“Malcolm!”
He looked up to find his beautiful Dani running toward him, her cheeks pink with excitement. She’d been a whirlwind of energy over the past days, organizing what she’d insisted was a proper wedding for Hall and Brie. He’d never seen the like of what she’d planned, but it made her happy and that was all that mattered to him.
“Is everything ready in here?” she asked. “Jeanne is putting the finishing touches on Brie’s hair, and then we’ll start her walk down the aisle. Once their vows are recited, that’s your cue to kick off the wedding reception, which will rival your old Odin’s Feast. Ada’s even serving up the bog myrtle beer, so there’ll be a hot time in the old town tonight, if you know what I mean.”
No matter how long she’d spent in his world, in his time, her strange way with words still brought a smile to his lips. She was the joy of his life, and he sent a silent thanks to Elesyria for having brought his Dani to him.
He snagged her hand and lifted it to his lips before tucking it under his arm. “Stop for a moment, love. Take a breath and enjoy what’s been accomplished.”
“I don’t have time to take a breath. I’ve a million last-minute things that need doing.”
“And they’ll all still be here a minute from now. Relax. Enjoy what you’ve already accomplished.”
With an arm around her shoulder to keep her at his side, he surveyed the room once more.
Hall caught his eye first, standing on the dais with Chase Noble at his side, impatiently drumming his fingers against his sporran as he awaited the arrival of his bride.
Impatience or nerves. It was, after all, the big warrior’s big day.
Chase leaned away from the groom to catch Christiana’s hand as she hurried by, no doubt on some wedding errand Dani had devised. Malcolm’s sister stopped and shared a quick conversation with her new husband—and a not-so-quick kiss—before going on her way.
Christiana had blossomed into her own since she’d found her life partner in Chase Noble, smiling more than he’d ever known her to.
“We’ve a good life,” Malcolm mused, tightening his arm around his wife. “Surrounded by those we love. Our family has certainly grown in this past year, has it no?”
“It has at that,” Dani agreed, turning her radiant smile on full force. “And it’s getting ready to do some more growing, my love.” She pulled his hand from her shoulder and rested his palm against her stomach. “In about six or seven months.”
Words deserted him as the blood in his body drained to his feet. He could only stare into her smiling face, doing his best to absorb the glorious news.
“A child?” he managed at last. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” she answered, her smile even broader than before. “I wasn’t going to say anything yet, but I suppose a joyous day like this is as good a time as any to tell you, right?”
A child. His child. “How did this happen?”
The musical tinkle of Dani’s laughter drew several sets of eyes to where they stood.
“Well, dear husband, we can’t spend all our time acting like rabbits without producing a bunny or two, can we?” She squeezed his hand. “You happy about this?”
Happy? He was beyond happy. He was ecstatic. Here he’d thought the day he married Dani was the best of his life. He should have realized that with her at his side, his life could only continue to get better and better.
JAMESYMACCULLOCH SATon the bench in the great hall, waiting for a signal from Lady Danielle for whatever new oddities she had planned for the day.
Already she’d ordered all the tables moved so that they lined the walls. The benches were left behind to form neat, angled rows of seating, reminding him of the pews in the cathedral he’d visited in Edinburgh. And considering the whole of the castle was gathered to witness the marriage of his sister to Hall O’Donar, he was forced to give grudging approval of the arrangement.
Eccentric little thing that Lady Danielle was, she must please his laird well enough, since Malcolm appeared more relaxed than Jamesy had ever known him to be.
Theirs was a happiness Jamesy might be tempted to envy, if he were a man with any interest in such a dull, domesticated life.
He wasn’t.
He would, however, pray that his sister had found the same sort of delight. She certainly seemed well on target for it. He’d never seen her so contented as when she was in the presence of her groom.
As pleased as he was for his sister’s happiness, his emotions were in turmoil as he waited for her wedding to begin. So much had happened in the last weeks to hand him the freedom he’d so long desired.
An immense sense of relief filled his heart. His days of worrying over Brie’s rash behavior were quickly coming to a close. In an hour’s time, his wildling sister would be O’Donar’s responsibility. Though, as he’d pointed out to the big warrior last night more than once, Jamesy would gladly hand him his arse on a spit if he failed to care for her properly.
Jamesy fidgeted on the bench, anxious for the day’s events to get moving. The excitement coursing through him was more than relief. The exchange of vows was to be followed by a feast that would last late into the evening, though he planned to make his exit early.
