Page 119 of Keep Her from Them

Raphael kissed me.

We made love on the banks of the water, and it was every bit as incredible as I’d imagined.

Chapter 42

Alexandra

An engine purred outside the cottage, and I lifted my head from my sketch. “Are we expecting anyone?”

Raphael poked his head out of the kitchen. He had been baking, and the place smelled amazing. “I might have plans for us this afternoon.”

We’d spent the morning locked away, starting a conversation about what we needed to live together. Furniture. Our clothes. All in good time.

Outside in the fresh air, Gordain climbed out of a small blue car, Finn with him, the boy scampering to Valentine and Mia’s door.

Gordain grinned at us, his gaze taking in Raphael in what I now realised was a checking-in method the son had learned from the adopted dad. “Your ride, Alex.”

I blinked at it. “What do you mean?”

He gave me the keys. “This is Viola’s, but she never uses it, so I keep having to take it out to keep the engine alive. You’ll be doing us a favour if ye use it for a wee while.”

I crushed the keys. “I can’t drive it, though. Gears freak me out. I’ll mess up and crash it. I can’t do that to your daughter’s ride.”

Raphael guided me to look inside and pointed. “It’s an automatic. It has go and stop. Ye can’t go wrong. Learn in this and get your licence for an automatic only. It’ll be far easier, and you’ll have your freedom.”

I climbed in. It had never occurred to me to do anything other than the full licence, but why the heck not?

Outside, Gordain clapped Raphael on the shoulder. “You’ll teach her, aye? I did with Ella what feels like a hundred years ago.”

“Don’t think I knew that,” Raphael replied.

I poked my head out. “This is so kind of you. I don’t know what to say.”

Gordain’s smile was soft. “We’re just glad you’re both happy. It’s all that matters.”

I leapt back out to give the man a hug. He let me, then waved to Valentine who’d come from his cottage with Finn over one shoulder, his daughter, Tobi, under the other arm.

Raphael claimed my hand in his. “Want to go for a drive?”

“I think I do.”

Being with Raphael was making me brave as, although I sweated over backing out of the parking spot, the go-and-stop nature of the little car took out well over half of my driving anxiety, leaving me able to concentrate on the road.

I even enjoyed it. That was a crazy thought.

After navigating all the way around the estate to near the aircraft hangar, Raphael had me pull over to the side of the road. “How about we head out to the villages? It means a busier road.”

“I can handle it.” With him, I could do anything. “Ooh, we could go visit Daisy and Mia at work. Can we go pick up Dori first? He’ll lose his mind over seeing me driving a car.”

My friend had stayed in Scotland, content to sleep in the bunkhouse and apparently becoming friends with Jackson. Or maybe it was more that he didn’t want to go out and face theworld. Despite his role in the drama at my father’s place, Dori was still flat. I needed to work out how to fix that.

With Raphael’s directions, and an indulgent smile at my excitement, I got us to the bunkhouse and added Dori to our day trip, grinning at his bafflement with me behind the wheel.

Steadily, and kinda slowly, I drove us out to Daisy’s house clean, leaving the car in the middle of the drive as risking either of the other cars here by parking was not on today’s menu. As per usual, Ben was seated outside and doing something on a tablet. Raphael went to talk to him, leaving me with Dori.

I waved to Daisy who was in an upstairs window then nudged my friend with my shoulder. “I’m staying in Scotland.”

“Thought you might. I like it here. It’ll be no hardship visiting.”

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