Page 52 of The Highland Fling

Johnny comes in and stamps the snow off his shoes on the doormat. As well as my case, he’s carrying a shiny red gift bag.

“Dancing Santa for the garden, my arse,” I murmur to Aidan.

“Och, it’s just a wee one.”

Johnny puts down the items. “The spare room is set up for you, Grace. You know where it is, and I’m sure Aidan can carry your things through. I’ll pop some wood in the stove, then David and I will nip out to the Pheasant for a drink or two. Won’t we, David?”

“What?” David, who’s in the process of removing his coat, firmly shakes his head. “Nope! We’re only just back from Inverness, and it’s freezing outside. I’m thinking warmed mince pies, mulled wine, a soft drink for Grace, a Christmas film . . .”

“Aye, that sounds great.” Johnny opens the door of the wood-burning stove and tosses in some logs. “Let’s do that after the pub. I know you’re desperate to catch up with your twin, but I’ve got a funny feeling Aidan might like to catch up with Grace too. Maybe we shouldn’t hang about and cramp their style?”

“Oh,” David says. Then, more emphatically, “Oh!” He buttons his coat back up. “Yeah, on second thoughts, a drink at the Pheasant would be nice. You two have an hour, okay? That’s it. I’ve already shortlisted a selection of feel-good movies. If we’re going to finish one before bed, we can’t wait too much longer before starting.”

Johnny ushers David out and, with an apologetic smile, closes the door behind them.

“Well, I wonder why they were so keen to hurry off.” Aidan shrugs off his jacket and hangs it up. “I mean, what do they think you and I are going to be getting up to?”

“Hmm, I have an idea.” I step closer to him, place a finger on his chest, and slowly trail it down his body. “They probably don’t want to be around when we’re . . . exchanging presents!” I point to the gift bag. “Can I open it now?”

Aidan, whose cheeks are slightly more flushed than they were a few moments ago, scratches the back of his head. “Er . . . aye, I suppose. Let’s use the limited time we’ve got alone together to . . . exchange presents. We wouldn’t want to do that in front of David and Johnny. It’s not exactly what I’ve been desperately anticipating this last month, but all right.”

“Did it occur to you I may have got you something a little . . . kinky? Besides, it might be tricky to swap gifts tomorrow, what with the big McIntyre and Stewart family dinner. If you and I slink off, it might arouse suspicion.”

Other than David and Johnny, Emily and Ally remain the only people in Bannock who know things are no longer platonic between us.

Aidan’s expression brightens at the mention of a kinky gift. “Aye, let’s do presents!”

I have to stifle a giggle. I didn’t, in fact, get him anything sexy, so he’s going to be disappointed. But I was for ripping his trousers off him that night in my flat—he’s the one who stopped me. Since he made me wait, I’ll make him wait, just for a little while.

I remove my coat, and Aidan’s gaze drifts to my bump with something close to adoration. It’s enough to make me feel better about my growing size, but before he can comment on my appearance, I instruct him to carry my case through to the spare room. I then fetch my gifts for him from it, and—back in the main living area—we settle on the rug in front of the stove, which is now crackling with life and radiating heat.

“I can’t wait to see what you got me,” I say.

Aidan drums his fingers on his leg. “I took you at your word when you made me swear to save up for the bairn and not get you anything big. I hope I’ve not failed some sort of test and I was actually meant to get you something expensive.”

“As long as there are diamonds in it somewhere, I’ll be happy.”

He smirks. “Prepare to be disappointed, then.”

“I’m just kidding! We came up with rules, and you were supposed to stick to them. Two small presents. That’s all I got you, and I hope that’s all you got me.”

He passes me the red gift bag. I take out the first present and tear open the wrapping. It’s . . . a cuddly toy of the Loch Ness Monster.

Laughing, I hold it up. “Aw, it’s cute!”

“Aye? Shops around the Highlands are full of them, but I reckon I may be the first ever local to buy one. They’re there for the tourists. Anyway, your present is more than just the toy—there’s a promise that goes along with it. Remember, back in the spring, you and David were going to go on a boat tour of Loch Ness, but then there was a bit of drama with Ally and Emily?”

Of course I remember. David and I were about to board when we got a call from Emily. She’d had a falling-out with Ally and, sure things were over between them, wanted us to take her home to London. We collected her and set off, although thankfully, Ally caught up with us on the drive south and won Emily back.

“Since you never did get to explore Loch Ness, I’d love to show you around it one day. And actually, there are a lot of places I’d like to show you. Do you remember the video call we did about travel?”

“Back when you still came up with a topic for every conversation because otherwise you thought we’d run out of things to talk about? Yes, I’ve not forgotten.”

“Aye, well, I told you the most beautiful place I’ve ever been is the Highlands, which you said was cheesy. But it’s true! So, here’s the real present: whenever you come up to Bannock, I’d like to take you somewhere bonny and help you get to know the area as well as I do. When our wee lass comes along, she’ll accompany us on our trips too.”

“Ah, sneaky! An ongoing present—a clever way of getting around the spending restriction we agreed on. But, yes, I’d love to visit some ‘bonny’ places with you. Thanks, Aidan.”

He grins, pleased with himself.