They wake up as usual the next morning. Logan doesn't remember a single thing about most of his dreams but one thing is certain; the gorgeous woman below him is in them. And they are x-rated. Logan chuckles and massages her breast softly.

Scorpia is on her back, her legs are wrapped around his, a satisfied smile on her lips. Her eyes are closed and she's not quite awake yet. He moves his hips carefully, feeling her body respond to him, bending down to wrap his lips around her nipple.

She grabs onto his hair and his name leaves her lips, wrapped in a moan. He kisses her sensually and she pulls his hair as she pushes her hips towards him. They make love, slow and relaxed, and shower together afterward.

Scorpia is standing in front of the window in her underwear, looking at the water. This land, his land, feeds her soul, fills her heart. It feels like seeing your favorite family member after being apart for a long time. Like coming home after a long trip.

His arms slide around her waist and his chin slides across her shoulder until his lips reach the skin behind her ear. Goosebumps appear on her skin and he licks her earlobe.

"Mmm Logannnn."

"That never gets old, Bonnie. The most beautiful sound in the world. Ti amo."

He strokes her tummy and kisses her neck. "Aren't you cold here?"

She shakes her head and turns around in his arms, kissing him as her fingers slide through his damp hair. "I haven't been cold here for a second. This country doesn't need high temperatures to be warm. And I have you, your always warm body and burning love."

She laughs at her own corniness and catches the shimmer in his eyes. "What are we doing today, handsome Scot?"

"We're visiting a church full of old books." Her eyes show excitement and he kisses the tip of her nose. "And maybe visit my parents, if you want to that is."

She nods and looks a little shy. Logan cups her cheek with his right hand and looks into her eyes. "Don't worry, Bonnie. They already love you. And they met Bruno yesterday. It can't get any worse than that."

He laughs and Scorpia slaps his bicep.

"On top of that, Lexy's relationship with my parents has always been complicated. She was extremely wild and stubborn. And they blame her a bit for me not coming home for five years. They don't really know anything about my time with Salvatore. And they're just happy that they get to see me, now that I'm back in Scotland.

They get dressed and drink a cup of coffee together. Scorpia is still a bit nervous, because of Leo, their engagement, and they could have lost Logan, without ever seeing him alive again... All of it is her fault. How do you act around the people that created the love of your life? Who's parenting and genes made him the man he is today. And she doesn't even know if it matters that she's not a Scot.

Logan takes her hand and holds it against his chest, covering it with his own hand while he looks deep into her eyes. She breathes out slowly and smiles a tiny bit.

He winks at her. "Bonnie... Here. Forever. And if you just follow that beautiful heart of yours, it can't go wrong."

She nods and kisses his lips. They gather their things and get on their way.

Logan shows her the way and they drive up a winding, narrow road, towards a house on a hill. They drive onto the driveway and Scorpia stares at the mansion, built with dark-grey rocks. The surrounding garden matches the roughness of the nature surrounding them. It feels robust, protective, and loving.

Scorpia stops in front of the door and Logan takes his helmet off, gets off the bike, and waves at the open front door. Scorpia takes her helmet off, nervously looking over her shoulder.

Logan beams and runs up to the tall man with grey hair and beard. They fall into each other's arms, slapping shoulders.

She steps off the bike, insecurity in her movements as she takes the key from the ignition to slide it into her pocket. She unzips her coat and takes her gloves off before looking up and catching the two men looking at her. Logan smiles wide and his father seems curious.

She takes a deep breath and walks over to them. Logan pulls her close and says: "Dad, this is Scorpia. Scorpia, this is my dad."

She's about to shake his hand when he cups her face with his hand and looks into her eyes. "Welcome, Scorpia. I'm Lachlan. Let's go inside."

She follows him into the house and takes her time to look at everything. It's dark inside. Dark walls, dark furniture, and dark rugs. There's not an inch uncovered or not decorated. The rooms are as full as their hearts. And in spite of the dark atmosphere, it feels warm and safe.

