Lorna chimed in. “I was hoping you could help her. But don’t let on that you know about the triplets yet. It’ll ruin the surprise we have for you.”
Holly looked askance at Lorna. “Okay. But can I at least introduce Fraser to my dad first?”
Lorna nodded. “Aye, but let’s get a move on.”
As Lorna herded them all inside, Fraser squeezed her hand. His touch helped to ground her.
There might not be rogue dragons dropping her out of the sky or holding her hostage inside a hospital, but it looked as if there would never be a dull moment on Lochguard.
~~~
As Fraser walked down the hall with his mate’s hand in his and his brother right behind him, his tension eased away. Things looked to be going right with his family.
His dragon spoke up. Of course they are. You and Holly worry too much.
Not everything is as simple as you like to think.
Holly is our mate, which makes her a MacKenzie. You love her, so the others will, too. It’s not complicated.
Fraser wanted to sigh, but knew it’d cause Holly and his mother to worry. Instead, he looked to Fergus and whispered, “What’s the surprise?”
Fergus shook his head. “A thousand horses couldn’t drag it out of me.”
“I thought we weren’t keeping secrets?”
“This is different—it’s a surprise.” Fergus mimicked zipping his lips closed and throwing away the key.
The next second, they walked into the dining room and Fraser blinked.
Not only was the table decorated with a table cloth, candles, and fancy china, a giant cake sat on a table off to the side, next to a large black box. There was also a few sheets of silver fabric draping from the ceiling, tied around the middle with cord. Sprigs of heather draped from each cord.
The room was decorated for a mating ceremony.
Fraser met Finn’s eyes. Despite the circles under his cousin’s eyes, they were also filled with humor and happiness. Finn waved a hand. “Surprise.”
Holly frowned. “What’s going on?”
Ross Anderson walked up to Holly. After kissing his daughter’s cheek, Ross murmured, “They seem to think you’re going to marry your dragon-shifter today.”
Holly looked to Fraser. “Did you know about this?”
Fraser shook his head. “I swear I had no idea. But I guess this means I need an answer.”
Faye growled out, “Well, she’d better give one because if there’s not going to be a mating ceremony today, then I’m going to start eating.”
Fraser ignored his sister and kept his attention on Holly. “What do you say, honey? If my family went to the trouble of throwing us a surprise mating ceremony, then I think it’s safe to say they want you to be part of the family.”
Lorna chimed in. “Why wouldn’t we? It’ll get you out of the house.”
Everyone chuckled. Even Arabella smiled.
Fraser brushed Holly’s cheek. “Will you agree, lass? Please?”
Holly opened her mouth, but then shut it again. Fraser’s dragon snarled, but he managed to keep his beast in check.
His human looked away from him to her father. “I guess I should introduce my dragon-to-be, then. Dad, this is Fraser MacKenzie. Fraser, this is my dad, Ross Anderson.”
Ross put out a hand and Fraser shook it. He met Ross’s eyes. “Nice to meet you, sir.”