Extended Epilogue #3
“I offered to have another ceremony,” Lachlan reminded them. “When Sloane and I returned from yer wedding.”
“How romantic. Ye dragged her back against her will and then offered to remarry her. I cannae imagine why she would have turned ye down,” Gair teased.
Jamie and Adair laughed and Lachlan shot them both looks. “I may not have handled the situation well, but she is still here and she is happy.”
“And making ye miserable.” Shivering, Jamie climbed out of the river and shook his head to force the water droplets to fly from his hair. “We must return or she will make us all miserable.”
Adair climbed out after him and grinned. “Hey, at least if Isla changes her mind again, it willna be a waste of a day.”
The groom’s eyes widened and they all joshed him as they joined him in drying off and dressing. When they walked back to the keep, Lachlan caught sight of the church and his mouth dropped open.
They had transformed the yard. Flower petals were sprinkled in the sacred circle in front of the door and Sloane must have found someone to help her move the arch because it rose in magnificent colors as it was draped in lace and ribbons.
It was beautiful and Isla was going to love it.
It was something that Sloane would have loved as well.
“This better happen, Jamie,” he growled. “I willna go through this again.”
Striding to the keep, Lachlan tried to ignore the flurry of activity still happening and marched straight to his chambers.
Closing the door, he leaned against it on his forearm and closed his eyes.
He had thought that he’d reached a part in his marriage where his wife had no regrets, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe he’d always been wrong.
“Lachlan,” Sloane said softly. “Did ye hurt yerself during the training session?”
“No. I didna even realize that ye were in here.” Turning around, he started to panic when he realized that she was sitting on the bed with her hand on her abdomen. “What is wrong? Why are ye in the bed? What happened?”
As he kneeled down by her and put his hand on her belly, she clasped it and smiled. There was so much love shining in her eyes. “Nothing is wrong, Lachlan. Nothing happened. I just came in here to get ready and wanted a moment of quiet.”
A moment of quiet. Did that mean she wanted him to leave?
“That doesna mean ye.” When he looked up in surprise, she stroked her fingers through his wet hair. “Ye didna have to say anything. I could see the question in yer face, but what I doona understand is why. Ye want Jamie and Isla to be happy.”
“Of course, but the two prior events…”
“This isna about what happened before, Lachlan.” She narrowed her eyes and studied him. “’Tis something else. When ye figure it out, will ye let me know?”
Standing, he gently pulled her from the bed to her feet. “Ye better start getting ready. If we are late, Isla may have yet another reason to call the wedding off.”
“I keep telling ye…”
“Aye and I should trust ye. This marriage will happen today. Do ye need it to happen? Is there some reason that ye are going to all this effort to throw Isla the perfect wedding?”
Turning her head up to him, she gave him the most beautiful smile.
“She deserves it. Two years ago, she was pregnant, scared, homeless, and alone. Now, she has a beautiful baby, she has love, she has friends, and she is ready to trust in her happiness. She deserves all that I can give her and I can give her this.”
Reaching into the wardrobe, she pulled out the green dress that was so familiar to him.
The dress that Sloane had worn to their wedding.
The dress that she was wearing when she became his wife.
He hadn’t seen it since that day. They’d attended plenty of ceremonies, but he didn’t even realize she still had it.
“I like that dress on ye,” Lachlan said softly.
Turning around, she swept her hair aside and indicated that she wanted his help with the buttons of her dress. “I had Elspeth work on it so it would fit over my belly. Soon I will be hopelessly large.”
“I cannae wait.”
“’Tis going to be a boy, ye know.” Once the buttons were undone, she turned in his arms as the fabric fell from her shoulders. “Ye are going to have a son.”
Tugging on it so that it pooled at her feet, he wanted desperately to reach for her shift and get her naked. “And ye know that it is a boy like ye know that this is the day Isla and Jamie will wed?”
“Aye and I know what I want to name him.”
“Are ye going to tell me?”
“I will.” Moving just beyond his reach, she took the dress and slipped it over her head.
“Once Isla and Jamie are wed and ye believe me.” With a knowing smile, she tied the ribbon behind her back.
“Now, if ye will excuse me, the ladies and I need to help Isla get ready. I will see ye down there for the ceremony.”
Feeling like he was missing something completely, Lachlan watched her go and shook his head. He had absolutely no control over anything. He couldn’t wait for this day to be over.
As the Laird, he dressed in his tartan with the MacFarlane colors and adjusted his pleats. It took more time than he expected and when he looked out the window, he saw Sloane walking to the church, double-checking that everything was perfect. She looked so beautiful.
A boy. She really believed that it was going to be a boy. His son.
She was going to be a wonderful mother.
The tension drained away and by the time he got down the stairs, he was smiling.
His parents were playing with Cora. Even though they were not related to her by blood, they were her grandparents.
Despite their mobility issues, they still managed to keep up with her and pick her up and swing her around. They adored her.
“Laird!” she squealed when she saw him.
He was impressed. It was the third word she’d learned right after Momma and Nay.
Generally, she yelled it at inappropriate times like when he was meeting with clan members, but he still liked to hear her happiness.
Bending down, Lachlan held out his arms and caught her easily when she jumped into them.
Those sweet little ringlets bounced and she planted her tiny lips on his cheeks.
“Ye look pretty,” he told her. “I like yer dress.”
“Laird!”
“Mother. Father. Shall we go?”
He escorted them out, and a crowd was already growing too large, but they parted to let them through. Sloane, Elspeth, Freya, Gair, and Adair were already standing in the front and Jamie stood nervously by Father Shaw who looked equally nervous.
“Laird!” Shaw hissed as he hurried over. “Are ye certain that this is going to happen today because I am not sure that I want to bless a union if there is so much uncertainty.”
Lachlan looked at Sloane and slowly smiled. “I doona believe there is any more uncertainty.”
“Verra well.” He straightened. “I willna let her interrupt the ceremony. That has happened too many times in these past two years. Honestly, I doona understand the women of this clan. Always wanting to come up with their own vows. ’Tis not done!”
Without bothering for an answer, Father Shaw turned and stomped back up to Jamie.
Every single woman in the clan had taken their cues from Elspeth and Sloane and began requesting changes to their vows.
After all the complaints Shaw had made to Lachlan, he finally showed a little bit of promise and began allowing the bride and groom to make their own vows, so his complaint today was for nothing, but Shaw was not Shaw if he didn’t stamp his feet and raise his fists.
Finally, the ceremony began, and Isla joined them in the front. As she and Jamie looked at each other, there was no hesitation. There was no doubt. It wasn’t that the love wasn’t there before because it was and it hadn’t grown. It had been there from the very beginning. So, what was different?
Cora suddenly squealed. “Dada!”
Both Jamie and Isla whipped their heads around to stare at her and then Lachlan saw what Sloane had seen.
She hadn’t planned this lavish wedding because she regretted the way that they had wed.
She really was simply giving Isla the wedding that she deserved because she knew that this was the day it would happen.
Isla trusted in her happiness and now they were a family.
“Today we bless these two to grow in love and the light of God. May their union be blessed with many fruits and the joy that can only come from love. Within this ring, ye make yer vows and in this ring, yer vows have become binding. Wedded ye are and wedded ye shall remain until death.”
A roar went up in the crowd and Lachlan looked over at Sloane. She wasn’t looking at the happily wedded couple. She was looking at him and slowly, she put a hand on her belly and there was nothing but love on her face.
A boy. They were going to have a boy.
And she would name him Quinn.