Gift-Wrapped in a Kilt (Hot Scots #4)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Cold rain pattered on the roof of the Range Rover as Gavin pulled up in front of the house Calli and Aidan shared. Two weeks had gone by since the Thanksgiving incident. Iain had let Gavin borrow his Rover but only after giving him a hard time about procrastinating. The older man implied — okay, said it outright too — that Gavin was afraid to talk to his little sister. Maybe he was afraid, of what she might say, how she might react to what he said, how their relationship might change in the aftermath.

Gavin groaned. Aftermath? This wasn't a tornado bearing down on them.

Why did it feel that way, then?

He had to say these things to Calli even if she thought he was a total wuss and a pathetic loser afterward. He needed to work things out with Rory too, but he was procrastinating even more with that task.

An Aston Martin sat parked in the driveway behind Calli's truck.

Gavin stopped behind the uber-expensive car and shut off the engine. He knew of only one person around these parts who drove an Aston Martin. Lachlan was here. Great . Gavin had hoped to talk to Calli today and deal with Lachlan tomorrow — or the next day, or the day after that. Jeez, he really had turned into a pile of wussy mush.

No more.

He pulled the hood of his raincoat over his head, flung open the Rover's door, and slammed it behind him as he bolted for the door to Calli's house. The cottage was a decent size, though nothing in comparison to Rory's castle or even the farmhouse owned by Lachlan and Erica, which hardly qualified as huge. Iain's house was modest like this one. Gavin felt more comfortable in normal-size houses. Big ones made him feel like he had to be careful where he stepped and watch out for delicate, expensive knickknacks he might accidentally knock over and break. His parents had owned an average house in an average neighborhood, with an average minivan too.

Nothing wrong with average. He wanted that. A normal, happy life.

Soon, he'd get what he wanted. He'd have Jamie for his wife.

Now, if he could find a steady job…

Gavin knocked on the door.

Voices murmured on the other side of the door, somewhere deeper inside the house, and Gavin recognized Calli's laughter. A squeal pierced the big wooden door. Baby Sarah was awake.

Silence followed, except for the clapping of footsteps drawing closer.

The door swung inward, and Calli smiled. She had Sarah clasped to her bosom, the baby's little face aimed over her shoulder. Gavin had a good view of the back of his niece's head. Beyond that, he glimpsed Christmas garlands outlining every door, with colorful lights embedded in them.

"Hey," Calli said. "This is a nice surprise."

"Uh, sorry, I should've called first." He always, always did. But not today. He'd been afraid if he told Calli he needed to come over and talk he'd lose his nerve.

Calli waved a dismissive hand, holding onto Sarah with the other arm. "You're family. You can stop by anytime."

He suppressed a wince at the word family.

Leaning sideways, he peered around Calli into the house beyond. "Where are Misty and Mandy?"

"The girls are having a play date with Casey."

"Dogs have play dates? Go figure." He twisted his mouth into a wry smile. "Aren't you worried Erica's big boy dog will get fresh with your little girls?"

"Casey is neutered, Gav. And he's a gentleman."

"Never say the word neutered around a man, C."

She angled sideways and flapped a hand in a hurry-up gesture. "Get inside before you turn into a walking puddle."

He hurried over the threshold, and while Calli shut the door, he hung his raincoat on a hook on the entryway wall.

"Is it Aidan?" Lachlan called from the direction of the kitchen.

"No," Calli hollered. "My husband doesn't ring the doorbell, Lachlan."

"Oh. Aye, of course."

"Duh," Calli muttered with a shake of her head and a soft little laugh.

She turned and led Gavin down the hall.

Baby Sarah caught sight of Gavin and cooed, smiling and stretching out one tiny hand to him. He let her have one of his fingers, and she curled her tiny ones around it, gripping him with surprising strength for such an itty-bitty tyke. Sarah gurgled.

"Are you talking to Uncle Gavin?" Calli said. She glanced over her shoulder at him. "See? Your niece misses you."

