“Okay …”
She flicked me a sad smile. “Thane lost a wife he loved.”
“How did it happen?”
“One morning he woke up, and she was dead next to him in bed. She’d passed away in her sleep. Brain aneurysm.”
Emotion clogged my throat. I couldn’t imagine how devastating that must have been for him. “God, that’s heartbreaking.”
Lucy nodded, eyes bright. “Thane’s life is those kids. And it should be. It would be nice to see him find someone else, but that lucky woman will need to commit to being a good wife and an even better mother. Thane is … well, he’s just wonderful.” The forlorn quality to her voice upset me. “But I’m not cut out for settling down. I have my career to think about. However”—she beamed again, but the smile wobbled a little—“I am committed to making the man enjoy himself now and then by forcing him to dance at social gatherings.”
Even though I knew she was right, that Lucy’s career meant she was not the ideal candidate to be the perfect stepmother, I couldn’t help wishing things were different. As strong and seemingly content as Lucy was, I worried about the shadows in the back of her eyes, the ones that appeared when she thought no one was looking. I worried my new friend was lonely, and considering how good she was to everyone else, I hated the idea of her feeling alone.
My concerns about her well-being were halted as we descended the main staircase into the castle’s reception area. Lucy squeezed my arm, drawing me from my thoughts.
Mac, Lachlan, Eredine, and a woman I didn’t recognize were waiting for us near the sofas at the fireplace.
Eredine looked willowy and elegant in a spring-colored maxi dress with cap sleeves. She’d left her gorgeous hair loose, and it tumbled around her shoulders in dramatic curls.
As beautiful as she was, there was a casualness to her dress that made me feel self-conscious. I wasn’t used to self-consciousness and didn’t like that I was experiencing it in front of Adair. “Okay, we’re overdressed.”
“Maybe a little,” Lucy admitted with a shrug. “But life is too short not to dress up for it.”
Groaning under my breath, my gaze moved to Mac, Lachlan, and the unknown female.
I almost stumbled on the last step.
The woman was a pretty blond, dressed in a chic jumpsuit the same color as Lucy’s dress, and she clutched Lachlan’s hand.
His date?
A strange sensation moved through my stomach. I’d experienced a similar sensation on a vertical roller-coaster ride. It had taken us to the top of the almost two-hundred-foot structure, only for it to hang suspended for a moment before plummeting.
So Lachlan brought a date.
What did I care?
Pushing my odd feelings aside, I concentrated on the fact that Mac and Lachlan wore kilts.
I tried not to stare at Lachlan, in particular, and failed.
A tall, rugged Scotsman in a kilt was definitely something to see.
Mac and Lachlan wore matching tartan—a dark green plaid with red, black, and white accents. Clearly a clan tartan. But while my dad wore a black suit jacket, matching waistcoat, and white shirt, Lachlan wore a dark gray waistcoat, jacket, and white shirt.
They each wore a matching sporran over the kilt, but my father’s long knee socks were black on black with his dress shoes. Lachlan’s socks were dark gray so the laces of his dress shoes were visible, wrapped around his calves.
And his calves … wow, those were powerful calves.
My eyes drew up his legs but unfortunately, the kilt obscured his thighs.
Oh my God, I was ogling the devil.
In front of his date, no less.
Shit.
“Jesus, he brought Leighanne. What was he thinking?” Lucy muttered under her breath just loud enough for me to hear.
Leighanne. The fuck buddy from Glasgow.
Wow. His point could not be any clearer.
I wrenched my attention from the bastard and his lovely date to my dad. Mac crossed the reception to greet us.
“You look beautiful, ladies,” he said, throwing Lucy an appreciative glance before coming to me. He pulled me into his arms, disentangling me from Lucy, and I stiffened in surprise.
Mac was hugging me.
My dad was hugging me.
There was still a part of me that wanted to keep my guard up. Ward off his affection until I could trust him more. Yet I found it impossible to separate the dad from my childhood from the man in front of me. I couldn’t not put my arms around him to return the embrace. “Hey, Dad.”
At the word, Mac tightened his hold for a second before he pushed me gently away to study my face. “Sometimes I can’t believe how grown up you are.”
Looking at his handsome face, I acknowledged, “If it’s weird for you, it’s weird for me too. I’m calling a man who looks barely ten years older than me ‘Dad.’”
“It’s weird for us all,” Lucy announced, laughter in her voice.
I threw her a look that made her chuckle before she sauntered off to join Eredine.
Turning to Mac, I said, “You feeling okay?”
“I feel good.”
“You’re walking like you’re not feeling any pain.”
“I’m not,” he reassured, stepping to my side to loop my arm through his. “It’s only if I push myself that I start to feel it.”
“Okay, well, no ceilidh dancing, then.”
“Promise.”
“The cars are waiting,” Lachlan announced before leading Leighanne toward the main entrance with Lucy. He hadn’t even bothered to introduce me to his date.
In fact, he hadn’t looked at me once. If that was the way he wanted things to be, then I could accommodate.
Eredine waited for me and Mac, and we exchanged compliments.
“Lucy tricked me into dressing for the red carpet. Said everyone would be dressed like this.”
“Not quite as glamorous.” Eredine gave me a reassuring smile. “But who cares? You look wonderful.”
“She’s right. Just enjoy yourself.” Mac patted my hand in comfort.
“Will all the men be in traditional dress?” I asked as I tried to get into the back of Lachlan’s seven-seater Range Rover without flashing anyone. Lachlan was already up
