“Oh, hi,” Rebecca said when she saw them by the door. Her voice was soft and welcoming, her expression one of supreme contentment as if she was greeting them fully dressed and ready for tea.
“Hi,” Nicki said, a little awkwardly. She tried not to stare at the marks, but Rebecca didn’t seem bothered by them at all. On the contrary, she seemed almost proud of them.
Contradictory to the marks, Rebecca looked absolutely radiant. “We lost track of time, I’m afraid.” She looked up at Kane then, the love in her eyes irrefutable. While they might have expected that from her, it was more surprising to see the same intense look on Kane’s face.
Sean cleared his throat apologetically. “I’m sorry, Becca, but we’re scheduled to take off in an hour. I can try to postpone -”
“No,” she said, turning back to Sean. “Please, give us a few moments, won’t you?” Rebecca said, her voice incredibly calm, lilting. “Sit down, and please, help yourselves.”
Sean’s attention shifted to the fully-laden room service cart sat just inside the door as Rebecca took Kane’s hand and led him back toward the bedroom. Nicki gave her husband’s hand a quick squeeze. Sean followed her gaze to Kane’s back, where red claw marks ran from his shoulders all the way down to where the towel was wrapped around his hips.
“Jesus,” Sean mumbled. “And I thought you were a hellcat. Remind me not to piss her off, will you?”
Nicki nodded in disbelief. “Isn’t it always the quiet ones....”
*
Something had definitely changed. Physically, they looked like the same people that had left Pine Ridge only a few days before, only more so, as if someone had taken their personalities and intensified them somehow. Where Kane had always been the strong, lethal, silent type, now he was practically a force of nature. Every movement, every gesture, was graceful, deliberate, and potent. His expression was the personification of intensity, his features harder, more chiseled; his eyes, a glacial, penetrating blue. Wherever he walked, people couldn’t help but notice him. Instinctively, most people moved out of his way.
Rebecca, too, had undergone a similar transformation. She had always been a very attractive woman. People were automatically drawn to her gentle demeanor, kind eyes, and warm, comforting smile. But now she was nothing less than breathtaking, a tangible radiance about her that drew attention. She exuded a tranquil serenity, and seemed to float on air beside her husband.
They spoke little all the way home – not to Sean and Nicki, not to each other. It wasn’t that they were rude; on the contrary, they seemed quite agreeable to just about everything. They were simply quiet, content to touch one another, the ghost of a smile perpetually playing across their lips for the entire trip back to Pine Ridge.
A welcoming party awaited them at the Pub.
“Congratulations,” smiled Jake, the first to clasp his oldest brother’s arm. Kane returned the gesture, his eyes holding a new understanding.
Ian and the others offered their congratulations as well, but it was Jack Callaghan who was the first to embrace Rebecca and welcome her into the family. As the patriarch, it was his right to do so. Only then would the others follow suit.
As wonderful as it was, Rebecca found it a bit overwhelming. Unaccustomed to the affection and physical contact of such a large family, she soon found herself seeking the solace and protection of her husband, who was only too glad to have her back at his side.
She had to laugh when Michael walked in with Angus, an unfamiliar cape draped over the animal’s back, declaring him a service dog. “Just in case the Health Department shows up,” he told her with a wink.
It took a while before she spotted Aidan. His expression was curiously neutral as she made her way to him. Rebecca held her breath, though her head was held high.
“Went and got yourself married then, have you?” he asked.
She nodded, unable to completely stem the moisture from pooling in her eyes as she came to stop a few inches from him. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. She was barely aware of the silence that had fallen around them.
“Are you angry with me?”
Aidan’s brown eyes softened as he reached out and pulled her to him. “How could I ever be angry with anything that makes you glow like that, Becca?” he asked. “It’s all I ever wanted for you, you know. To be happy.”
She wrapped her arms around him, trying to convey years and years of things unspoken in that single embrace. “I know, Aidan.”
“And Kane, he’ll take good care of you.” Aidan looked over her head at Kane when he said this. Kane inclined his head slightly in silent acknowledgement.
“I know.”
“But I still want my chance to walk you down the aisle. You’re not going to deny me that, are you?”
“No,” she whispered tearfully, squeezing him closer. “No.”