“Who is?”
He was not sure he wanted to hear the answer. He was half tempted to tell her that he would do anything to be that man, and half tempted to storm out into the snow and never return. His arms tightened around her.
Ava turned her head, exposing her delicate jaw and long neck.
Caden nearly choked on his breath, captivated by her beauty. He moved his hand to her face and gently stroked her jaw, before cupping her chin and tilting her gaze up to his.
A pink blush bloomed in her cheeks. “If ye werenae so… so… so stubborn, ye would have found the answer obvious.”
Caden furrowed his brow, unsure of her meaning.
Obvious? Is there someone else?
Suddenly, the door of the Great Hall opened, and light footsteps approached them.
“Ava?” Nathan called quietly.
Both Caden and Ava stayed motionless, shocked at his nephew’s second word.
CHAPTER 16
Ava’s bloodthrummed with excitement. She was not entirely sure when it had happened, but Caden had straightened and backed away, looking for all the world as if he had been there the whole time.
He had the audacity to act as if nothing had happened.
She tore her gaze away from the eyes behind the mask and saw Nathan standing in her cloak by the door. The fabric pooled around his feet, making him seem so much smaller than he was.
A bright smile spread across her face. “Did ye just call for me?”
She tried not to get too excited, so as not to scare the boy from speaking again.
He nodded his shaggy head. “Ava, ice?”
He held up the pair of small skates that Caden had offered yesterday. Her heart melted.
He said me name.
“I’m afraid we cannae go out in this snowstorm, lad. We’re snowed in.” The corner of her mouth quirked down.
Nathan’s lower lip began to tremble in a pout. Then, the tiny mouth pulled into a frown, lip quivering in earnest. His eyes went wide and welled with tears that immediately spilled over.
“Oh, dear.” Ava quickly ran over to him, brushing past her brooding husband.
She scooped Nathan up and wrapped him in a hug, stroking the back of his head. Her cloak enveloped them, and she pulled the hood up over his head.
She wedged her face right in front of the hood. “I promise, we’ll go when it’s safe, but we cannae today.”
The boy began to wail.
Ava rocked him slowly and made soft shushing noises in his ear. Little arms wrapped around her neck, and small fingers tangled into her hair. His tears pooled on her neck, and her stomach tightened, unsure how to help.
Think, Ava. Think.
The silliness of her giant cloak around him made her smile. A distant memory flashed through her mind, and an idea began to form.
“Nathan, I have an idea,” she whispered.
The boy’s wails turned into snuffles, and the hood shifted slightly against her shoulder.
