Page 111 of Gift-Wrapped in a Kilt

Jamie sniffled, dabbing her eyes with a balled-up tissue. "This isn't fair."

"Life isn't sometimes." He pulled her into his arms, her head tucked against the hollow of his shoulder. "This is temporary. Rory's working on getting things straightened out."

"I should be going with you." She pushed away from him, her lips quivering even while she tried to scowl. "Can't believe I was so stupid, letting my passport expire."

"You thought I was staying for good, we both did." He took hold of her hand, kneading her palm with his thumb. "Besides, you were distracted by other things. If this is anybody's fault, it's mine. I'm the reason you had so much on your mind you forgot about your passport."

It had expired ten days ago. Fixing the passport situation would take time.

"You'll come visit me soon," he said. "And Rory will get the other stuff sorted out, you'll see."

"We were supposed to have Christmas together."

He hauled in a breath, but his eyes watered anyway. Must've been grit or smog or something irritating them. Yeah, sure, his eyes were watering due to irritants. In the privacy of his thoughts, at least, he could admit he teetered on the verge of crying. Him. The tough guy.

Losing Jamie would tear him up from the inside out.

Not losing her, he reminded himself. He could never lose her.

"If Rory can't fix this," she said, those beautiful, bleary eyes locked on him, "I'm emigrating to America."

"Won't come to that." He rested his forehead against hers. "But thanks for the offer, babe."

"Not an offer, a promise. I'm with you, wherever we have to go to be together."

"Ditto."

"It's only fifteen days until Christmas."

"We'll celebrate it together." He tried to believe that, had to believe it, but he didn't know. Trevor had money and a serious jones for revenge.

"Gavin —"

He took her face in his hands and kissed her, deeply, passionately, infusing the act with all the emotions roiling inside him. "See you soon."

Then he walked up the air stairs and into the jet.

Back to America. Back to a lifeless existence.

Alone.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Fourteen days until Christmas. Jamie sleepwalked through her daily life, returning to work at Aidan's company, filling out paperwork and answering phone calls, pretending to be cheerful when she talked to customers though she felt her heart withering away inside her chest. How could she still breathe and walk when a dead thing had replaced her heart?

Rory insisted he was making progress on "sorting what the bastard did" to screw up her life. Gavin had been forced out of the country because of her, because she'd broken up with Trevor five years ago.

"It's not your fault," Emery told her on the thirteenth day before Christmas. "For the bazillionth time, Jamie, no one is to blame except Trevor Langley. He needs a nice, long stay in a resort for the emotionally deranged. Preferably one in Antarctica."

They sat in chairs at the kitchen table in Calli and Aidan's house. Calli occupied the chair beside Emery while Erica had taken the seat at the head of the table, directly opposite Jamie. The American Wives Club had declared they would cheer her up by whatever means necessary. Cat and Fiona, seated across from Calli and Emery, rounded out the gathering.

"Would the lot of you stop trying to make me feel better?" Jamie said. "I won't feel anything close to better until Gavin comes back."

"How about a stripper?" Calli suggested. "Ogling a naked man always improves my mood."

Erica exhaled a long-suffering sigh. "The only naked man you've ever seen is Aidan. Of course his nudity perks you up."

Rory's wife got a sly look on her face. "I'm feeling a bit down today. Calli, why don't you have Aidan come in here and strip for us."

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