Page 92 of The Unlikely Heir

“Dee comes from the Roman word Diva, which means goddess. I guess it’s not surprising they’d name rivers after a goddess.”

“That’s really interesting,” I say.

He turns his head to face me, giving me a genuine, happy smile. It’s like sunshine, lighting up his whole face.

Oh, holy fuck.

The realization strikes me like one of the surrounding mountains has just fallen down on me.

I’m in love with him.

Every moment, every interaction between us, has been an exercise of falling in love with him.

I’ve fallen in love with every part of him. His sense of humor, his random observations, his intense obsessions with different topics, his underlying fundamental kindness.

I love every single thing about Callum Prescott. Everything.

Bloody hell.

I sit up abruptly. “We ought to head back.”

Callum blinks, looking dazed.

“Okay.”

The trip back is unbearable.

I drive, but Callum is so close to me. Knowing I could pull over on one of these deserted lanes amid the majestic beauty of the Scottish highlands and kiss the man I’ve fallen in love with is a special kind of torture.

But if I did that, where would we be? What would happen next?

I grip the steering wheel so tightly that my hand trembles.

Callum picks up on my tension and is silent. The silence between us feels so unnatural, like a desert without sand, unnerving and empty.

I pull into the castle grounds and park the Land Rover, aware I’m breathing slightly heavier than driving would normally warrant.

“We ought to get this gear back,” I say without looking at Callum.

Bruce comes out to help us unpack the fishing gear, and I continue to avoid looking at Callum.

“See you later,” I mutter once all the gear has been unpacked. I escape into the castle, clattering up the stairs towards my room.

It’s only when I’m near the door to my room that I realize Callum has followed me.

“Oliver.” And there’s something about the way Callum says my name that makes me turn around quickly.

He bites his lip and looks at his feet.

But when he looks back up, there’s so much determination in his eyes that I take a step back. I don’t think I can handle truths from Callum right now.

“I’ve never felt like this about anyone,” he says, and sure enough, my heart breaks at his words because the knowledge he feels the same way makes everything so, so much worse.

Unrequited love, I can deal with.

But love when I know he feels something similar? That it’s simply our circumstances keeping us apart?

My wheedling, strategic brain will spend eternity rattling against the walls of this cage I’m trapped in, trying to figure out how to escape. Trying to figure out a way I can be with Callum.