Page 80 of Her Forbidden Highlander Husband

He stopped short when he saw Shea tucked in next to his daughter as if he had always been there.

Liam covered his mouth to keep a sound of surprise from escaping and waking anyone.

“We’ve another child,” Ev said from the bed.

Even in the shadows, he could see her smile. He sat on the edge of the bed close to her and leaned down to kiss her.

“Thank you.”

“I don’t deserve your thanks. I was awful.”

“You did this to make it up to me?” he asked, hoping that wasn’t the case. The last thing Shea or he needed was to be resented later.

“No. I was afraid of what the future held for me, Liam. I didn’t want to love anyone else I’d be forced to leave someday. But I went to see him, and I couldn’t walk away. I want him to be with us. Not out of pity, though he deserves plenty for the life he’s lived, but because he belongs with us.” She smiled.

“You can love him as your own?”

“It was an easy thing to do.” She laughed. “I find myself excited for morning so I can get to know him better and see him smile. He hasn’t had much reason for smiles before.”

Unfortunately, they didn’t have to wait until morning to learn something of their new son. He woke them with his screaming. Gwennie was frightened and wailing as well. It took a good quarter hour to get them both settled enough to speak.

Ev settled on the only chair with both children in her lap. “Shh. It was just a bad dream. Gwennie, you’ve had them before. Tell your brother what we do when we have bad dreams.”

Gwennie answered with a small voice. “We sing them away.”

“That’s right. We sing a happy song to scare away the bad thoughts.”

“I don’t know any songs,” Shea confessed.

Liam sat on the floor and took Gwennie into his lap.

“We shall teach you a fine song for such things,” Ev said happily as if she wasn’t the least bit upset she’d been woken from her sleep in such a way.

Liam could only watch in awe as she started to hum and then sing a jaunty tune that had the children laughing in no time. He’d never heard it and wondered if his wife conjured it up out of the air.

When they were all growing weary again, Ev nodded. “I believe for this first night we should all sleep together.” She nodded toward Liam for his approval, and he smiled.

“Aye. I think that’s a fine idea. Nothing can bother us if we’re all together.”

The children were asleep within minutes, but he knew his wife was not.

“He has terrors,” Liam whispered.

“Did you think he could live the way he had and not?” she said.

“You have them, too,” Liam said, remembering the few times she’d woken him by fighting off her demons. “I know who you fight. I’m glad they’re long gone from this world. I wish they’d stop bothering ye in your dreams.”

She sighed. “You have them as well. Ye yell out some woman’s name.”

“Moira.”

“Yes. Who is she?”

“I don’t know. She was an old woman when I was little. I think she was with me, but I lost her. Or maybe I became lost. I’m never quite certain. I call for her to help me. She doesn’t come. She fell asleep and I could not wake her.”

“Our pasts haunt us while we sleep, when we’re not alert enough to keep them away.”

“Perhaps if we all hold onto one another, we’ll know we’re not alone, even in sleep,” he suggested, not needing a reason to hold on to his family.