“So am I tae call ye Eilidh or Jamie now?” he asked.
He felt her smile. “How about simplywife?”
“Aye. I can do that.”
“Ye were right—”
“Of course, I was.”
“Don’t be insufferable.” She smacked his chest. “Ye were right that I was splitting myself between two people—Eilidh and Jamie. But at the end of the day, I am both at once. Though . . . I am changed. I am more cautious now. Less . . . impulsive.”
“I am changed, too. Losing ye . . .” His voice trailed off.
“Did ye truly nearly succumb to the lure of whisky?”
“Aye. If it hadnae been for Alex, I cannae say I would have survived it. I numbed the ache of losing ye. But Alex convinced me tae reach for hope.”
She wrapped her arms around him and held tightly.
“I have recovered many memories, it seems . . . large chunks of our trip to the New Hebrides. But I still don’t remember what happened to causeThe Minervato sink,” she said. “I have recovered only a handful of memories past the first week or so on Vanuatu.”
“Just Mr. Chen dying?” he asked.
“Yes. And a couple glimpses of us fighting Cuthie aboardThe Minerva.”
They sat in silence for a moment. The fear of Cuthie’s testimony and the uncertainty of her future weighed on Kieran’s mind.
“Whatever happens tomorrow, I will be at your side,” he murmured. “We will see this through together.”
She sighed, relaxing into him. “I may be taken into custody tomorrow. We may only have one night together.”
He kissed her slowly, lingeringly. “Then we should make it count, wife.”
She paused. “Some have argued that you and I are notpreciselymarried.”
He chuckled and nuzzled her neck. “If only there were a way to rectify that—”
She placed a hand on his chest, pushing him upright. “Kieran MacTavish, if ye are asking me to marry you again, ye need to do a more proper job than that.”
“Do I now?”
“Aye.” She looked most severe.
Grinning, Kieran set her off his lap and pushed himself to one knee. Clasping her hand in his, he looked into her eyes where she sat on the carpet.
“Miss Eilidh Fyffe, we have experienced a grand journey together, you and I. I would love nothing more than tae spend the rest of my life chasing adventure with ye. Beloved of my heart, would ye do me the great honor of marrying me again?”
She bit her lip, tears pooling in her eyes once more. “Are ye sure, Kieran? Ye might be marrying a murderess. There may not be much more adventure to chase.”
“I will always want ye as my wife. Now and forever.”
She popped up from where she sat on the floor and kissed him. “I want nothing more than to call ye husband.”
Kieran pulled her to her feet, threading their fingers together. Leaning down, he kissed her softly.
And then, hand-in-hand, he led her through the house and out onto the back lawn.
The fireworks had finished, and the villagers were straggling off for home.