Logan takes a seat on the dark-brown leather sofa near the fireplace and pulls her down next to him. He wraps his arm around her shoulders as his dad sits in his favorite chair across from them.

Lachlan studies his son's body language as he rubs his beard, his eyes sparkling when he watches Logan rub Scorpia's upper leg and pressing a kiss on her temple. The relaxed, deep love between them is obvious.

"Logan, your mom went shopping. And she'll probably be mad when she gets back."

Scorpia looks worried and Logan adds: "Mom was angry when she found out dad had me on the phone and didn't get her right away. And dad was ever so quick to apologize and handed the phone to my mother."

Logan laughs as his father grumbles.

Lachlan gets up and nods towards the back door. They follow him to the barn and Scorpia can't hold in a squeal when the door opens. There are four motorcycles parked inside and she takes her time to look at all of them.

She strolls over to the closest one and strokes the metal. "Duo Glide Fl 1200 Panhead. 1958?"

Lachlan grins and nods.

She holds her breath when she reaches the next one. "Wow. A WLA. Built between 1941 and 1945. Does it still start?"

Lachlan gestures with his hand to show she's welcome to try. He helps her with getting it ready and instructs her exactly what to do and when she's finally allowed to kickstart it, it sputters as it comes to life. She cheers and presses her hand to the bike to feel the vibration.

She moves to the next motorcycle and laughs. "Well, you sure have taste. The only acceptable non-Harley, a 1982 Honda GL1100 Goldwing. Such a beauty, especially in dark red."

She skips to the last bike with a wide smile. "But this is the most beautiful one in here. A Sportster 883 and all black. Wow. Can I start this one too?"

Lachlan nods, amusement shining in his eyes.

She starts it and her face lights up. "Ahhh, such a beautiful sound. Too bad it's hard to ride when your arms are short like mine. But other than that, it's stunning."

Lachlan asks: "I'm guessing you'd go for the street then?"

Scorpia nods. "If I had to buy a new one, I think I might but Ombra is a Softail." She pulls her phone from her pocket and shows Lachlan a picture of Ombra.

"Pretty. Matte black and nice, fat wheels. That's a beautiful machine, Scorpia."

Lachlan turns his gaze to Logan and winks at him. They hear a car drive up and Lachlan basically chases them out of the barn. Logan chuckles at his dad's behavior, who nervously locks the shed.

Scorpia is too shocked to react as she gets pushed outside and Logan pulls her to the jeep that stopped next to the bike.

A woman with red hair exits the car and flies up to Logan to hug him tight, tears rolling down her cheeks. He rubs her back and she leans back to look into his eyes. "My sweet boy, I'm so glad you're here! I've missed you so much!"

She feels up his arms and chest, "Not really a boy anymore, huh?"

She laughs and then turns her gaze to Lachlan, the look in her eyes changing right away. "Lachlan! How long have they been here and why didn't you call me? It would have saved me from listening to a horrid story about Mrs. Mackie's stupid dogs!"

Scorpia looks at her father-in-law, his shoulders lowering as she hears him mumble an excuse.

Logan clears his throat and his mom looks at him again. He nods at Scorpia and his mother covers her mouth with her hand. "Oh, holy mother Mary! I'm so sorry! My girl, how rude of me!"

She pulls Scorpia into her arms and hugs her tight. She starts to cry and Scorpia doesn't know how to react. She rubs her mother-in-law's back and hears Logan say: "Mom, maybe you should let her go. It would be nice if she survived this visit. And maybe you can show my girl you're able to hold a normal conversation too, like dad."

His mom gasps and lets go of Scorpia, shooting a questioning look at her husband, who just shrugs as a reply. She wipes the tears from her cheeks and says: "Welcome Scorpia. I'm so happy you're here. I'm Caitlin but call me Cait, everybody does. I want to know all about you. But I can't get over the fact that you talked to Lachlan. What did you talk about? Enlighten me."

She hooks her arm through Scorpia's and looks at her son and husband. "You'll carry the groceries inside for me, right?"

She drags Scorpia inside and into the kitchen. As dark as the hall and living room were, the kitchen is the opposite. It's large with an island in the middle with a bar on one side to sit on.

