Epilogue
Two years later...
“T
oday we welcome the gathering of the clans tae unite all of Scotland! May the gods smile down upon ye and bless ye for the rest of yer days!”
Liam wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist as they watched the proceedings—their son, Gareth, in his arms. The little boy had been quiet since the ceremony had started, likely surprised by all the people that were gathered.
Today was the start of the gathering, held in a neighboring clan’s land.
Liam and his family had traveled to the lands two days prior, and now he had a tent erected with his colors flying proudly in the slight breeze.
The last time he had attended a gathering, it had been on McPherson land, when his sister-in-law had chosen a husband for herself and to take over the laird ruling.
Now he was part of that family, part of the great clans of Scotland that would be represented here.
There would be days of talks to keep Scotland united, as well as festivals to celebrate the clans and games to show off their strength and good-natured ribbing for those that stood on the sidelines.
Liam had brought along Rhynald and his family, as well as his warriors to compete on behalf of the clan and show off the strength of the McCallum clan.
All the clans were in attendance, as well as their children and their families.
It was a time to celebrate, and being his first gathering with his wife, Liam was especially proud to show off his family.
And his wife. Leaning down, he breathed in his wife’s soap. “Care to go back to the tent now?”
She turned, giving him a critical eye. “Can we? ’Tis impossibly warm out here and mah back is starting to hurt.”
He chuckled, proffering his arm to her. “Anything for the love of mah life.”
She rolled her eyes but took his arm anyway, allowing him to escort her to the large tent in between her sisters’ tents. Once inside, she unpinned the tartan around her, fanning herself. “’Tis not the most appropriate time to have the gathering in the dead heat of the summer.”
He placed Gareth on one of the pallets, handing the little boy a wooden toy. “I will be reminded of that next time, Wife.”
Sorcha let out a huff. “How about being a bit more selective when ye get me with child? I would not be as miserable if I weren’t carrying yer child, Liam.”
Liam gazed at her protruding stomach, his heart turning over in his chest. Another bairn on the way.
Another child to love and care for. Having Gareth had been perhaps the most important thing in his life since he married Sorcha, but now that they were going to add to their family, he could not believe that he could love another child.
He would, of course. He would love this child just as much.
“I will be more selective next time, Sorcha.”
“Yer jesting.”
He grinned. “I am.”
She sighed, and he walked over, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Tell me what I can do tae make it easier.”
“Nothing,” she replied, leaning into his touch. “I’ve complained enough, haven’t I?”
He pressed a kiss to her neck. “Ye have every right tae complain. I will still love ye all the same.”
“And I ye,” she replied.
Liam held his wife in his arms, not believing that this was his life. He had a son who was the spitting image of him, but more like Sorcha every day.
He had another bairn on the way, one that would fill his heart again with their birth.
And then there was Sorcha. Sorcha had completed his life in ways that he could not have imagined, bringing joy to the darkness, and showing him that he could learn to love again.
And love he did. He loved Sorcha fiercely, his children even more so. He wanted to never know his life without any of them, and when he drew his last breath, Liam knew that he would leave his life fulfilled.
Another chapter in his life, another time to be thankful for what he had been given.
His second chance.
Later, as he held his slumbering wife in his arms and listened to the revelry in the distance, Liam sent up words of thanks to those that had been blessing him all these years. Nelia had been his first love and had brought joy into his life during his younger years.
And now he had Sorcha in his life, a woman who hadn’t started out to be the wife she was today. Now she was his entire life, and without her, his had no meaning. She had given him a son, something that he could never replace.
But without Sorcha, he had nothing.
Sorcha shifted in his arms and Liam pulled her close, pressing his lips to her forehead.
As much as he wished that he could take her out into the revelry, dance with her, and hear her laughter as he spun her around, he knew that she was tired because of the child she carried.
He was content to be lying here, holding her while she slept.
There would be a time in his life when he would look back on his life and smile at what he had accomplished.
The clan he had led.
The battles he had won.
The children he had borne.
The family he had gained.
But most of all, he would look at his wife and know that she had saved him when he needed it the most.
Liam shifted on the pallet, feeling his son’s little body pressed up against his. With his wife on one side and his son on the other, he felt like the wealthiest man in all of Scotland.