Page 93 of Her Scottish Warrior

I want to be valiant for her. To be a nobleman worthy of the title. To perform heroic deeds. All so that I can earn her love each and every day.

“Forsooth, the minstrels were right all along,” he told her, shaking his head in amazement. “Not only does love improve a man, but it can make him a more stalwart knight and a more ardent lover.”

“And love can also make that same man a worthy husband and a good father.” Taking hold of his right hand, Laoghaire placed it over her lower abdomen.

Galen’s jaw slackened. “Do you mean to say that . . . that you are with child?”

When she confirmed with a nod, he felt a sudden urge to throw back his head and shout with joy. Instead, he stared at Laoghaire’s flat stomach and imagined how it would look heavy with their child. The image filled him with a feeling that he could not even begin to put into words, it was so breathtakingly profound.

“You are a marvel,” he whispered, wrapping her in his arms.

With a contented sigh, Laoghaire snuggled into him.

“Since boyhood, I have been a man without country or family to call my own,” he confessed, his voice breaking on the last few words. “But now, for the first time in my life, I feel rooted. Not only do I have a country to fight for, but I have a family to love and cherish.” As he spoke, Galen traced a finger over Laoghaire’s finely arched eyebrows, her flushed cheekbones, her glistening lips.

At hearing the sound of bagpipes in the near distance, he couldn’t help but to smile. “I don’t know why, but I suddenly find that an inordinately pleasant sound.”

Laoghaire chuckled softly as she patted him on the chest. “So, we have finallyturned ye into a proper Scotsman.”

“A feat that would not have been possible without the love of my Highland bride,” he avowed. He then pulled his head back so that he could peer into Laoghaire’s eyes. “They say a man cannot know the future. But I know that I shall always hold fast to this love.”

“Even when I am in my grave, I will still love ye.”

Galen slid his hands down his lady wife’s backside, her spine graceful and achingly feminine. “While the thought of us strolling hand-in-hand in the world beyond is a pleasant one, I prefer to partake of more earthly pleasures.”

“As do I, my bonny Scottish warrior,” Laoghaire said, a sultry promise gleaming in her eyes. “As do I.”