Conall didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how difficult that must have been for her. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
Molly shrugged. “It’s alright. It was a long time ago and we’ve worked things out. But it took time. And a lot of talking.”
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and turned to look out of the window, blinking rapidly. Conall could see tears shining in the corners of her eyes. Shame washed through him. How could he have been so selfish? Since returning to the Pinnacle he’d been consumed by his own problems, giving little thought to hers. What must it be like for her being caught up in all of this, so far from home and everyone she loved?
He stepped over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Forgive me, Molly,” he breathed. “I’ve been an ass.”
She looked up at him, the tears at the corners of her eyes sparkling like gemstones. She blinked them away and he watched as they tracked lines down her face. She was so fragile and yet so strong, he just wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let her go.
“It’s okay. I know you’re an ass. Can’t help it, I guess.”
He smiled. “Does that mean I’m forgiven?”
“There’s no need for forgiveness, Conall, I know how hard this whole situation is for you.”
“Dear God, Molly, what if I’m making a terrible mistake?” His fingers tightened on her shoulders and she reached up to place her hands over his.
“There’s only one way to be sure. You have to speak to him, Conall.”
Could she be right? Could everything he’d believed be based on such shaky foundations? Could he have been wrong all these years? It was an odd feeling. On the one hand, he could barely believe he was even entertaining the idea. After all the bad blood that had flowed between him and his father, part of him did not want to even consider the possibility of reconciliation. It was too late. Surely, it was too late?
But another, deeper part of him, leapt at the idea. Through the haze of his own hatred, he thought he saw a glimmer of hope, a glimmer that there might be another way. Irene MacAskill’s words suddenly rang in his mind.
Ye must face yer past if ye want to find yer future. And I believe the one who will help ye do that is on their way.
Full circle. Return to the beginning. Find the path he was meant to tread. Could this be what the old woman had been referring to? Could Molly be showing him how to find the path he was meant to walk? Could it really be that simple?
“All right,” he breathed, looking down at her. “I’ll speak to him.”
Molly smiled. “That’s all I ask.”
He studied her. Her tear-streaked face, her shock of wild red-brown hair, her large, eyes that shone with such strength. He put his finger under her chin and lifted it to face him.
“Ye are a wonder, Molly Anderson, do ye know that? I’ve never met anyone so brave and so remarkable. Ye make me a better man. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why I love ye.”
***
MOLLY FROZE. HAD CONALLreally just said he loved her? She felt herself trembling, and she could barely hear the beat of her own heart for the sound of his words echoing in her head. It felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the room. She looked up at him, searching his face for confirmation.
Conall smiled at her, his eyes twinkling as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “Oh my. It feels so good to say that. I love ye,” he whispered again, his voice soft and gentle like a summer breeze.
She searched his eyes, the gray depths that always drew her in, reading his face for any sign of hesitance. She found none. The man she had been seeking her whole life was right in front of her.
And he loved her.
She launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and peppering his neck with kisses. He laughed and held her tightly, peppering her face with kisses in return.
Molly drew back to look at him again. “I love you, too.”
A shiver went through him and he breathed out slowly, as if in relief. “I’ve dreamed of hearing ye say that...but I never imagined it would feel this good...or be so perfect.”
She could swear she saw a tear shimmering in the corner of his eye as he grinned at her. He reached out to stroke her cheek delicately. “Ye are so beautiful, my love. I feel blessed that ye have given me the chance to tell ye how much I love ye.”
“I was never blessed, I was doomed,” she replied with a grin. “I was doomed from the moment I met you, Conall. There was never any chance for me.”
“Well, perhaps we shall both be doomed together then.”
“I think I would like that.”
