Page 33 of Wedded to the Twisted Highlander
“Nay, ‘tis nothing like the love our parents share,” Thomas said. “I merely wish to provide her wit’ a place that she feels comfortable in.”
“So, ye want to provide her wit’ a house? Ye do realize that is precisely what a man in love would say. Ye’re smitten, admit it.”
In a sudden fit of merriment, Reid leaned forward, but his laughter swiftly twisted into a heaving gasp as he lost the battle with his stomach, throwing up all over the bank of the loch.
“And ye wondered why I brought ye out here.” Thomas tutted, side-stepping his brother. “And why am I even givin’ ye an ear when ye’ve done nothing but make a mess of yer life?”
“Because ye love me,” Reid answered breathlessly as he stumbled a bit before falling to his knees. “And whether ye want to admit it or nae, ye have feelings for Astrid as well. Ye should tell her. And ye cannae look at her like a means to an end. She’ll be Lady McFair, yer equal—unless ye mean to keep her under yer thumb?”
“Nay. Heavens, nay. What sort of man do ye take me for?” Thomas asked.
“Ye can fool the rest of the world, but ye and I, we grew up under the same roof. We’ve seen the same things and we were taught the same lessons. Yet, we are so different from each other.”
“Aye,” Thomas agreed as he glanced back at the castle.
The dim light in the windows made him wonder if Astrid was in one of those rooms, looking out at the loch, watching him. It was a thought that eased the wild anxiety in his chest.
“Oi, where are ye goin’?” Reid called as Thomas started back toward the castle. “Ye cannae leave me out here in this mess.”
“Better out here than in there,” Thomas shouted over his shoulder. “I have a weddin’ to plan, and I dinnae need ye to make a bigger mess than ye already have.”
“And do ye, Laird McFair, take Astrid Fulton to be yer lawfully wedded wife…” the priest said, his voice echoing through the small stone chapel.
The word ‘wife’ once sent a chill down Thomas’s spine. Now, only a warm sensation bloomed inside him as he stared at Astrid.
The beauty before him took his breath away in her white beaded gown and long veil. He couldn’t help but wonder how long it would take him to peel it off her.
“Aye, I do,” he answered, his voice steady despite the frantic beating of his heart.
“And do ye, Astrid Fulton, take Laird McFair to be yer lawfully wedded husband? To honor and cherish as long as ye both shall live? Will ye stand by his side through sickness and in health all the days of yer lives?”
Astrid glanced at the crowd for a moment. Thomas didn’t need to know who it was she was looking at. He could see the smile on Melody’s face out of the corner of his eye.
“Aye, I do.”
And with those three little words, the priest pronounced them husband and wife before the clan.
A calm settled over Thomas. No matter what happened now, his promise had been fulfilled. Astrid was safe, Melody was safe, and Laird Chalium would never be able to get his grubby hands on either of them.
“They came into God’s house separately,” the priest continued as Thomas and Astrid turned to face the crowd. “And leave as one flesh, one blood, one spirit. May the Lord Almighty be wit’ ye always.”
The cheers of the crowd drifted out of the chapel and echoed across the glen. As Thomas led Astrid outside, the weight of the moment settled on his shoulders. This was his wife now, his responsibility.
He paused at the doors, dipped his wife as he had seen his father do to his mother countless times, and crushed his lips to hers.
Then, he pulled back, and without waiting for her to catch her breath, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the carriage.
With the energy of the crowd swirling around him, Thomas felt as if he were a conquering hero and everyone had come to celebrate his victory. Yet, when he glanced at Astrid, there was a coldness in her eyes that pierced him as if he were a boar.
“Dinnae look at me like that,” he said as he settled in the seat across from her. “This is for the best.”
“The best for who? Me or ye?”
Her question lingered between them as the carriage made its way through the small village. The tension was almost enough to make Thomas forget that he had to throw coins out the window.
“Both,” he answered as he took a small purse out of the cubby beside him. He opened it and tossed the coins out the window.
“Are ye nae suppose to dole that out?”
