Page 52 of The Icy Highlander's Bride
"Good morning!"
Daniel was assaulted with sunlight and cheerfulness as he stepped into the great hall. He had to squint his eye against the harsh light streaming through every tall window.
Lana's tone was light and energized, making him scowl in confusion.
"What is this?" he asked.
He looked around the room to see every curtain drawn back. This room had a twenty-foot ceiling, and the windows were nearly as high, so with all the fabric pulled away, Daniel felt like he was in the middle of a meadow rather than his castle. The space had never looked this bright before.
"I thought some light would be good." Lana smiled, her eyes kind, her expression relaxed. She was nearly bouncing around the room, and Daniel wondered if she had forgotten their tense words from the night before.
"Whatever, Sunbeam."
The words dripped with sarcasm, but Lana turned to him in surprise.
"It's Sunshine," she corrected.
He furrowed his brow in confusion. The light was making his headache worse, and he squinted at her as she danced around the empty room.
"What?" he barked.
He began to cross the room, headed for the library where Cameron sometimes hid when he needed a quiet spot after a night of drinking.
"That's what me faither called me," Lana explained.
Daniel stopped when he heard the wistfulness in her voice. He turned and looked at her, feeling the muscles of his face relax as he took in how beautiful she looked in the sunlight.
"He sometimes called me his sunshine girl."
"Aaah!"
Daniel jumped when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Skye launched herself from behind some of the curtains, holding her arms in the air as she tried to scare her father.
"My goodness" Daniel laughed, smirking as she rushed toward him.
Suddenly, the little girl was beside his leg, wrapping her arms around him and latching on. He was shocked by her behavior. He had never really played with his daughter before, and this energy was surprising. Perhaps last night had made her braver than he thought. Or this was all Lana’s doing.
For a moment, he stood frozen. He caught Lana's eyes and registered the unease on her face. Did she expect him to push the girl away? Did she think he would yell at her?
Daniel realized he was holding back a smile, and he relaxed. As Skye held tighter onto his leg, he lifted it into the air.
"Hold on," he said as he shuffled forward.
He walked around the room with Skye holding onto his large, muscled leg while she balanced both her feet on his. Warmth coursed through his body as the little girl squealed in appreciation, telling him to go higher.
Daniel caught Lana's eye as he walked in a circle, spinning faster as Skye struggled to hold on. Lana looked away when his eye locked on hers.
"Alright, that's enough," he said softly.
Daniel suddenly felt silly. Lana's eyes were trained on the floor, and frustration bubbled inside of him. He hated how much he longed to see her smile.
"More," Skye cried out, trying to grab his leg again, but he jerked it away from her.
"I said enough," he insisted.
This time, his voice was far too loud, and he regretted the way it echoed in the giant room.
Skye's bottom lip quivered, but Lana instantly swooped in, smiling as she bent down to the girl's eye-level. "Let's go see the baby cows," she suggested.
