Page 81 of Gift-Wrapped in a Kilt

"Sorry," he said. "I know I haven't stopped by much since I've been in Scotland full time. It's partly your husband's fault. He had me and Iain working constantly for a while there."

"Uh-huh." She threw him a knowing, and faintly amused, look. "I'm sure you're awfully busy with your fiancée too. The way I hear it, Iain has to vacate the premises whenever Jamie comes a-calling or else he won't get a wink of sleep."

"Bullsh —" Gavin cut off his curse when Sarah squeezed his finger and gurgled again. Whether or not a baby could understand his bad language, he didn't feel right swearing in the vicinity of a kid. So, he amended his statement. "Baloney. Jamie comes over because Iain's gone out to see his fu —"Oh shit. He'd almost said the phrase fuck buddy in front of his niece. "To see his special lady friend."

Iain didn't seem to have girlfriends. He had women he screwed. Or maybe just one woman. Gavin hadn't quite figured it out yet, but Iain swore he did not have relationships.

Calli raised her brows. "Special lady friend? Everyone knows about Iain'sfriendshipswith the local women. He's notorious for it."

"I don't think he's as big a man-whore as everybody thinks. Not anymore, at least."

The odd Scot had told Gavin as much. The guy didn't like playing the field anymore, which was why Gavin had the impression Iain went out to have fun with one and only one woman, though he didn't seem to have serious feelings for her.

Calli led Gavin into the kitchen where Lachlan lounged on the far side of the wooden table Aidan had made as a wedding present for his wife. Iain made stuff too. Gavin wasn't handy at all, couldn't even fix a plugged drain. These MacTaggarts made him feel kind of useless.

Except when he was sledgehammering a rock wall. Yeah, that had felt damn good.

Lachlan half rose from his chair. "I should leave. Don't want to intrude."

"Actually," Gavin said, "I'd like to talk to you after me and Calli have our talk. Would you mind hanging around for a while?"

"Not at all," Lachlan said, settling back into his chair.

Calli scrunched her brows at Gavin. "We're having a talk?"

"If that's okay."

"Of course it is." Calli turned to Lachlan. "Could you watch Sarah while we talk? She's been fed and changed, so she'll probably go to sleep."

"I wouldn't mind at all," Lachlan said. "I'd love some time with my niece."

Sometimes Gavin forgot Lachlan and Rory were Sarah's uncles too. Jamie was her aunt. It seemed kind of weird to be engaged to his niece's aunt.

Not like they were related to each other. No such thing as a sister-in-law once removed.

Good thing, since he had no intention of giving up Jamie.

Calli handed Sarah over to her other uncle and ushered Gavin down the hall to the living room. A Christmas tree occupied one corner of the room, near a window, its branches decked out with lights and garlands and festive bulbs. A red blanket with green holly leaves printed on it covered the sofa, and a little sprig of mistletoe dangled from the top of the window's frame.

His sister took a seat on the sofa, gesturing toward the cushion beside her.

"Sit down," she said, "and tell me what's up."

He lowered his body onto the cushion, balancing near the sofa's edge.Way to project a relaxed and confident attitude. He couldn't help it. The idea of what he needed to talk to Calli about made his jaw tense.

First, he needed to say something he'd said to his sister once before in his entire life — last summer, when he'd found her living with Aidan and got seriously worried about her. Back then, he'd spoken the words in passing. Today, he needed to speak them with conviction.

Gavin cleared his throat, shifting on the cushion. "I love you, Calli. You know that, right?"

Calli fiddled with her shirt sleeve, her gaze darting away before settling on him again. "Sure, I know that. I love you too."

A pang pierced his chest like a needle driven into his heart. "We never say stuff like that. I mean, in our family we never did."

"Doesn't matter. It's nice to hear, but I know you care even if you don't tell me." She laid a hand on his knee. "You're always there for me. That's what counts."

"Not always."

"What are you talking about?"

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