Guilt weighed down on him like a two-ton boulder.

"Sorry," he said. "I know I haven't stopped by much since I've been in Scotland full time. It's partly your husband's fault. He had me and Iain working constantly for a while there."

"Uh-huh." She threw him a knowing, and faintly amused, look. "I'm sure you're awfully busy with your fiancée too. The way I hear it, Iain has to vacate the premises whenever Jamie comes a-calling or else he won't get a wink of sleep."

"Bullsh —" Gavin cut off his curse when Sarah squeezed his finger and gurgled again. Whether or not a baby could understand his bad language, he didn't feel right swearing in the vicinity of a kid. So, he amended his statement. "Baloney. Jamie comes over because Iain's gone out to see his fu —" Oh shit . He'd almost said the phrase fuck buddy in front of his niece. "To see his special lady friend."

Iain didn't seem to have girlfriends. He had women he screwed. Or maybe just one woman. Gavin hadn't quite figured it out yet, but Iain swore he did not have relationships.

Calli raised her brows. "Special lady friend? Everyone knows about Iain's friendships with the local women. He's notorious for it."

"I don't think he's as big a man-whore as everybody thinks. Not anymore, at least."

The odd Scot had told Gavin as much. The guy didn't like playing the field anymore, which was why Gavin had the impression Iain went out to have fun with one and only one woman, though he didn't seem to have serious feelings for her.

Calli led Gavin into the kitchen where Lachlan lounged on the far side of the wooden table Aidan had made as a wedding present for his wife. Iain made stuff too. Gavin wasn't handy at all, couldn't even fix a plugged drain. These MacTaggarts made him feel kind of useless.

Except when he was sledgehammering a rock wall. Yeah, that had felt damn good.

Lachlan half rose from his chair. "I should leave. Don't want to intrude."

"Actually," Gavin said, "I'd like to talk to you after me and Calli have our talk. Would you mind hanging around for a while?"

"Not at all," Lachlan said, settling back into his chair.

Calli scrunched her brows at Gavin. "We're having a talk?"

"If that's okay."

"Of course it is." Calli turned to Lachlan. "Could you watch Sarah while we talk? She's been fed and changed, so she'll probably go to sleep."

"I wouldn't mind at all," Lachlan said. "I'd love some time with my niece."

Sometimes Gavin forgot Lachlan and Rory were Sarah's uncles too. Jamie was her aunt. It seemed kind of weird to be engaged to his niece's aunt.

Not like they were related to each other. No such thing as a sister-in-law once removed.

Good thing, since he had no intention of giving up Jamie.

Calli handed Sarah over to her other uncle and ushered Gavin down the hall to the living room. A Christmas tree occupied one corner of the room, near a window, its branches decked out with lights and garlands and festive bulbs. A red blanket with green holly leaves printed on it covered the sofa, and a little sprig of mistletoe dangled from the top of the window's frame.

His sister took a seat on the sofa, gesturing toward the cushion beside her.

"Sit down," she said, "and tell me what's up."

He lowered his body onto the cushion, balancing near the sofa's edge. Way to project a relaxed and confident attitude . He couldn't help it. The idea of what he needed to talk to Calli about made his jaw tense.

First, he needed to say something he'd said to his sister once before in his entire life — last summer, when he'd found her living with Aidan and got seriously worried about her. Back then, he'd spoken the words in passing. Today, he needed to speak them with conviction.

Gavin cleared his throat, shifting on the cushion. "I love you, Calli. You know that, right?"

Calli fiddled with her shirt sleeve, her gaze darting away before settling on him again. "Sure, I know that. I love you too."

A pang pierced his chest like a needle driven into his heart. "We never say stuff like that. I mean, in our family we never did."

"Doesn't matter. It's nice to hear, but I know you care even if you don't tell me." She laid a hand on his knee. "You're always there for me. That's what counts."

"Not always."

"What are you talking about?"

