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"Yeah, Calli will be fine. She's stronger than she thinks."
I shouldn't ask, but I can't stop myself from doing just that. "Did she say anything about me? Whether she, ah, likes me."
Tara laughs softly and pats my knee. "She does, trust me. Calli must like you a whole bunch to panic like that."
Not sure if that's a compliment, or if I should apologize for scaring Calli.
Her elfin cousin studies me for a moment, then gives me a sly smile. "I have a great idea."
"You do?"
"Mm-hm." She leans toward me and whispers, "You should come to the wedding reception."
"But ye cannae want a stranger there."
"You aren't a stranger. I know you're Aidan MacTaggart." She offers me her hand. "I'm Tara Douglas, soon to be Tara Adams."
I shake her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tara, officially. But are you sure you want me at your wedding reception?"
"Positive." She slaps her palms on her thighs. "Calli will be so happy to see you again. Now, let me give you directions to the reception venue. It's at the Morton Arboretum in the Ginkgo Room."
She rattles off the directions, but I must look confused, because she nabs my mobile and types the address into the maps program.
"Thank you, Tara," I say, getting up from my chair. "I'll let you lasses finish your party. And I will see you tomorrow."
"Good night, Aidan. See you then."
I leave the party and catch a taxi back to the house where my sister-in-law, Erica, used to live. Her parents own the house, but they retired to Florida a few years ago, so Erica lived there until she married my brother Lachlan. Now, the place is empty—except for me. Lachlan wanted to pay for a luxury hotel suite for me, but I put my foot down. A normal house is fine for me. Not sure what I'd do with a gigantic suite, anyway. Since Lachlan doesn't like that kind of hotel either, I can't see why he tried to talk me into staying there. I won that battle, but I surrendered to the next one, agreeing to fly to America on Lachlan's new private jet, which he shares with Rory.
Lachlan might not have come to America to find a wife, but he got one anyway. None of us know exactly what Lachlan's ex-wife did to him, but he was terrified of falling in love again. So naturally, he broke Erica's heart and spent two months trying to win her back. It only worked because Erica is a very sweet and forgiving woman.
No, I will never be as daft as my brother. If I broke a woman's heart, I'd get her back right away. That's what I'm doing with Calli, though I didn't abandon her. She left me. And tomorrow, I'll find out why.
Though I sleep that night, it's not the most restful experience. Dreams of Calli torment me. Her smile, her body, her kiss…
I wake up in the morning not as refreshed as I'd like, but I don't mind. I'll give up sleep entirely if I can have Calli. Dreams of her couldn't satisfy this need that urges me to find her and win her and marry her. Maybe I'm moving a bit fast, but it's only in my thoughts. I'll take it slower when I see her.
Probably.
Since the wedding reception won't start for several hours, I decide to give my oldest brother a piece of my mind. I ring Lachlan while I start getting dressed. I sleep naked, of course. No respectable wicked seducer would have it any other way.
"What trouble have you gotten into now?" Lachlan asks instead of saying hello.
"Any trouble I had last night is your fault."
"Now I'm all-powerful and can affect your actions from thousands of miles away?"
"You did that before I left Scotland." I wander over to the dresser and pick up the kilt I'd left there in a lump. "Every Friday is kilt night, that's what you told me. Good one, Lachie."
"Maybe I needed to get my revenge for your behavior at the wedding."
"What did I do? Your wife wanted to learn Gaelic."
"Aye." Lachlan lowers his voice to a growl. "But ye tried to trick her, Aidan. My sweet, innocent wife."
I chuckle. "Innocent? The way I hear it, you debauched that poor lass like a demon."
"Who told you that?" He huffs. "It was Rory, wasn't it?"
