Page 86 of The Castle in the Bay

‘I must be. But does that mean you came on the boat?’

‘I did. With my car.’

‘And you survived a four-and-a-half-hour boat trip?’

‘As you see. These little bands work wonders.’ He waggled his wrists to show off the pair of travel bands he’d bought for himself. ‘I actually enjoyed it. Such beautiful scenery, and just watching the sea is so calming. I thought I might see a whale. Some people on the boat said they’d seen porpoises, but I missed all that.’

Iona shook her head and slow blinked. ‘Well, you coming on the ferry is possibly even more unexpected than you being here at all.’

‘Are you impressed?’

‘I am, but I’m also curious. Why are you here?’

‘For you. For us. For a new start… If that’s what you want.’ Monty held his breath, waiting for Iona’s response. Had he read this right? Or perhaps wanting to make this a surprise wasn’t a smart move.

Her eyes held his, then she ran her fingers around his jawline. ‘A new start,’ she repeated softly. ‘With me?’

‘If that’s what you want.’

‘Hell yes.’ She grinned, and a huge wave of calm rolled over him. ‘You’re the first person I’ve ever struggled to live without. I can’t stand not having you in my life.’

‘Same. I’ll do anything to be with you.’ He pulled her into a hug, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, tightening her hold on him.

‘I don’t want you to sacrifice anything for me,’ she murmured in his ear.

‘I’m not. Just finding a way to make it work for us.’ He took her face in his hands, gazing into those beautiful blue eyes. ‘Nothing I do here will ever be a sacrifice.’ Dipping in, he covered her mouth with his, sealing his lips on hers in a long, warm kiss. This was where he belonged. It had always been in his blood, even if he hadn’t been aware of it. Now it was in his heart.

When they broke apart, Iona rested her forehead against his, her breath coming in soft gasps. ‘But what about your job? How long can you stay?’

Monty smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘I’ve negotiated a new role. I can work from home and travel to the Glasgow office every so often. The flights will be good for that. So I can stay as long as you want me.’

Her eyes widened, and her smile lit her face. ‘Really?’

‘Yes. As long as we’re happy together, which I hope is a very long time.’

‘Me too.’ She hugged him again. ‘Though god knows where you’re going to live. You can stay with me, of course, but I only have a little room at the farmhouse.’

‘That’ll do for now, assuming you’re ok with it.’

‘More than.’

‘Then let’s go with that. We can worry about long-term living arrangements another time.’

Iona’s eyes sparkled, and it looked like she couldn’t stop smiling. Monty could relate. His body and soul had never felt more relaxed.

‘You have no idea how much this means to me.’ Iona almost crushed him in a hug.

‘I think I do,’ he whispered, pulling her close again. ‘I really do.’

He held her, letting the warmth of her embrace seep into his bones. He’d never tire of this. They stood together, wrapped in each other’s arms for what felt like forever, neither wanting to break the moment.

Eventually, Iona pulled back slightly. ‘We should probably head back to the farmhouse.’

‘Yeah, let’s do that. It’s not like there’s any time limit on these hugs now.’

His plan to surprise her meant they both had their own cars but had randomly parked not far from each other.

Iona gave his BMW the once over. ‘That’s such a wanker-banker-mobile.’

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