Page 88 of A Bride for the Icy Highlander
Her stomach twisted as she stood outside the door, but she squared her shoulders and stepped into the room.
Freya rose at once, her eyes wide with concern. “Abigail. How is he?”
“He woke up. He’s still weak, but Helena says he’s mendin’ well.”
Freya let out a sigh of relief and touched her chest. “Thank God. I’ve been prayin’ for him.”
Abigail nodded, glancing around the table. Cody, Michael, and Amara were seated, trenchers already half-emptied and mugs of ale in hand. She moved to an empty seat beside Freya, tucked her skirt beneath her, and sat down.
No one said anything more for a moment, and the clinking of forks and chewing resumed. Abigail took a small bite of bread, her heart hammering with nerves. After a moment, she cleared her throat.
“I have news.”
Michael looked up, his eyebrows raised. Freya’s hand stilled over her goblet.
“The Laird proposed, and I’ve accepted. We’re to be wed.”
The table went still.
Cody stood up so quickly that his chair scraped hard across the stone floor. “Ye’ve done what?”
Michael rose beside him, glaring at her. “Are ye mad, lass? That man took ye from us! Dragged ye from yer home and family!”
Abigail raised her chin, bracing herself. “I remember what happened. But I also ken the reason behind it. Ye’ve only seen one side?—”
“There’s only one side to abduction!” Cody shouted, slamming his hand on the table. “He could’ve ruined ye, Abby. And now ye say ye’ll marry him like it’s naught?”
“I love him,” Abigail declared, her voice firm. “I didnae expect to, but I do. And he loves me. He’s risked his life to save me twice now. He was nearly killed defendin’ me!”
“Defendin’ ye from what he started!” Michael growled. “He caused this chaos, made us worry, and now ye act as though it’s a love match!”
Freya placed a calming hand on his arm, her expression torn. “Let her speak, both of ye.”
But Cody wasn’t finished. “He’s nae one of us, Abby! Did ye forget?”
Abigail stood up slowly, the chair scraping back behind her. “Aye, I remember it all. I remember bein’ taken, I remember bein’ terrified. But I also remember how he treated me afterward—with dignity and care. He never laid a hand on me.”
Michael scoffed. “Because he wanted ye to agree to his plans. Manipulation, that’s what it was.”
“Nay,” she insisted. “He gave me a choice. I had many chances to run, but I stayed. Because I saw the man behind the anger. A man who’s carryin’ pain, loss, and duty heavier than any of us ken.”
Cody paced, raking a hand through his hair. “And ye think ye can fix that by marryin’ him?”
“I’m nae tryin’ to fix him,” Abigail corrected, her eyes flashing. “I want to build somethin’ new with him. If ye cannae understand that, then I pity ye.”
Freya reached out and touched her sleeve gently. “Do ye truly love him?”
Abigail’s gaze softened. “With every beat of me heart.”
Michael sat back down slowly, shaking his head. “It’ll never be simple, Abby. Ye ken that, aye? Our family… We’ll struggle with this.”
“Aye,” she said quietly. “I ken it well. That’s why I need yer blessing. I will fight for him regardless, but I hope I willnae have to fight ye too.”
Silence ensued again, heavier than before.
Freya looked between them. “We cannae change what was done, but we can choose how we move forward. If she loves him, and he’s proven himself… then maybe we need to stop lookin’ backward.”
Michael’s lips pressed together into a hard line. “I’ll nae give me full blessing yet. But I willnae stop ye.”
