The sky turned orange as we pulled up to the MacLeod family estate in Lachlan's town car a few hours later. The wrought iron gates slowly swung open and the car crunched down the gravel path before pulling up in front of a sparkling blue fountain.

"Wow," I breathed, glancing over at Fionn.

He sat next to me knocking his thumbs against each other. "I'm sorry."

I frowned. "Sorry about what?"

Fionn winced and gestured outside. "I didn't tell you about my family's place. I—"

"Fionn, hey." I covered his hand with mine. "I don't care that your dad lives in a big estate or that you grew up in one. It doesn't change anything about how I feel about you, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

Lachlan helped us with our bags and we walked up to the front door. I slipped my hand into Fionn's as he rang the doorbell. Catriona opened the door a beat later, her eyes widening when she saw us. Her gaze lingered on our interlocked fingers.

"Mum, dad! They're here!" she called behind her. Before either of us could say anything, Cat pulled me into a hug then gave one to her brother.

Laughter echoed down the long interior hallways, followed soon after by a woman and a man who had his arm securely around her waist. In his other hand, Angus MacLeod held a glass of whiskey.

"Fionn, mo ghràdh it's so great to see you." The woman had the same bright and kind blue eyes as her son. "And who is this?" She turned to me.

I cleared my throat and stepped forward. "Emilie Taylor, Mrs. MacLeod. I've been staying above the bookstore in Wigtown and, um, I'm Fionn's girlfriend."

Her face broke into a grin. "That is fantastic! Welcome. And please, call me Maisie."

"Thank you, Maisie. You have a lovely home here," I said. "I'm very pleased that Fionn offered me the opportunity to spend Christmas with you all."

Fionn squeezed my hand. "I told you, it's no trouble. Come, I'll show you upstairs."

"Actually, let me do it," Catriona interjected. Before either of us could say another word, Catriona rolled my suitcase down the hallway and over to the large staircase adorned by a mahogany banister. She led me up the stairs wordlessly then down a long corridor with several rooms on each side.

I paused outside one of the rooms. Dark blue walls peeked out from a semi-closed door.

"That's Fionn's room." Catriona pulled my suitcase to a stop beside her by the next door. "You'll be staying in this one. We have a, er, policy on significant others staying in separate rooms while visiting. My parents' rule."

"That makes sense," I said.

Catriona led me inside the next room, setting the suitcase beside the bed. "There is an adjoining door in the closet." She winked at me.

I blushed. "Thanks. I, um, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about me and Fionn sooner, it's just that it all happened so fast—"

"Em, it's okay." Catriona laughed and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm glad to see you happy again. I saw the way you looked at him when I was in Wigtown and how devastated you were with the whole stargazing thing."

"Yeah, about that—"

"You of all people, Cat, should know stargazing isn't a pick up move." Fionn's voice sounded behind us. "At least not for me. You don't remember mum taking us when we were kids? We drove for two hours to this beautiful little field in the middle of nowhere."

Catriona wrinkled her nose. "Vaguely. I must've been, what, four? Anyway, things seem to have worked out well for you two lovebirds. I'll leave you to it, but we'll be having dinner in a while so don't get too carried away."

"We'll be down soon," I said.

"Oh! One more thing before I go." Catriona opened the closet and handed me a folded set of clothes. "Your official MacLeod family pajamas. Welcome to the family."

I brushed my fingers over the fabric. The traditional red and green colors were etched together in an intricate pattern. Sewn on the center of the top was a penguin in a top hat, holding a mug. On the bottom corner in swoopy letters was the monogram 'CM'.

"Cat, this is gorgeous," I commented.

Catriona beamed. "Thanks. Being employed as a fashion designer has its perks. I'll see you both downstairs."

Once she was out of earshot, Fionn pulled me into the room and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I'm glad you're here with me," he murmured in my hair.

"Me too." I closed my eyes and breathed in the woodsy scent of his aftershave. "But are you sure your parents are okay with me crashing your family holiday? I don't want to be a burden on them."

"You're not a burden." He pressed his lips gently against mine. "I know my father can be intimidating but he won't try anything with my mum here."

I raised my eyebrows. "We've been dating less than a day, are you sure he won't say anything? I mean, the first time we met he already thought you and I were sleeping together."

Fionn chuckled and shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll be right by your side, okay? If he says anything, I'll step in."

"Okay." I kissed him again, letting the taste of his lips wash away the sudden wave of nerves that had overpowered my senses.

***

Dinner went by without a hitch, and soon we were all gathered around the fireplace in the matching pajamas that Catriona had made for the family. With a fire crackling a bright orange on the logs in front of us, I felt right at home. Peaceful.

