Epilogue
Daniel watched as Daphne, Melissa and Avery held each other at George’s memorial, reminiscing about the joyous times they had shared as a family before the viscount’s insatiable thirst for power and money took control of his mind.
Both Daniel and Darragh stood by and watched as the women mourned the man they had known as well as the hopes they had harbored, thinking he’d wanted to change his ways.
Daniel couldn’t quite bring himself to feel sad that the viscount was gone, yet he respected the fact that George Young had been a different man before they’d met.
“I know your father became a monster,” Daphne whispered, holding onto her daughters.
“But there was a time when he made me feel like the most special lady on earth. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have the two of you, so I will always be grateful to him for that,” she said as her tears fell onto her black mourning dress.
The chapel had been decorated with pure white lilies and black ribbons that had been used to tie the stems together. Daniel had thought it too much effort for a man that had done so much wrong, but he’d looked the other way and allowed the women to do as they saw fit.
“He was still our father,” Melissa said, hugging her mother but not sharing in the tears. Daniel didn’t blame her for not grieving her father. He admired the way she allowed her family to express their grief without standing in the way.
“I will forgive him one day,” Avery said, holding back a sob. “But for now, I think we are all just relieved that his tyranny is over, and we can all move on with our lives.”
“Thank you, my dears,” Daphne said as she took a deep breath and walked over to the men.
“And thank you both for loving my daughters the way you do. I may not have been blessed with a son of my own, but I am twice blessed to know you two.” She gave them a sad smile.
“Please don’t judge me too harshly for letting him back in our lives.
Life can get rather lonely in your old age when your children are all grown up. ”
“Dinnae even mention it,” Darragh was the first to say.
“Aye, everything is as good as forgotten,” Daniel agreed and winked at her.
Melissa and Avery came up and started a discussion about the future and where everything would be going now that the funeral was over.
It was quickly established that Daphne would be staying with Avery and Darragh for some time. This suited Daniel just fine; he had been wanting to spend some time alone with Melissa ever since the incident.
He waited for the group to move on before drawing his wife into his arms. “I cannae wait to take ye back home,” he whispered, holding Melissa so close to him that she wouldn’t be able to get free from him even if she tried.
“I hope you have some of your delicious cherries waiting for me at home?” Melissa asked with a smile as she buried her face into his neck.
“Oh, me cherries are always waiting for ye whenever ye want them.” He laughed and gently kissed the crown of her head. He loved the way they had fallen back into playful banter once again.
“That sounds promising.” She returned his laugh and melted into his arms, giving in to the exhaustion of the day. “What else are you going to do to me, Me Laird?”
“You will have to wait and see.” He affectionately slapped her butt. “Melissa,” he said, taking her hands and looking her in the eyes. “I almost lost ye, an’ that was the most scared I have ever been in me life. The worst thing about it all was that I hadn’t told ye how much ye mean to me.”
Her face suddenly filled with emotions as she gazed into his eyes.
“So, Melissa, I want to tell ye right now that I love ye more than anything or anyone else in this whole world. Naething matters to me more than yer beautiful smile. I’ll spend the rest of me life trying to keep it there if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Daniel…” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I love you too, more than you will ever know.” She leaned in closer and pressed her lips against his. “What happened to us doing whatever we pleased on our own?” she asked as she leaned back in his arms.
“Now, that is just something ye will have to forget I ever said.” He turned her around and playfully slapped her butt once again as they laughed on their way out of the chapel.
Once they were back at the castle, Daniel picked her up in his arms and carried her to their chambers. He slowly started kissing her neck. His fingers gently slipped her clothes off her body, starting by pushing the sleeves of her dress off her shoulders.
“Yer so beautiful, me wife,” he murmured, looking at her naked body before kissing her gently from her neck all the way down to her breasts.
Melissa shivered with pleasure when he referred to her as his wife. He made her loins ache for more as he kissed her bare shoulders.
Taking her by the hand, Daniel guided her over to the tub that had been drawn for them and helped her step in before following suit. The hot steamy water and the sight of her wet hair sticking to her face and shoulders made him want her like never before.
“I want to make love to ye, Melissa Forrester,” he whispered in her ear, before gently nibbling on her neck and drawing her into his arms.
“Not as much as I want you to make love to me, Daniel Forrester,” she whispered back and kissed him passionately as his hands dipped beneath the surface of the water and began to explore her body.
“Hmm.” She let out a soft moan as he cupped her firm breasts in his hands and began to massage them.
“Ye dinnae ken how long I’ve wanted to do that, lass,” he whispered in her ear and nibbled on her neck as his hand went further down, finding its place between her thighs.
Her lips suddenly parted with a silent gasp as he began to feel around, caressing her folds until he found the bud that made her moan.
“Do ye like that?” he asked as she leaned her head back against the tub and allowed him to have his way.
“Yes,” she managed to breathe between the waves of pleasure that coursed through her body.
Daniel watched as her damp hair clung to her beautiful skin, urging him on as the water in the tub began to ripple.
“Please, don’t stop.” Her breaths came in short bursts. “What are you doing?” She looked at him with anguish in her eyes as he removed his fingers from her folds and kissed her shoulder.
“That was just the beginning.” He kissed a path over her collarbone. “I’m nae done with ye.”
Steam filled the room as he came to his knees and lifted her legs on either side of his body.
“This is what will truly make us husband and wife,” he said as he leaned down and drew her in for a kiss.
“It will only hurt for a second,” he whispered against her lips as he positioned himself between her thighs.
Her eyes widened in shock for a second as he gently leaned in and merged their bodies with a single thrust.
Watching her face, he took his cue from her breathing and began to move faster as she reached out and gripped the corner of the tub, crying his name out in ecstasy.
“Daniel!”
Her hips moved in rhythm with his as she suddenly came up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
Water spilled over the sides of the tub as he lay back and pulled her with him until she was sitting on his lap.
“Oh, lass!” he groaned as he used his hands to guide her hips.
Melissa began to whimper as she laced her fingers behind her neck, pushing her breasts toward his mouth as she cried out for more.
Daniel couldn’t resist the urge to reach out and massage her chest as he tried to last as long as he could. Coming up slightly, he placed a hand on the small of her back and took her nipple into his mouth.
Her body began to tremble with pleasure as they moved together. She was getting closer to her peak.
“Daniel!” she finally cried out as waves of pleasure coursed through her body.
They took a moment to regain their breaths before Daniel drew her into his chest and held her tight as the warm water enveloped their bodies.
“I think it’s safe to say that I like making love to you more than I like eating your cherries,” Melissa said with a contented sigh as he played with the loose strands of her hair.
Bursting out laughing, Daniel held her tight and kissed the top of her head. “Aye, I think I prefer making love to ye than eating cherries, even with all of yer quips.”
“Are you happy?” she asked as she propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him.
“Aye. Are ye?”
“Yes,” she said and quickly looked down.
“What’s on yer mind?” he asked as he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“I was just wondering if you were still adamant that we shouldn’t have children,” she said as she traced a path over his chest.
“Ye ken that we may have made a bairn in this tub?” he asked with a twinkle in his eyes as he tilted her chin up.
“Is that so?” She raised one eyebrow and looked at him, realizing that he had changed. “I guess we should make double sure of that, then,” she teased as she straddled him once again.
“Ye will be the death of me if ye dinnae allow me to rest, woman!” he grunted as he began to tickle her sides, making her laugh louder than she ever had before.
The End?