"I let you down, big time. After Mom and Dad died, I made you handle everything." He scrubbed a hand over his mouth. "I showed up for the funeral and then I left again."

"You'd hadn't been back from Afghanistan long. I understood why you couldn't handle things."

He hesitated for a moment, summoning the nerve to confess the whole truth. "I wasn't messed up about Afghanistan. I know that's what you've always thought, and I let you go on believing it. But I didn't have PTSD. I was okay until we lost Mom and Dad." He grasped the back of his neck, bowing his head, unable to keep looking at his sister. "I fell apart because of them. You should be pissed at me for how I abandoned you. If I'd been there for you, maybe you wouldn't have married that sleaze who wanted a green card. You wouldn't have spent five years living in fear of getting arrested for marriage fraud. What happened to you is my fault."

"Bullshit."

The sharpness in her voice made him jerk his head up to meet her green eyes. "You've got to take your blinders off, C. Stop making excuses for me. I fell apart. I'm not a big, tough bastard. I'm the guy who let his baby sister get corralled into a green-card marriage so she could pay off the debts I should've been paying."

"Our parents' debts." Calli seized his hand, refusing to let go even when he tried to wrestle free of her grasp. "Listen to me, Gavin. Mom and Dad should've told us they were having financial problems, but they didn't. I should've known better than to accept Rade's offer, but I did. I married a man I didn't love so he could get citizenship. That was my bad decision and mine alone. I have never and will never blame you."

"You should. If I'd taken out a loan or something, I could've paid —"

"Stop it. You are not to blame for my mistakes." She held up one finger when he opened his mouth to speak, silencing him. "Losing Mom and Dad was such a shock it messed us both up, and we did the best we could at the time. Regrets are pointless."

Appraising his sister now, Gavin had the weirdest feeling he was seeing her for the first time. Really seeing her. She was strong and resilient and amazing. The past had no hold on her anymore because she'd let it go. He needed to do the same.

"You're right," he said, laying his other hand over hers, the one that still clasped his. "I need to stop punishing myself for what I might've done better six years ago. And I'm really grateful you're my sister. You're one hell of a woman, Calli, and I'm so proud of you. Mom and Dad would be too."

The start of tears glistened in her eyes.

Wetness gathered in his too. Must've been allergies. Guys didn't cry.

Calli pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Tell me what else is going on with you. I've never known you to let anyone get you riled up, but you let Rory get to you on Thanksgiving."

Okay, here came the really embarrassing part.

Gavin sucked it up and forged ahead. "I'm pretty sure Rory did that on purpose, but I don't know why. It worked because I've been feeling… abandoned."

Her brows scrunched up again. "Abandoned?"

Swallowing hard, he grimaced. "Yeah. Mom and Dad are gone. Leanne left me. You married Aidan and emigrated to Scotland."

"I emigrated first, then I married him."

"Whatever." He tried again to pull his hand away, but she held fast to him. He diverted his attention to the rug under his feet. "You took off for Scotland so fast. And before I knew it, I was hanging out with the MacTaggarts, feeling like a grimy toad invading the Garden of Eden."

Calli snorted, desperately trying not to laugh.

He flashed her a halfhearted scowl. "I'm confessing embarrassing shit, and you're laughing at me?"

"A grimy toad?" She let go of his hand to slap hers over her mouth. Tears gathered in her eyes again, though not from strong emotion this time. No, she was struggling not to laugh hysterically. After a moment, she got hold of herself. "You're not an invader."

"I feel like one." He slung an arm over the sofa's back, rubbing his forehead with his raised hand. "I told Jamie her brother stole my sister. Stole my family."

Calli's mouth opened, but she seemed incapable of speech.

His sassy little sister rendered speechless? He'd thought he'd never see the day that happened.

"I know it's stupid," Gavin said, "but that's how I feel sometimes. You left for Scotland in such a hurry —"

"You encouraged me to come here and get Aidan back."

