Page 84 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
“Uncle Hunter isnae angry with ye, Lily,” she reassured. “And he’s nae truly angry with me. He’s upset because he feels like he’s let ye down, and that’s the last thing he ever wants.”
Lily sniffled, clutching the edges of her blanket to her chin. “He cares about ye, ye ken. I’m sure he’s also upset because he feels like he let ye down, too, Aunt Erica,” she said softly.
Erica blinked, surprised. “Och?”
Lily nodded, her small face earnest. “He might nae ever say it, but I can tell. He’s different with ye.”
Erica tilted her head, trying to understand. “Different how?”
Lily sat up a little, her movements hesitant but determined. “He’s… softer. He’s never been like that before. He’s always been strict and serious, even with me. But since ye moved here, he’s been… nicer. Happier, I think.”
Erica’s heart ached at the thought. She remembered the burden Hunter carried, the pain of losing his family. That kind of loss could make a person build walls too high to break down.
“What makes ye say that?” she asked gently, curious about Lily’s perspective.
“Well,” Lily began, her small hands fidgeting with the blanket. “He does things he’s never done before. Like the stories.”
Erica frowned. “What stories?”
“He reads to me now,” Lily said, her voice filled with wonder. “He never did that before. He reads to me every night now. And he talks about me faither sometimes—he never used to do that before ye came. I kenned nothin’ about me family.”
“Really?”
“Aye, and he always looked so sad whenever I asked about me faither before, but now he tells me things. Nice things. Happy things.”
Erica’s throat constricted. The thought of Hunter sharing such moments with Lily, allowing himself to be vulnerable, was almost too much to bear.
“That’s… that’s wonderful, Lily,” she managed to say, her voice thick with emotion.
“And the picnic!” Lily continued, her eyes lighting up. “He didnae want to go at first, but I could tell that he came because ye were so happy about it. And he even wore the flower crown I made! I’ve never seen him do somethin’ so silly before. He didnae even take it off when Calvin teased him about it.”
Erica chuckled softly at the memory, the image of the daisy crown sitting atop Hunter’s head awkwardly flashing through her mind. “He did look rather ridiculous, did he nae?”
Lily giggled, the sound like a balm to Erica’s soul. “He did. But he didnae care because ye were there. And remember when ye went to the village? He didnae interfere until he absolutely had to. He went to make sure nothin’ happened to ye, but he gave ye room.”
Erica’s eyes widened. “He did, I remember. He saved me, too.”
Lily nodded firmly. “He pretended he was checkin’ on the guards, but I saw him. He always kens where ye are, Auntie Erica. It’s like… like ye are his compass needle’s North. He always finds ye.”
Erica’s heart thudded in her chest, the weight of Lily’s words sinking in. Could that be true? She thought back to all the times Hunter had shown up just when she needed him, his presence steady and unwavering despite the tension between them.
“And the way he looks at ye,” Lily added, her voice softer now. “It’s like he’s scared to lose ye, but also like he cannae believe ye are real. I’ve never seen him look at anyone like that before.”
“Ye dinnae ken what ye are sayin’,” Erica joked and bumped the young girl’s shoulder with her own as she chuckled.
“I’m serious, Aunt Erica. He’s different now, and that’s because of ye. I think he loves ye very much.”
Tears pricked the corners of Erica’s eyes, but she blinked them away. She didn’t know what to say. Hunter’s feelings were a labyrinth she hadn’t dared to navigate, but hearing Lily’s innocent observations made her realize that there was far more beneath the surface than she’d allowed herself to see.
“I’m scared, Auntie Erica,” Lily whispered suddenly. “What if… what if somethin’ happens to Uncle Hunter?”
Erica pulled the girl into a tight embrace, her own fears momentarily forgotten. “Nothin’ is goin’ to happen to him, Lily,” she declared fiercely. “Yer Uncle Hunter is the strongest man I have ever kenned. In fact, have I ever told ye how he won me hand?”
Lily’s eyes lit up as she shook her head. “Nay!”
“Me parents arranged for every eligible man to compete for me hand. Highland games, to be exact. The winner would win me hand.”
Lily gasped in awe, before Erica continued. “Aye, there were hundreds of guests at McFair Keep, and Uncle Hunter was one of them.”
