Page 51 of The Runaway Bride and the Highlander
“And yet, ye did,” she snarled. “Ye pushed me away and took another woman intae our chamber without a care in the world for my feelings.”
If Maxwell could have changed that decision, he would in a heartbeat, but it was too late now. “Truly, Skylar. I am sorry. It was wrong o’ me, and I cannae change what I did. But I swear tae ye, it will never happen again.”
She looked at him for a long moment, her expression hardly giving away her thoughts. Perhaps she could not forgive him for what he had done. In which case, Maxwell did not know what he could or would do. He needed this woman, and he could not lose her now.
“Ye have tae believe me, Skylar,” he pressed. “I am a fool. There, I said it.”
“That’s hardly news. I’ve known that for a while,” she said, a slight sarcasm to her tone.
He was certain he saw a twinkle in her eye, but he was too afraid to make such an assumption in case she thought he was dismissing her feelings.
“Will ye forgive me, Skylar? Please?”
“Nae,” she said firmly.
“Nae?” Maxwell balked.
“Nae yet, at any rate. Ye cannae just expect me tae forgive ye because ye ask me tae do so, Maxwell. It needs tae be on my terms and in my time.”
“So,” he said warily, “ye will eventually?” He looked at her with a tentative expression, internally pleading that she would at least try.
“It might take some time,” she said with a shrug. “But I’m nae going tae just forget about it. Ye must imagine what it would feel like if ye had walked in and found me with another man.”
Anger welled up in him immediately at such a thought. He would kill the bastard, and he would throw her in the dungeons as punishment. It was only when he realized his own reaction to such a scenario that he then understood what Skylar might be feeling.
“I’ve treated ye terribly these last few days, Skylar. I am so very sorry for that. I’ve been stupid and selfish. The intensity of my feelings for ye scare me tae death, and tae try and protect myself from getting hurt if I ever lost ye, I pushed ye away. That wasnae right, and it wasnae fair. Ye didnae deserve it.” He sighed heavily and continued, “I want us tae have a chance if ye’ll give it tae me.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Skylar had known that Maxwell’s past had been dark. There was no other reason he would have kept it from her. Even Bram would not tell her what his brother had suffered when she had tried to discover it. But as Skylar sat there and listened to the horrors Maxwell had endured, everything that had happened between them over the last few days seemed to pale into insignificance.
All the fighting and arguing and anger and pain slipped away, and as he poured his heart out to her, all she could feel was love for him. Her own past had been a painful one, and she too had lost so much. Perhaps it was the reason she could understand his feelings or at least tap into her own suffering to understand his.
During the time she had been at Dunvegan Castle, she had deduced that Johnson had been an enemy of the Macleod clan, but she could never have imagined why. He was right, she had not deserved the way he had treated her, but she understood the concept of trying to protect oneself. She would have just gone about it differently.
“I can never repay ye for what ye did for me on the Isle of Iona, Maxwell,” Skylar said, still holding his hand as they sat on the bed together. “And I am more than grateful that ye saved me that night. But what ye did with the maid has angered me.”
“I do understand that, Skylar. And I cannae blame ye. But I want ye tae ken something. Saving ye on that night was one o’ the best decisions I’ve ever made, if nae the best,” Maxwell replied tenderly.
He looked at her for a long moment and then leaned slowly forward. He hesitated, as though waiting for her to move away from him, but Skylar stayed where she was. There was little point in holding a grudge for any length of time, and while it would take her some time to forgive him fully, he had been courageous enough to tell her all she needed to know. They had a chance at starting again.
She allowed him to kiss her lips softly, but unlike the other times, he did not linger. She felt his lips lightly brush hers, and then he pulled away. Looking deeply into her eyes, the right one remaining far paler than the other, he smiled with such tenderness. “I will do anything ye ask o’ me, Skylar. I am yers, for now and forever.”
She slowly shook her head. “I would never ask ye tae do something because o’ me. I dinnae wish tae have such power over ye. I only ever want ye tae do the things ye want tae do for yerself. We’ve both lived for other people, Maxwell. Our lives have never been our own. I dinnae want that tae be the way it is.”
“I dinnae see it the same way as ye, Skylar. I want tae give ye everything I have, including my heart. ‘Tis a little broken in places, but my wish is that, being with ye, it can be mended in time.”
The air had been cleared between them, and Skylar could not be more relieved. It had been a dreadful few days, Maxwell ignoring her and not telling what was wrong. Now, she knew everything. It had been a horrible story, and yet, she had been pleased that he had trusted her enough to tell it.
“I am in love with ye, Skylar,” he breathed, looking into her eyes. Then, he gently took her in his arms and kissed her.
He told her over and over how much he loved her, and once more, he took her on a journey of passionate lovemaking. Having both climbed to the heights of ecstasy, they reached a crescendo of elation and indescribable pleasure together.
With sweat sheening on their skin, Maxwell pulled her close to him afterward, wrapping his arm around her back while Skylar lay on his broad, strong chest. She lay in a haze of bliss, hoping now that they could truly start their lives together as a married couple.
“Are ye sleeping?” he whispered sometime later.
Skylar was on the cusp of unconsciousness and so did not answer. She hardly had the energy for any more conversation that night. Given she had not replied, she had not expected him to speak again, and yet, he did.