"I'll make us some tea and then we can get to know each other better."

Cait points at a stool and Scorpia sits on it. Cait boils water and gets a large teapot ready, hangs a teabag in it, and places a few cookies on a plate. She grabs four mugs and puts them on the island next to the teapot.

Lachlan and Logan walk in with bags full of goodies and put them on the island. Cait puts some of them away and Lachlan walks out of the kitchen again. Logan lingers and his mom says: "Go join your dad. I'll bring you two tea in a minute."

Logan nods and saunters off. Scorpia tries to hide her smile but she can't help but like this woman. And enjoy the power she has over the men in her life.

Lachlan is a big, tough man. Deep, raspy voice, strong hands, and a sturdy body. But as soon as she scolds him, he turns into a boy. And she just saw the same happen to Logan.

Her mother-in-law quickly puts some more groceries away before the water in the electric kettle comes to a boil. She pours the water into the teapot and puts the lid back on. She takes the half-unpacked bag over to a cupboard and puts more groceries away. She pours the tea into two mugs and walks out of the kitchen.

Scorpia stays seated and takes in the relaxed, happy vibe in the room. Cait comes back in and fills the other two mugs with tea. She puts one in front of Scorpia before picking up the other mug and the plate of cookies. She sits down next to Scorpia, placing the cookies on the counter between them.

"Sorry for the wait. But you have my full attention now. I'm a bit OCD with my groceries. I have to put them away first, that way I know where everything is if I didn't forget anything, so I can let it go mentally. You probably think I'm crazy but if I don't, I will keep wondering if I bought IRN-BRU for Logan."

Scorpia laughs, "It's okay. It was helpful in getting used to your energy first. And it was fun to see how well Lachlan and Logan listen to you."

Cait chuckles, "Yes, I'm glad you're from an Italian family. It makes me a lot less worried. You guys are used to bossy mothers."

Scorpia nods and smiles. Cait looks into her eyes, squinting a little. "What are you worried about?"

Scorpia almost chokes on her tea and stares at her mother-in-law. Cait smiles reassuringly. "You love Logan. You're strong enough for him. And according to Bruno, you're strong enough to handle whatever life throws at you. You're a fantastic mom to Leo.

The sweetest aunt to Lucas, Enzo, and Pia. Lucas can't stop talking about you on the phone. Bruno talks about you with the utmost love and respect and even Lexy loves you."

Cait rubs Scorpia's bicep. "I don't blame you for anything and neither does Lachlan. We could hear on the phone and see in the videos how deep Logan's love for you is. You make him happy, girl. That's all that matters. Especially for our silent, insecure boy. He radiates strong male energy now but in a relaxed way. He looks a lot like his dad."

Scorpia nods, "Yes, the same protective energy. And those stormy eyes..."

Cait gets a dreamy look in her eyes and Scorpia watches her with intrigue. Cait smiles a bit shy. "I'm still so in love with that man. A bit more every day. That big, silent grump, who moves mountains for me and who gets me calm just by holding my hand. He rarely laughs, talks even less but I know exactly what he thinks and feels."

Scorpia beams at her mother-in-law as she sips her tea. This whole meeting turned out so different than she thought it would. She takes a cookie from the plate, nibbling on it. Cait notices Scorpia's necklace and grabs it to take a closer look. Scorpia looks back at Cait openly and the older woman looks deep into the brown eyes of her daughter-in-law.

She takes Scorpia's hand in hers, "I see it. Your heart is open to things you can't explain or see. Beautiful."

She drinks her tea while she observes Scorpia. But it doesn't feel uncomfortable. There's a relaxed, loving atmosphere. "Scorpia? Tell me about Logan. How do you see him?"

Scorpia takes a sip of her tea and thinks about her words for a second. "My heart loved him before my head knew. He has always supported and protected me. I can be myself around him. Whether that's tough or vulnerable.

