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Cormac only rolled his shoulders, proffering his hand for a boost up, but Aidan didn’t reach out to grab it.
“Give it a rest, Aid,” Cormac said, his voice tired. “We may not know you, but we certainly remember how much we loved you. You’ve got to meet us in the middle sometime. ”
Aidan glared at Cormac. The brother whom he’d once loved more than anyone. More than anything. He tried to recall the boy who’d insisted on climbing the chimney. The boy who’d vexed him beyond measure. Who’d squabbled with him, and bugged him.
And who’d always stood by his side when nobody else did.
He’d seen the joy in Cormac’s eyes when they’d met again, for the first time in more than a decade, on that grim Aberdeen dock. He’d pushed his brother away, and had been pushing them all away ever since.
Except for Elspeth. She’d penetrated his defenses, and he’d let her, and it’d felt so good. Like a breath of sea air after weeks in the ship’s hold.
It would take all his pride, all his courage, to do the same with his family. Though he didn’t know why it should. They’d grieved him, but Highland life was hard, and thirteen years were long, and life went on.
He’d take a chance. It was what Elspeth would advise him to do.
He reached down, clasping Cormac’s hand, and pulled him to standing. Aidan stepped back quickly, though, putting space between them. He needed this reunion to happen one step at a time. And the next step was making sure Cormac understood one thing. “I have your word you’ll not disparage Elspeth again?”
“I wouldn’t think of it,” he replied quickly. Cormac bent to pick up the bucket, adding, “Truly, I wasn’t dis
paraging Elspeth. I like the girl. ”
Aidan glowered daggers at him.
“Not like that, you half-wit. ” Cormac rolled his eyes.
As they set off for the kitchen, Aidan knocked his shoulder hard into his twin. “Who’s the half-wit?”
They walked on, their pace slow, unanimously agreeing to prolong the moment, though neither would ever confess to it.
When Cormac spoke again, his tone was grave. “I knew, Aidan. I felt that you were out there. Alive, somewhere. We’d been inseparable for years. We bickered, yes, but always we were together. Always we were one. We were even born at the same time. ”
“Well, I was first, you’ll recall. ” Aidan tossed off the jest, needing to break the intensity of his brother’s words.
Cormac gave him a playful slug on the arm. “Then act it. ”
Aidan relented, saying in a low voice, “I knew too. I knew you lived. ” He smirked. “Just as I knew I’d someday come back to find you and Marj married. ”
Their laughter broke out at once. “Mar-jorie,” they said in unison.
“Crivvens, man. ” Aidan shook his head, pretending exasperation. “You and that girl. From the start. ”
“My wife, you mean,” Cormac said with mock severity.
“Your wife,” he said drily. “Better you than me. ” He had to sidestep to avoid Cormac’s thrown elbow. With a laugh, Aidan added, “So, what do you get from her anyway?”
“Well that’s an easy one to answer,” Cormac said with a wink and a nudge.
“I’m serious,” he said, realizing it was true. The feelings growing in his heart for Elspeth were overpowering— sharp, and hot, and terrifying too. It was hard to imagine they weren’t the rarest of all emotions. But perhaps the sensation was normal, perhaps it was what men felt for their wives. Perhaps his wife was precisely what Aidan wanted Elspeth to be.
They’d reached the castle, their sisters’ voices echoing off the stone corridor. Cormac handed the bucket back to Aidan, nodding toward the sound. “Bridge’ll be wanting her water. Five minutes ago, if I know our sister. ?
?
“Aye,” Aidan replied with a knowing smile. It seemed he wasn’t the only MacAlpin of the opinion that the girl could stand to be taken down a peg.
Cormac’s expression grew serious. “Have a care, Aid. ”
“I do. ” The words came quickly, dismissively.
