My Heart's in the Highlands by Angeline Fortin (ebook reader screen TXT) 📕

The answer mattered as much to him as it didto her. Perhaps more. Jace had chased her across continents. Faithhad always been his before, and she didn’t want him to lose thatnow. Not when hers was rising to meet his. Heart pounding, Mikahspoke the simple truth: “I always have.”

With a groan, Jace lifted his head and drewher down for a brief but passionate kiss. “I was lost without you.Miserable. I never want to feel that way again.”

“Neither do I.”

“Ooh, you’re the best friend that I everhad, I’ve been with you such a long time

You’re my sunshine and I …” Freddy Mercury’s voice crooned andMikah leaned over the side of the bed to pull her phone out of herpurse. She sat up again, sweeping her hair to the side as sheanswered chidingly, “Really? You’re calling now?”

She listened, her eyes locking with Jace’sand lighting with humor. He was toying with her hair impatiently.“Why yes, Kris, that’s exactly what I’m doing. If you knew that,why did you call?”

Jace grinned and ran his hands up Mikah’sthighs.

“Yes, it’s very nice … You’re killing me,really.”

His hand went high enough to make hergasp.

“What?” Mikah frowned suddenly, her handslapping down over Jace’s, bringing him to a halt. “Are you kiddingme? Why would you do that?”

Jace frowned as well.

“Well, thanks a lot, Kris!” she saidsarcastically, climbing off Jace before she found a robe andshrugged it on.

“What is it?” he asked, concern writtenplainly on his face, but Mikah only rolled her eyes.

“You should have known better,” she went on,indignantly. “Yes, I know you talk to them every New Year, but didyou have to tell them? Slipped out? You are the worst friendever!”

Mikah shook her head, her vivid eyes lockingwith Jace’s. He could see something there beyond the irritation.Panic?

“How long do I have?” she asked and her eyeswidened. “Ugh, I hate you!”

Jace could hear Kris’s protest even from adistance. “Fine! I love you but you owe me big … Yes, you betterget over here and help save my ass! Fine. Bye.”

Mikah hung up the phone and gripped ittightly as she dropped down on the edge of the bed, staring atJace. “I so hate to do this to you, Jace.”

“What is it?”

“My parents are coming.”

“Beg pardon?” he asked with a blink. Whilethe idea was unexpected, it certainly wasn’t the worst thing in theworld.

“Kris’s parents call him every New Year’s Eveat midnight … silly, I know. My parents do it, too.” Mikah pausedand stared down at her phone with a frown. “They didn’t tonight,and I guess I know why. Kris told his parents about you and theywere out with mine, so I suppose they told them and they’re noteven bothering to call …”

“Mikah, you’re rambling.”

“Yes, I do that when I’m nervous, you know.”She ran a hand through her hair and stood, trying to tug thebedclothes back into order. “Get up and get dressed, please.Quickly. They were in town for the Harley party, so we have onlyabout fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes tops.”

“Do you expect me to run?” he asked with asmile.

“I want to. Why wouldn’t you?” she asked,dropping her robe. Her slender nudity was his for only a momentlonger before she yanked on a sweatshirt that she just as quicklydiscarded. Instead she pulled on the same dress she had beenwearing.

“I’d love to meet them,” he said, but Mikahanswered that with high keening. The sound was one of utterdisbelief.

“Mikah, I am an earl. A captain in theQueen’s Army Air Corps,” he said with some hauteur, though he didrise and pull on his trousers. “I’m sure I can handle your motherand father.”

The half laugh, half whimper sounded again asshe straightened her dress and hair and returned her franticattention to the bed. “Are you kidding? You want to try explainingthis to them? I haven’t had a boyfriend in years, a single date inmonths, and all of a sudden a man like you shows up and is in mybed in minutes? They’ll grill you up and down. They’ll want to knowwhere we met, when we met, how much you make.”

Her parents had been wonderful over the pastcouple of months, but they worried as parents did. Her father,especially, knew that there was something deeper going on, thoughMikah hadn’t been able to bring herself to tell him everything. Herquestion on the plane had related to him much of what had been leftunsaid. He would want answers. Demand them. What could she say?

“I don’t even know your birthday.”

“March tenth. I will be thirty-four.” Jacebuttoned his shirt slowly as he watched her fidget with the covers,torn between amusement and concern. “I always thought you were verycalm in a crisis before.”

“Yea, well, this dad isn’t quite as easygoingas the last one,” she said flippantly, twitching at the covers oncemore. “And now I have four older brothers to boot.”

Ahh, that was it then. She was nervous abouthow he would be accepted by her parents.

“Mikah,” he said softly, his brogue a subtlepurr. “Look at me.”

She did, her eyes a little wild, and Jacesmiled, reaching for her hand and drawing her close. He stroked hisknuckles down her cheek, and the tension escaped her with a singlesigh. Mikah softened against him. Trusting. Jace swore then anddetermined never to let that faith be misplaced. “I will handle it,I promise.”

“How?” she asked, loving the feel of hisstrong hand diving into the hair at the base of her neck and gentlymassaging the muscles there. Of their own accord, her arms slippedaround his waist, the urgency of her situation forgotten with justa touch.

“I will simply tell them the truth,” Jacesaid softly as he cradled her head in hands, his dark eyes holdinghers with the emotion that shone so clearly. “I will tell them thatI fell in love with their bonny daughter the moment I first laideyes on her. That she holds my heart undeniably and I would conquertime itself to keep her.”

Emotion seized Mikah’s heart at his tenderwords. It was a powerful love, a meeting of souls that had alwaysbeen. It could conquer anything, even a father’s fierce protection.“That might just work.”

Jace smiled at that, resting