Page 116 of Gift-Wrapped in a Kilt

My husband's lips quirked. "You're welcome, Jamie."

She rushed around the chair to kiss my cheek too. "Thank you so much, Emery."

I waved her away. "Okay, enough thanking. We know you're grateful, and you're embarrassing Rory."

He drew his head back in righteous indignation. "Ahmno embarrassed. I donnae get embarrassed."

"Not lately, but you have in the past." I didn't need to remind him of the second night we'd spent together, the night after our one-night stand that turned into way more, the night when he wouldn't let me sleep naked. He'd been so adorably embarrassed by the idea that I'd taken pity on him and slept in his shirt.

"Hmm," Rory said, "that hasn't happened in months. I've become desensitized to your habits."

"Desensitized? That's one way to put it."

The other way to put it, the accurate way, was that he now pouted if I tried to wear any kind of clothing to bed, even a skimpy nightie. We both enjoyed the way he divested me of my garments.

Jamie skipped back to Gavin, standing beside his chair with her hands on his shoulders. "Are we done? Or do you have more announcements?"

"Not today," Rory said. "We're done. Go lock yourselves in the guest room and shag all day and night."

"Sounds like an order," Gavin said. "I'm good at following orders."

He sprang from the chair, swept Jamie up in his arms, and carted her out of the library. The door clicked shut behind them.

"That's one happy couple," I said. "Don't you feel good knowing we helped them find their happy ending?"

"Yes," he said, "but our news makes everything else seem unimportant."

I combed my fingers through his hair. "At least you've recovered from yesterday's shock."

He caught my hand, guiding it down to his cheek, pancaked beneath his bigger palm. "If our bairns are anything like you, we'll have our hands full."

"Gotta have something to keep you busy during your semi-retirement years."

His expression turned pensive. "Helping Gavin made me realize how much you've changed my life. I'm a very lucky man to have a woman like you, Emery."

"I'm pretty lucky too." I gave him a teasing smile. "Got me a rich man who's fantastic in bed."

He rolled his eyes.

"You're an amazing man, Rory." I nuzzled his cheek. "We're both lucky to have found each other, and our kids will be lucky to have us."

My hubby and I held each other for a long time. On Christmas, we would tell everyone our good news. It seemed like the perfect time to do it. Our days of meddling had come to a close.

Well, almost…

Chapter Forty

Everyone gathered at Dùndubhan for Christmas like they had on Thanksgiving. This time around, though, Emery didn't randomly seat people. She let each couple sit beside each other, with the exception of her and Rory since Rory once again occupied the head of the table. A trio of large turkeys on large platters sat evenly spaced along the table's center awaiting the feast to come.

Gavin found himself situated between Jamie and Emery with Rory smiling at him from the end of the table beside his wife. Yep, Rory was aiming a genuine smile at Gavin. He'd gotten used to this new friendliness from the formerly stern solicitor. Gavin's soon-to-be brother-in-law had even slapped him on the back when Rory and Emery greeted him in the vestibule earlier. Gavin had managed to squeeze out the proper response, in spite of his shock, when Rory grinned and boomed "Happy Christmas" with enough enthusiasm his words reverberated in the stairwell above them.

Jamie had grinned too, and despite her giggling, shouted "Happy Christmas" with slightly less volume than Rory had achieved.

Voices from further up the spiral staircase had hollered the same greeting.

Everybody was beyond happy today.

Gavin couldn't stop smiling either or laughing at any silly joke told by anybody. He'd thought he'd lost everything and might never see Jamie again, much less marry her. Though she'd vowed she'd move to America to be with him if Rory couldn't undo what Trevor had done, Gavin hadn't wanted to think about that possibility. Her family was in Scotland. So was his — both his sister and the new family that had welcomed him into their clan. After finding his place in the world, he didn't want to give it all up because of one English prick.

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