Page 48 of Married to the Icy Highlander
Ceana couldn’t help but laugh at the difference in their questions, and she had no idea whom she should answer. So, she addressed Emily’s question first.
“Well, he cannae be any more different than Blaine, that is a fact.”
“I cannae believe that he just up and left ye like that.” Emily tutted.
“Ye think he’d have done that if he truly kenned his heart?” Freya shook her head.
And that was when both of their husbands felt the need to step away from the conversation. Freya and Emily did not say anything as they suddenly retreated, for they were far too invested in Ceana’s marriage.
“I admit that I’m also havin’ difficulty understandin’ why he did what he did. Ye ken very well how close the two of us have always been. But deep down, I feel there is more to the story that I dinnae ken,” Ceana admitted quietly so only they would hear her.
It felt good to be sitting here, catching up with her friends again. No worries, no thoughts about Neil and his mixed signals. She knew that anything she said to her friends would remain between the three of them. No judgment on any side of their little triangle.
“He’s written letters, but he hasnae given me even the smallest hint as to where he went or why he had to leave without so much as a goodbye,” she sighed, before taking a swig from her goblet.
It would have been nice to have had a conversation. If Blaine had come to her that morning and spoken to her about his reservations, she would have tried to understand. She knew that she had put him in a difficult position by begging him—it wasn’t small, what she had requested.
She had truly thought that if he could not help her, he would have told her so. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all her fault somehow. She had forced his hand, after all.
But now she just wanted answers.
“He says that he’s safe, and that’s the most important thing. But I still have so many questions,” she muttered.
“And his braither doesnae have any idea where he might be either?” Emily asked.
Ceana shook her head.
Freya dropped her gaze. “I’ve come to hate letters.”
“What do ye mean?” Ceana asked.
“Well, ye ken about me twin. I hope with all me heart that wherever Laura has ended up, she’s happy,” Freya said, tears welling up in her eyes. “She left such a long time ago. There’s nae a day that goes by that I dinnae want her to come back home… nae a single morning where I dinnae want to see her smilin’ face at the breakfast table. And these bloody cryptic letters of hers. ‘I am all right.’ ‘I will return when I’m ready.’ I am happy she is unharmed, but I’ve never been away from her for so long. I’m grateful for Emily, of course. Ye and Ersie. But a twins’ bond is different. Doughall asked me if I want him to go find her himself, but we cannae force her to return.”
Ceana was shocked. She had no idea Freya felt that way. Now she felt guilty that she had asked Ersie to stay with her.
Freya took a moment to compose herself, and Ceana took her hand, squeezing it slightly in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.
Freya patted the back of Ceana’s hand as she sniffed. “What I wish for the most is to tell her that she’s welcome home.It doesnae matter why she left or where she went, but she’s welcome home, and if she doesnae ever want to talk about it, we dinnae have to… But I miss her so very much.”
Ceana couldn’t agree more. That was almost exactly the conversation she wanted to have with Blaine. While she was, of course, still hurt by his actions, everything worked out in the end.
“I’m sorry that ye can relate to this situation at all. I wouldnae wish it upon anyone,” she said.
“I wish that it had never happened to any of us,” Freya sighed. “I would give anything for me babe to be able to meet their aunt as soon as they come into this world.”
Ceana nodded. She didn’t know what she would do if her mother or Peter were no longer in her life. Even though she didn’t live with them anymore, she still needed them. Losing Blaine was one thing, but… Well, that was a road that she wasn’t willing to go down.
With tears in her eyes, Emily nodded and glanced between them. “Well, let us hope that all will be resolved in time.”
Ceana nodded. “As to yer other question, I’m still helpin’ out with the distillery as much as I can—at least until Peter comes of age.”
“Peter?” Emily looked at her incredulously.
“I ken. He has nay desire to run the distillery, but he will have to assume his duty sooner or later. I willnae allow him to run our faither’s business into the ground because his heart is too kind and his head is up in the clouds,” Ceana said. She knew that she might sound too strict, but her friends would understand where her heart was. “It will provide a steady income for him and whatever wife he chooses to take if we keep it runnin’… It will keep our maither in her house for the rest of her days.”
She didn’t continue. There was no point in telling them what her mother had to do to keep them afloat, or why she needed to get married so quickly. The important thing was that they were no longer in debt, and Peter would inherit the distillery without storm clouds constantly hovering over his head as they had when she had to run it.
“But will he be happy there?” Emily asked.
