She kissed him softly. “Very much.”
He brought her head beneath his chin, cuddling her close. “If I had my way, I’d stay with you here and never go back.”
“We’ll have to rescue Mairin . . .” she sighed, “. . . sooner or later.”
Her husband sent her a wicked smile. “Later sounds better to me.”
Whentheyreturnedattwilight, they found visitors waiting. Mairin stood at the entrance to the keep, looking relieved at their return. “Eve and Kerr are trying to kill each other.”
“Where are they now?” Laren asked.
“Adaira and Ramsay are playing with them.” Mairin rolled her eyes and led them inside. Laren gave her a light hug, touching her daughter’s hair. Both she and Adaira were visiting from fostering and it tugged at Laren’s heart to see them growing up so fast.
Their three-year-old twins, Kerr and Eve, were playing inside the keep, running in circles until Ramsay picked them up, one under each arm. He strode forward, his adolescent face red with embarrassment, while at the far end of the Hall, Laren spied visitors from the abbey.
As soon as he saw them, Kerr wiggled free and raced over to Alex, grabbing his leg. Laren smiled as her husband lifted their son into his arms, and she took Eve from Ramsay. “Thank you for watching over them,” she told the young man. He gave a nod, looking eager to return to his glassmaking. His father had died two years ago and Alex had invited Ramsay to live with them inside the keep. Though he was far more comfortable with the furnaces than with people, she was glad to give her apprentice a true home.
Laren approached the priests with Alex at her side. After he offered them a greeting, she asked, “Are you enjoying the windows for the kirk?”
The abbot’s face revealed his discomfort at having to speak with her. Even after he’d learned that she was the artist responsible for the glass, he’d felt uneasy about it. “Many pilgrims have stopped to adore the Holy Cross,” he admitted. “And the glass has attracted more visitors every year.”
The abbot nodded to one of the priests, who withdrew a scroll of parchment. “Bishop William de Lamberton has asked me to commission another window for the cathedral at St. Andrews, on his behalf. I have brought the plans for you to consider.”
Laren took the scroll and inclined her head. “I will look over the plans. But Nairna will negotiate the terms.”
There was nothing Nairna loved so much as to haggle over prices and Laren was happy to indulge the young woman. She had recently given birth to her second child and would welcome the distraction of bargaining.
Laren invited the priests to enjoy a light evening meal. After they blessed the food, she set the twins down to eat beside Mairin and Adaira. Once they were settled, she took the plans over to the stone table and unrolled the parchment to study them.
Alex came up beside her and she asked, “What do you think?”
“It’s your decision. If you wish to make the glass, I’ve no objection.”
She noted that these windows would be larger than any others she’d made before. It was a challenge that would push her beyond whatever skills she had now. “I want to try.”
Kerr moved away from the table and toddled over to them. He started to whine, and Laren picked him up. He wrapped his arms around her. “Kiss, Mama.”
She pecked his small lips, and after she set him down, Alex sent her a teasing smile. “Kiss.”
Her husband drew her into a darkened corner, out of view from everyone else. Then he seized a kiss that held the promise of pleasure they would share later. Firm and evocative, he continued kissing her until Kerr gave him a light shove.
The young lad glared at his father. “That’s my Laren. Not yours.”
Laren couldn’t stop her laugh at her son’s possessive nature and his sudden desire to call her by her first name. “I’m your mother, not your Laren,” she corrected.
Alex drew his hand around her waist as they returned to the others. “You’re wrong, son. She’s my Laren.”
The words warmed her heart and he leaned down to kiss her temple. “I love you.”
“As I love you.” She rested her hands upon his shoulders, and in his eyes she saw the steadfast love and faith. With her hand in his, she walked by his side toward all the blessings that awaited them.
