“Ye truly mean it?” He had to ask again.
“Y-yes!”
She laughed—a choking, hiccupping sound. The sound of more happiness than a heart could contain.
Tavish swept her into his arms, swinging her in a circle with a loud whoop of joy, before setting her down and dropping his lips to hers.
“Darling.”Kiss.“Love.”Kiss. “Wife.”
His bright, clever wife met him kiss for kiss, caress for caress.
But . . .
“Malton Hill!” Tavish lifted his head, staring down at her. “Ye can’t give up your home, lass!”
“Home is wherever you are, Tavish Balfour.” She pressed a finger into the vertical crease in his chin. “I will mourn Malton Hill, but you asked me that first night here who I would choose? And the answer—” Her eyes went bright once more. “—the answer is you. I will always choose you.”
“My love.” He bent to her mouth once more.
But as much as Tavish wanted to lose himself in her, one more thing needed to be done. He gave her a final deep kiss before stepping back.
“Tavish?” she frowned.
“One moment, darling.” He kissed the wee dent between her eyebrows and then crossed to his saddle bags stacked against the wall beside the sideboard.
It only took him seconds to retrieve what he sought.
“What is it?” Isla asked as he returned to her.
On a deep breath, Tavish opened his fist, revealing the shimmering gold of her wedding ring. The talisman he had carried through the years without her.
“Oh!” Isla gasped. “I thought it lost.”
“Never. I will always keep it safe for ye.”
His fierce wife lifted her gaze to his and then extended her left hand, palm down, fingers spread.
Swallowing back emotion once again, Tavish slid the wedding ring home onto her finger.
To see it there once more . . .
He lifted her fingers to his lips, pressing a kiss to the ring.
“I love ye, Wife.”
“I love you, too, Husband. So much.”
He kissed her again, unable to help himself.
One kiss became dozens became hundreds.
He whisperedI love yeover and over into her skin—pressed into her collarbones and nuzzled beneath her ear.
“I fear the wait until sunset tonight will be agonizing,” he murmured against her mouth.
She stilled and tilted her head back to look into his eyes.
“Tonight?” Leaning sideways in his arms, she made a production of scanning the room. “Is there anyone else present?”
