The man harrumphed and muttered something about me needing to sign something. I followed him to his van, and Lacey went to speak to her brother.
My heart raced.
Was she going to leave again? Go back to Glasgow after all?
I needed this homophobic old tool to hurry the fuck up.
I scribbled my name on his form and raced down the lay-by in time to see Jonas’s car speed off. The fact he was heading towards Glencoe meant nothing. He might have been looking for a better place to turn.
He’d taken her.
What was I going to do?
I hauled open the door and gazed into the cab, only to find Lacey sitting looking around.
“A CD player? Really?”
I rolled my eyes. “The little thing at the side is an aux in player that connects to Bluetooth. Worry not, my modern music buff, you can still play music through your phone.”
“Thank goodness.” She gazed at me her eyebrow arched. “So, an animal hospital?”
I started the engine and pulled out onto the main road. The ambulance drove well. “Did I fuck up there with the recovery guy? Did I say the wrong thing about Jonas?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean parroting back his words about ‘gay nonsense’ to him and saying Jonas is a nice bloke. It seems a bit ... understated for the fact being gay shouldn’t even be a fucking issue in this day and age.”
She shook her head and chuckled. “Jonas heard the whole exchange. He says if I don’t give you a blow job for sticking up for him, Simon has given him permission to give you one as a thank you.”
“Would it be terribly homophobic of me to pass on his kind offer? I really don’t fancy your brother. Never have. Christ, he was so young when we met. The very thought is kind of incestuous.”
She laughed again. “It’s not homophobic and it’s fine. I’m hoping he was joking because that would be weird.”
“So, will you give me a blow job?” I asked.
“Rory.” Warning laced her tone.
I sighed. “A guy can dream.”
“You’ve got a semi as we speak, haven’t you?”
“Nope.”
“No?”
“A full hard on.”
She rolled her eyes and settled back in her seat. I thought of Maureen and Fraser in the hope of getting my body back under control.
Chapter 29
Rory
“WHAT IS THIS?” LACEY asked for the tenth time as we passed the Welcome to Glencoe sign.
“Hold your horses, Miss Impatient.”
“Well it’s kind of obvious, I think,” she said twisting in her seat to look into the back of the ambulance.
“If it’s obvious, why are you asking?”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re a fud?”
“Yes. You mostly, but a few of my pupils when I give them a punishment exercise.” I checked my rear-view mirror and pulled off the main road into the village.
“This feels like a punishment.”
“You’ll love it, I promise. And if your parents still don’t come around then you’ll have this to remember me by.”
She placed her hand onto my knee and leaned closer. “You’re doing this to impress my parents?”
We were pulling into the side of the road at her parents’ house, since there was no room in the driveway for a decommissioned ambulance.
Jonas and Simon had beaten us back and had dragged Lacey’s parents out into the street for our arrival. All four of them stood gaping as I put the vehicle in park and Lacey unbuckled herself and climbed out. She gave her mum and dad a quick hug, talking animatedly to them and gesturing to the ambulance.
I checked my pocket for the box I had picked up earlier in the morning and climbed out after her, taking a steadying breath.
“So, young man, you think—” started Fraser.
I held up a hand. “Please, sir, may I speak?”
“I suppose. Sir is a bit formal, though.”
“You revoked my right to call you by your first name.” He blanched and I regretted the words immediately. “I’m sorry. You had every right. I broke your daughter’s heart and I hurt you, your wife, and son. I have no right to expect forgiveness, but for Lacey’s sake, I’m asking for it anyway, because I believe she loves me, just as I love her.”
“I do love him,” Lacey said.
“You do?” I asked. “I thought you couldn’t say it.”
“It seems that now Jonas and Simon aren’t the only couple in our family with two sets of balls, I grew a pair.”
“As long as it was a literal pair. I like you just as you are.”
Jonas cleared his throat. “I don’t think my family want to know about what’s under our clothes.”
I looked around her family waiting patiently. “I know you’re all dying to hear about this ambulance. It’s decommissioned.” I led them to the back. “It’s been refitted into a mobile vet surgery, fully equipped. Obviously, there are some things you can’t do here, so we would need to organise a link with a regular vet surgery for certain procedures, but I had help from vets we went to uni with to make sure you have most of the stuff you need. I have some start off funding and have started the process of getting charitable status, but that’s going to take time. I want you to oversee it, Lacey, so I was unable to do very much of that side of the admin. You’ll also have to take your C1 driving test. I took mine this week so I could drive this behemoth up here.”
She ran her fingers through her hair, tugging slightly as she frowned and bit her lip. “This is great, but I can’t give up my job.”
“Of course not. I would suggest you start part-time. Maybe weekends or Saturdays. I’ll help as much as I can. We can move in together to save money if you want to go part-time.”
“Move in together. Again?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
She moved closer and placed a hand on my chest. “I’m not sure. I don’t know if I trust your commitment. This is fantastic, but you walked out on me a week ago.”
“To do this. I am committed. I love you.” I covered her hand with mine. “Tell me, baby, do you want to be with me forever if I can convince you I want this as a forever thing?”
She nodded and gestured to the ambulance. “This is just frosting.”
I looked at Fraser. “May I have a word, sir?”
The older man nodded, and I gestured a little down the street. He followed and fell into step with me.
“I love her,” I said solemnly.
He turned around and glanced at the ambulance. “Where did you get the money?”
I was tempted to tell him I stole it and the petulant child in me had to be tamped down. “Some of the fixings and equipment were donated, but I had some savings for most of it.”
“You spent your savings on my daughter?”
“Like I said, I love her.”
“What were you saving for?”
I rolled my eyes. He wasn’t going to be impressed, but I had to tell the truth. “Since you think my Audi is crass, you’re going to love this answer. I was saving for a second-hand Porsche. You can pick up a Boxster for under thirty grand.”