Among the Heather (The Highlands, #2) (81)

“I was thinking, once I’ve had another five million coffees, maybe we could take a trip to Aberdeen today. Do a little East Coast college wardrobe shopping?”

Allegra’s brow wrinkled as she slid into the breakfast nook beside me. “Isn’t that a long way to go for shopping?”

“We could get the train from Inverness. Stay overnight. Maybe have a cocktail or two?”

My sister nodded. “That does sound good, but I think you should see something first.” She slid her phone along the table.

I scowled. “Nope. No. Every time someone says that and passes me the phone, there’s something not good at the other end.” I’d avoided googling anything that might bring up articles about me and North. I didn’t have social media accounts since deleting them when I broke up with Lucas. And North’s team ran his, so it was mostly work-related stuff they posted for him. Now and then, he’d post something a bit more relaxed from location. But nothing about us because he didn’t want to fire up the online storm again.

“Okay, crabby.” Allegra tapped her phone screen, and it lit up to show a paused video of North. “But I really think you’re going to want to see this one.”

I looked my sister in the eye. “You promise this won’t hurt me?”

She gave me a small, tender smile. “I promise, big sis.”

Tapping the screen, I watched as a pretty interviewer asked North something in Japanese. A voice off-screen translated it, and I tensed at the question.

“Now that you’re dating legendary film director Wesley Howard’s daughter, does that mean we can expect you to star in one of his upcoming movies?”

North looked relaxed, even though this question was like the boulder in our relationship, rolling toward us, picking up speed, readying to crush our love to death.

“No,” North answered, a smile in his voice to soften the bluntness of his answer. I sucked in a breath as he continued, “As much as I admire Wesley as a filmmaker, I don’t believe in mixing business with family. Aria is my family, and she’s Wesley’s daughter.”

“Oh my God,” I whispered, shocked.

The translator restated his response to the interviewer, who asked another question.

“Does that mean you’re saying you’ll never work with Wesley Howard?”

North shrugged casually, even though his next words most certainly were not casual. “Aria’s the one. So, no. I’ll never work with Wesley Howard.”

My eyes flew to Allegra, who grinned like a Cheshire cat while blood pounded in my ears. “Where did you find this?”

“It’s all over the internet. Western media picked it up. The headlines are SCOTS ACTOR WILL NEVER WORK WITH LEGENDARY DIRECTOR and NORTH HUNTER SAYS HE’S FOUND THE ONE.” Allegra shook her head in joyful amazement. “Boy, when he makes up his mind about something, he doesn’t hold back, huh?”

“Oh my God.”

“Is that all you’re going to say?”

Before I could respond, my phone chimed. I reached over to pick it up.

“Who is it?”

Joy filled me as I swiped the screen to see the text from our father. “It’s Dad.” He’d sent the link to North’s interview with just three words:

I like him.





“He really loves you, Ari. For real.”

I nodded, unable to control the stupid tears spilling down my cheeks. They wouldn’t stop even as I swiped at them.

Allegra scooted around the bench and pulled me into her arms. “I’m so happy for you.”

Holding tight to her, I cried with pure relief.

I’d given my heart over to North so completely, in a way I never had to anyone. That meant his love had the power to break me, and for too long, that’s what I’d focused on.

I hadn’t focused on the fact that his love had the power to heal me, too, and I was so grateful that when I truly, deeply fell in love with a man, it was with North.

He was a freaking unicorn.

And he was all mine.





Thirty-Five


NORTH





Iwas beginning to think maybe Aria had some kind of news filter on her phone so she wouldn’t see any articles relating to either of us.

The Japanese interview I’d done had exploded beyond even what I’d imagined. While some articles called me arrogant for daring to say I didn’t want to work with Wesley Howard, most were in raptures over me calling Aria “the one.” My publicist was loving the positive media and subsequent polish to my reputation. For her, it was great that I was being linked so seriously to such a well-respected Hollywood family.

Yet that wasn’t why I’d said what I said.

I said it because it was true, and I never wanted Aria to doubt that I was with her for her and only her.

But we’d exchanged texts since the blowup, and she hadn’t said a word about it. The eight-hour time difference made it difficult to call without scheduling it, and I’d already gotten her out of bed before the crack of dawn to catch up. We’d finished filming a night shoot, and it was just past midnight in Scotland. I couldn’t call her now.

I’d banged up my shoulder during a stunt and I wanted nothing more than to return to my hotel room and soak in the tub. And try not to fixate on the fact that Aria hadn’t mentioned the interview. Some of my costars, including Eden, had given me a friendly ribbing today. Theo had texted: