Page 88 of A Virgin for the Icy Highlander
It was still new, seeing him smile like that and hearing him laugh. Not so long ago, she wouldn’t have thought it possible. Then again, just a week ago, she wouldn’t have thoughtthiswas possible either.
“What?” he asked gently.
She shook her head. “I’m just admiring your smile.”
“It’s all because of ye,” he said, his voice thick. “For a long time, I forgot how to feel anythin’ at all. It became a habit, I think. And then ye came along, and I’ve felt more than I had in years. A whole list of emotions, if ye want to write them down?”
She laughed. “Such as?”
“There was fear that ye might be hurt or worse,” he replied. “There was… sadness that I might have lost ye for good. There was relief when I saw ye again, and now…”
“Now?” she prompted.
He flashed her his most radiant smile as he leaned in and kissed her. “Now, love, there’s naught but happiness. Happiness that I get to spend the rest of me life with ye.”
She melted into his kiss, smiling against his lips, certain it was the most perfect end to the most perfect moment. For, whether he realized it or not, with those sweet confessions, she had just completed her dare. And just in time for the wedding.
EPILOGUE
One Week Later
“Stay still!” Ellie commanded in a tone that suggested she’d been spending a lot of time with Ailis.
Grace stifled a laugh, admiring the child’s determined reflection in the mirror. “Apologies. I shan’t move a muscle.”
She sat cross-legged in front of the mirror, so she’d be around the right height for Ellie to do her important work. In truth, shehadbeen rather fidgety, her nervous anticipation making her a terrible model for the child’s work of art.
Sticking her tongue out, concentrating intensely, Ellie carefully wove her collection of flowers into Grace’s hair, which consisted of little purple blooms from the gardens, alongside sprigs of heather from the moors. Lilian had lent her a white ribbon too,which the child had already painstakingly wrapped around the braid that formed a circlet around the crown of Grace’s head.
“Ow!” Grace yelped and jolted.
“Stay still!” Ellie cried.
Bursting into laughter, Grace snatched up the kitten, which had decided to use her foot for hunting practice. “I will when dear Snowflake stops trying to add his decoration to my skin. Never mind the ribbon in my hair, I’m being scratched to ribbons!”
“We talked about this,” Ellie muttered, shaking a finger at the now-purring kitten. “Both of ye, stay still.”
Snowflake settled into Grace’s arms, obeying his mistress. With no further distractions, Ellie continued her diligent work until, a few minutes later, she declared her masterpiece done.
“Finished!” She clapped her hands together, startling the kitten awake.
“Beautiful, too,” Ailis said as she came into the bedchamber with a tea tray.
Ellie beamed. “Do ye like it, Gracie?”
“Iloveit,” Grace replied, meaning it.
Whodidn’twant a halo of flowers on their wedding day? Even if it was the ugliest thing she’d ever seen, Grace would still have gushed about it. But she didn’t have to worry about that; it suited her perfectly. The purple hues complemented her dark hair and green eyes.
“Where are the other two?” Ailis asked, pouring a cup for Grace.
“Down the hall, where I dare not tread,” Grace replied, taking the cup gratefully and inhaling the sweet scent of the healer’s famous blackberry and lavender tea. It was just what she needed to calm her nerves.
Ailis raised an eyebrow. “Should I ask?”
“Lilian is trying to get Maddie into a gown,” Grace explained, smiling against the rim of her teacup. “I think I already know who the victor will be, but as I haven’t heard the sound of anything smashing or anyone screaming yet, perhaps I’ll be surprised.”
Ellie nodded. “Aunt Maddie wanted to wear trews.”
