the rough dips and striations of the stonework.

Soon she would be here again to marry the love of her life. She couldn’t wait.

‘Oh, hey, Bella. Liv said you were here. How are you?’

Bella turned to see Kerr MacBain walking towards her, closely followed by his four-legged best friend, a bearded collie called Sir Lancelot. Kerr looked good. Fresh faced, clean-shaven and well. ‘Hi, Kerr. I’m good, thanks. How are things with you?’

He nodded and smiled. ‘Yeah, great. You’re looking fantastic,’ he said but then held up his hand. ‘Not that you didn’t before.’

She tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘Thanks, you too.’ Sir Lancelot sidled over, wagging his tail shyly and Bella bent to greet the dog. ‘Hello, fella, it’s lovely to see you. My Bertie would love you, yes, he would.’

She felt a little shy around Kerr. He had been her childhood crush, and the first man who had really broken her heart.

She could still remember how she felt about him back then, and was grateful that those feelings had subsided following their brief, albeit disastrous, relationship where she publicly witnessed his true colours and the level of cruelty he was capable of.

Thank goodness he had finally seen the error of his ways.

‘So, what brings you here? You live in Inverness now, don’t you?’ she asked as she continued to stroke Sir Lancelot.

‘Aye,’ he said, nodding. ‘I do but me and Lancey just stopped in to say hi to you as we were passing on our way to pick my lad up from the nursery. He works there on weekends but I’m off today.

’ Kerr had taken over the Drumblair plant and tree nursery when he had returned from a stint living on the streets in Glasgow.

From what Olivia had said, he’d found his true calling and was making a huge success out of the business.

Bella smiled and shook her head. ‘Wow, Kerr, you’re a dad. How mad is that?’

Kerr’s teenage son had been a shocking discovery when his mother had started working at Drumblair under the guise of needing the job following a divorce, when in fact she was a former one-night stand, trying to sus out Kerr and his suitability to play an active role in his son’s life.

Kerr hadn’t taken the news too well to begin with, understandably when she had waited so long to make it known he was a father; he had missed out on so much of his son’s life, oblivious to his existence, but now he was, by all accounts, an incredible father to the son he never knew existed.

Kerr’s smile widened and his eyes lit up. ‘Aye, crazy, eh? Will’s a star though. I couldn’t have asked for a better son. His mother’s done a grand job.’

‘I’m so glad things have worked out for you,’ Bella said.

Kerr smiled but it was tinged with a little sadness. ‘Thanks. You’ll be next with kids, I bet. Not long ’til the big day, eh?’

Bella’s heart skipped as it did every time she thought of her impending nuptials. ‘Not long at all.’

‘Liv tells me you’re here to try on your wedding dress. I bet you look stunning.’ Again his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

‘Well, I do love it so that’s a start. Your sister is ridiculously talented. Are you still coming to the wedding?’

Kerr stepped closer. ‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You deserve all the happiness coming your way, Bella. Harris is a lucky bloke but I’m sure he knows that.’

Bella felt her face warming. ‘Oh, I don’t know about that. You’d have to ask him.’

Kerr chuckled. ‘Nah, I know he knows. You’re a very special person, Arabella Douglas. And I’m so happy for you.’

Bella’s eyes began to sting. She had never really seen this genuine side of Kerr and it made her a little sad he hadn’t been like this when they were together.

He really had changed from the self-centred, cold-hearted cad of a man she once knew.

‘Don’t, you’ll have me bawling my eyes out.

It doesn’t take much at the moment.’ She laughed as she dabbed at her eyes.

‘So, any chance of wedding bells on the horizon for you and Charlotte?’

Kerr huffed the air from his lungs and turned to look out across the loch.

The sky was a mix of blue, purple and orange as the sun had begun its descent behind them, taking its warmth with it.

‘Honestly, I don’t know. I think I’m still waiting for the next thing to go wrong.

You know, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love for us to be a proper family but I’m still not sure I’m ready for that level of commitment. ’

‘You don’t trust her?’ Bella asked.

He shrugged. ‘I don’t think it’s her I don’t trust. I… I think it’s me.’

‘But you’re sober now, and you’ve stopped gambling, haven’t you?’

He nodded, still not making eye contact. ‘I am and yes, I have. I’m a completely new man.’ He gave a laugh. ‘I just… I look back on the person I used to be and how I treated people, and I suppose I…’ He sighed. ‘I don’t think I deserve to be happy.’

She reached up and turned his face with her hand, so he looked directly at her. ‘Kerr MacBain, that’s ridiculous and I think deep down you know it is. You’ve made amends. People have forgiven you.’

He gazed deep into her eyes, his brow crumpled in what seemed to be regret. ‘Have you forgiven me, Bella?’

She nodded and smiled. ‘Absolutely. One hundred per cent.’

A wide smile spread across his face and his eyes became glassy.

He pulled her into a hug. ‘Thank you. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, Bella. You’ve just given me hope.

Of all the people I hurt, you’re the one who has the most right to hate me.

Knowing you don’t means the world to me.

’ He released her from his embrace and cleared his throat.

‘Bloody hell. And you think you get emotional easily,’ he said with a laugh as he wiped at his eyes.

Bella swiped her own tears away. ‘We’re a great pair, aren’t we?’

He nodded and cleared his throat. ‘I know thinking about what could’ve been is never really helpful, looking back is hard especially when you have so many regrets, but…

Well, you know.’ She understood his unspoken words, but she’d moved on and was happy with Harris.

Kerr knew that, too, and she guessed that’s why he left things unsaid.

He held out his elbow. ‘Come on, I’ll walk you back up to the castle, eh?’ Bella linked her arm through his and they set off, leaving the still water behind them.