Page 96 of Wild Scottish Rose

Taking a deep breath to relax, I crossed the garden toward the cottage, pausing as soft music drifted in the air.Steeling myself, I took one more deep breath, and stepped around the side of the cottage.

My mouth dropped open.

Candles lined the patio, creating a makeshift aisle up to two seats that faced the back fence. There, a projector had been set up, and a sheet hung as a screen. Rose petals were scattered about, a fire was crackling in the fire pit. Owen stood at the end of the aisle in his tuxedo from the wedding. He held a singular rose in his hand, and I could have kicked myself for not dressing more nicely than jeans and a red jumper. Granted, the invitation had not indicated black tie, so that was on Owen, not me.

“I feel underdressed.”

“Don’t. You look stunning. Incredible.” Owen’s eyes tracked to the bruise on my forehead, and his lips pressed into a thin line. “Does it still hurt?”

“Oh, this?” I brushed my fingers over the cut, nervous and jittery as I took a step forward and immediately caught my foot on a stone. I went flying.

Straight into Owen’s arms.

He was there, just like he’d been every time before, and while my face was smushed awkwardly against his chest, I took a deep inhale of his scent. He smelled earthy and clean, like soap mixed with cedar trees, and I never wanted him to let go.

Owen steadied me, and I looked up at him, at a loss for words.

“You okay?” Owen asked, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

My eyes filled.

“Oh no, don’t. Not yet. Here. I have thisall planned out. Just…” Owen turned and handed me a glass of champagne, and I took it, gulping it blindly, the bubbles screaming a path down my throat. “Please will you join me? The movie starts soon.”

“Of course, thank you.” I took Owen’s arm, and he led me the few steps to a chair. Once he was sure I was settled, he sat next to me and reached for the remote. I wanted to ask him where he’d gotten the fancy projector, but that was a question for another time.

I suspected this was the movie about the Kelpies. I’d known it was coming, I just didn’t know if I was ready for how it would make me feel. Or if I could make any decisions on it yet. I kind of felt like maybe Agnes needed to watch it first, as she was far more passionate about the outcome of this movie than I was. Steeling myself, I took another sip of my champagne as the opening music started.

Owen placed his hand on the arm of his chair, inches from mine, and I wanted to reach out and link my fingers with his.

“There once was a boy…”

I jerked my eyes away from Owen’s hand and gasped as Eugene toddled on screen, a wee baseball cap on his head. He chased after a ball, playing with his other hedgehog friends.

“He was a happy boy, for the most part, living a normal life in Texas with his sister and his parents.”

A hedgie ran onto the screen in a pink bow and blonde wig and a giggle escaped me.

“Kennedy.” I laughed, glancing at Owen, and his lips twitched.

“But then one day his parents split, and the boy went tolive with his mother. His father wasn’t even there to say goodbye on the day they left.”

Eugene appeared on screen pushing a little suitcase with his nose, and my heart twisted.

“The boy tried to make friends in his new town, but his mother’s demands made it difficult. And his dad never called like he said he would.”

A hedgie in a silky head scarf herded Eugene away from his friends.

“After years of this, it became second nature to keep everything surface level with people. If the boy didn’t get too close to anyone, he didn’t have to say goodbye to them.”

My heart clenched as Eugene walked past the other hedgies. He smiled and looked confident, yet he didn’t stop to engage with the others.He just kept walking.

“The boy watched as his mother constantly found fault with others, cutting people off at the smallest indiscretion, never letting anyone get too close. He soon followed suit.”

Eugene kicked another hedgie on the screen, turning his back and stomping away with his nose in the air.

“Then one day, the boy became a man.”

Gnorman stepped on screen, and I gasped, gripping Owen’s hand tightly.

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