He'd done that, sure. At the time, it had seemed like the right move. Push his sister to go after the man she loved. "I wanted you to be happy. But after you married Aidan, I started to feel more and more like an obsolete appendage."

"First, you're a toad. Now you're an appendage?"

He decided to ignore her snarky comment because if he stopped to give her a sarcastic response he might lose his nerve.

"You don't need me, Calli. Maybe you never did." He drummed his fingers on the sofa's back, studying the weave of the fabric to avoid his sister's gaze. "You have a new family. You've got new brothers and new sisters, new parents too. You became a MacTaggart, and I became an orphan. I am the last living member of the Douglas family."

She said nothing for a moment, though he sensed her attention on him. He scratched his neck, but the prickly sensation of his sister assessing him wouldn't go away.

"Look at me, Gavin."

He forced himself to do that and found her gazing at him with an expression of… love. Sympathy. Understanding. And he suddenly got a twinge in the back of his throat.

"Yes, I took Aidan's name," she said, "but I will always be a Douglas. I'll never forget Mom and Dad. I'll never forget you either. We're family, no matter what."

"I get that, I really do." He sighed, closing his eyes for a second. "I've wanted to marry Jamie since the day we met. Never believed in love at first sight, but with her, I felt it. Couldn't work up the courage to ask her because I was afraid she'd leave me too. Seems like everybody leaves me. Mom and Dad, you, Leanne. The people I love go away. Then I met the MacTaggarts, and I kind of developed an inferiority complex, I guess. Their family is so strong, so tight, and they took you in without reservation. Over the past year and a half, I've seen how much Jamie's brothers mean to her. Blaming them for my problems with her was an easy out. If it's their fault, then I don't have to face up to my inner demons."

"But you have," Calli said. "You're engaged to Jamie, and you told me all this stuff that must've been so hard to talk about."

"I still have to make peace with Lachlan and Rory. I know that."

"Jamie doesn't care what her brothers think. She made that clear on Thanksgiving."

"Sure, but they're still her brothers." Gavin gusted out a sigh. "I owe it to Jamie to get along with her brothers. Can't spend the rest of my life arguing with Rory. Whatever it takes, I'm going to get in good with them."

"I know Emery told you to bromance the brothers."

"Ugh." Gavin threw his head back. "If I never hear that stupid, made-up word again, it won't be soon enough."

Calli laughed, the sound light and melodic, the sound of real happiness. "Whatever you call it, you've gotten it done with Aidan. Not that he was much of a nut to crack. My husband has to like my brother since he knows how important you are to me."

That pang came back, sharper and deeper than before. It wasn't a bad feeling. No, he got this pang because his sister really loved him, and he was grateful beyond words to have her in his life.

When had he turned into a sap?

Hell, he'd ooze sap from every pore on his body if it meant he could make the two most important people in his life happy — Jamie and Calli.

To win over Rory, he'd have to can the sap and bring out his man arsenal. Whatever the stoic solicitor wanted to put him through, he'd do it. Anything. Absolutely anything.

Gavin looked at his sister. "Are we cool?"

"We've always been cool. This is your journey, and I'll support you any way I can."

"Don't think you can help me with Rory." Gavin glanced over his shoulder toward the doorway. "But first, I need to talk to Lachlan."

"Rory's not as bad as you think, but Lachlan is definitely a softer target."

He'd never thought of Lachlan MacTaggart as soft, but he got her meaning. Lachlan would be more open to the idea of not murdering Gavin.

Calli stood, and Gavin did the same. She hopped up on her toes to give him a firm hug. He held on to her a few seconds longer than he'd intended to and then he let go.

In a lot of ways.

She pushed him toward the door. "Go. Get it done."

He led the way this time and walked into the kitchen to find Lachlan making silly baby talk to Sarah. The kid was giggling and gurgling. Calli retrieved her daughter and left the room.

Gavin pulled out the chair across the table from Lachlan.

The Scot watched him without expression.

He dived in headfirst. "You once told me to show a little respect. Well, here goes."