Page 29 of Taken by the Scarred Highlander (Taken by Highland Devils #2)
EPILOGUE
SIX MONTHS LATER
“ L ook at you!” Charlotte gasped, catching sight of Molly’s round belly as she arrived at O’Malley castle. Molly beamed at her, a glow to her cheeks that showed Charlotte just how happy she was in her pregnancy.
“Can you believe it?” Molly asked. “This little one’s set to arrive any day. Ciaran almost didn’t let me travel.”
“I don’t blame him!” Charlotte laughed. “You could go into labor while you’re away! Then what would happen?”
“I’d be sure to tell everyone about how I made your wedding even more exciting,” Molly laughed. Charlotte saw Ciaran quickly approaching with a short, dark-haired woman trailing him.
“Are ye telling her how foolish she is?” Ciaran asked. “She shouldnae travel in such a condition!”
“Don’t listen to him,” Molly laughed. “I could never miss my Charlotte’s wedding. Besides, you’ve brought along the healer to watch over me. Poor Cora was dragged along to a wedding for a couple she doesn’t even know.”
“I daenae mind, Me Lady,” the healer said, smiling kindly at Charlotte. “Congratulations on yer union.”
But just as Charlotte was about to respond, Molly grabbed Charlotte’s arm and pulled her away from the group. She walked her away from the crowds, commenting on her pretty green gown and the elaborate braids in her hair.
“Look at us,” Molly sighed. “Two former nuns becoming married women. Can you even believe it?”
“We’ve come a long way from that monastery,” Charlotte agreed. Sometimes she could hardly believe how her life had changed in such a short amount of time. She glanced across the garden to see Alasdair chatting with Ciaran and Hayden. With the sun shining off of his dark black hair, she couldn’t believe how handsome he was, dressing in his clan colors for the ceremony.
“There’s that look,” Molly smiled, pulling Charlotte’s attention back to their talk. “It’s the same one I saw at Ben’s party all those months ago. I knew then you would marry him.”
“Then you knew before I did,” Charlotte laughed. “Perhaps you should have told me! It could have saved us some trouble.”
Though she teased Molly, Charlotte knew the past few months were meant to happen exactly as they did. It was only by almost losing Alasdair and Ben that she could recognize how important they were to her.
“Charlotte!”
She looked up to see a group of children rushing through the archway to the garden. They were dressed in whites and blues, their cheeks pink from the warm sun shining down on them. Though Charlotte wore her wedding dress, she couldn’t stop herself from bending down to the children of the orphanage to collect them into a hug.
“Look who I found,” Orlaith called as she entered behind the children. She walked with Sarah, who had become good friends with Orlaith thanks to her frequent trips to the orphanage.
“Be careful now,” Sarah laughed, taking in the group of children clambering for Charlotte’s attention. Sarah practically shone with energy behind them, warming Charlotte’s heart. She stood up to pull Sarah into a hug.
“How is it?” Charlotte asked. “Is it too much for you?”
Her worry was palpable, and Sarah clucked at her.
“It’s your wedding day,” Sarah said, tucking a hair behind Charlotte’s ear. “And you’re worrying about me?”
“Of course,” Charlotte laughed, “I’ve left you with an entire orphanage to run! I worry about you all the time.”
“We’re good,” Sarah said, and the calm on her face made Charlotte confident she was telling the truth. “And Anne is learning how to discipline with enthusiasm. She’s even taken over some of the cooking.”
“How wonderful!” Charlotte said. She was pleased the milkman’s wife was turning into a true partner for Sarah. She knew firsthand that the right person to help made all the difference.
After lengthy discussions, Sarah agreed to take over the orphanage. She and Charlotte couldn’t bear to see it shut down, and Sarah had all the skills needed to keep the place going. Charlotte had visited multiple times though each time she went, she realized that Sarah barely needed her. Charlotte’s primary purpose was to give Sarah the confidence to step into her new leadership role.
“How are me favorite children?” Alasdair asked, joining his wife and the small army of children who had arrived.
“Hey!” Ben cried, trailing behind his father. Alasdair looked down and ruffled Ben’s hair.
“Next to ye of course,” he laughed. The orphanage children were still shy around the imposing figure of Alasdair with the fierce scars that ran down his face, but they were getting used to seeing him each time Charlotte visited. Since that fateful carriage ride when she was abducted by Lennox, Alasdair had insisted on taking Charlotte himself.
“Ben, look at this,” one of the boys called, and suddenly Ben was surrounded by a group of children as they showed him a piece of paper, some new drawing sketched onto it. Ben smiled at them and began advising the children on how they could enhance the drawing even further. The art lesson quickly turned into a game of tag, and Ben and the children raced off into the garden.
