The Lie

“Brigs,” Lachlan says with a nod, his eyes immediately seeking out Natasha. Kayla does the same.

“Lachlan, Kayla,” I say to them, gesturing toward Natasha who I can tell is nervous, sitting stiffly. “This is Natasha. Natasha, this is my brother Lachlan and his fiancé Kayla.”

Natasha gets up and shakes Lachlan’s hand first, smiling genuinely at him.

“Nice to meet you,” she says, though there’s a flicker of recognition in her eyes. I guess she’s recognizing his face from all those rugby calendars. When she moves on to shake Kayla’s hand though, who immediately brightens when she hears her American accent and compliments Natasha on her orchid pink blouse, Lachlan is watching Natasha curiously. What I saw in her was just a flicker, but Lachlan is studying her with a full-on frown, as if they’ve met before.

Then again, Lachlan looks at everyone that way.

“So you’re American,” Kayla says excitedly. “I had no idea.”

“Well, Brigs hasn’t really told us much about you,” Lachlan says, an edge to his voice. He glances at me, frowning, and I just shrug, not really sure what he’s getting at.

“That’s true.” Natasha clears her throat. “I’m a bit too awkward to be shown around in public.” She adds a dry laugh, trying to make everyone feel comfortable.

“Are you just going to stand there or what?” my dad says. “Sit down before your mother starts rearranging furniture to suit you.”

Lachlan and Kayla take the other couch while my mum starts pouring them some tea. Lachlan, though, is still watching Natasha with a peculiar look on his face.

“What is it?” I ask him, getting annoyed.

Everyone looks at us.

Lachlan raises his brow. “Nothing, I’m sure.” He nods at Natasha. “Have we met before?”

She frowns, thinking. “I don’t think so.”

“Ever been to Scotland before?” Kayla asks her. “I haven’t even been down to London yet.”

“Well, if Brigs invited us,” my mum adds, “I’m sure we could all go.”

I give her a placating smile. “When my life settles down a bit, I’ll make sure everyone comes by.”

Natasha looks back to Kayla. “Uh, actually, I met Brigs in Edinburgh. A long time ago.”

“How long have you been in the UK?” Kayla asks, which then gets Natasha explaining about her past yet again. But the way she talks with Kayla, I can tell it’s not a chore. In fact, with some silly pride, I can tell that the two of them will soon be fast friends. Both of those American girls swept away by the McGregor men. They have a lot more in common than they think, not to mention their easygoing, witty and slightly quirky personalities.

Meanwhile, Lachlan keeps glancing between Natasha and me, deep in thought.

“And when did you and Brigs officially meet?” Lachlan says to her.

She glances at me. “Four years ago.” He raises his brows. “I came up here, working at a short film festival during the summer and he came in to apply to be a sponsor. Then I ran into him at school this year and I remembered him.”

Such the truth. Such a lie.

“So you’re his student?” my mother squeaks, already having scandal written all over her delicate face.

“No,” I say quickly. I clear my throat. “She’s not in any of my classes.”

“Pretty sure that’s a dicey area though, son,” my dad says.

Right. All this time we were worried about our real past together, we never thought to worry about the real present.

“We’ll be okay,” I tell him imploringly, splaying my hands in a sign of surrender.

My dad doesn’t look too convinced. “Not that I’m trying to tell you who to date because believe me, we would never do that. Just be careful. Both of you.”

“We will,” Natasha says, nodding gravely. “We are.”

“And how long have you both been dating?” Lachlan asks, still on his nosy trip.

I can’t help but glare at him. “A few weeks now.”

“Really?” Kayla exclaims. “God. Sorry.” She laughs and looks at Natasha. “This must be so awkward for you meeting the family already.”

“It wasn’t awkward until two seconds ago,” Natasha says good-naturedly. She’s smooth. She’s good. Rolling along with everything even though I know it’s killing her to put up such a front.

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s still awkward for me,” Kayla says. “I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve embarrassed myself in front of Jessica and Donald. Still, they don’t mind having me around.”

“We love having you around, Kayla dear,” Jessica says. “And when you smeared nail polish all over the wedding dress you were trying on, well, how could I do anything but laugh.”