Page 82 of Gift-Wrapped in a Kilt

"I let you down, big time. After Mom and Dad died, I made you handle everything." He scrubbed a hand over his mouth. "I showed up for the funeral and then I left again."

"You'd hadn't been back from Afghanistan long. I understood why you couldn't handle things."

He hesitated for a moment, summoning the nerve to confess the whole truth. "I wasn't messed up about Afghanistan. I know that's what you've always thought, and I let you go on believing it. But I didn't have PTSD. I was okay until we lost Mom and Dad." He grasped the back of his neck, bowing his head, unable to keep looking at his sister. "I fell apart because of them. You should be pissed at me for how I abandoned you. If I'd been there for you, maybe you wouldn't have married that sleaze who wanted a green card. You wouldn't have spent five years living in fear of getting arrested for marriage fraud. What happened to you is my fault."

"Bullshit."

The sharpness in her voice made him jerk his head up to meet her green eyes. "You've got to take your blinders off, C. Stop making excuses for me. I fell apart. I'm not a big, tough bastard. I'm the guy who let his baby sister get corralled into a green-card marriage so she could pay off the debts I should've been paying."

"Our parents' debts." Calli seized his hand, refusing to let go even when he tried to wrestle free of her grasp. "Listen to me, Gavin. Mom and Dad should've told us they were having financial problems, but they didn't. I should've known better than to accept Rade's offer, but I did. I married a man I didn't love so he could get citizenship. That was my bad decision and mine alone. I have never and will never blame you."

"You should. If I'd taken out a loan or something, I could've paid —"

"Stop it. You are not to blame for my mistakes." She held up one finger when he opened his mouth to speak, silencing him. "Losing Mom and Dad was such a shock it messed us both up, and we did the best we could at the time. Regrets are pointless."

Appraising his sister now, Gavin had the weirdest feeling he was seeing her for the first time. Really seeing her. She was strong and resilient and amazing. The past had no hold on her anymore because she'd let it go. He needed to do the same.

"You're right," he said, laying his other hand over hers, the one that still clasped his. "I need to stop punishing myself for what I might've done better six years ago. And I'm really grateful you're my sister. You're one hell of a woman, Calli, and I'm so proud of you. Mom and Dad would be too."

The start of tears glistened in her eyes.

Wetness gathered in his too. Must've been allergies. Guys didn't cry.

Calli pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Tell me what else is going on with you. I've never known you to let anyone get you riled up, but you let Rory get to you on Thanksgiving."

Okay, here came the really embarrassing part.

Gavin sucked it up and forged ahead. "I'm pretty sure Rory did that on purpose, but I don't know why. It worked because I've been feeling… abandoned."

Her brows scrunched up again. "Abandoned?"

Swallowing hard, he grimaced. "Yeah. Mom and Dad are gone. Leanne left me. You married Aidan and emigrated to Scotland."

"I emigrated first, then I married him."

"Whatever." He tried again to pull his hand away, but she held fast to him. He diverted his attention to the rug under his feet. "You took off for Scotland so fast. And before I knew it, I was hanging out with the MacTaggarts, feeling like a grimy toad invading the Garden of Eden."

Calli snorted, desperately trying not to laugh.

He flashed her a halfhearted scowl. "I'm confessing embarrassing shit, and you're laughing at me?"

"A grimy toad?" She let go of his hand to slap hers over her mouth. Tears gathered in her eyes again, though not from strong emotion this time. No, she was struggling not to laugh hysterically. After a moment, she got hold of herself. "You're not an invader."

"I feel like one." He slung an arm over the sofa's back, rubbing his forehead with his raised hand. "I told Jamie her brother stole my sister. Stole my family."

Calli's mouth opened, but she seemed incapable of speech.

His sassy little sister rendered speechless? He'd thought he'd never see the day that happened.

"I know it's stupid," Gavin said, "but that's how I feel sometimes. You left for Scotland in such a hurry —"

"You encouraged me to come here and get Aidan back."

He'd done that, sure. At the time, it had seemed like the right move. Push his sister to go after the man she loved. "I wanted you to be happy. But after you married Aidan, I started to feel more and more like an obsolete appendage."

"First, you're a toad. Now you're an appendage?"

He decided to ignore her snarky comment because if he stopped to give her a sarcastic response he might lose his nerve.

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