He gets me, without having to explain it. We laugh, cry and make love. Our love is a given and grows a little more every day. He's a caring, sweet father, a hardworking man, and an understanding partner. I couldn't live without him. He helped me become the person I am today. He gave me strength and faith in the future. I love him. Forever."

She shyly sips her tea, because that all came rolling out naturally. And maybe she should have thought about it longer. She shoots her mother-in-law a nervous look, who looks at her with eyes full of tears.

"Oh, Scorpia. That's way more beautiful than I ever could have hoped for. I see it, feel it, know it. You are the one for him. How wonderful."

She clears her throat, "And the tattoo?"

Scorpia pulls the neckline of her shirt down and shows her the ink on her chest. Cait grins, "Okay, that takes guts. His name on your chest forever. He chose Bonnie, something you could spin somehow. But this..."

Scorpia doesn't realize Logan just walked in and replies: "It has nothing to do with guts. He will be in here forever, in my heart. Even if we can't be together anymore for whatever reason. I don't believe in multiple true loves. There's just one and that's Logan."

"Well if that's not a declaration of love, I don't know what is." He wraps his arms around Scorpia and kisses her cheek before whispering he loves her. Logan looks up at his mom, "And? Is she approved?"

Cait smiles at her son, "She already was. But I'm starting to understand why everyone loves her so much. And she got your father to talk. You know how impossible that is."

Logan laughs, "That wasn't so hard mom. They speak the same language. Motorcycles."

Scorpia chuckles and Logan asks: "Can I kidnap her mom? Show her the house?"

Cait nods and Logan pulls Scorpia into the hallway and up to the stairs. He opens a door and she looks around the room. The dark wooden bed with dark-blue bedding, deep blue walls, a few jeep miniatures, and a 'proud Scot' poster on the wall.

She notices a photo album and picks it up, sitting down on the bed, Logan positioning himself behind her. He looks over her shoulder and for a second she thinks she's looking at Lucas.

She gasps: "The resemblance is uncanny. If you'd tell me that's Lucas, I would believe it in a heartbeat."

"Yes, now that I see these pictures, I see the similarities too. Pretty special."

They look at the pictures together, most of them showing a young Logan playing outside. Happy, wide smiling Logan, covered in mud. Scorpia finds a picture of him with a blonde girl. They are both seated on a swing made from a car tire.

Scorpia asks if that's Ava. "Yes, good eye. That's Ava. She has five older brothers and Lexy was always at their house. To... well you know how Lexy is. She was boy-crazy back then. So Ava usually came to our house when Lexy was there. Ava was very shy and silent. We sat on the swing or canoed."

Logan thinks back on his childhood and how simple everything was back then. But he wouldn't want to go back because then he wouldn't have his Bonnie.

His phone rings and he pulls it from his pocket. It's a video call request from Ciro and he accepts it.

Leo appears on the screen, yelling: "Daddy! Amo!"

Logan turns the camera to Scorpia and Leo starts to cry. "Mommy..."

Leo sobs. "Ciro amo. Mommy miss. Mommy amo."

Tears stream down Scorpia's cheeks and Logan tries to console her, while Ciro does the same for Leo.

Scorpia hears Flavio sing in the background and she goes silent alone with Leo. Flavio sings 'Mamma' and Leo listens to him with his little jaw slacked. Flavio kisses him and continues his singing. Scorpia smiles and Leo waves his arms around.

When Flavio's done singing, Leo says: "Putty. Flavio amo."

Flavio says: "Thank you, Leo. But you can't ever tell anyone about this, okay? It will ruin uncle Flavio's reputation."

They laugh and Scorpia says: "Thank you, Flavio. How are you all doing? Is Leo behaving?"

Ciro replies: "It's wonderful, sorellina. It's such a cute little man and when he doesn't miss his mommy he's a joy to be around. But we get it. We miss mommy too. Have you seen Nessie yet?"

Scorpia beams and nods. "Yes. I waved at her and sat on her back."

Ciro calls Flavio over to come look at the screen while she talks about her adventure. The three men on the other side of the screen grin at her, her enthusiasm infectious.

