“Thank God, ye’re all right.” Finlay rushed to her side.
“Now ye care about what happens to me?”
She brushed him away with a wave of her hand.
His face contorted with hurt. “Ava, I?—”
“Ye should have told me somethin’ before I walked down the aisle, ye ken?”
Finlay’s mouth dropped open like a fish.
“Anything would have been better than simply passing me on to the next groom,” Ava added through gritted teeth, finally letting some of her own hurt show. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him wince.
“I ken. Ye have every right to be mad. I just… I couldnae do it.” Finlay hung his head. “Believe me, it’s better for both of us this way.”
“Ye hurt me,” she said to the fire.
“Ava, I—” Finlay tried again.
“Me wife said that ye hurt her. Apologize now, Braither,” Caden ordered, with the air of a laird who always got what he wanted.
Ava still refused to look at Finlay.
He let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m sorry, Ava.”
It was not enough. It never would be.
“Apology nae accepted. Ye may go,” Ava replied, still looking at the fire.
“Ava—” Finlay stepped toward her.
“She said go, Braither,” Caden growled, stopping him in his tracks.
“Aye, me Laird. Me Lady, I bid ye goodnight. I hope we can speak about this soon like civilized people.”
Before Ava knew it, Caden had crossed the foyer. She turned her head to see that he had fisted his hand in his brother’s shirt, their faces inches from each other.
“Listen here, ye coward.”
Her eyes went wide in disbelief. She prayed her husband would never use that deadly tone with her.
“Ye willnae speak to her that way ever again. She is yer mistress, yerLady, and ye will treat her as such. Understood?”
Finlay nodded.
Caden tossed him aside. “Now, go. Me wife needs rest.”
Caden walked back to Ava as Finlay walked out, and plopped down into the seat across from her.
“I thought I was marrying a mature woman.”
“Excuse me?” Ava scoffed.
“Nae speaking about yer problems willnae do when ye’re a lady raising a bairn and running a house, let alone a whole clan.”
“If ye really felt that way, ye sure have a funny way of showing it.”
“Lass, I did just rescue ye from the man who betrayed ye. Against me better judgment. Daenae push yer luck.” Caden slouched in his seat.
