Page 53 of Once upon a Summer Night

“Will you be staying with Reilly?” Evelyn asked, worry in her eyes.

“That’s the plan,” Colin confirmed.

Evelyn turned to Ellie. “Reilly is a wonderful man. Between him and Colin, you’ll be well-protected.”

“MacWilliam, too.”

“Oh, Aidan is such a sweetheart!” Evelyn exclaimed. “With those three, no one will get near you.”

“We’re scheduled to leave this afternoon,” Colin said to James. “If you brought your passport along, you’re welcome to join us.”

James nodded slowly. “World tour, remember? Of course I brought it. Count me amongst Ellie’s personal guard.”

Colin shot him a warning glance.

“Personal guard?” she squeaked. “That seems a bit over-the-top.”

“Long line of warriors,” Connor explained. “It’s in our blood. Both sides.”

Evelyn beamed at them, making Colin squirm a little. He loved his mother, but sometimes her pride in them made him a little uncomfortable. She waxed poetic about his job, but the truth was, Brianagh set him up very well before she left. The foray into international waters was the first time he could take full credit for something at Celtic Connections, and he didn’t want to fail.

One more reason to get Ellie matched and married as soon as possible. Then, he could be done with being around her all the time, and continue on with his life.

“How do you know Aidan?” Ellie inquired.

Evelyn smiled. “Well, he’s family.”

Colin could almost see the smoke coming out of her ears as she tried to figure out the relation.

“My maiden name is MacWilliam,” Evelyn said gently, and Ellie nodded in understanding.

Colin groaned inwardly, because she couldn’t possiblyhave any understanding at all. Aidan MacWilliam was his mother’s great-great-many-more-great cousin, due to the most convoluted family tree in the history of time.

James smiled into his orange juice. “Yes, Ellie will be just fine with the entire clan protecting her.”

Only until she’s matched,Colin silently amended. And then I’ll be just as fine without her as I was before I met her.

He felt Ellie watching him, and when he looked up, she gave him a tiny, trusting smile that struck him dead center.

Yeah, right.

Chapter 8

“Until a few weeks ago, I had no idea you had any mood other than chillaxed,” Emma commented as she handed Colin a cold beer.

Aidan drew her onto his lap and rubbed small circles on her back. “Another American colloquialism?”

“It means relaxed and happy. If you look it up in a dictionary, you’ll see Colin’s picture under the word,” she replied, snuggling back into him.

“Well, in the last edition, anyway,” Reilly deadpanned, popping the cap from his own beverage with a flick of his thumb. “In the most recent one, you’ll find his likeness under other words, such as ‘fool,’ ‘idiot,’ and ‘sucker.’”

Colin gritted his teeth. “Despite this utterly fascinating discussion about lexicons, could we please focus on what we’re going to do next?” His words were punctuated by a loud rumble of thunder, and he glanced out the window, into Reilly’s back garden. Though it was early, not quite sunset, the sky was a sea of dark, swirling clouds. The storm clouds began to gather when he, Ellie, and James landed in Dublin, then seemed to chase them all the way to Reilly’s house.

“There’s something unnatural about this weather,” James said in a low voice.

“Aye.” Reilly took a pull from his bottle. “The Fates are scunnered again.”

“Scunnered?” Emma asked, puzzled.

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