“Kill him, lass. There is no other end for him. No more chance for redemption.”
“I’m sorry. It shouldn’t be that way. You shouldn’t be placed in that position, not with your own brother.”
“No, but we all go through things we shouldna have to. Ye taught me that, lass. Ye have taught me many things.”
I moved my hands to the side of his face and stretched to plant a kiss on his beautiful lips. “I don’t know about that. You give me too much credit.”
“No.” He grabbed my face so that our positions mimicked one another. Suddenly, his eyes grew very serious. “I doona give ye enough. There is something I must tell ye, lass. Something I wished to say to ye many a night ago but ’twas interrupted. The words have been on me heart since that night, and I willna be able to breathe well until I have them said.”
My skin covered itself in goosies as fireflies danced in my stomach. “What?” I grinned, my cheeks prevented from spreading wide by his hands on the side of my face.
“I love ye. Without doubt nor hesitation, none in me life has ever captured me heart as ye have.”
“Surely not.” I knew he loved me, but he didn’t need to lie. I also knew the special place Osla occupied in his heart.
He shook his head, pressing his lips against me before speaking again. “Aye lass, surely so. I understand yer meaning and aye, even more than her. Osla was me wife and I did love her, but no like this. ’Twas only that before ye came to me, I dinna know that love could be any stronger than the love I had before. But, Mitsy, it can. I am hopeless against ye. ’Tis no only me heart that ye have captured, but me verra soul. Ye reside here,” he tapped his chest, “and I intend to keep ye there forever.”
Mr. Darcy himself, in the flesh, could not have beaten that speech. My eyes started watering and my lip trembled. I looked ridiculous and Baodan’s face fell instantly.
“Have I upset ye, lass?”
“Oh, God no! It’s just, well, gracious, what did you expect a girl to do with words like that? I love you too. You know that.”
“Then marry me, lass. Tonight.”
“Yes. I want nothing more.”
I expected him to kiss me. Instead, he smiled and stepped abruptly away and spoke to the doorway. “Come in, lassies. She said aye.”
“What?” My arms hung in the air, still hugging empty space. “Everybody already knows? Well, that was a gamble, wasn’t it?”
He laughed and shook his head. “From yer reaction, I doona think that it was. I canna wait a moment longer, lass. If ye had said no, I doona know what I would have done, for all is ready except ye. I wish to be married to ye right away.”
As exquisitely happy as I was in that moment, a part of me wondered if his hurry also had something to do with his plans for Niall.
Did Baodan fear that he might not return from his reckoning with his brother and wanted to give me the protection of his name and clan?
The thought put me very ill at ease.
Chapter 36
All gathered by the pond. The sun set in the distance, casting beautiful rays of light that bounced off the rippling water as it dipped into the horizon.
“Are ye ready, dear?” Kenna patted me as we locked arms, and I shook my head at the tears in her eyes “No, you can’t cry! I’m already about to lose it. If you cry, I’ll cry, then I expect Baodan will cry. It simply won’t do.”
“Verra right, dear.”
Kenna laughed and pulled away to sniffle and gather herself. When she returned to my side, her eyes were red but dry. As good as they were gonna get.
“I’m very fond of your son. I didn’t think, I didn’t expect to be doing this again.”
Adelle started blubbering on the other side of me, and I forced myself to turn away from Kenna. “Oh no. Not you too. Go clean yourself up.”
I whirled back to Kenna who laughed quietly. “We are a fair mess, are we no? I am verra glad that ye are fond of him. I am fond of him as well. And of ye, dear. I doona believe there has ever been two people more deserving of the other’s affections.”
“Thank you. I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
In a flash, Adelle returned to my side, fresh as a daisy.
As we started our walk toward the gathered group, I smiled, all nervousness gone.
*
Our eyes locked as I neared him. From that moment, nothing else in the world mattered but Baodan.
He reached for my hands, and the rest of the ceremony passed in a blur. I knew not what I said or how long it lasted, but I knew for sure it didn’t matter at all. Only something so right could be so absorbing.
His kiss at the end came suddenly, and I melted against him as everyone erupted into cheers around us.
For all my chiding of Kenna and Adelle, my own tears flowed freely as we walked down the center of the crowd as husband and wife.
“Thank ye, lass.” He bent and whispered in my ear.
“For what?”
“Ye have given me back what no man can live without. Love. And hope. Ye have given me back me hope, Mitsy, and I couldna love ye more for it. I’d die before I ever lived without ye from this day forward.”