Hearts of Highland Fire

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

A month later

“Och! I always knew ye would be a beautiful bride, but seeing it with mah verra eyes still catches mah off guard.”

Gretna looked at her reflection in the mirror, smoothing down the front of her dress nervously. Today was the day that she had longed for, the day that she would stand beside a man that would pledge his love for her and give her the future she had longed for.

She just never expected it to be Remy.

In truth, she would have wed him a month ago when he asked, but Ian and Remy both had demanded that she have the wedding she had planned as a girl so the last month had been a flurry of activity in doing so.

Now, it was all coming to fruition and Gretna couldn’t be more excited.

Turning away from her reflection, she let the rest of the room see her, smiling at their exclamations of excitement at her perfect wedding gown and hair. There was not a single stray hair or a wrinkle in the skirt of her gown, just like she expected.

Iris stepped forward, placing the bouquet of flowers in Gretna’s hand. “Ye truly look lovely, Gretna.”

“Aye, ye do,” Ida added, giving her the handkerchief that was embroidered with her new initials. “A vision.”

Lena stepped forward last, pressing the silver coin in her hand that would go in Gretna’s shoe for good luck. “Remy is simply going tae not know wot tae do.”

Gretna hoped that wasn’t true. The stolen kisses and touches over the last month was not enough.

“Come!” Ida suddenly said, moving to the door. “We are going tae be late.”

That wasn’t something that could happen. The group moved to the door and down the hall, where Ian waited, dressed in his finest tunic, the crown sitting on his head. He smiled when he saw Gretna, holding out his arm for her to take. “Ye are lovely, lass. Da would be so proud of ye today.”

Gretna gave him a smile. “He would be proud of all of us.”

Ian nodded and escorted her down the stairs toward the great hall. “I wish I could talk ye out of marrying the bastard. Tis not too late tae change yer mind.”

Gretna laughed at Ian’s attempt at a jest, knowing that her brother was just as excited about Remy becoming part of their family. He liked to make them worry about his decision, but she knew that he saw the love between them.

“I think I will go through with it,” she smiled.

Ian grumbled but only squeezed her arm as the archway covered in flowers came into view. The entire Wallace clan filled the great hall, some even spilling out into the courtyard to witness the happy union between two of their own.

Flowers were strewn about the path that Gretna and Ian took leading up to where Remy waited patiently. He was dressed in a tunic of white and gold, his ceremonial sword strapped to his back and a smile on his handsome face. When his eyes fell on hers, his expression softened and Gretna wanted to run into his arms, the very place she loved to be.

But she allowed Ian to move her to the right place before the elder that would perform the ceremony, facing the man that she loved more than anything. Remy winked at her and she burst into laughter, her heart filled with love and happiness.

They ate and drank with their clan, dancing until Gretna’s feet ached. Finally, Remy gathered her into his arms, bringing her against his hard body. “Are ye ready tae have some time alone, lass?” he murmured into her ear, their bodies swaying to the music.

Gretna’s cheeks heated. “Aye,” she whispered, looking into his eyes. “I am.”

He grinned and released her, taking her hand so that they could move through the crowd and to the stairs. Once they reached the first step, he swung her up in his arms, causing Gretna to squeal with laughter. She grasped at his neck with her arms as he started up the stairs, resting her head against his chest. Gretna was so happy in ways she couldn’t even begin to understand and this was only the beginning.

She couldn’t wait to see what the years brought them.

When he reached her chamber, Remy kicked the door shut with his boot before lowering her to her bed. “Ye took mah breath away today, lass,” he said, removing her slippers from her feet. “I have never seen anything more lovely than ye.”

His words pierced her very soul and she reached for him, pulling him down into a kiss. To her disappointment, Remy pressed his lips to hers quickly before pulling back.

“Nay,” he told her. “I want tae see ye.”

Gretna blushed as she had all night at the ribald calls and crude remarks from the clan about the time between Remy and her. “I donna know.” She was so innocent when it came to what happened behind closed doors, but her husband was not.

He gave her a gentle smile, pulling her to a seated position. “Donna worry, Gretna, mah love. I will teach ye all that ye need tae know.” With that, his fingers started to work on the laces of her bodice, his lips pressing against her neck. Gretna gasped and threaded her hands through his hair, undoing the leather tie that had held his hair back from his face. Suddenly, she couldn’t touch him enough.

Remy eased the bodice off her shoulders before teasing the straps of her chemise with his fingers, his lips moving down over her collarbone. With each touch of his lips, he left a fiery path and Gretna found herself wanting him to move lower, like a wanton.

He didn’t disappoint. Soon her breasts were exposed to the air and his lips were wrapped around her taut nipple, causing her to gasp at the odd sensation. Her husband chuckled against her skin.

“Ye like that?”

She looked at him. “Aye.” That feeling was back, the one that sent delicious warmth through her lower region, causing her to ache unbearably.

He did it again to the other side and by the time Gretna was panting, Remy pulled back. “Lift yer hips, love.”

Gretna did as he asked and he pulled both her chemise and her dress over her hips, placing them on the floor. Remy’s eyes grew heated with intensity as his hand slid down from her stomach to the juncture between her thighs. Gretna gasped as he touched her as he had once before, her eyes never leaving his, only trying to pull away when he lowered his mouth.

“Wot are ye doing?” she panted, feeling his lips on her inner thigh.

“Kissing ye,” he murmured, his lips moving higher until he settled over her mound. Gretna’s hands clenched on the sheets of the bed as she felt her husband feast on her body, moaning his name as he stroked her with his fingers and his tongue. The pressure in her lower region stoked higher until Gretna couldn’t take it and her body shuddered, his name on her lips.

Vaguely she could hear Remy remove his clothing, moving between her thighs and nudging them apart.

“Tis going tae be uncomfortable,” he told her, positioning himself at her entrance. “But I donna mean tae hurt ye.”

Gretna forced her eyes open, giving him a soft smile. “I know. I love ye.”

“I love ye,” he answered, his hands gripping her hips and fitting their bodies together slowly.

Gretna felt a flash of pain as he slid forward, but it was only brief and soon he was fully inside her, filling her to her very core.

“Oh,” she breathed, getting used to the sensation. “Is that it? I mean, are we done?”

Remy let out a tortured laugh. “Nay, lass. We aren’t even close tae being done.”

It didn’t take Gretna long to understand what he meant. When he moved, she gasped, feeling a new sensation take over the small smidge of pain she had felt. Her hands found his arms and she squeezed them as he took her over the edge again, her body clenching around him. Soon her cries mingled with his as they completed their union as man and wife.

Afterward, she lay in the circle of Remy’s arms, her body flushed and her heart full.

“Well?” he asked near her ear, his arms tightening on her naked form. “Wot did ye think?”

There were no words to describe what had just happened. No wonder there were whispers and blushes. “I- I honestly donna know wot tae say.”

Her husband chuckled. “Well, maybe I should try again so that ye can find the words, lass.”

Gretna shifted in his arms until she was looking at him. “Perhaps that would help.”

He growled and covered her body with his, his lips hovering over hers. “Ye are infuriating, but I love it.”

And she loved him.