Page 114 of Musical Games
‘Would you do the honours, love?’
The meal wasfamiliar to Jamie – laughter, bickering and conversation. But with the addition of Zoe, Sam and Jim, the volume was cranked up to Liam tantrum levels. If Zoe was loud, Sam was louder, and if Sam was louder, Jim rivalled his mother after eight Dubonnet and full-fat Cokes.
Jamie caught Rory flinching a couple of times as Jim laughed so hard the picture frames rattled.
‘Is this like being in Afghanistan?’ he shouted across the table at him.
‘Worse,’ replied Rory, setting off another round of hoots and cackles.
Zoe turned to Sam. ‘So, have you any idea what you’re going to do next, then?’
The table went quiet as everyone turned to look at them. Sam squeezed his hand under the table as she told them about meeting Campbell King.
‘He was straight down the line and I really liked him. We’ll record the first album up here and prepare for release. We’ll divide our time between here and London, then I’ll rent my flat out and we’ll take a van on tour.'
‘A van? You?’ Zoe didn’t sound convinced.
‘Yes, it’s going to be amazing. I’m embracing minimalism.’
‘Remind me how many suitcases you brought the last time you were up here?’
‘Ah, but now I know what’s important to pack.’
‘A sense of humour to put up with him?’ asked Fiona, pointing at Jamie.
Sam looked at him, her cheeks pink and her smile soft. ‘Jamie is all I need.’
There was silence as he looked at her, his chest so full of love it was difficult to breathe. Morag frantically fanned her face, her jaw clenched as if desperately trying to hold her emotion at bay. Zoe’s lower jaw was wobbling, and Rory pulled her into him and kissed the top of her head.
Fiona gagged. ‘Honestly, you’re nearly as vomit-inducing as Mum and Jim.’
After the mealthey crammed into the living room and Sam and Jamie played for them. There was no need to close his eyes anymore. If Sam was there, he wanted to see her. Their impromptu concert felt like an ending and a beginning. An expression of how far he’d come, the love they had for each other, and all the places they still had to go. It was late by the time they called it a night. Now that Rory’s mum was with Brad the castle was empty, so Rory had offered them the chance to stay there. Jamie was grateful. He wanted to let his mum and Jim have their privacy and felt like he’d finally outgrown his childhood home. He was ready to move on. They packed overnight bags, said their goodbyes and walked up to the castle carrying a big set of keys.
‘Zoe said we could have any room or just stay in the flat. What do you fancy?’ Sam asked him.
‘You.’
She grinned. ‘And where do you fancy me, Jamie McDougall?’
‘Anywhere. That old store room was pretty mind-blowing.’
‘Well, maybe we could try out a few options?’
‘Sounds like a plan, Sam.’
He stopped and pulled her to him. Her face was shining in the darkness. He brushed a kiss across her lips.
‘I love you to the end of the universe.’
She dropped her bag and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. ‘And I love you to the end of the universe and back.’
EPILOGUE
Sam interlocked her fingers with Jamie’s, resting their hands on the skirt of her green silk gown. It complemented his kilt. They were in the middle of a sea of stars and she was sick with nerves. This moment had crept up on them. What was once a tiny sail glimpsed on the horizon was now a tall ship bearing down on them with gale-force Brad behind it.
Braveheart 2had opened to mixed reviews. The higher-end film critics had dismissed it as historically inaccurate nonsense. Audiences, however, had loved it. Their album sales had been good, but after the film was released they went higher even than sales of spiced shortbread. Sam and Jamie found themselves headlining gigs rather than being the support act and nobody was surprised when they were nominated for an Oscar.
Now they were here, in the enormous theatre, awaiting their fate. Sam had made it to LA, but not quite as she had imagined. Her life with Jamie was beyond anything she could have predicted and she could not have been happier. Jamie was still shy and preferred not to speak in interviews, but he wasn’t the same man she’d first met in Kinloch, and she wasn’t the same woman who’d railroaded him. He’d handled the pressure of performing ‘The Heart of Scotland’ half an hour before in front of an audience of millions, but now seemed even more anxious.
