“I’ve only been gone for two days!” Marissa laughed, hugging her sisters back with equal enthusiasm.
She couldn’t help her laughter, and despite her words and the truth of them, she still felt tears welling up in her eyes.
“That doesnae matter!” Abigail argued. “It could have been only an hour and we’d still be happy to see ye.”
The sisters stepped out of their embrace, and Marissa wasn’t surprised when she saw tears dancing in their eyes. It sent them into another fit of giggles, each one chuckling about how silly they were being.
Abigail and Freya turned their attention toward the castle, and Marissa didn’t miss the awe written all over their faces.
“It’s quite grand,” Freya mused, her hand fluttering absentmindedly to her belly as it so often did.
“Aye,” Marissa said with a nod.
It had only been a couple of days, but somehow Castle Reid had already begun to feel like home, and she’d almost forgotten just how large and opulent it was.
She was seeing it through her sisters’ eyes, remembering the wonder that had filled her when she first laid eyes on it.
The memory of how awestruck she had been at that moment made Marissa suddenly, unbelievably grateful that she got to call this beautiful place home.
“There’s a loch nearby,” came Ayla’s voice, and the sisters turned to her.
In her fervor to see her sisters, Marissa had forgotten about her soon-to-be sister-in-law and Amara. They were standing where she had left them, watching the exchange with smiles on their faces.
“Ayla! Amara!” she gasped, her eyes filled with apology as they flicked between the two. “I’m so sorry I didnae introduce ye. These are me sisters, Freya and Abigail.”
She pointed to each of them in turn, and Ayla wasted no time greeting them.
Just as she’d done when she’d met Marissa, Ayla breezed forward, wrapping them both in an affectionate hug. She welcomed them to Castle Reid with a warm smile. Then, she turned, waving Amara over and encouraging her to introduce herself as well.
“Dinnae be a stranger!” she urged.
Before Amara could do anything, her eyes flicked beyond Abigail and Freya’s shoulders. Immediately, her cheeks reddened, and her eyes went wide.
Marissa watched as Amara tried to compose herself, swiping at her cheeks and blinking rapidly as she focused her attention on Abigail and Freya.
What has her goin’ so barmy?
As she followed Amara’s gaze, what she had seen became clear. Cody was standing a few feet behind the girls, talking with Arthur and Michael while Joseph instructed the servants on where to put the luggage they had brought with them.
Marissa smiled to herself, taking note of Amara’s clear attraction to Cody and filing it away for later.
“It’s very nice to meet ye,” Amara said, her voice soft as she greeted the newcomers.
Ayla blinked, clearly perplexed by her friend's sudden bashfulness.
I’ll have to tell her what I saw later.
It was then that Cody turned his head, spotting Marissa standing with the group of women, and his face broke into a wide grin.
“There ye are!” he boomed, rushing forward and pulling her into a hug.
He swept her off the ground, her feet swinging as he spun her around. Marissa couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh.
“Put me down, ye great oaf!” she cried, playfully swatting at his arms.
He did as he was told, still grinning like mad as he lowered her onto her feet. Her heart felt as if it would burst from happiness, having all of the people she loved most standing around her in her new home.
Soon, Michael, Joseph, and Arthur joined them. Her gaze flicked to her husband-to-be as he walked up, shocked to find his eyes fixed steadily on her.
