we leave?" He leaned back on his elbows, tipping his face up into the sunlight.
"In four days’ time," she said. "We need to be in Scotland for Braemar."
Braemar was on the first Saturday in September, yet between now and then not only were they going to need to do a complete tour of Wales but also their engagement party was booked. All of this meant that Cat was going to have to leave the majority of her wedding preparations in Lowri's hands. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing. Myf seemed to be leaving a large amount of her wedding in Lowri and Kasen's hands and it was undoubtedly going to be an amazing event.
"Scotland?" he said, pulling her from her thoughts. "I haven’t been there since I used to go hiking with Eilidh.”
A flash of jealousy flared up in her then, and she had to swallow it down. Eilidh had been the girl that Valto had dated on and off, from within a couple of weeks of breaking it off with her to when he had gone to Iraq. There had obviously been a large amount of affection between the two of them if he had been willing to take her back several times, yet hadn't even wanted to look at Cat again.
Valto must have sensed that her mood had changed, because he placed a hand on her arm. "Hey are you alright?"
"Yeah," she said, moving to stand up and brush the grass from her skirt. "I'm fine."
"Cat." He climbed to his feet as well. "Has something happened?”
She couldn't help but laugh at that, shaking her head as she did so. "No it's more what's happened between you and Eilidh."
She immediately regretted voicing those words. She didn't want Valto to know that she was jealous of anyone, didn't want it to appear that she was more emotionally invested in this than she pretended to be.
"Eilidh and I have been over for ages," he said. "Like years, Cat."
It was so typical that he wouldn't understand what her concerns were, that he had been seduced by her not a month after he had decided that he didn't want Cat anymore. There was the fear, as irrational as it may be, that once they got back to Scotland and he was within the other woman's presence again that he might decide to throw Cat away again.
"You went straight to her from me." She shrugged again and turned away from him. "Made me realize just how much our seven years together had actually meant to you."
"Woah." He grabbed her by the shoulders and physically turned her around to look at him. "What are you saying?"
It felt like her chest was caving in on itself, the pain of all those years ago suddenly feeling like it was being heaped up on her again.
"I'm saying that you and Eilidh were friends for a while before we broke up." She pulled away from his hands. "I have always wondered whether Johann was just a convenient excuse for you to leave me and go to her. I suppose that's how it feels to be second best."
His face fell and he reached for her again. "No Cat, you've never been second best. I was hurt and angry, and I wanted to make you see that I didn't need you and I was happy."
Those words made her gasp and draw even further away from him, her eyes focused on the ground so that she didn't have to see the pity in his.
"I see." Taking several calming breaths she squared her shoulders and looked straight ahead. "Very well."
"No." Valto moved to stand in front of her, a determined look on his face as he ducked his head to meet her eyes. "I'm not saying any of this properly."
"I think you've made yourself perfectly clear," she said.
"I wasn't happy with her." He stepped closer to her then, one hand hovering over her cheek as if he was afraid to touch her. "I don't think I could be happy with anyone except you."
"Don't be silly."
His other hand came up then so he could cup her face, tilting it up so that she looked him in the eye. "I'm serious Cat, I've loved you forever."
That love hadn't been enough though, and she knew that it wouldn't be enough now. "I'm sorry Valto, but I don't believe that."
His grey eyes searched her face as
"In four days’ time," she said. "We need to be in Scotland for Braemar."
Braemar was on the first Saturday in September, yet between now and then not only were they going to need to do a complete tour of Wales but also their engagement party was booked. All of this meant that Cat was going to have to leave the majority of her wedding preparations in Lowri's hands. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing. Myf seemed to be leaving a large amount of her wedding in Lowri and Kasen's hands and it was undoubtedly going to be an amazing event.
"Scotland?" he said, pulling her from her thoughts. "I haven’t been there since I used to go hiking with Eilidh.”
A flash of jealousy flared up in her then, and she had to swallow it down. Eilidh had been the girl that Valto had dated on and off, from within a couple of weeks of breaking it off with her to when he had gone to Iraq. There had obviously been a large amount of affection between the two of them if he had been willing to take her back several times, yet hadn't even wanted to look at Cat again.
Valto must have sensed that her mood had changed, because he placed a hand on her arm. "Hey are you alright?"
"Yeah," she said, moving to stand up and brush the grass from her skirt. "I'm fine."
"Cat." He climbed to his feet as well. "Has something happened?”
She couldn't help but laugh at that, shaking her head as she did so. "No it's more what's happened between you and Eilidh."
She immediately regretted voicing those words. She didn't want Valto to know that she was jealous of anyone, didn't want it to appear that she was more emotionally invested in this than she pretended to be.
"Eilidh and I have been over for ages," he said. "Like years, Cat."
It was so typical that he wouldn't understand what her concerns were, that he had been seduced by her not a month after he had decided that he didn't want Cat anymore. There was the fear, as irrational as it may be, that once they got back to Scotland and he was within the other woman's presence again that he might decide to throw Cat away again.
"You went straight to her from me." She shrugged again and turned away from him. "Made me realize just how much our seven years together had actually meant to you."
"Woah." He grabbed her by the shoulders and physically turned her around to look at him. "What are you saying?"
It felt like her chest was caving in on itself, the pain of all those years ago suddenly feeling like it was being heaped up on her again.
"I'm saying that you and Eilidh were friends for a while before we broke up." She pulled away from his hands. "I have always wondered whether Johann was just a convenient excuse for you to leave me and go to her. I suppose that's how it feels to be second best."
His face fell and he reached for her again. "No Cat, you've never been second best. I was hurt and angry, and I wanted to make you see that I didn't need you and I was happy."
Those words made her gasp and draw even further away from him, her eyes focused on the ground so that she didn't have to see the pity in his.
"I see." Taking several calming breaths she squared her shoulders and looked straight ahead. "Very well."
"No." Valto moved to stand in front of her, a determined look on his face as he ducked his head to meet her eyes. "I'm not saying any of this properly."
"I think you've made yourself perfectly clear," she said.
"I wasn't happy with her." He stepped closer to her then, one hand hovering over her cheek as if he was afraid to touch her. "I don't think I could be happy with anyone except you."
"Don't be silly."
His other hand came up then so he could cup her face, tilting it up so that she looked him in the eye. "I'm serious Cat, I've loved you forever."
That love hadn't been enough though, and she knew that it wouldn't be enough now. "I'm sorry Valto, but I don't believe that."
His grey eyes searched her face as
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