Page 94 of Unless It's You
I feel like I’m in my own romance novel. Ethan left the ones his mom packed in that box at the B&B, where the owner has aTake One, Leave Onebookshelf. He tossed the band t-shirts and the onesie—even though I protested at the last one—and kept thejournal, the picture of his mom and him as a baby, and the drawing he’d made as a ten-year-old.
“Love castles? That’s because you haven’t got any of your own in America.”
“Yeah, Americans live deprived lives.” I stare at his profile, the side of my head against the headrest of the car. “Anyway, going to castles—with you—makes me happy.”
But what I mean is:You make me happy. Not castles.
“Good. That’s the goal.” He glances over at me, his expression soft.
Still in my hand, my phone buzzes. It’s the group text chain with Reese and Maddie, and they’re confirming our video call date for tonight. Today is day twenty-seven, after all, and I can’t wait to hear what was on their lists. We agreed we could talk tonight about the lists without breaking Evelyn’s rules, since we’ve all finished our tasks a day early.
I haven’t quite finished revising number two,Adopt an Animal, but I have a plan. And I don’t love number four,Help Reese. Planning my sister’s bachelorette party should be good enough but feels not as impactful as it could be. I’d plan that, anyway. Italmostfeels like cheating. Which I don’t do.
“What’s wrong?” Ethan glances briefly away from the road.
“Huh?”
“You just made some weird sigh. You’re desperately in love and happy, remember?” He stares at me, completely serious. “No unhappy sighing allowed.”
“It wasn’t an unhappy sigh, I promise.”
“Want to add castles to our highest mountain peak adventure?”
I gasp. “Yes, let’s absolutely do that!” I imagine traveling the country with this man, visiting the most romantic and inspiring places in the United Kingdom.Sign me up.
“Well, maybe not all the castles. There’s a lot here.”
“Maybe half of them?”
He chuckles. “Yes, half sounds good. We better do it in the summer, at least up here. It’s cold and dark in Scotland in the winter.” He pauses. “Spill. What were you thinking about?”
Ethan waits patiently for me to say something. I love that he already knows when I’m holding something back, probably because we’ve done that too much.
“Number four. I think it could be better.”
“Help Reese?”
“Yeah.” I nod. “Oh, the turn is right up there.”
“Got it. I don’t think I need directions anymore, Hart.” Ethan follows the obvious signs for Eilean Donan Castle.
“I saw on their website that they do weddings,” I murmur. The pictures were breathtaking, with the rough Scottish mountains in the background and the craggy castle reaching toward the heavens. Some of the images had miles of blue skies, and others dark, angry ones. Those were my favorite. The gorgeous couples popped against the gray Highlands backdrop.
We turn a corner, and the castle appears ahead of us, set on a small piece of land on a loch, a narrow stone pedestrian bridge over the water the only way to reach it.
Ethan parks in the gravel lot next to the visitor center and we get out and walk across the cobbled bridge connecting the tiny island to the mainland. Halfway to the castle, I spin in a circle, overwhelmed by the sense of wonder I feel as we approach the castle. When I stop spinning, Ethan comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, nuzzling his chin into my hair. I will never get used to this feeling, the tingling up my spine, the warmth blooming inside my body, the knowing that we belong together.
“They’re not sure where to get married, but they know they want to do it here in Scotland,” I continue. “He’s not close to his parents. Maybe...” I trail off and my heart beats a bit faster.Yes. This is the answer.
“Maybe what, Hart?”
I spin around to face Ethan, his hands remaining on my waist. “Maybe we can take some pictures of this place today.” The wheels in my brain turn faster. “And maybe I—we—can visit some other wedding venues in Scotland. I can give her a list with pictures and an assessment, so they can easily choose one.”
“I think that’s an amazing idea.”
“Along with the tour of the highest mountain peaks and the complete castle itinerary?”
He sniffs. “There will be some overlap, but yes. Obviously.”