Logan sees her joy reflected in Leo, Ciro, and Flavio. He smiles at the screen and Ciro says: "Thank you, Logan."

Logan nods, knowing exactly what Ciro means.

He kisses Scorpia's cheek and Leo yells: "Kiss!"

Scorpia kisses Logan on the lips and Leo squeals with happiness. Flavio says they need to hang up cause it's tie for Ciro's nap and they all laugh.

They wave at Leo, who yells: "Ciao!" He tries to blow a kiss at Scorpia, right before they get disconnected.

Logan pulls her onto the bed and holds her close. He knows her heart hurts without Leo close. And no matter the fun they are having together. They feel incomplete without Leo. Scorpia cries against his chest and he kisses the top of her head.

Cait calls from downstairs to let them know lunch is ready and they sit up. Logan wipes Scorpia's tears away and kisses her softly. "Are you okay, Bonnie? Or do we have to cuddle a little longer?"

She takes a deep breath, "I'm okay. But I'm never going to say no to more cuddling."

Logan chuckles and they make their way down together.

Scorpia takes the empty seat next to Lachlan, who looks at his neighbor a little surprised, a small smile forming on his lips.

Logan sits down across from Scorpia, looking at all the food on the table. "Remember what Lexy said? About big amounts of food? This is a simple lunch for a Scot."

Scorpia looks at all the different dishes and says: "It all looks very yummy. And you know I'm used to a lot of food."

Lachlan asks if she wants a piece of salmon and Cait almost chokes on her water.

Scorpia shoots her father-in-law a grateful look and says: "Yes, I'd love a piece."

Lachlan scoops the biggest piece of salmon off the plate and slides it onto Scorpia's plate. He also helps her with the mashed potatoes and vegetables whole Logan and Cait stare at the man in disbelief. The man who never talks at the table and always takes the biggest piece of meat or fish for himself.

They all fill their plates and enjoy the food.

When the plates are empty, Cait asks: "What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

Logan says he'd like to visit Leakey's Bookshop with Scorpia. Scorpia's eyes sparkle and Cait asks: "You're staying in the cottage at Moray Firth, right?"

Scorpia nods happily, "So beautiful and cozy."

Cait mumbles something about Lexy and Logan chuckles.

Lachlan looks at Scorpia, "Do you want to ride the Goldwing into the city center?"

"On the back, while you drive?"

Lachlan grins, "That would be even better. I actually wanted to lend it to you."

Cait and Logan can't believe their ears and exchange a stunned look. Lachlan looks at Cait, "Can you take Logan with you in the jeep? I'll go get changed."

Cait nods and watches her husband walk off.

Logan says: "What the hell? What just happened?"

Cait says: "I have no clue. But I've never seen your dad like this."

Scorpia looks insecure, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Bonnie. But my dad never talks at the table and definitely doesn't lend his bikes out. And there has never been someone on the back before. Hell, Bonnie."

Lachlan walks back into the kitchen with a wide smile, wearing leather pants, biker boots and a leather jacket. He's holding his own helmet and Scorpia's. He beams at her and asks: "Or would you rather go with the Sportster, Scorpia?"

Scorpia jumps up. "Ooh yes, I'd love to!"

Lachlan laughs. "Come on, let's go. We need time to take a small detour before meeting our other halves at the bookstore."

Scorpia takes her helmet from him and follows him outside. She zips her jacket up as she walks and Lachlan does the same. He opens the shed and pushes the Sportster out. Scorpia puts her helmet on and fastens her chin strap.

Lachlan sits down on the bike and pushes the helmet over his silver hair. He starts the engine and Scorpia smirks. She sits down behind Lachlan, who yells: "Hold on tight, bonnie lass!"

He accelerates and Scorpia wraps her arms around him tightly. Lachlan makes a circle in the driveway, giving Scorpia time to wave at Logan and Cait before racing off. 

⊱ ────── {⋅.♏︎.⋅} ────── ⊰

A new chapter for you. Finally.
Sometimes writing doesn't work.
I hope it was worth the wait.

Happy Saturday!
XO Hankie