Page 70 of Game Changer

“Yup. Do you like it? I got the call to say my offer was accepted right before I left to get you from the airport.”

“Bloody hell Buckie. You don’t do things by half do you? Wow. I just… I can’t believe this.”

“Believe it baby. You’re going to live in a castle. And it’s ready to put your mark on, so as soon as we get back to Scotland, that’s what we’ll do.”

“This is crazy. We only got engaged less than half an hour ago and now I have a castle. I feel as though I’m in some romantic movie.” She throws her arms around my neck and squeezes me tight. “Thank you so much Buckie. We’re going to have the best life.”

And don’t I bloody well know it.

* * *

“Mum, I have apologised to Zara profusely. You know I would never hurt her. This was all Annalise’s doing. You do realise she said yes to marrying me, don’t you?”

My has been berating me for the last five minutes. She called me after she was sent a text from one of her friends about me proposing. She’d seen it on a celebrity gossip Facebook page.

“Aye about that. Thanks for the heads up. Obviously, your dad thinks it’s hilarious, but he’d laugh at paint drying. I wish you’d told us. I had to lie to Cindy and tell her we already knew.”

“I’m sorry mum. It was a spur of the moment decision.”

“Well, I’m sorry that horrid girl tried to mess with you both. But if it means you two have finally got your act together and admit how you feel about each other, then I can be thankful for small mercies.”

“Um… there’s something else I need to tell you.”

“Please do not tell me she’s pregnant. I don’t think my nerves can take much more.”

I laugh at her. The woman has nerves of steel, unless it involves me. “No mum, she’s not pregnant.” I roll my eyes and Zara giggles beside me. “I’ve bought a new house. Well I say a house, it’s more of a castle. It’s an estate just outside Glasgow.”

“Oh you don’t know how happy that makes me son. Your dad will be over the moon.”

“I know he will because there’s fishing rights down at the river.”

“Oh good lord. I’ll never hear the end of it now.”

“We’re leaving California in the morning and going to see the house straight away since it’s near the airport. As soon as we’re back, I’ll call you.”

“Okay son, have a safe flight both of you.”

I smile. I couldn’t have asked for better parents. “Okay mum love you.”

“Bye Karen,” Zara shouts.

“Oh, I can’t wait to hug that lassie and never let her go,” mum says, and I know she’ll be smiling from ear to ear. “I’ll speak to you soon sweetheart. I love you.”

“Love you too mum, bye.” I hang up and turn to Zara who is sitting smiling at me. “What?”

“Nothing, just admiring you. I love how much you care for people Buckie. I can’t believe I ever thought ill of you.”

“Hey,” I say taking her hand. “Don’t you feel bad about all this. We got caught in one almighty shitstorm. I don’t think there’s anything that we could have done differently. This is on no one but Annalise. We need to put that witch out of our minds and get on with living our best life.”

She snuggles down beside me, and we sit in silence looking out over the Pacific Ocean, both content in our decisions and hopeful for the future together.

* * *

Atransatlantic flight and a ten-hour sleep behind us and Zara and I are wide awake and off to check out our new home. The imposing towers of the castle on the Allander estate greet us as we head up the long tree lined driveway.

“This looks very similar to the place Joe and Nessa live and work.”

“It’s lovely. And the best part is that it’s only half an hour outside Glasgow meaning you can commute very easily if you need to. Glasgow airport is a stone’s throw away, so I’ll be able to get to anywhere in the world easily too.”

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