Page 80 of Kilt Trip

She had it. Exactly what her parents had in this same place, across time.

Logan touched her cheek, tilted her face up to his. He looked all the more rugged at ease against the jagged mountains and glacial air. His eyes crinkled with concern.

Because he knew what this would mean to her.

Because he understood.

A shiver crested through her body.

Logan challenged her. Teased her. Made her feel safe and wanted. Today he’d given her a history, marked the exact spot where she could put down roots.

He offered her the one thing she hadn’t been brave enough to admit she wanted: belonging.

The fading sun highlighted Logan’s face as if the universe was sending out a lighthouse beacon to make sure she was paying attention. Finally she was.

She belonged here.

With Logan.

Addie’s stomach flipped over at the admission, but her heart ballooned with hope for a future with this man who was thoughtful and deep, who gave her everything she needed.

She could picture a life here. Picking a destination on a Saturday morning and hopping the next train. Exploring. Taking detours. Watching the wind off the moors ruffle Logan’s hair, waking up beside him, holding his hand.

Reaching up on tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his. “Thank you,” she said on a whisper. She hoped her eyes expressed the rest. Thank you for bringing me here, for loving me, for being so easy to love.

Addie’s heart soared, reaching for the deep purple of the gathering darkness.

31

Logan held Addie close as she shivered against him, but he’d stand there until his feet were blue with frostbite if she needed him to. His heart constricted for her loss, for the lonely years, for the wandering.

Discovering the spot in this last picture must’ve been bittersweet. She finally let herself feel something deep and unexpected, and he needed to know every piece of it so he knew what to do next. Were they grieving? Reminiscing?

“Talk to me, lass.”

She squeezed him and stepped back. “This meant a lot to me. I’m glad we came.” The smile on her face wiped away any trace of her memories or how she might be feeling. “Let’s go before the sun sets.”

“We can stay here as long as you want.”

“I’m freezing. Let’s go, Tour Guide.”

A wave of frustration rose up in him. It wasn’t that she hadn’t engaged with this place, she just wasn’t willing to share. He was trying to show her she could trust him. Lean on him. He could help shoulder the weight she’d been carrying for so long.

“Addie, I want to support you.”

She tilted her head before flashing another smile. “You already are.” She turned her back on him, heading for the car.

The retreat maneuver. Of course. He ran his tongue over his teeth.

By now, he should have expected it. How many times did he need to learn that particular lesson? Addie only opened up on her own terms.

He was nearing the end of his patience, his ability to wait around for her to catch up. To keep pretending what she offered was enough.

He’d shown her his favorite bits of Scotland. Invited her into his childhood home. Brought her to the places important enough to her mother to warrant a picture. If all that hadn’t moved her, if Addie didn’t recognize this as a place to set down roots, to grow with him, if this wasn’t enough to convince her to stay...

He had nothing else.

Inside the car, she pulled all the vents toward her and cranked the dial, flooding the space with the dusty smell of heat. As they drove to the hotel, Logan cast furtive glances her way. She didn’t say anything about him driving.

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