To Renna Rose Lancaster, Aadam Callahan was her first taste of magic-the boy who made her world feel livelier, brighter, like anything was possible. Together they crafted a bond that felt unbreakable-a universe where dreams were shared under starlit...
"Forever might be a long time but I wouldn't mind spending it with you."
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The rain had started earlier, light but persistent, misting the windows with fine droplets. Rose was tucked snugly against me, her head buried in my chest, as if seeking warmth from the icy November winds that seemed to penetrate even through the car’s insulated walls. I could feel her fingers tracing random patterns on my forearm, a habit of hers when she was lost in thought.
“Alright, listen up!” Cameron announced suddenly, breaking the temporary lull. “We’re making a pit stop.”
Rose stirred against me, her head lifting slightly. “Why are we stopping?” she murmured, her voice like a whisper of silk.
I tilted my head to look out the window as the car slowed, the familiar sight of a stone cottage coming into view.
This was Càrn Beatha, the home of Cameron’s Nana, a place that was as much a second home to me as Cameron’s cheeky grin was a fixture in my life.
It was quintessentially Highland—a low-roofed structure nestled against the hillside, its walls made of rough stone, with patches of moss creeping across them like nature’s tapestry.
Smoke curled from the chimney, and a light glowed invitingly from the window, though the wind carried the faintest echo of bleating sheep and the occasional quack of a duck.
A weathered wooden gate marked the entrance to a small paddock, where a handful of chickens and ducks darted around, oblivious to the drizzle.
“This,” I said, brushing a stray curl from her cheek, “is Cameron’s Nana’s home. We’re stopping to say hi.”
“Wait, we’re visiting her now?” she asked, glancing between me and the house.
“Of course! Gran would never forgive me if I passed through without stopping,” Cameron said, grinning as he parked the car. “And she’s been asking about Aadam-boy since the last time I saw her. Bet she doesn’t even remember she has an actual grandson.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Don’t listen to him, sweetheart. She’s just really fond of me because I don’t raid her biscuit tin like someone we know.”
He gasped, clutching his chest dramatically. “Haud yer wheesht, Callahan. How dare you accuse me of such treachery in front of my own girlfriend?”
“Because it’s true,” Isla quipped, leaning over to swat Cameron lightly. “Your gran will raise the roof if Aadam doesn't stop by when we're here, but if it's you? Eh, maybe she'll notice, maybe not.”
