Page 94 of The Grump I Got Stuck With

“I…I’ve been a complete idiot, haven’t I?”

“Too bloody right you have,” Weston said. “But lucky for you, the people who love you will forgive you.”

I snorted. I didn’t know if I deserved their forgiveness, but I needed my two best friends now more than ever. “Even Locke?” I asked.

“He might make you grovel a little,” Weston teased. “Get down on your knees and beg—that kind of thing.”

I pursed my lips, shaking my head. “I was a right arse,” I said. “Neither of you deserved that when all you were trying to do was help me. I really am sorry.”

“I know you are,” Weston said. “I knew it even before we walked out of your office. But I told Locke we had to give you time to figure it out for yourself. To come back to us when you were ready. And, just for the record, I forgive you.”

My mouth twitched, but I didn’t feel like smiling. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve such loyal friends, but I was grateful for them, all the same.

“Now, the real question,” Weston said. “What are you going to do about Madison?”

I pressed my head against the back of my chair, releasing a heavy sigh. “Do you think I have any chance at fixing things?”

Weston clicked his tongue. “Asking that question is a good start,” he said. “But I think you’re going to have to do a lot better than an apology over the phone.”

I nodded to myself. He was right. Florence was right. The time had come to step up and prove to Madison that I wasn’t going to let my past ruin my future any longer—that I loved her, that I could and would be better for her. And most of all, that she belonged exactly where she was: here at Dunhope with me and Kenna.

29

MADISON

Ipulled back the drapes covering the window in my room at the Deerhound, staring down at the press gathered at the entrance of the inn. They hovered around the door like sticky little leeches preparing to latch onto the next person that walked through those doors.

“Are the paparazzi still out there?” Emily’s voice crackled through the speaker of my phone where I’d left it on my bed. She’d been in contact almost daily since I’d dropped the breakup bombshell, and, like any good friend, had been pissed at Alistair on my behalf, had offered to come to Scotland to tell him off in person, and had consoled me while I blubbered about everything.

“Yes,” I grumbled, glaring down at the cameras. “Waiting to pounce on their next victim.”

“That’s so annoying. Don’t they get sick of waiting around?”

“Apparently not, and it’s been weeks.” I narrowed my eyes. “They feed off misfortune like a bunch of demons, growing stronger with each rumor they spread. Whatever, this isn’t going to be my problem anymore. Me and Princess are getting the hell out of here as soon as I figure out where to go next.”

“You’re taking the dog?” Emily asked, surprised. “With the way you had her staying at Dunhope after you moved out, I thought you’d decided she should remain with Kenna.”

Her question caught me off guard, and I let the drapes go, slumping back to the bed and throwing myself down with a sigh. I was hoping to lift my spirits by planning my next adventure with my fuzzy sidekick, but now all I could think about was the look on Kenna’s face in a couple weeks when she realized she was losing both me and Princess.

“I hadn’t actually thought about it that much. I just…we’ve been traveling together for so long now, I just assumed she’d be there when I left.” I grabbed a pillow and clutched it to my chest, staring at the ceiling. “But you’re right—I can’t separate her and Kenna. Even if the van will be awfully quiet without her.”

“It’ll be weird not to get your Princess travel pics,” Emily agreed.

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “She was a good little travel buddy.”

“She was,” Emily said. “And a good companion when you needed one.”

“But she’s happy at Dunhope with Kenna,” I said, reminding myself of that fact. “She has a good life there.”

“Living in the lap of luxury.”

“Literally!” I huffed a laugh. “Did I tell you Alistair bought her a silver water dish engraved with her name? For a guy that claimed not to like her, he sure⁠—”

The words died in the back of my throat. He sure loved her now.

“Oh, Mads,” came Emily’s voice, sad and thin.

“It’s fine.” I fought the pressure behind my eyes. I’d already spent too much time crying over Alistair and the way things had fallen apart between us. I couldn’t keep doing that to myself.