Page 78 of A Promise Through Time

“Donal!” Hamish nearly crushed Donal in a hug when they arrived. “If ye ever do anything like this again to our Tina, I’ll personally beat the tar out of ye.”

“’Tis good to see ye, too, Hamish,” Donal chuckled. “Now, if ye’ll let me go, I need to breathe.”

“Sorry. I’ve missed ye, my friend. ’Twill be good to have ye here with us.”

“Hamish and I were talking and we thought you should probably have your own place. It might get a little crowded living with Mom and Dad,” Elle said.

“Aye. We’ve got plenty of room on our property for another house for ye and yer family.”

“What? Really?” Tina said.

“Really!” Elle replied.

“It will take us some time to build, so ye’ll stay with the Carreras until it’s finished,” Hamish said.

Tina introduced Donal to the rest of the family. Her father and brothers all gave him almost the exact same warning Hamish had, but then they were patting him on the back and letting him know how welcome he truly was into the Carrera clan.

Zeke and Brenna arrived a little later and joined in on the festivities. Elena met her cousins and they were thrilled to playwith her. “Built in baby sitters,” Tina said to Donal, who wore a smile from ear to ear.

“When will everyone go home?” he asked.

“Soon. Why?”

“Because I cannae wait to get ye alone, lass. ’Tis been much too long.”

Tina’s heart and stomach both fluttered at the thought of what was waiting for her later in the night. “I happen to know about a little cabin nearby. Hamish built it when they first moved next door. It’s a little more private than my parents house.”

“Well, I hope they’re willing to let us use it for the foreseeable future,” his low, sexy growl sent a rush of heat coursing through her veins.

“I’m a very lucky girl,” Tina said, wrapping her arms around her man’s neck and kissing him for all she was worth.

Epilogue

The end of a long week couldn’t have come soon enough Tina thought as she finished her daily routine of cleaning up the tea shop. Tea cups were cleaned and put away, day-old baked goods boxed up for delivery to a local group that fed the hungry, books shelved and dusted. She took one final look around and was pleased that everything was where it should be. She was tired, but feeling a bit giddy as she grabbed her purse from behind the counter. She turned the sign in the window to closed and walked out the front door, locking it behind her. Tina smiled as she saw her handsome Highlander doing the same at the medieval martial arts studio next door.

“Hey, sweetie,” she said, as he approached.

Donal took Tina into his arms and kissed her until her knees went weak. It had been six months since he surprised her in this very spot and his kisses always had the same effect. “Are ye ready, love?” he asked.

“Date night has officially begun.” Tina gazed up at her man. Oh, how she loved him. “Elena is all set with her cousins for thenight. No one is expecting us home any time soon, so it’s just you and me, baby.”

“I like the sound of that.” Donal’s hand lingered at her waist as he guided her off down the street.

“I thought we’d have some dinner and then maybe go to that movie you wanted to see.” Tina leaned into Donal, loving the feel of him at her side and the warmth his body emitted on this chilly fall evening.

“Where will we go?” he asked, his eyes lovingly locked on hers.

“How about that great little Italian restaurant just down the street? We can walk there and then the movie theater is just a short walk from there.” She knew how much he enjoyed Italian food, so she was sure he’d be happy with her choice.

“Ye know me well, lass.” Donal’s crooked grin always got to her. He had really embraced living in the future. He played video games with her brothers and ran all the studio’s social media sites. He loved taking videos of his students showing off their moves and it was exciting to see how well he was doing. At home they had become a real team in parenting Elena, who seemed to have skipped walking and went straight to running after her cousins. Their new home was almost ready for them to move in, but in the meantime, they had been staying in her parents’ house. It was busy and loud, but it was full of love. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was.

She stopped and faced him. “Donal, have I told you I love you today?”

He looked up, placing a finger on his chin. “I dinnae believe ye have.”

“I love you,” she said. “I don’t want a day to go by without telling you how much you mean to me.”

“I love ye, too. I hope ye know it. I hope I’ve shown ye every day.”