Page 66 of The Runaway Bride and the Highlander
“Like I’ve been stabbed,” Maxwell said plainly, then followed it up with a smirk.
Skylar smiled broadly and then winced. Clearly, smiling hurt her with such swelling in her eye, and it disturbed him to see her in such pain. She clearly noticed his concern and shook her head gently.
“Dinnae worry about it. Kendrick has told me it will heal.”
“And yer other injuries?” Maxwell asked.
“How do ye ken I have other injuries?” She frowned.
Maxwell grinned. “I ken everything. So, tell me.”
She looked a little reticent then, and something flashed across her face that he could not decipher. Perhaps it was the memory of how she got them. It made him feel helpless and guilty for not finding her sooner and angry at the bastards who had caused them.
“They’ll take some time,” she said eventually. “But, never mind me. Ye are in far worse condition.” She nodded toward his wound. “Ye had me worried tae death, for I thought I’d lost ye.”
“I’m a hard man tae kill.” Maxwell smiled. “‘Tis tae do with my stubbornness, ye see,” he said, smirking a little. “I just refuse tae die.”
Though it clearly caused her pain, Skylar laughed at his witty remark and held onto his hand even more tightly. “Then on this occasion, I am grateful for yer stubbornness, for it is likely the only thing that has brought ye back tae me.”
“And I am grateful that I can see yer face again, my darling,” Maxwell said, his voice now filled with tenderness. “When I saw ye laying on the ground with those men about ye, I feared the worst.”
“I’m so sorry, Maxwell,” Skylar replied, her own tone full of emotion and regret. “I tried tae stop all this from happening, but it wasnae any use. Even me running away didnae save ye.”
“Ye must never do that tae me again, Skylar. I was terrified and going out o’ my mind with worry. I dinnae what ye saw, but—”
“This,” she said, gesturing to him. “This is what I saw. My vision showed me that you would be stabbed in the chest and that I would cause yer death, and—”
“But I’m nae dead,” Maxwell interrupted her.
“Only by chance are ye still here, Maxwell,” she replied, looking at him with concern. “That and the healing wonder of Kendrick’s care.”
“I will give Kendrick his due. He has done a stellar job at keeping me alive, the old goat. But I told ye,” he smiled again, “I’m stubborn.”
Skylar did not laugh that time and instead looked at him with a grave expression. “I could’ve lost ye, Maxwell,” she whispered. “When I came in here and saw how badly ye were injured, I thought I already had.”
“I’ll never leave ye, Skylar. I told ye that. I’ll be by yer side for always. I told ye the night before all this happened, I love ye with all that I have. I want tae spend the rest of my life with ye, and I have nae doubts about that.”
Bizarrely, as he spoke those words, the strange feeling that had kept him from the darkness suddenly made sense. A part of him had wanted to give in to death, for that is what the darkness had been.
It was a way to quit, to rest, to feel free.
But it had been Skylar who had kept him from slipping away. She had been the reason that he needed to stay. Perhaps it was so he could love her and look after her as he had promised he would, or perhaps it was because he knew his life would be better now that she was in it. Perhaps it was a combination of things. It had been his desire to love her that had saved him, and it that way, it had been she herself who had brought him back from death.
She did not need to hear such words though, not now. It was evident she was still very vulnerable. Strong and fiery as she was, they had been through a horrific experience. What she needed now was comfort and love and perhaps a little humor to bring that beautiful smile to her face.
“Perhaps for the future, though, it might be better if neither o’ us tries tae save the other again,” Maxwell said, deciding to lighten the mood a little. “Let’s give up rescuing one another, Skylar. Let’s just love each other dearly as a husband and wife should.”
“And Laird Johnson?” Skylar pressed. Perhaps he had been wrong about her fiery spirit resting.
“We can fight him together. I have nae doubt he’ll be back. He’s nae a man tae give up. Besides,” Maxwell nodded down to his wounded chest. “I have a score tae settle.”
“As do I,” Skylar said mysteriously.
Maxwell frowned at her tone, but Skylar shook her head. “It can wait. I will tell ye about it but nae now.”
While he was desperate to know what it was she referred to, Maxwell did not push her. There was simply no point. Skylar was as stubborn as he at times. Their first journey to the castle came to his mind then as he recalled how, no matter how hard he had tried to get the information from her, she had not revealed anything about herself or her gift or her past. Whatever this new thing was, she would tell him eventually, for he trusted her to do so.
“Then, can ye make a promise tae me?” he said.
