"Lady Maisie says ye daenae eat enough," he said, blinking up at him with open innocence.
Caiden chuckled, a sound he scarcely recognized in his own throat, rough but genuine. "Och, does she now? Then I'll have to prove her wrong, aye?"
He bit into the sweet, savoring its sticky taste, and found himself grinning despite his brooding thoughts.
"Thank ye, nephew," Caiden said.
The boy nodded solemnly, as though giving him a sacred trust, before darting away to chase after a hound skulking near the hearth.
Caiden felt relief move through him that his nephew had made an effort to speak with him instead of avoiding him.
Caiden continued to eat and drink along with the others while watching Arran and Hugh move about the hall with the other children.
"I will care for ye as if ye were me own," he mumbled to himself.
With those words he was unsure if he would ever have his own children to care for. In these young boys could be the future laird of the McGibb clan, and he would show them the gentleness he never received.
A few moments later, Arran was at his side again.
"Would ye play with us in the gardens, Uncle?" he asked.
Caiden could scarcely believe his ears. For so long, Arran had kept to his mother's skirts, casting wary glances at his uncle as though he were some fearsome creature. But now, with those wide eyes shining with hope, the boy's request cut through Caiden's chest like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.
He smiled, nodding slowly, and offered his hand. "Aye."
He stood and locked eyes with Norah, who already waited at the door with Hugh. Arran skipped at his side, clutching a small ball of leather, while wee Hugh tottered along beside his mother.
Once they reached the lawn, Arran thrust the ball toward him with a grin, demanding he toss it high. Caiden obeyed, sending it arcing through the air, and laughed when the boy darted forward with surprising speed to catch it.
Hugh squealed and clapped his tiny hands, toddling after his brother, though he was too small to keep up. Arran threw theball back with a strength that startled Caiden, and though it wobbled through the air, Caiden caught it neatly and praised him for his effort.
"Well done, lad, ye've the makings of a strong arm," he said, and Arran's chest puffed out with pride.
Norah chuckled softly, watching them. Caiden felt something stir deep inside him as he played, the tension of the past weeks loosening its grip. The children were not avoiding him now, nor shrinking from his presence, but seeking him out with laughter and eager voices.
Relief flowed through him with every toss and catch, every shriek of joy that rang across the garden. He had feared he'd never earn their trust, that his brother had destroyed that possibility.
Arran's smile grew wider the longer they played, his small face glowing with the flush of excitement. At one point, he stumbled and fell in the grass, and before Caiden could move, the lad leapt up again, brushing dirt from his knees and laughing.
He ran to Caiden, clutching the ball, and placed it in his hands as though entrusting him with a treasure. "Yer turn to throw it high, Uncle," Arran cried, his voice light as birdsong.
Caiden crouched low so that he was eye-level with the lad and ruffled his dark hair. "Aye, I'll send it to the moon, ye'll see." And with a powerful swing, he launched the ball so high that bothboys gasped in awe, watching it tumble against the night sky before plummeting back to earth.
Hugh squealed again, begging to hold the ball, and Arran, without hesitation, placed it into his wee brother's hands. The trust and patience in that small act made Caiden's throat tighten.
They will be good brothers to each other. I shall see to it.
Caiden leaned back on the wooden bench, his eyes fixed upon the two small lads chasing one another across the moonlit lawn. Their laughter carried sweet through the stillness, mingling with the faint rustle of leaves and the night's soft ocean breeze. He felt a strange calm stir within him as Arran's voice rang out, louder than he had ever heard from the boy before.
Norah's quiet steps broke through his thoughts as she came to rest beside him on the bench. She folded her shawl around her shoulders, her gaze fixed on the boys with a soft smile playing at her lips.
"I'm glad to see ye and the boys get on," Norah said, her voice low but filled with meaning.
Caiden let out a breath, shaking his head slowly. "I'm shocked, truly. The lad would nae even look at me before, let alone ask me to play." His eyes drifted back to Arran, who was now spinning in circles with Hugh until they both tumbled into the grass with laughter. "It fair leaves me wonderin' what changed."
Norah leaned forward slightly, her hands clasped in her lap. "Aye, ye have Lady Maisie to thank for the change in Arran, as do I." She spoke with quiet certainty, her eyes softening as though recalling some memory dear to her. "It was Maisie that helped Arran when his heart was too heavy for a bairn."
Caiden's chest tightened, his brows lifting as he turned sharply to Norah. "Maisie?" His voice cracked with disbelief, though he tried to temper it. The name felt heavy on his tongue, far different than when he'd spoken it with coldness.
