Only You (Adair Family #5)(7)

At Brodan’s silence, I looked up at him. He seemed preoccupied.

“Or not.” I shrugged, like it didn’t bother me if he didn’t want to spend Saturday with me. Of course, it bothered the heck out of me.

He glanced down. “No, aye, sure. Saturday.”

“We can go another time if you’re busy.”

He shook his head. “I can cancel the other thing.”

Jealousy scored through me as we came to a stop at my front door. I turned to my friend, forcing myself to meet his gaze as I smirked through the pain. “If you have plans with Michelle, we can go another time.”

Brodan searched my face for a few seconds and then the corner of his mouth tilted up as he bent his head toward me so our noses were too close for my comfort. “Roe, she’s not my girlfriend. I can cancel.” He straightened but tugged on a strand of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail. “I’d rather go to Inverness with you. I’d always rather spend time with you.”

He rubbed my hair between his fingers before he released it and settled his hand on the other handle of his bike, his smile boyish. “Inverness, Saturday?”

I nodded, my heart thumping so hard, I was sure the pulse in my neck must be visible. “Saturday.”

He handed me my backpack and I almost dropped it, it was that heavy.

Brodan chuckled under his breath and then abruptly muttered, “Oh, aye, before I forget.” He slid his backpack off and unzipped it. Rummaging through the books, he pulled out a small black brick.

My mistake.

A mobile phone.

“What’s that?”

“Dad’s got a contact at Nokia.” He shoved the phone toward me. “I asked him to get you one. We’re paying for the minutes and texts, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

Most everyone at school had turned up with a phone first term last year. There was no way I could ask my mum for one, so I’d felt like the odd man out. During break, everyone was always texting one another, even though they were right bloody next to each other.

“I can’t take that.” I pushed his hand away.

Brodan frowned. “Take it for me. I got it so that if you …” His gaze moved to my front door. “If you ever need me, you can just call and I’ll come get you.”

“Brodan, I’m fine.”

His expression darkened, his eyes flashing with something a bit like panic. “For me, Roe. Take it for me so I can feel okay. I can’t … I never want to go through what we went through in first year.”

As difficult as it had been for me to endure the beating my dad had rained down on me in first year, a beating that changed our lives, I knew by how watchful and even more protective Brodan had grown that finding me like that had traumatized him. He was my ultimate protector during the gossip in the following weeks. He fought people who made snide comments and tried to hide me from pitying looks.

Because he cared about me.

I’d always loved Brodan. Since we were kids.

But at that moment, as he held out the phone to me, I fell in love with him.

And as I took the phone that he wanted me to have for his peace of mind, I wished we could be kids again. Because I was pretty sure if Brodan was falling in love with me back, he wouldn’t be snogging Michelle Kingsley behind the school every day.





3





Brodan





PRESENT DAY





* * *



It was some view from Lachlan’s suite in our family’s renovated castle. With Robyn pregnant, he never stayed on the estate overnight these days, so he’d offered me his room until I figured out my next move. The windows overlooked the North Sea, and on a perfect September evening, the sun set across the water in spills of red, orange, and gold. Not even a drop of pink or purple to soften the fiery sky.

So naturally, all I could see was the long, red-gold hair of Monroe Sinclair.

The woman had barely changed in almost eighteen years.

It really had been like staring into the face of a ghost.

And like one, I’d treated her as if she didn’t exist.

Watched her fumble with those groceries and sent my bodyguard to help her.

Very mature.

“Prick,” I muttered to myself.

I couldn’t get those big gray eyes of hers out of my head.

Almost eighteen years.

We’d now been apart longer than we’d been friends. I rubbed my chest where it ached.

A knock at the door drew my head around, and Walker Ironside stepped into the room. He’d been part of my private security team for four years, and, much like my brother Lachlan with his ex-bodyguard Mac, when two Scotsmen find each other in foreign lands, they tend to bond. Walker was more than my bodyguard—he was my friend.

“Still heading to the Gloaming?” Walk asked, hovering near the door.

When I finally decided I’d done enough running and for once, I’d let my high-handed big brother take over managing my career, most of my security team took jobs elsewhere. Not Walker. Lachlan offered him a place on the security team here at Ardnoch, the private members-only club that catered to film and TV industry people. Walker took the job, but he made it clear his priority was still protecting me.

“Aye.” I nodded and stepped away from the sunset that reminded me too much of a ghost. “Leaving now.” I’d promised my eldest and youngest brothers I’d meet them at their newly renovated (but not quite finished) pub, restaurant, and hotel for a drink.