Page 50 of Wedded to the Twisted Highlander
“Aye,” Astrid agreed as she stroked the girl’s hair. “This is our home now. And I also think ye’ve had a big day.”
“Are ye nae goin’ to read the letter?” Melody asked as she eased back into the pillow, her eyes growing heavy with sleep.
Astrid glanced at the parchment as she pulled the covers up to Melody’s shoulders.
“Did ye want me to read it to ye?” she asked, her heart fluttering like a trapped bird seeking a way out of its cage.
Before Astrid could get an answer, she glanced over to find Melody sound asleep, the exertion of the day finally catching up to her.
Astrid settled on the bed and stared at the letter for a moment. She swallowed hard as she wondered what the Laird could have to say that he would need a letter. Usually, he didn’t hesitate to voice whatever was on his mind.
Leaning back, she began to read.
Dear Astrid,
I’m looking forward to our dinner this evening. There are a great many things that we need to discuss, and I hope that we can come to some understanding.
Laird McFair.
Astrid blinked twice before she ran her eyes over the parchment again. There were no demands or warnings, much to her surprise. Her heart dropped as if she’d fallen off a cliff.
Maybe the Laird wasn’t nearly as bad as she had painted him in her mind. The memory of him standing outside his father’s room, looking so innocent and vulnerable, flashed through her mind. She glanced once more at the parchment before gently rising from the bed.
She moved to the door connecting her room to the Laird’s and then paused. Her heart fluttered as if it could take off like a bird. She didn’t know why she was doing it. Maybe it was the confidence in the letter. Or maybe it was the way he looked so vulnerable in the corridor once his father had calmed down. But Astrid pulled back the metal bolt and stepped back as if he’d come barging in.
When the door didn’t open, Astrid let out the breath she had been holding in. She glanced over her shoulder at Melody, who was still asleep, undisturbed by the noise. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as a sense of peace washed over her.
Maybe he is different…
17
“Water,” Tavish whispered, his voice raspy and weak.
Thomas darted toward the table and was swift to carry out his father’s request. Carefully, he guided the cup to his father’s lips, ensuring that not a single drop was spilled. He watched as his father licked his lips and eased back into the comfort of his pillows.
“It’s good to see ye again, Faither,” Thomas said, trying to hold back the emotions swirling inside him.
How long had it been since he’d seen his father so coherent? Had it been a year? Thomas didn’t want to think of what little time they had left. He just wanted to revel in the moment while they still had it.
“And look, Maither is here too.”
Tavish’s gaze drifted to Alba as a smile spread across his cracked lips. Thomas watched as his father extended a weary hand and cupped his mother’s face.
“I’ve missed ye,” Tavish murmured.
His words made tears well up in Alba’s eyes.
The moment was lovely, and as Thomas took it all in, he felt something stirring inside him. He wanted the kind of love that his parents had. They had stayed true to each other through thick and thin. Even now, as his father lay on his deathbed, his mother was there, refusing to leave his side.
“This, lad,” Tavish whispered as he kept his eyes on Alba. “This is what a full life looks like. Nae the clan, nae anything but the love of the woman by yer side.”
“All these years and ye still make me blush,” Alba said, her voice heavy with emotion. Her attention shifted for but a moment as she glanced at Thomas. “Ye ken, if it wasnae for Astrid, I dinnae think we would have this time. She really is a remarkable lass. Ye made the right call by marryin’ her. She is a light in this dreary castle.”
Thomas let his mother’s words sink into his bones as he nodded.
Astrid had been a blessing to their lives in more ways than one. Yet, Thomas could feel the chasm between them. It was as if she stood on the other side of a deep, impassible gorge.
“Aye,” he managed to say as he watched his father’s eyelids flutter shut.
