Chapter Thirty-Two
The first wee bairn is born. And the second!
Alex, Robbie, and Brodie all jumped when they heard Madeline’s scream. Alex and Brodie instantly rushed toward the stairs.
Robbie appeared bewildered. “Where are you going? She is having a bairn. All women scream in childbirth.”
Brodie looked over his shoulder at Robbie. “No’ Madeline, you fool, she never screams.”
Alex reached the door first and pushed on it. It was bolted from within.
“Open the door!” he bellowed. There was no response. “Brenna, open this door or I will kick it in!”
Alex and Brodie kicked in the door, and Robbie followed right behind them with several other guardsmen.
Alex froze the instant the door fell. There was a dagger at his wee wife’s throat.
Kenneth. Time stood still for him. He saw the sweat on her brow, the fear in her eyes, and the fine trembling in her fingers.
He met her blue eyes and willed her to be strong.
He wanted her to know how much he loved her.
He tried to tell her with his eyes, but he felt like a failure.
He had failed his wife in more ways than one. How could she ever forgive him? He had promised to protect her from her stepbrother, and now the man had returned to threaten her and their bairn.
Kenneth was a dead man. Alex’s focus returned to him and he stared at his enemy. “What do you want, MacDonald?”
“I want to make you pay for what you did, Grant, and my revenge is just moments away. I lost everything because of you. I lost my friend and all my guards. As soon as this whore drops the bairn, I will kill them both while you watch.”
Every muscle in his body tensed and fury coursed through his veins. His eyes turned fiercely dark as he stared at his wife. He willed her to give him what he needed. The next moment, Madeline turned her head and let out another blood-curdling scream right into her stepbrother’s ear.
Kenneth started for a second, providing Alex with the only opening he needed.
Reaching over, he grabbed Kenneth by the shoulders and threw him as hard as he could against the far wall near the window.
Kenneth was momentarily stunned, but he quickly stood up.
When he did, he saw the three huge Grant brothers all lunging for him simultaneously.
Kenneth turned and jumped out the window.
He screamed all the way down, but then there was only silence. Everyone in the room froze. “Alex, please!” Maddie huffed out, her face red.
Brenna started to shove everyone out the door.
“Robbie, make sure he is dead!” Alex ordered.
When Brenna tried to push him out of the room, too, he stood fast.
“Nay, Brenna, I stay!” he insisted. “My wife just had a dagger at her throat.”
Gazing at Maddie, he strode over to the bed and said softly, “I need to tell Maddie that I love her. That I have always loved her.”
He leaned over the bed and kissed her soundly.
Maddie gaped at her husband and smiled. “I love you, too, Alex. But right now, I have more important things to do. Your son wants out,” she ground out through her teeth as she pushed again.
Alex glanced at his sister, then at his wife, and did the unthinkable. He picked up his wife, sat down on the bed, and settled his wife in front of him. He positioned himself so as not to be in the way of the babe. “I am not leaving, and I do not think anyone here can force me out.”
“Then help me push, would you please.” Maddie shouted as her body heaved again.
Brenna and Alice lifted the sheet and got Maddie in position for the birth.
Each time she pushed, Alex could feel the strain on her body.
He wished he could assist her. Marveling at the amount of stamina of his wee wife, he whispered his love into her ear whenever she had to push and let her grip his hands.
“One more push, Maddie, I think.” Alice cried. “I can see the bairn’s head.”
With Maddie’s next push, the bairn gushed from her body, and she leaned back against her husband in relief. Alex wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek as he wiped the sweat from her brow. They both held their breath until they heard the wee one cry.
“You have a son, Alex! He is beautiful, Maddie.” Brenna swiped at her tears as she cleaned up the squalling bairn and handed him to his parents.
Tears flowed from Maddie’s eyes as she looked at their son. “Oh, Alex, he is so beautiful, isn’t he?”
“Aye, he is,” the proud father said.
“You do not mind that he is not a lass?” Maddie pleaded.
“Nay, nothing could make me happier than the sight of our wee lad in your arms, my love.” He leaned in and kissed them both.
“Oh, Alex, it’s starting again! Oh, Alice, I have to push again!” she announced as her body heaved once more.
Brenna shouted, “Twins! Two bairns. Keep pushing, Maddie.”
“Two?” Alex couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. He glanced at his wee wife as she began to push again. “Another bairn, wife?”
A few minutes later, Alex held their firstborn and Maddie held their second son. “I hope I am done now, Alice,” looking at their two boys with eyes full of wonder.
After the afterbirth came out, they sent Alex out with one son in each arm so they could clean the bed and get Maddie washed up. They slipped a fresh night rail on her and allowed her to relax on the bed.
“You did beautifully,” Alice said as she kissed Maddie’s brow. “How I wish your mother could be here.”
“I think my mother is here, Alice. I can feel her spirit with me.”
***
Alex beamed with pride as he showed his new sons off to his brothers and Jennie. He let his wee sister hold one bairn with Brodie’s guidance.
“I think one looks like you, Alex, and the other looks like Maddie!” Jennie decided. “What are their names?”
“Maddie and I will decide when we get a moment alone. She is quite exhausted right now.”
“Amazing,” said Robbie. “What a day! I still do not understand it all, but it ended well.”
“I will worry about that another day,” Alex said. “Today is for my new family.”
A little later, Brenna came downstairs and told Alex he could return to his wife.
She picked up one bairn, and Alex followed with the other lad, hardly able to take his eyes off his newborn son.
He marveled at how he could almost hold the wee babe in one hand.
He loved to put his finger in his son’s hand so he could squeeze it.
Strong laddie! Brenna walked in first and gave Maddie their first-born.
Alex followed with the second bairn. Brenna and Alice took their leave to give the couple some time alone.
Madeline was propped up in bed looking radiant. Alex had never seen his wife look more beautiful. He sat down on the bed next to her and set their other son down between them.
“Maddie, I am so sorry. I did not protect you as I vowed I would.” Guilt washed over him as he took his wife’s face in his hands and kissed her tenderly.
“Husband, I could not be happier than I am at this moment. You did protect me. It was you who saved me from my evil stepbrother. So many things could have gone wrong, yet here we are with not one, but two healthy lads to love.
I would prefer to forget all the bad things that happened today and never mention them again. This day is the day our sons were born and we should rejoice in that.”
Alex locked eyes with his wife. “I love you, Maddie. You are the Highlander of my heart. You have the strongest spirit of anyone I know. You were brilliant, love.”
Maddie touched her husband’s cheek tenderly. “And I will always love you, Alex. You are my heart.”
She glanced at the bairns in their arms. “Alex, we have to name our sons. What do you think? We need two names.”
“I don’t know, love. What do you think? You choose, I cannot.”
“What about James after my father, and John after your father?”
“I think that is a splendid idea,” he said.
Maddie kissed her husband again, but their firstborn started to fuss. “I think your son is hungry, Alex.” She untied her gown and settled her son at her breast. He latched on quickly and was quite happy suckling at his mother’s breast.
Alex studied their second son and said, “You will have to learn to share, wee one.”
He moved behind his wife again, and after much maneuvering, held his second son to Maddie’s other breast.
Maddie giggled, leaned against her husband, and sighed. Life didn’t get any better than this.