Later, they would figure out how to merge the two clans.
There was always time to worry about later. Ava was happy living in the now.
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
Winter had settledover the glen not as an enemy, but as a companion.
The loch lay frozen smooth beneath a pale, luminous sky, its surface catching the winter sun in shards of light. Frost crept over every branch along the shoreline, turning the bare trees into lacey silver.
The cold bit sharply at their skin, but it was the kind that made one feel awake rather than weary.
Ava laughed as Nathan flew past her across the ice, his skates scraping with confidence that still frightened her.
“Slow down!” she called. “Ye’ll fall on yer back if ye daenae watch where ye’re going.”
She wondered if she would ever stop worrying over him.
Probably nae.
“I willnae!” Nathan shouted, his voice ringing clear and strong across the loch. He wore layers of wool, and a thick scarf was wrapped twice around his neck, the ends bouncing wildly as he moved. “I’m fast now!”
He attempted a turn—far more ambitious than wise—his arms windmilling before he caught himself with a triumphant grin.
“See?” he said proudly. “Didnae fall!” His dimples popped as he successfully landed another turn.
Ava pressed a hand to her chest, half in relief, half in wonder. There had been a time—had it really been only a year?—when she had feared she would never hear him shout like this again. Never see him so sure in his body, so loud in his joy. Back then, she could scarcely imagine him speaking full sentences, let alone shouting joyfully across a frozen loch.
Thalia skated past them more cautiously, her skirts hitched just enough to keep from tangling, her posture careful but determined.
“I still think this is a terrible idea,” she said, though her smile betrayed her. “Ice is nay friend to sensible people. I prefer mud and dirt and plants.”
Nathan laughed. “Ye’re just scared, auntie!”
“I am absolutely scared,” Thalia agreed cheerfully. “That means I’m clever, little lad.”
Ava laughed, skating closer to her sister. “Ye’re doing well, takin’ it slow.”
Thalia glanced down at her feet, then back up. “I havenae fallen as often as I did last winter, at least.” She laughed self-deprecatingly.
“Aye, that’s an improvement, Sister,” Ava said gently.
Caden joined them then, gliding easily across the ice, his movements steady and assured. He reached for Ava’s hand without thought, his fingers entwining with hers as though they had always belonged together.
He had not worn his mask in a year, leaving it and the moniker behind.People knew him as Laird MacCabe now, the Masked Laird no more than a legend.
“Ye’re smiling,” he noted quietly.
“Am I?” Ava replied, putting a hand over her mouth.
Thalia skated on ahead. “Nathan, wait for me!”
“Aye,” Caden said. “That smile ye get when ye’re thinking about how far we’ve come.”
She leaned into him slightly. “Ye ken me too well.”
He smiled and squeezed her hand. “I’m learning. I’ll spend the rest of me life learning ye.”