This was everything I never had with Kyle.

Fionn leaned over and handed me a warm mug. Inside, a frothy white mixture sprinkled with nutmeg filled the glass, the spiced scent of vanilla and whisky wafting to my nose. I smiled. Eggnog was my absolute favorite holiday drink.

I lifted the glass to my lips, letting the liquid roll over my tongue. "Maisie, this eggnog is delicious!"

Maisie laughed. "Thank you, love. But we actually call it by a different name here in Scotland: Auld Man's milk."

"And I'd go easy on it," Fionn added. "Mum likes to make it extra strong."

"I think I can handle a little bit of whiskey," I teased, taking another long sip.

"So, Catriona tells us that you and Fionn met because you've been staying at the flat above our family's bookstore," Maisie said. "Have you enjoyed your time here in Scotland?"

I nodded, wrapping my hands tighter around my mug. "Yes. It's been very relaxing so far."

"And you started dating Fionn pretty quickly then," Angus chimed in.

The eggnog hit my airway and I doubled over into a fit of coughs. Fionn rubbed my back while glaring at his father.

"Emilie and I only started dating recently," Fionn answered for me while I gulped down a glass of water. "We are taking things a day at a time, not rushing anything."

Except that we slept together, I thought to myself. I sent a smile in Fionn's direction, squeezing his hand.

His father cleared his throat and nodded. "Aye. In the spirit of the holidays, I want to apologize for your first impression of me, Emilie, on that day we met over at Fionn's flat. I misjudged you."

My throat finally settled so I could speak again.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. I want you all to know that I would never do anything to hurt Fionn. Even though I've only known him a short while, I..." I took a deep breath and smiled. Fionn smiled back, the corners of his blue eyes crinkling. "I really, really like him."

"Well, that's good," Fionn teased, "because I really really like you too." He leaned forward and kissed me, which led to cheers from Catriona who immediately insisted on getting a photo of the two of us by the tree. We indulged, of course, because it was Christmas after all.

When our mugs were empty and our stomachs full, I watched in awe as the MacLeod family engaged in a round of rambunctious holiday singing. Pulling my knees up to my chest, my mind wandered back to the several Christmases I had spent with Kyle.

In actuality, we never had a proper Christmas together. Usually, he'd go out drinking with a few of his buddies and I would spend time with my girlfriends. The first Christmas after we got together, Kyle dressed up in red boxer shorts, suspenders, and the very-fitting Santa hat. He got a kick out of seeing the look on my face, and it would've been fine if it had just been the two of us, but he'd insisted on his buddies joining with their girlfriends. It was total chaos.

But here in the MacLeod's living room, I truly felt like I was with family. They'd welcomed me with open arms and I never wanted to let go.

Catriona tugged at my arm, breaking me away from my thoughts. "C'mon, help me clean up the dishes."

She led me into the kitchen, opening the pantry door to block our conversation from the other room.

"This thing with you and Fionn," she said, turning on the sink to wash the dishes. "Is it a fling? Or something more serious? Because as much as you're my friend, Fionn is my brother, and I don't want to see either of you get hurt."

The edge of the counter felt cold against my back.

"So?" Catriona looked at me expectantly.

"It's..." I didn't know how to answer. We weren't a fling, but we weren't anything serious yet, were we? I mean, we'd slept together and I knew I didn't want to be apart from him.

He's not Kyle, the voice in my head reminded me. He treats you right. You deserve to be with someone like him.

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," I settled on answering. "I like him a lot and that's not going to change."

Cat pursued her lips in thought then broke into a grin, throwing her arms around me. "I'm so happy for you both. It's been a long time coming and I should've let things happen naturally after the stargazing. I never should've gotten involved the way I did."

"I don't blame you for the stargazing mishap," I said. "Maybe I did a little at first, but I mostly blamed myself. It was an honest misunderstanding, but things have worked out and we're together now."

"Seeing you two together makes me so happy. I've always wanted my brother to find someone amazing, and now he has you." She squeezed my hand and we walked back to the other room.

I smiled. "Fionn truly is something special."

My phone buzzed in my pocket as I sat down next to Fionn again. I fished it out, glancing at the screen. A notification flashed across it: "Casewell Writing Program Decision Enclosed!"

My eyes widened. The screen unlocked upon recognition of my face and the first lines of the email revealed my fate:

Congratulations! We are pleased to invite you...

Fionn pressed a kiss to the side of my head. "What are you so giddy about?"

I quickly locked the screen so he couldn't see and couldn't help the smile that found its way onto my lips.

"Nothing," I replied, turning my head to capture his lips against mine. "I'm just happy that I get to spend this time with you."