Page 97 of A Highland Bride Taken

“And now?”

He looked up at her. “Now, I’m thinking I cannae imagine me life without ye. Without this.”

Mabel drew in a shaky breath and slid down to sit on his lap. Her skirts fanned over his legs, and her arms went around his shoulders. He held her, feeling every inch of her warm, alive, andhis.

“I’m really glad ye came for me,” he whispered against her temple.

“I would come for ye again,” she breathed, pressing her cheek to his. “Every time.”

For a while, they just sat like that, the fire crackling softly. Outside, the wind whipped at the shutters, but in the little room, it was cozy and warm.

After a while, Mabel pulled back and looked at his face. “Ye look like ye have something on yer mind.”

He hesitated. His heart started a slow, heavy thump in his chest. “I… I actually do,” he confessed.

“Well?” she prompted, raising her eyebrows. “Ye can tell me anything, ye ken.”

His hand moved to her waist, and he immediately felt her gasp under his touch. “I dinnae ken if ye’ll want to hear it.”

“Try me,” she urged.

Campbell let out a long breath. His voice was rough when he finally spoke. “I’ve been thinking… about everything we’ve been through. About the boys. About ye and me.” He swallowed hard. “I never thought I would be the kind of man who wanted more. I convinced meself that I was content. But it isnae true.”

“What do ye mean?”

His fingers tightened, pulling her closer. He forced himself to meet her eyes. “I mean, I do want a child of me own.”

Mabel blinked, her lips parting as if she needed more air just to understand what he had said.

“Ye… ye want a child?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Campbell nodded, his jaw working. “Aye,” he said roughly. “I’ve thought about it more than I let on. I suppose a part of me always did.”

Mabel’s breathing grew unsteady. “I thought… ye were content with the boys. With… with just us, as we are.”

He swallowed and looked away for a second, his eyes fixed on the old armchair across the room. “I told meself that, aye. I thought I had enough. But when I saw ye tonight, when I thought I might never see ye again…” His gaze turned back to her, steady and sincere. “I kenned I wanted everything. Ye. A home. A family that was ours in every way.”

Her heart gave a quick, frightened flutter, but hope rose within her. “Everything,” she repeated, as if testing out the word.

“Aye.” He raised a hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Everything.”

She placed her hands flat on his chest, feeling the hard beat of his heart. “I dinnae ken what to say.”

“Say what’s true,” he whispered.

Mabel tried to find her voice.

“I’m… happy,” she managed. “I never let meself think about it too much. I didnae want to wish for something I thought ye would never want.”

“I was a fool. I’m sorry.”

“Nay,” she said, raising her head. “Ye were scared, and I was too.”

He gave a short, broken laugh. “Scared doesnae begin to cover it.”

She tried to smile, but tears filled her eyes. “Ye would make a good faither.”

His breath caught, and for a moment, neither of them moved. The fire popped then, and a little spark jumped on the hearthstone before disappearing.