Page 4 of Back Where He Belongs

“Aye, the ginger gene is strong with you Campbell’s.”

“You can say that again!” They both snickered knowingly.

The Range Rover came to a junction, and the snow-covered, barely visible signpost displayed that Inchmabrack was a mile to the left, and Rosbrae was two miles to the right. The conversation ceased for a companionable minute while the windscreen wipers vigorously swished back and forth clearing the heavy snow from the glass. Douglas slowly took the right turn into a narrower one lane country road. There was no room to turn around, and no going back now.

Douglas McLelland looked fit, smelled good, and Kier couldn’t help but long for the days when they’d lain together in his parent's barn and spoken about their dreams and wishes for the future. He wondered whether Douglas’s wishes had come true. Had he found an orchard and set up his Artisan Cider Brewery?

Some of Kier’s dreams certainly had come true. He’d traveled to Mordor and Mount Doom on the Lord of the Rings hiking trail in New Zealand. He’d backpacked around Indonesia. Kier had done many of the adventurous things he’d set out to do, but, strangely, none of them satisfied him in the way he dreamed they would. In fact, he’d experienced a disquieting feeling of emptiness while traveling and it had taken him a long while to understand why. He’d had transient travel buddies on the trips and the occasional one-night-stand, but he’d found no one special to share the memories with, and it saddened him.

“Have ye eaten? There’s a beef stew in the slow cooker, should be perfect by the time we get home if Mac hasn’t started without us scoffed the lot.”

Mac. So that was his boyfriend’s name. “If it’s no trouble.”

“Nah, I always make enough to feed us for a few meals.”

“Great. I’m famished. Beef stew sounds perfect.” Kier said enthusiastically trying to hide the knot of jealousy he felt.

An awkward tension grew between the men as the vehicle trundled down dark roads with just the glare of their headlights illuminating the way, bouncing reflections off of the dashing snow. There was so much that had been left unsaid since Kier’s departure, and it was all simmering under the surface.

Over the years there were times when Kier longed for Douglas. Ached for the escape, they would find in one another’s arms. Kier had wanted to call his sister and find out Douglas’s phone number, but their break-up had been bad—fierce arguments and ultimatums that led to the severing of the deepest of bonds. Kier intended to travel for a few years. Douglas wanted to invest the nest egg left to him by his grandfather into his own business. They’d both been raw and angry when he’d gone, and so Kier decided that it wasn’t fair to dredge up the past because he was feeling temporarily lonesome. He knew he’d broken Douglas’s trust and his heart. So he’d let things lie as he had left them—in tatters.

“How long have you been with Mac?” Kier questioned, his manner relaxed and talkative. A long, pensive silence followed as Douglas reached a crossroads where two other vehicles were skidding on an icy stretch of road, trying to find traction to move on.

“Around three years,” Douglas answered.

“What’s he like? Will he mind me staying over?”

“Mac’s a bit of a party animal—he loves company, and course he won’t mind. The more, the merrier.” Douglas said with a twitch of a smile on his face.

Kier drew his phone from his pocket and was relieved to see that at last, he had a signal. He called his parents and explained that he’d broken down and rescued by none other than Douglas McLelland. He also explained that the weather was so bad he probably wouldn’t be there for Christmas Day.

“It’s okay if I stay for the day, isn’t it?” Kier said to Douglas when he ended the call and realized he shouldn’t have assumed he could extend his stopover.

“Aye, I nearly forgot what day it was for a moment. Yer right; there’s no way you would make it to Inverness for Christmas Day. We were goin’ to have a quiet day anyways, so you’re most welcome. I knew the storm was comin’ in, so I’ve stocked up with loads of Christmas treats.”

Jealousy sparked in Kier’s chest at the thought of Mac and Douglas sharing a quiet romantic Christmas without the hullabaloo of a big family gathering. It sounded nice. It was the kind of Christmas Kier had always longed for, if he’d ever found that special man he could settle down with.

It dawned on him that he had just become the third wheel and ruined any chance for Dougie and Mac to have the romantic Christmas they must have been preparing for. Kier glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the back seat was laden with supplies for the holidays. He grimaced. It was not how he had envisaged spending Christmas at all.

If Kier was honest with himself, he hadn’t even planned to look Douglas up or meet him during his two-week vacation. The past was too painful. Letting sleeping dogs lie was best for both of them. Douglas had moved on, and no matter the rush of attraction Kier felt at seeing he ex-lover, he was not here to ruin Dougie’s relationship.

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