Page 94 of Gift-Wrapped in a Kilt

And then they did. Three times.

Miraculously, afterward they still had time left for Christmas shopping.

*****

After two hours of shopping with Jamie, Gavin understood why Rory liked letting his wife burn through his wallet. Watching Jamie pick out presents for the MacTaggart women made Gavin happier than he'd imagined it could. She got so excited every time she found the ideal gift for one of the ladies, and she literally jumped for joy when she discovered the "absolutely dead perfect" gifts for her brothers. Gavin picked out presents for the guys too, even for Iain, though he had no idea if they'd like the gifts. He didn't know them very well. Though he'd vowed to remedy that situation, he doubted it would happen before Christmas.

He took the chance they'd hate what he gave them. That was a holiday tradition too, right? Getting things you didn't want from well-meaning friends and loved ones.

At one point, Jamie had held up a bright-green shirt with a picture of Santa Claus on it and said, with a mischievous little smile, "Why don't you wear this to meet Rory this afternoon?"

Gavin grabbed the shirt, holding it up to his chest to show her how it looked. "It's my color, right?"

"Oh aye, green goes with your eyes."

"They're brown."

She patted his chest, her hand smack on Santa's face. "And green complements the brown."

"If you say so." He slung the shirt over his arm. "I'll take it."

Her eyes widened, the green flecks in her hazel irises shimmering in the sunshine streaming through the shop windows. "You will?"

"Yep." He flipped through the rack of Santa shirts until he found the right size, then held it up to Jamie's chest. "You need one too."

Delight lit up her face, and his chest swelled and warmed from the inside.

He pecked a kiss on her lips. "The Santa shirts are my treat. What else can I splurge on to make my fiancée keep smiling?"

"Lunch." She glanced at the clock on the wall above the sales counter. "We've got time to have a piece at the cafe."

The word cafe made his mouth go dry. "You mean, uh, the place where I — where we —"

"Aye," she said with a bright smile. "The cafe where you shattered my heart into tiny little shards and blew them away with the wind."

He sighed and shook his head. "Okay, I deserve to get razzed about that. But are you sure you want to return to the scene of the crime?"

"Yes. We need to exorcise that curse once and for all."

Turned out by "exorcise" she meant they'd make out and feed each other like one of those sickeningly lovey-dovey couples he'd always hated. Today, he didn't care if every couple in the cafe started cooing and spooning pudding into each other's mouths. He didn't care who might see him doing those kinds of goofy things with Jamie.

She introduced him to Scottish craft beer, which turned out to be pretty darn good. After enjoying fish and chips — not the most romantic food, but very satisfying — they finished off their meal with crème brûlée made with Highland cream liqueur. The luscious dessert got Jamie in a luscious mood, and he loved her that way.

They made out while waiting for their drinks. They made out while waiting for their meal. They made out before and after dessert. Hell, they made out during dessert too. The Cafe of Doom had been rechristened the Cafe of Love.

Jamie had changed into her Santa shirt in the car right after they'd left the shop where they bought the shirts. She shrieked and giggled when he whipped off his shirt and replaced it with the Santa Claus one. Nope, she hadn't seen that coming.

She let him drive the Jag home.

As they got nearer and nearer to Rory's castle, Jamie kept eying Gavin's shirt while chewing on her lip.

Finally, he asked, "What's the matter?"

"Don't you want to change your shirt?"

"Nope. I'm good."

Her delicate brows rose, and she stopped blinking. "You are going to wear a Christmas shirt when you meet Rory for the big test?"

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