Page 36 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
“Lily needs to become familiar with her first,” he said firmly. “Me niece is still young. The change must nae be too much for her.”
Iain looked unconvinced, and his lips twisted as though he was holding something back. Hunter’s eyes narrowed, catching the subtle shift in the councilman’s demeanor.
“Me Laird,” Iain said finally, choosing his words with care, “with respect, Miss Lily’s well-bein’ is important. But the matter of an heir… it transcends that. It is strategic and most pressin’.”
Hunter felt anger flare within him. He fixed his gaze on Iain and gave him a warning look. “Say it again, Iain,” he said, his voice a low rumble.
The councilman’s mouth clamped shut, and a tense silence fell over the room.
Good.
Hunter needed them to remember that his decisions—whatever they might be—were not to be questioned.
The rest of the meeting passed in tense silence, with occasional murmurs about estate matters and trade. The councilmen carefully avoided the topic of heirs and Erica. When the meeting was concluded, Hunter rose and exited the chamber without another word, Calvin falling into step beside him.
“Enjoying the sound of their little reminders about marriage, I take it?” Calvin muttered with a wry smile, glancing sideways at him.
Hunter let out a dry chuckle. “Their eagerness for an heir might have been amusin’ if it didnae sound like a demand.”
They walked in silence for a moment before Calvin spoke again, his voice softer. “They think ye have changed yer mind. About having a family, I mean.”
Hunter drew to a halt, staring down the corridor. The idea of it all felt weighted with betrayal. Marriage, heirs… In some way, even the smallest action to move forward felt like an erasure of his past. He clenched his jaw, but he didn’t voice his thoughts, knowing Calvin would understand. His man-at-arms had witnessed everything, after all. Calvin wouldn’t press him further, but the sympathy in his eyes said enough.
They rounded the corner leading to the Great Hall, and Hunter paused when he heard a familiar voice.
“Hunter!” Erica’s voice rang out bright and clear, carrying a warmth that tightened something in his chest.
He turned to see her smiling at him, her eyes lit up with an enthusiasm he hadn’t expected.
I thought she’d hate me after… after I kissed her yesterday.
Even though he had been making an effort to avoid her all day, she seemed to be bursting with something to tell him. He noticed the flicker of something more serious in her eyes.
“What am I here for?”
Her question haunted each step he took toward her. She deserved clarity, and he knew that he needed to give it to her soon.
As he walked toward her, he couldn’t ignore the irritation and desire warring within him. He was hardly eager to continue their recent argument, and yet there was something about the way she looked at him just then—soft, smiling. The memory of their kiss flashed through his mind unbidden, and his thoughts drifted to how easily he could pull her closer, press his lips to hers, and?—
Stop. A mix of frustration and shame welled up inside him.Ye dinnae deserve anythin’ but pain and sorrow, and now ye have dragged her into this.
His attraction toward her was maddening, uncontrollable, like an ember that wouldn’t die. She seemed to have noticed his stare and arched an eyebrow, her lips curling into that smile of hers as if she knew what he was thinking.
She gestured toward Lily, who was clutching a small painting, looking shyly between them both. “We spent the day paintin’,” she said, her voice warm with pride. “Lily created something beautiful. Have ye nae, love?”
Hunter looked down, noticing the rich colors of the flowers and trees painted with a youthful hand. He crouched slightly, offering his niece a small smile. “Ye have done well, Lily,” he said, patting her head softly.
He saw the way she glanced between him and Erica, her eyes lingering on them both, and he suddenly understood what Erica was doing.
It is all for show.
Lily kept looking between them, her expression serious and hopeful in equal measure. She was watching their every interaction, searching for reassurance, some sign that all was as it should be. Hunter felt a pang of guilt in his chest; Lily’s need for security, for consistency, was something he’d been too preoccupied to notice.
Turning back to Erica, he lifted his hand and patted her head as well, feeling the softness of her hair beneath his palm. “Well done for keepin’ Lily company,” he said, his voice gruff yet playful.
Erica’s eyes widened in surprise, her cheeks turning a shade of pink that only fueled his amusement. “I—well, thank ye, I suppose,” she managed, trying to sound unaffected.
But the way she shivered, her eyes unable to meet his, told him she wasn’t as immune to his touch as she pretended.
