Epilogue
SIX MONTHS LATER
Abolt of sunlight spilled through the tall windows of the small stone chapel, catching on blue banners and sprigs of heather woven along the pews.
Kristen stood at the back with her hand on Murdock’s arm. Her dress was bright blue, the exact shade of the cloth she had held to her cheek at the dressmaker’s. Davina had chosen the fabric, and Anna had insisted on extra swirls in the skirt for spinning.
Her belly was still flat, but she knew. She had noticed the changes in her body. The morning sickness. The tender breasts. Her heart seemed to beat double.
“Ready?” Murdock asked, his voice low.
She nodded, her eyes stinging. “More than I was the first time,” she replied with a wry smile.
They started down the aisle, faces blurring past in warm colors and shapes. Davina, composed and tender-eyed. Skye, standing straight as a reed. Old warriors. Villagewomen. Men who had once doubted her but were now smiling.
Neil stood at the altar, his expression open in a way it had not been at their first wedding. The steadiness he usually reserved for battle had turned into warmth. Anna walked ahead, strewing petals with solemn care.
Finn, standing close to Neil, leaned towards him and whispered, “Why are ye marrying Ma again?”
A chuckle rippled through the front pews.
Neil bent so his answer reached both the boy and Kristen. “Because she deserves a better wedding than the one I first gave her,” he said. “This time, I ken how lucky I am.”
Kristen’s heart thumped hard. She met his gaze and found no shadows there, only warmth.
The ceremony was simple. The priest spoke of vows and second chances, of love that survived storms and choices, of families made by blood and by decision both.
Neil took Kristen’s hands, his thumbs brushing over her knuckles in a slow, soothing rhythm.
“Do ye take this woman to be yer lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish, in joy and in sorrow, as long as ye both shall live?” the priest asked.
“With everything I am,” Neil replied, without the slightest pause.
Kristen’s vow came with tears and a smile. She promised to stand at his side, to argue when needed, to remind him that he was more than his past, to raise their children with him in love, not fear.
Finn and Anna fidgeted between Davina and Murdock. Maggie lay at their feet like she understood the weight of the moment and would guard it with her life.
“Ye may kiss yer wife,” the priest said.
“Again!” Finn whooped, and the chapel erupted in laughter.
Neil cupped Kristen’s face and kissed her.
The clan cheered. The kiss tasted like new beginnings and home.
Bells rang over the courtyard afterward, and the clan gathered in the hall for the feast. Soon, the air filled with the scent of smoked meat, honey, and ale.
A few hours later, Kristen pulled Neil to the edge of the revelry. The children ran near them, with Maggie trying to keep up. Finn was shouting about a race that had no rules, while Anna announced that she wanted bannocks and juice and a nap all at once.
Kristen took Neil’s hand and gently guided it to her belly.
He went still. “What—?” His eyes searched hers.
She smiled, her tears welling up for the third time that day. “I am with child,” she said softly. “Our child.”
For a heartbeat, he did not speak. Then his fingers splayed over her belly as if he could shield what was not yet visible.
His eyes shone. “Truly?”
“Aye.” She nodded. “Truly.”
He pulled her in, holding her with the tender care of a man who had learned the cost of absence and would not pay it again.
“Thank ye,” he whispered into her hair, “for giving me a life I never thought I would have.”
She leaned back to look at him. “We built it together,” she said. “And we will keep building it. All of us.”
Finn tugged at Neil’s sleeve. “Dance with me,” he demanded. Then he added more politely, “Please,” because Davina was within earshot.
Neil bowed solemnly. “Aye, lad. But ye must lead. I am out of practice.”
Anna placed both hands on Kristen’s skirt and announced, “Spin.”
Kristen obliged, turning once so the blue hem fluttered like water.
Anna shrieked and clapped, and Maggie barked as if that settled the matter.
They moved back toward the high table with their fingers intertwined. Davina met them halfway and took Kristen’s hands in her own.
“Ye look like a princess,” she complimented, her voice thick. “Blue suits ye.”
“So I have been told.” Kristen smiled.
“She was always a princess to me. I am so happy for ye, sister.” Ailis whispered, squeezing her. She could not hold her tears.
Murdock drew near, his tone deep and fond. “I will fetch more bannocks before the bairns devour them all.”
“Ye are a saint,” Neil said.
“I am a hungry man with fast children,” Murdock drawled, then fixed him with a meaningful look. “Mind her, me Laird.”
Neil nodded. “I will.” No vow had ever sounded more natural on his tongue.
Music rose again, a slow tune to carry them into the afternoon. Kristen stood with Neil at the edge of it all and watched their life take shape.
“Ready?” Neil asked, inclining his head toward the dancers.
She nodded and stepped into his arms. “Aye, me Laird.”
The End?