Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
“Rationally, I know that. But I carry a lot of guilt.” I shrugged sadly. “Anyway, there’s something else you should probably know before agreeing to this.”
“All right …?”
“We don’t talk about it a lot because of how sensitive a subject it is, but my dad has a record. He went to prison before I came into his life.”
Shock thrummed through me. Logan MacLeod was a bit of an intimidating dude, but he also was an upstanding guy who managed a couple of Braden Carmichael’s businesses for him. I tried to keep my expression neutral. “Why did he go to prison?”
“My aunt Shannon had a boyfriend who was abusing her. One day she tried to leave, and he beat her to a bloody pulp and almost raped her.”
Fucking hell. I pictured My’s tiny wee aunt and felt a murderous urge to kill some guy I didn’t know. And I understood why Logan MacLeod went to prison. “Your dad hurt him,” I guessed.
“He put him in a coma.” Maia shrugged. “Maybe I should feel otherwise, but I don’t blame my dad for doing what he did, even if the law does.”
“I don’t blame him either, My.”
“I didn’t think you would.” She smiled gratefully. “But my parents have pasts that other people would judge if they ever made it into the public sphere.”
“They won’t. We’ll make sure of it.”
“My point is, I’ve worked hard to get to where I am. The idea of splashing myself across social media and tabloids to be put under scrutiny … I don’t know if I’m built to deal with it.”
Damn it. How could I argue with that?
“But then …” She nibbled at her lips. “I don’t want to lose my job. And the campaign would only be for three months.”
Hope began to bloom. “It might be fun, My.”
She considered me. “Would it really help you out too?”
“Absolutely. It might even get me out of phony volunteer shite. Plus”—I wiggled my eyebrows in exaggeration—“can you imagine the look on Becky the Rat’s face when you tell her you’re now engaged to a professional footballer?”
Maia let out a gleeful snort of amusement, and my heart turned over.
“Is that a yes, My? Are we doing this thing?”
CHAPTER SIX
BAIRD
Driving through the streets of Falkirk felt strange now. It was my hometown, and yet I hadn’t lived there since I was eighteen. I’d played for the local team’s under 18s and got talent-scouted by Caledonia United. Since my big sister Ainsley had already made the move to Edinburgh, I liked the idea of being close so she had family in the city. Even if it meant leaving my mum and grandparents behind.
For a while, they made the effort to come into the city to see us, but my gran had a bad fall last winter and wasn’t able to travel as much.
Ainsley and I were driving home for Friday night dinner with them. I couldn’t do the weekend because I had a game, and I needed to tell them about my plans with Maia.
I still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to marry me.
“It’s weird,” Ainsley murmured as I drove along a street we used to ride our bikes on. The hill below it led down to a huge park near the primary and high schools we’d attended. The houses here were a mix of council and owned, pre-war and midcentury. I didn’t remember the parking being so bad, but now I had to slow right down to get my vehicle through the parked cars.
“What’s weird?” I asked as I indicated to turn up the hill and onto the street my grandparents’ house was on.
Our mum had moved us in with Gran and Granddad after our dad bolted. We didn’t remember him. All we knew was his name (Andrew Mancini) and that he was Scottish Italian. Mum didn’t like talking about him, and I refused to be curious about the arsehole who fucking abandoned us. Ainsley was a wee bit more interested than me, but I told her to leave me out of it if she ever decided to go searching.
As far as I was concerned, Granddad was the only father figure I’d ever needed.
“What’s weird?” I repeated as I pulled up to the house. My grandfather had been smart and years ago had the curb dropped so he could turn the front garden into a driveway. It was tight maneuvering, but I managed to reverse the BMW in.
“Everything is so familiar, but it feels like we lived here in another life.”
I switched off the engine. “Aye. That’s a good way to describe it.”
“I wish we could talk them into moving closer to us.”
“I know. I suppose it wouldn’t be fair. They’ve lived here their whole lives.”
My sister sighed. “Aye, I suppose.”
It was tight getting out because we were parked right up against Mum’s car but I managed. It was easier for my tiny big sister.