Page 67 of Scandalous Scot
That should be him.
And he vowed it would be from this second forward.
Then she took Ian’s hand, and in that moment he knew. He had suspected. He had questioned. He had thought it possible. And now he knew without a shadow of a doubt.
He loved his wife.
Even though she had not forgiven him, Ian felt as if he won the lottery. And the prize wasn’t money. He had plenty of that. It was the realization that he would never again have to question what it felt like to be in love.
It seemed like as good a place to start as any.
“I love you, Màiri.”
Not surprisingly, she looked skeptical. What man was foolish enough to try to send the woman he loved into another man’s arms?
This one, apparently.
“I honestly don’t know what the hell I was thinking last night. After meeting Ambrose, I just thought . . . he’s a good man. Better than me in a lot of ways. And you deserve a good man. Not a confused one who’s always struggling to measure up. I thought I was doing you a favor. But then I talked to Marian, and when she told me how you felt . . . you can’t marry him. You’re already married to me.”
That hadn’t come out exactly as he’d planned.
“Marry Ambrose?”
“Yeah. I asked if you were planning to marry Ambrose, and Marian said . . .” What had she said precisely?
“She told you aye?”
He tried to remember.
“Actually, I don’t know if she ever really answered.”
Màiri cocked her head to the side as her horse protested again. Ian pulled her away before either of them could get hurt.
“Were you?” he asked. “Planning to marry him?”
One look into her eyes gave him the answer.
Shit. She hadn’t intended to marry him at all. Marian had let him think it because she knew it would make him jealous. And of course it had worked. He was in love with this woman.
“Never mind. It wouldn’t work.”
“Nay?”
“Nay. Because you’re married to me. And I want you to stay married to me. Come back home with me. I know it’s a big decision. You’d have to leave your father, leave everything you know. But Màiri, I swear to God, I’ll make you happy. We can come back to Scotland, visit your ancestors, whenever you want.” He took her other hand. “Forgive me.”
What if she told him to pound sand? What would he do if she got back on her horse and rode the rest of the way to Kinross?
Ian knew exactly what he would do.
“I’ll stay. If you don’t want to leave, I’ll stay here. I’d miss my brothers like hell, but it’s not fair for me to assume you’ll come. Your call. But just say you’ll stay married to me.”
Ian held his breath, waiting.
Oh God, please don’t say no.
“New Orleans does sound intriguing.”
His heart soared.
