Page 113 of A Bride for the Icy Highlander
Braids twisted around her crown, adorned with the flowers Ayla had tucked there with such care.
The sunlight poured over the courtyard as they descended, warm and golden, and her heart thrummed against her ribs.
Each step toward the chapel dredged up memories: Kian’s wildness that day on the road, how she’d raged and fought him.He’d been infuriating, stubborn as a mule, but so had she. And somehow, in that war of wills, something gentler had blossomed, something real.
She thought of his hands, rough with sword and reins, yet tender when they held her close. She thought of the nights they argued, then laughed, and how she’d grown to feel safer beside him than anywhere else.
He saw her. Not the girl others whispered about, buther—bold and unapologetic.
With him, I nay longer feel like I have to hide meself.
The chapel rose ahead, white stone and ivy climbing its walls, the bells quiet for now. Her breath caught as emotion welled up—not fear, but awe. She was brought to the McKenna lands against her will. Now, she stood on steady feet, her heart swelling with love, her body no longer a cage.
“Ye look radiant, lass,” Freya whispered, giving her hand a squeeze.
Abigail smiled, a tear slipping free as they paused in the yard. “I never thought I’d feel this… right. Like I belong in me own skin. Kian thinks I’m beautiful, when I’ve always thought I was never thin enough.”
“Ye’ve always been beautiful,” Freya said.
“Took ye long enough to see it,” Helena piped up.
Abigail drew a long, steadying breath and turned left toward her. “Thank ye, Helena.”
“Ye’ll be a true McKenna now, Abigail,” Helena added with a small smile. “Nae just in name, but in heart. The clan will be stronger with ye as its Lady.”
“I’m honored,” Abigail replied, her voice thick with emotion. “I never thought I’d belong anywhere, but now… I cannae imagine bein’ anywhere else.”
Helena’s gaze softened as she looked ahead toward the chapel and continued to walk alongside her. “I’ll tell ye a wee secret. I’ve always envied lasses with sisters. I never had one growin’ up, and sometimes I dream of what it might’ve been like—someone to braid hair with, whisper secrets to, or fight with over nothin’ and make up the next breath.”
Abigail slowed her steps. She looked at Helena, her heart swelling further. “Then think of me as yer sister,” she said. “Ye were there for me when I couldnae make sense of anything. Ye listened, ye guided me. More than that, ye made me feel welcome as a woman. As a friend.”
Helena blinked quickly, then smiled, her lips trembling just a bit. “I’d like that, Abigail, more than ye ken. I never thought I’d gain a sister through all of this, but fate has its own way.”
They stopped just before the chapel door.
Abigail reached out and wrapped Helena in a warm embrace. The women held each other close, not as strangers but as sisters bonded by time, trust, and clan.
Helena’s voice was soft in Abigail’s ear. “Go on now, Sister. He’s waitin’ for ye.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
What if she has changed her mind?
Kian’s heart thundered in his chest as he stood at the front of the chapel, his hands folded behind his back, his good eye fixed on the door, hoping with all his heart that Abigail would walk through.
After everything that had happened, he still doubted whether she would truly be his.
When the doors opened and she stepped inside, the breath left his lungs. Relief washed over him, but he was also astounded by her beauty.
She moved with grace, her dress a soft cream that flowed like water, her hair adorned with wildflowers. But it was her eyes that arrested him—steady, proud, full of fire and feeling.
He swallowed hard, overwhelmed by the truth of her. She was not just beautiful; she was also bold, fierce, and full of heart.
I’ve never seen anyone so radiant in all me days. Thank God, she’s mine.
As she joined him, they stood before the minister, hands trembling as they reached for one another.
The minister gave a small nod and unrolled the cord that would bind their hands.