“Don’t mess your clothes!” Sarah called, but they all knew it was a useless request.
“Let them have their fun,” Alasdair said gently. “We all ken they could use it.”
“I need to thank you again for arranging this trip for us,” Sarah said. “It’s all the children have talked about for weeks.”
“We couldnae have a wedding without ye,” Alasdair smiled. He slipped a hand around Charlotte’s back. “Ye’re part of Charlotte’s family.”
How often Charlotte had thought of that word in the past few months: family . For so long she thought it was a limiting word. She reserved the title for the family she had left all those years ago when she sacrificed herself to the monastery. But Alasdair and Ben had showed her a different meaning of the word. She had learned that family didn’t have to mean blood. Family were all the people she cared about and those who loved her back.
“It’s time,” Hayden said, interrupting them. He nodded toward the arbor that had been built in the garden. It had been intricately covered with flowers that had bloomed in the past few days in this very garden.
Charlotte glanced at Alasdair and smiled.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
Alasdair took her hand and led her toward the arbor as the guests began to gather around. Sarah and Orlaith settled the children, and Hayden pulled Ben to the front where he could take his place of importance as his father’s son.
“I was ready the day I asked ye,” Alasdair whispered. “And ye ken I am not a patient man.”
She smirked at him, thinking of nights in his arms, the efforts at restraint that only left them more desperate for each other’s touch. It would be nice to lie with each other without concern for rules of decorum. It would be nice to be free to show her love for her husband whenever she wished.
“Then let’s get this over with,” Charlotte smiled.
Alasdair stood through the ceremony with his eyes locked on Charlotte, unable to believe his good fortune. He hardly thought of the guests or the party that would follow. There was only Charlotte, her blonde hair catching the summer sun as her pink lips called to him. He couldn’t believe the peace that descended over him as he said the words that would bind him to her forever.
When the ceremony was complete, he dipped his head down to press his mouth against hers.
She is mine, and I am hers.
Her lips were soft and pliable, moving with a language all their own. Charlotte and Alasdair had learned the secrets of each other’s bodies, and it was too easy to fall into the deep and passionate kissing that led them to much more.
“Be careful, wife,” he whispered, pulling away from her as he felt Charlotte’s tongue teasing against his lips. “There are people watching.”
Charlotte’s cheeks flushed red at the reminder, and he smirked at her, grabbing her hand to turn her and present her to the crowd. Their friends and family cheered with the children from the orphanage throwing rose petals the gardener had set aside for them. Alasdair walked Charlotte into the crowd and embraced the celebration around them, still surprised that such good fortune had found him in this life.
“How long do you think they’ll stay?” Charlotte asked. She and Alasdair sat close, their hips pressing against one another as they looked out across the ceilidh. The tall windows of the Great Hall had long gone dark, but a handful of guests remained. Some continued to dance as the musicians played on. Others refilled glasses and snacked on yet another round of sweets that had been brought out.
It grew so late that some of the children from the orphanage started to fall asleep on the floor. Sarah, Orlaith, and Hayden had carried them up to the guest rooms where they would spend the night before departing in the morning. Even Ben, who had insisted on being treated like an adult on this day, eventually succumbed to exhaustion, relenting to a piggyback ride from Hayden who brought the boy to bed.
Charlotte looked up as the music changed to a slow tune. Molly and Ciaran were still on the dance floor where they had been all night. He held her sweetly, being careful to leave room for her round belly. It made Charlotte smile to see her friend so happy. She searched the room for Sarah and found her whispering with Orlaith.
“Oh my!” Sarah gasped. Charlotte smirked, imagining Orlaith telling Sarah the scandalous plot of one of her books. She chuckled to herself as Sarah leaned in, clearly eager to hear more.
“We may have to kick them out,” Alasdair said with mock seriousness, but Charlotte pushed her shoulder into his, punishing him for such teasing.
“You know we can’t!” she said. But then, with a twinkle in her eye, she added, “Though I am eager to move on to our own celebration.”
She heard Alasdair’s sharp intake of breath. He laid a hand on Charlotte’s thigh, letting it rise a bit higher than appropriate.
“Aye,” he whispered, his voice heavy with desire. “It’s all I have thought of for the past hour.”
“Perhaps they will not mind if we slip away?” Charlotte asked, letting her legs fall ever so slightly open, the smallest of invitations. She turned her face up to him, knowing he would kiss her. The press of his mouth on hers sent warmth directly to her core, and she couldn’t stop the quiet moan that escaped her.
“I love ye,” he whispered. Charlotte smiled as she realized she would never get tired of hearing those words.
“I love you,” she said. She gave him a gentle kiss. “Now, would you please take me to bed?”
The End?