Epilogue
The end of a long week couldn’t have come soon enough Tina thought as she finished her daily routine of cleaning up the tea shop.
Tea cups were cleaned and put away, day-old baked goods boxed up for delivery to a local group that fed the hungry, books shelved and dusted.
She took one final look around and was pleased that everything was where it should be.
She was tired, but feeling a bit giddy as she grabbed her purse from behind the counter.
She turned the sign in the window to closed and walked out the front door, locking it behind her.
Tina smiled as she saw her handsome Highlander doing the same at the medieval martial arts studio next door.
“Hey, sweetie,” she said, as he approached.
Donal took Tina into his arms and kissed her until her knees went weak. It had been six months since he surprised her in this very spot and his kisses always had the same effect. “Are ye ready, love?” he asked.
“Date night has officially begun.” Tina gazed up at her man. Oh, how she loved him. “Elena is all set with her cousins for the night. No one is expecting us home any time soon, so it’s just you and me, baby.”
“I like the sound of that.” Donal’s hand lingered at her waist as he guided her off down the street.
“I thought we’d have some dinner and then maybe go to that movie you wanted to see.” Tina leaned into Donal, loving the feel of him at her side and the warmth his body emitted on this chilly fall evening.
“Where will we go?” he asked, his eyes lovingly locked on hers.
“How about that great little Italian restaurant just down the street? We can walk there and then the movie theater is just a short walk from there.” She knew how much he enjoyed Italian food, so she was sure he’d be happy with her choice.
“Ye know me well, lass.” Donal’s crooked grin always got to her.
He had really embraced living in the future.
He played video games with her brothers and ran all the studio’s social media sites.
He loved taking videos of his students showing off their moves and it was exciting to see how well he was doing.
At home they had become a real team in parenting Elena, who seemed to have skipped walking and went straight to running after her cousins.
Their new home was almost ready for them to move in, but in the meantime, they had been staying in her parents’ house.
It was busy and loud, but it was full of love. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was.
She stopped and faced him. “Donal, have I told you I love you today?”
He looked up, placing a finger on his chin. “I dinnae believe ye have.”
“I love you,” she said. “I don’t want a day to go by without telling you how much you mean to me.”
“I love ye, too. I hope ye know it. I hope I’ve shown ye every day.”
“You have.” She stood on tiptoe to softly kiss his lips.
Once they got to the end of the block, Tina peeked into a shop window and waved at Mrs. Winston. She stopped moving her flower buckets into the refrigerated case to wave back.
“Wait here a moment, right where I can see ye,” Donal said.
“Why?” Tina asked.
“Ye’ll see.” Donal entered the flower shop where she watched him smiling and laughing with Mrs. Winston. She went into the back and returned with a bouquet of flowers. Donal nodded to her before joining Tina outside. “For ye, my love.”
Tina’s eyes teared up. It was a bouquet of wild flowers, much like the ones she’d received on their very first date at Breaghacraig.
“Dinnae cry, my sweet. I thought ye’d like them.” His thumb brushed a wayward tear from her cheek.
“They’re happy tears. I love them.” She grasped his hand, holding it up to her cheek. “We had a rocky start, but I know in my heart that you and I were meant to be.”
“I’m happy here with ye. Yer a good ma to Elena and I cannae wait to have more children with ye.”
“We will,” she said, trying not to smile.
His eyebrows shot up in hopeful surprise. “Do ye have something to tell me?”
“Well, I was going to wait until we were at dinner, but yes. We’re having a baby!”
Donal lifted her off the ground, twirling her around and around.
“Whoah! Donal!”
“I’m sorry. Did I hurt ye?” He placed a hand on her belly.
“No. Just made me a little dizzy. Maybe we could not do that again.”
“Ye have my word.” Donal placed an arm around her shoulders and one hand on her elbow as he began escorting her down the street. “Are ye sure yer having our bairn?”
“Yes, of course.” When the question in his eyes didn’t change, she said, “You know, we’ve been putting in a lot of hard work and this is your reward.
” She had to laugh at the comical expression on his face.
He was still holding her as if he thought she needed all the help in the world just to walk.
She took his face in her hands and looked deep into his eyes, “Donal, I’m okay.
You don’t have to treat me like I’m going to break,” she laughed as she kissed him on the nose.
“I dinnae know what to do.”
The poor guy looked like he might pass out. Tina couldn’t help but giggle. “You won’t have to do it alone, we’ll figure it out together. Come on, let’s get some dinner. I’m eating for two now.”