Only You (Adair Family #5)(34)

In fact, I was adamantly not acknowledging her.

Like a prick.

I didn’t know how else to get through this.

Forcing myself to focus on the kids, I zeroed in on my nephew. I’d noted he’d grabbed a girl’s hand to come join him to audition. She was a cute wee thing with blond pigtails and big blue eyes. Callie was her name, and she had an American accent. It had shocked me and Thane that Lewis wanted to audition for the musical since he was a bit of an introvert compared to his sister.

But Lewis further surprised me by stepping forward with determination to audition for the role of the Scarecrow. My shock was even greater to discover that my nephew was a wee comic. He delivered the lines with humorous nervousness and his clumsy physicality had me laughing out loud. I guessed acting was in the genes, after all.

His American friend, Callie, was clearly shy and probably coerced by Lewis to audition for Dorothy, but she delivered the lines with a cuteness I knew the audience would find adorable. After we’d had all the kids run lines, we asked them to sing any song they wanted a cappella.

Lewis didn’t have a fantastic singing voice, but he didn’t need one. Callie, however, had a soft but sweet voice that, with a bit of work on projection, would do nicely for Dorothy.

As soon as we stopped to discuss quietly, however, my attention drew away from Ellen and David to Monroe. The back of my neck tingled, and I wondered if she was watching me. If she was as hyper fucking aware of me as I was of her.

Giving in, I casually turned to peruse the kids and let my gaze linger on Monroe.

She wasn’t looking at me. She kneeled down by a small girl, listening attentively to whatever she was saying. Her expression was soft and kind as she nodded and then gave the girl a reassuring smile.

I watched her take the girl’s hand, and they stood together. My heart thudded in my chest as Monroe walked across the room, murmuring with the child as she gripped her hand. She said something to Ellen, who nodded, and then I watched as Monroe led her from the room.

My chest ached like I’d been struck.

A throat cleared, and I turned to find Ellen staring at me in curiosity. She’d caught me watching Monroe.

Damn it.

This was torture.

And Walker Ironside would pay for putting me in this position.





13





Monroe





I bumped into Arrochar Adair Galbraith in Golspie, of all places.

After spending all of Friday morning with Brodan, I’d been desperate to flee Ardnoch and everything it represented. So I drove up the coast Saturday morning and walked around the quaint neighboring town of Golspie. I considered driving just a bit farther out to spend the morning at Dunrobin Castle because I hadn’t been there in years, but I’d situated myself in a coffee shop just off Main Street and was enjoying my latest book too much to leave. The proprietor happily kept my coffee filled, not caring if I’d glued my arse to one of her small bistro chairs.

It was peace.

A lovely distraction.

So imagine my surprise when the bell tinkled above the door and in came Arrochar, pushing a pram. My pulse raced as our eyes connected. I didn’t know how Arro would respond to my being home. In fact, it was a miracle we hadn’t bumped into each other yet. Now here we were, in another village, staring at one another.

To my shock, Arro’s face split into a beautiful smile. “Roe!”

My eyebrows sprung upward. “Arro.”

She pushed the pram toward my table, and my eyes dropped as I heard a baby making gurgling noises from within. Arro’s wee girl. My goodness. Sometimes it felt like time hadn’t passed, and then I was reminded that it absolutely had. Arro pushed the pram into the corner by my table, and I stood to greet her as she wrapped her arms around me. The smell of her perfume enveloped me, and tears sprung to my eyes as she squeezed me hard.

“I’ve missed you,” she said, sounding a little hoarse.

I cleared my throat. “You too,” I whispered.

When she pulled back, she didn’t release me. Arro stared down at me, studying my face as I studied hers. She hadn’t changed much. In fact, she glowed, her blond hair lighter than it used to be, her eyes that same striking pale blue as Brodan’s. Happiness radiated from her, and I was glad. When I’d first discovered she was married to her sister-in-law’s father, I didn’t know what to make of it. Then I saw Mackennon Galbraith in the village one day, and I could certainly see the attraction. He’d had Robyn very young, so the age gap between him and Arro didn’t seem so drastic in reality. Especially considering Arro was a mature woman in her thirties.

Still, what a complicated family tree the Adairs were growing.

“I can’t believe we bumped into each other here. Since I heard you were back, I have been waiting to see you. I actually called the school for your number, but they wouldn’t give it to me.”

Shocked by this revelation, I had to force back fresh tears. I was so sure Arro was mad at me. But no. “They wouldn’t? I’m sorry.” I blushed with frustration at myself. “I … I just assumed you didn’t want to hear from me. That’s why I never …”

Arro gave my arms another squeeze and stepped back. “It’s all water under the bridge. Do you mind if Skye and I join you?”

It was on the tip of my tongue to reject her, just as I’d rejected Arran the numerous times he’d tried to engage in friendship. But after the way Brodan had treated me in rehearsal—in fact, since that first day in Flora’s—I was done acting like I had done something wrong. I was sick and tired of hosting all the blame for the deterioration of our friendship. Why should I make myself miserable for someone who didn’t exist anymore? Brodan wasn’t the kind, protective boy of my childhood.