Highlander Ever After

A Secret to Tell

Mack

“OK, Jer is gone now. Tell me why are you really here?” Daniel was staring at me with narrowed eyes and his arms crossed over his chest. How was I going to tell him that I had been seeing someone from a grief counseling group I went to?

He rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in disgust. “Look, Jer is my husband but you are my best friend. Now, if you don’t tell me what is up, I am going to assume you came here because you wanted a three-way with Jer and me.”

I choked and shook my head. I just couldn’t do that even if I were drunk.

“Dona judge me. I started going to a counseling group after the will reading and Alexei’s death.” He tilted his head and c****d an eyebrow at me.

“Fine, that still doesn’t explain why you are on my honeymoon.” I raked my hands through my hair and sighed.

“I am here to meet someone; we are having a small getaway with the two of us. I wanted to book the place that ye and Jer were at just in case something happened.” He continued to stare at me and then pinched the bridge of his nose.

There was disappointment in his eyes and I wasn’t sure if it was because I was dating someone, or if I had lied about why I was there.

“Why didn’t you just say something? Besides, I thought you were hell-bent on getting Anna back.” I was confused as well, but she was grieving and I could not compete with a ghost. Besides, even if Alexei did give us his blessing, I still felt strange about pursuing her.

“So do you have a picture of this girl and what is her name?” I took out my phone and showed him a picture of Dahlia and me at a street festival. I smiled and Daniel shook his head.

“I’m not disappointed you started dating Mack, let me get that out in the open. I just don’t want you to lead anyone on if you’re not going to be serious about them.” He glanced toward the door and I knew what he was talking about.

“Aye, I get it. There is something else ye need to know. My family found out about my involvement with Anna and they dona approve.” Daniel scrunched up his nose and tapped his fingers on his knee.

“Since when do you care what the upper crust Mackenzie’s think of you?” I didn’t, but they were the ones that held the strings to my trust fund. I have been living off of that and the money I make through handyman work.

Felix disowned the family and decided he wanted to make his own way in the world and not depend on the Mackenzie clan for anything. I wish I had half his courage. Even my sisters are making their own way in the world and cutting ties with the family.

Sullivan and I were the only male heirs to the Mackenzie clan and my parents have written off Sullivan as a black sheep and loser. So all the pressure to carry on the name of the family and the Mackenzie line lies on me.

They were not thrilled when I was dating Claire, but at least she was not an American. When I told them about Anna, they told me not to even pursue it again. She was fickle as it was stringing Alexei and me along.

I couldn’t even defend her because they didn’t want to hear it. When I met Dahlia, I was immediately drawn to her, she was quiet and we both lost a friend to cancer. She lost her lifelong friend and mentor to breast cancer.

We met a few times after the meetings and then we decided to try a lunch date and it just went from there. I told her about Claire and what happened with Anna. She sipped her Earl Grey and listened. I half expected her to go running into the street but she nodded and said she understood.

It was two months after the first meeting that we went on our official date and had our first kiss. A month after the first date, I introduced her to my parents, who approved of her. In fact, they seemed utterly ecstatic that I had moved on from the American.

I told Dahlia that I would have to stop by the farm every now and then because of Caleb and she understood. She was not jealous that I would be around the woman I had feelings for.

“What were ye saying, Daniel?” He sighed dramatically and stared at me as if I had lost my senses.

“I asked you when you were going to be meeting her because I would like to get back to my honeymoon. Also, I love you Mack, but I will end you if you do anything to make my husband and Anna unhappy.” I swallowed and closed my eyes.

“I hear ye, and I am going now. She has just arrived at the hotel.” I gave Daniel a salute and he watched me as I exited the room.

The real secret that I was hiding was that Dahlia was a cam girl, she entertained men for money on websites and she made her own way in life. She did it to support herself and her twin daughters.

My friends didn’t need to know that though, it was bad enough that I was already dating someone. My parents definitely did not need to know either.

Dally: Where are you? I’m in the lobby and things are about to get heated. This guy looks like he is about to punch the desk clerk.

Me: I was visiting my friend Daniel. I will meet you at the bar.

Dally: You sure you don’t want to watch the drama unfold?

I winced, I had a sneaking suspicion the drama was being caused by Jer and I was the root of the drama. I was not ready to deal with more of his anger.

Me: Trust me, honey, if it is who I think it is, I want to avoid that headache.

Dally: OK but you owe me details. Love you.

Me: Love you too.

I wasn’t going to give her details, there were parts of my life I wanted to keep to myself right now.