As he wiped his eyes, she recounted how the unexpected familiarity of the fireworks triggered a landslide of memories, nearly all of them about him.
He kissed her once she was done, helpless to stop himself.
“Thank you,” she choked. “Thank ye for finding me last autumn. For forcing the Gillespies to release me into your care. For doing so much to help me remember. But . . . why didn’t ye tell me that I loved you?” She pressed her lush lips to his.
“I did!” he said around their kiss. “Ye wouldnae listen.”
She kissed him fiercely and then pulled back to glare at him. “Ye should have tried harder!”
“I did!” he laughed. “You’re verra stubborn.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Ye should have been stubborner.”
“Stubborner? I dinnae think that’s a word—”
“Kieran.” A low warning.
He grinned. “I dinnae ken anyone can out-stubborn yourself,mo chridhe. But I will happily listen to ye scold me over it for the rest of our lives.”
“I don’t think ye are taking this as seriously as ye should.”
“I’m trying, but I’m just so happy tae have ye back in my arms, I cannae breathe for the joy of it.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible.”
“Impossibly charming and handsome?” He kissed her neck. “Impossible tae believe ye married such a paragon?”
She laughed.
Oh, how he had missed making her laugh.
How he had missed . . . this.
The simple pleasure of knowing that she was his . . . that he was hers.
She tucked her nose into the space between his neck and shoulder.
“Why?” she asked. “How could ye let me go? Especially after going through so much to keep me with ye?”
“I meant what I said, sweetling.” He kissed her forehead. “I love ye enough tae want ye to be happy. And if I was no longer the man for you, then I wanted ye to be free to find a match that could bring ye happiness.”
“But you knew! Ye knew how much I love ye. Why did ye doubt?”
He pressed a kiss to her neck.
“Because ye had changed, lass. Ye were right about that.” He cradled her cheek in his palm. “Loss and grief have altered ye. They have formed ye into a woman of such courage and grace—”
“Ah, my love.” She kissed him again.
“I scarcely feel worthy of ye.”
“That is good tae know,” she laughed. “I plan on reminding ye of that fact every day for the rest of your life.”
He grinned, joy still wildfire in his veins.
She twined her arms around his neck and curled into a ball against him.
He stroked her back, fingers running up and down her spine.
