Page 102 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander

Erica nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek as she smiled. “I will. I promise I will.”

Lily, who had been exploring the room with wide-eyed wonder, ran up to them, her face glowing with excitement. “Is this goin’ to be a school? Will ye teach here, Aunt Erica?”

“Yes, Lily,” Erica replied, crouching to meet the girl’s gaze. “This will be a school. And I’ll teach anyone who wants to learn—maybe even ye.”

Lily beamed. “I’d like that!”

Erica pulled her into a hug, her heart swelling with affection for the spirited child who had become like a little sister to her.

As she held Lily close, a new thought came to her mind, and it made her smile widen.

She released the girl and rose back up, turning to Hunter. Her voice was soft and teasing as she said, “And perhaps, in time, our own bairns might learn here too.”

For a moment, the room fell silent. Hunter’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion, and then his eyes widened as realization dawned on him.

“Erica,” he said slowly, his voice laced with wonder, “are ye saying…?”

She nodded, her cheeks flushing as her hand fell instinctively to her abdomen. “I’m saying ye are goin’ to be a faither, Hunter.”

The transformation in his expression was instantaneous. His face lit up with a joy so pure it took her breath away. Without hesitation, he scooped her up into his arms, spinning her around as laughter bubbled up her throat.

“Ye are serious?” he asked, setting her down but keeping her close. His hands cupped her face, his gray eyes searching hers. “We’re havin’ a bairn?”

“We are,” Erica confirmed, her laughter mingling with his. “I only found out recently. I wanted to make the announcement special.”

Hunter wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. She could feel the steady beat of his heart, strong and certain.

“Ye have given me everythin’, Erica,” he murmured. “Everythin’ I could’ve ever dreamed of, ye have given it to me.”

Lily, who had been watching them with wide eyes, clapped her hands together in delight. “A bairn! Does that mean I’ll have a cousin?”

Erica laughed, reaching out to pull the girl into their embrace. “It means ye will be an older cousin, Lily. And I think ye will be a wonderful one.”

“I’ll show them the best hiding spots,” Lily declared proudly. “And I’ll teach them how to climb trees!”

Hunter chuckled, his hand resting protectively on Erica’s back. “Let’s wait until they’re a wee bit older for the climbin’ lessons, eh?”

The three of them stood there in the middle of the sunlit room, the air filled with laughter and warmth. Erica looked around the small building, imagining it filled with children’s voices, neatly lined up desks, and shelves brimming with books. It was morethan she had ever dreamed of, and now, with Hunter and Lily by her side, it was all within reach.

As they left the schoolhouse that day, the future stretched before them, bright and full of promise. And for the first time in her life, Erica felt truly, completely at home.

The End?