Page 72 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
Erica filled the quiet with her stories—talking animatedly about the games she and Lily had played earlier, the way Lily had laughed until tears streamed down her face when she pretended to trip over her feet during a chase.
Hunter listened, his hands folded behind his back. He found himself stealing glances at her as she spoke. Her enthusiasm was infectious, her voice warm and filled with genuine care.
She had a way of bringing lightness to even the heaviest of days. And while her words danced in the air between them, Hunter’s heart swelled slightly with something he didn’t dare name.
“Ye are good with her,” he said suddenly, cutting her off mid-sentence. His voice was quieter than he had intended, almost gruff.
Erica stopped walking and turned to face him, arching an eyebrow in surprise. “What?”
He cleared his throat, shifting on his feet. “With Lily. Ye are good with her. I see how she looks at ye. How she laughs around ye. She’s been happier since ye came here.”
For a moment, she simply stared at him, as if trying to process the unexpected praise. Then a smile spread across her lips, warm and genuine. “Thank ye, Hunter. That means a lot to me. Though I’ve had a bit of practice, what with being the second eldest of six siblings.”
“Six siblings…”
Hunter’s thoughts drifted back to his four brothers. His wife was not so unlike him in that regard. He recalled when he, too, was a playful child, stirring up mischief and tomfoolery. The memory tugged at his heartstrings, and guilt for enjoying his time with Erica washed over him.
He nodded, his gaze dropping to the ground briefly before meeting hers again. “I should have said it sooner. I… I owe ye.”
Her smile widened, though there was a flicker of something else in her eyes—curiosity, maybe. “What do ye owe me?”
“Ask me anythin’ ye wish.”
“Anythin’?”
“Aye. I’ll tell ye if it’s off limits, but ye can ask anyway.”
“All right then. How did ye end up so reserved?” she asked, tilting her head. Her voice was soft, but her question was loaded. “Ye arenae exactly forthcomin’ with yer gratitude or affection—with anything, really. It’s like ye intentionally bear all yer burdens by yerself so ye dinnae inconvenience anyone else around ye.”
Hunter huffed out a short, mirthless laugh. “Reserved is a kind way of puttin’ it.” He hesitated as he dropped his arms to his sides. “It’s nae by choice.”
When she didn’t press him, he took a slow breath and started walking again, though his pace was slower now.
“I wasnae supposed to be the Laird,” he began, his voice steady but low. “That was me eldest braither’s role. Duncan was older, stronger… better suited for it. He was everythin’ the clan needed in a leader.”
He glanced at Erica, who walked quietly beside him, her expression attentive but soft.
“When the illness swept through our lands, it didnae just take him. It took nearly half our people. Me parents, cousins, friends,braithers… all gone in a matter of weeks. I was left standin’ in the ruins, with Lily barely old enough to speak, and the weight of a laird’s responsibilities on me shoulders.”
The words came easier than he had expected, but the memories clawed at him.
“I didnae ken how to handle it. Nae only did I never pay attention when our faither and clansmen were teachin’ Duncan, but I was too angry, too… broken. So, I focused on one thing at a time. The first was rebuildin’ the clan, then securin’ our borders—and really just survivin’. And in doin’ all of that, I failed Lily.”
Erica’s steps slowed, and she turned to face him again. “Ye didnae fail her, Hunter.”
“I wasnae there for her,” he said, his voice thick with guilt. “She needed me, and I wasnae there. I couldnae be. I couldnae look at her without seein’ Duncan, without being reminded of what I’d lost. She deserved better than that.”
Erica reached out, her hand brushing against his arm lightly. The touch was brief, but it was enough to make him stop in his tracks. When he met her gaze, her wide eyes were filled with something he didn’t expect—compassion.
“Lily adores ye,” she said firmly. “She talks about ye constantly. She wants to be near ye, to make ye proud. She’s nae carryin’ any of the anger or guilt ye are holdin’ onto.”
Her words hit him like a blow, but not in a painful way. It was as though she had cracked something open inside him—something he had kept locked away for years.
He looked away, his jaw tightening as he wrestled with the maelstrom of emotions inside him.
“Thank ye,” he muttered, the words barely audible. “I cannae help but feel like I’m failin’ her faither. Duncan just kenned how to be a faither. Murdoch, too… he and Ailsa just kenned how to do everythin’. I had nay idea what I was doin’. I wasnae worried about any of it. I mean, hell, I didnae even think I was goin’ to get married.”
“Why nae?”
