“Sin MacAllister?” Lochlan said. “I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or curse when I heard you announce that.” His eyes grew serious. “It’s been a long time coming, my braither. Welcome home.”
His brothers drew back to give him space with his wife.
Sin pulled her close and just reveled in the feel of her in his arms. “Thank you, Callie.”
“There’s no need to thank me. You didn’t really think I would let the king kill the man I love, did you?”
He took her hand in his and stared at ring he had given her. His heart pounding at her words, he held it to his heart. “I love you, Callie ingen Neil, Lairdess of the MacNeelys and wife of a man who is so unworthy of you that he swears he will spend the rest of his life trying to show you just how much you mean to him.”
She smiled at that. “There’s no need to try, Sin. All I have to do is look into your eyes and I know.” She kissed him deeply, then pulled him toward his horse. “Now, come husband and let me take you home.”
Sin closed his eyes at her words. For the first time in his life, he truly had a home and he couldn’t wait to fill it with their children.
Epilogue
Christmastide, a few months later
The great hall was warm in spite of the freezing snow outside and it was packed with MacNeelys who had come for the annual Christmas celebration Callie had warned him about. Music filled the hall as people sang and Jamie ran about the hall with the rest of the clan’s children.
Sin sat at the lord’s table beside his wife, holding her hand as he stared at the merriment around him. He’d never expected to have a Christmas like this.
Even Dermot was there with Simon. Because of the season, Draven had procured permission from Henry to let the boy visit with them in Scotland so long as he remained under Simon’s constant supervision. Draven would have come as well, but neither he nor Emily had wanted to risk exposing their infant son to the harsh climate of the Scottish Highlands. But in the spring, they would bring Dermot and their new babe for another visit.
“Should we send someone out to look for your brothers?” Callie asked.
Sin shook his head. “I am sure they are fine. No doubt the weather has slowed them a bit, but I expect them to join us at any time.”
Callie watched her husband watch her people. He’d become so relaxed these months past. Gone was the harsh, guarded man and in his place was someone she learned to love more with every passing day.
She covered their joined hands with her other and just reveled in the feel of his strength in her palm.
The doors opened, ushering in a torrent of swirling snow and six bundled figures. By the height of three of them, she knew it must be her brothers-in-law.
Before she could rise to greet them, one of the shorter visitors threw back her cowl and revealed a beautiful older woman with striking black hair. Callie would have thought nothing of it had she not felt her husband go tense.
She looked to see hatred in his eyes as he stared at the small woman. Instantly, she knew who this woman was. Aisleen.
Why would his stepmother come here?
The men removed their cloaks and Callie recognized Braden’s wife Maggie and their infant daughter, Ada, who was snuggled in her mother’s arms, as well as Kieran’s son, Connor.
All of them stayed in the foyer, tense, as Aisleen moved forward.
Sin couldn’t breathe or move as he watched his stepmother approach. His head rang with all the insults she’d ever dealt him.
Aisleen looked first to Callie and offered her a smile, then she turned her gaze to Sin and the smile faded.
They sat in total stillness as they held each other’s full attention. For the first time in his life, he saw something other than hatred in her eyes. Strangely enough, he saw her guilt and remorse.
Aisleen drew a ragged breath. “Well,” she said quietly, “this is even more awkward than I had thought it would be. So let me say my piece and then you can have the satisfaction of seeing me thrown out of your hall.”
Her words stunned him so much that he couldn’t have responded to them had he wanted to.
“I was very wrong with the way I treated you, lad. I won’t even try to make excuses for it. But I was very young lass and heartbroken. More than that, I was a fool to blame a child for something not his fault.”
She gave him a tender look that surprised and stunned him. “I know you don’t believe this, but many a night I have lain awake wishing I could have done things differently where you were concerned.”
“You owe me nothing, my lady,” Sin said.
