Page 89 of Highlander of Steel
Fortunately, Fraser wasn’t going to wait anyway. He came forward, too impatient, and took Paisley’s other hand in his, leading her to the altar.
Laughing at the sight, Ailis hurried to her husband’s side, slipping her arm through his as they took their seats and let the priest begin the ceremony.
“They look so happy,” Ailis whispered.
The priest welcomed the congregation, though Fraser and Paisley didn’t seem to hear him. They were too busy gazing at each other and smiling so wide.
Killian wrapped his arm around her. “Aye, they do.”
As the priest droned on, and the joyful couple finally noticed that he was talking, Ailis let her gaze wander around the crowded chapel. It was filled with smiling faces, filled with the people she adored, not just from Clan MacNairn but also from Clan Ainsley.
Skye caught her eye and raised her hand in an excited wave. Ailis chuckled and waved back, delighted beyond belief that her niece had a place to call home in both territories. As did her brother, who sat beside Skye, not as stony-faced as usual. Indeed, he was staring almost fondly—enviously, perhaps—at the happy couple.
And he wasn’t the only one. Kristen sat on Skye’s other side, her arm wrapped around the little girl, looking tired but at peace. She had only arrived at Castle MacNairn that morning, after a lengthy journey from her husband’s lands in the far, far north, but she had promised to stay for a few weeks. And that was worth everything.
In truth, none of the Lyall siblings had had the most celebratory of weddings, so it was to be expected that they would envy an obviously besotted couple who were enjoying an obviously joyful wedding.
After everythin’ ye went through, there’s nay one more deservin’.
Ailis returned her attention to Paisley and Fraser. The latter’s wound had healed well, and the missing finger didn’t seem to trouble him at all, though it would be a lasting reminder of how close Paisley and Killian had come to losing him.
If anything, that made the wedding all the more touching, seeing how full of life the couple were, and how determined they were to make the most of the time they had together.
“Would ye want to get married again?” Killian asked, surprising her.
Ailis frowned up at him. “What do ye mean?”
“Another weddin’. Same husband,” he replied, chuckling softly. “A weddin’ worthy of ye.”
Leaning her head against his shoulder, she made a quiet noise of disagreement. “Nay, I wouldnae. I love the husband I have, so what does the weddin’ matter?”
“Because I hear lasses dream of such things,” he murmured.
She laughed. “Aye, they do, but I daenae need the weddin’ of me dreams when I have the marriage of me dreams.Thatis what matters.”
“Very well, then,” he said, gently caressing her arm. “We’ll nae get married again.”
“Good,” she breathed, so safe in his arms that she needed nothing more than that.
Well… almost nothing more.
Bawdy music and raucous laughter echoed through the hallways of Castle MacNairn, layered with the chatter of merrymakers and the shrieks of dancers whirling around and around.
It was a celebration indeed, the entire castle coming and going to partake in the festivities, while many more guests had traveled in from the nearby villages and towns. There were even a few Ainsleys from the border villages, more shyly partaking in the revelries.
“I wishme weddin’ was like this,” Kristen gushed, a touch inebriated, as she stood at Ailis’s side on the periphery of the Great Hall, watching the dancers and the musicians.
Ailis laughed. “Ye wouldnae have wanted to draw so much attention.”
“Aye, ye’re probably right,” Kristen sighed, gazing at Paisley, who was every bit the blushing, happy bride.
At that moment, the healer was in the middle of the dance floor with her husband, being thrown around in increasingly daring lifts and spins. Loving every moment, if her beaming smile and rippling laughter were anything to go by.
“I’m sorry I wasnae at yerweddin’,” Kristen added with a sad smile. “Lookin’ at the two of ye, I bet it was more wonderful than this one.”
Ailis pulled a face. “We didnae really have a celebration. It wasnae the most… comfortable situation. I was worried about Skye and Fraser, about our faither comin’ to seek vengeance, so it was… good that there was nay fuss. Back then, it didnae seem like somethin’ to bother with.”
“Did ye ken ye loved him?” Kristen asked, sage as ever.
