Page 35 of Eternally Bound

He shrugged his shoulders, without looking away from me. “Because I love you, Cousin.”

His wife chuckled at that. “We are so lucky to have your overbearing ways, my dear husband.”

I turned my attention to Ainslee’s mother. I didn’t want to spend all day tiptoeing around the topic of Bram and her moving into the castle today. Beating around the bush was never my strong suit.

“I’d like to invite you, Mrs. Wallace, to stay with Bram, Ainslee, and me for a while,” I said without any further delay. “I realize timing is not the best with the holidays around the corner, but it would ensure everyone’s safety.”

“Daniel-” Ainslee started, exasperation written on her face.

“Aunt Margaret, it might be for the best,” Lachlan interjected. Initially, I thought it would have been easier to handle this if Ainslee’s cousin wasn’t here, but I realized it might play in my favor. “That way Bram has you with him.”

“Does this have something to do with what Callen did?” Ainslee’s mum asked, surprising me.

Lachlan growled, fury flashing on his face. He definitely didn’t like Callen.

Ainslee stopped everyone and looked down at her son. “Bram, darling. Go to your room and grab your favorite toys. We’ll be going for a little trip. Okay?”

The little guy watched all the adults for a second and then nodded, heading in the direction of his bedroom. Once he was out of earshot, and I could hear his steps above us, I returned my attention to the family in front of me.

“What Callen did is water under the bridge,” I replied calmly. “But to ensure Ainslee is safe, I’d prefer to keep her, her son, and you where my men can keep an eye on all of you.”

“I could-” Lachlan’s wife stopped whatever he was about to say with a hand squeeze, a shared glance and unspoken words passed between the two.

Ainslee exhaled a small breath and nodded her thanks at Eve. She turned, facing her mother.

“What do you say, Mum?” she asked her softly. My instincts told me her mother didn’t care for Callen much. But I couldn’t tell if she’d be onboard uprooting right now. It could be Ainslee’s deal breaker because she wouldn’t leave her mother behind.

I didn’t want to use force and make them move, but I would if it meant their safety. It would not earn me any points with Ainslee’s mother nor Ainslee herself, and I definitely didn’t want to frighten Bram.

Her mother’s eyes met mine, similar to the deep blues of her daughter’s gaze and I held still, waiting for her response.

Then she nodded slowly. “Okay,” she agreed. “We can give it a try.”

It was more than I hoped for.

Chapter Thirteen

Ainslee

When Daniel pulled up to the castle, I could tell my mum was impressed. The drive leading up to the castle was long, straight, and lined with trees. At the end of the driveway an impressive fountain stood, its water frozen. Though I could only imagine how impressive it was in the spring and summer.

She was impressed the moment we pulled to the gate, and it opened for us, the winding road stretching in front of us hiding the house from our view.

The castle was even bigger than I thought. This morning we left in a hurry and events from last night still clouded my focus. But now, I could see it in its full magnificence. The castle in Longniddry was about an hour away from Edinburgh and had acres around it, hiding it from curious eyes. As he drove around the castle, my mouth just about dropped because I saw Daniel had his own helipad.

“Oh, my!” My mother murmured behind me. And my mother grew up around luxury, so the fact that she was impressed spoke volumes. “No need to worry whether there is enough room for everyone, huh?”

Daniel chuckled. “If you decide to avoid me, you will have more than plenty of room,” he replied goodheartedly.

We exited the vehicle and Daniel surprised me by unbuckling Bram out of his car seat. I had to admit that he thought of everything. He even buckled him into his car seat without any issues. Like he had done it a hundred times. It made me wonder if somewhere along the way he had practice.

What if he has children?The thought struck unexpectedly, shaking me to my core. I realized I knew nothing about him.

Once we entered the large foyer, a grand chandelier was its centerpiece. The white marble flooring should have given it a cold look, but somehow it worked for this place. The paneling and off white coloring were very welcoming.

We went up the empty grand staircase that split halfway up where an enormous old painting decorated the landing. There was nothing but luxury and history surrounding us everywhere. Once we got to the second floor, a long hallway stretched to the left and right. We made our way to the left, our steps quieted by the plush carpeting.

“If you don’t like the locations of the rooms,” Daniel interrupted our awed gazes, “-we can find other rooms.”

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