That did it.
“Och, ye absolute fool,” Lydia snapped, tears streaming freely now. Her hands came down on his chest, not hard but furious all the same. “Ye reckless, stubborn, unbearable man! Do ye have any idea what ye did to me?”
He managed a weak smile. “Saved ye?”
She let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob. “Ye nearly died,” she shot back. “Ye collapsed. I thought—” Her voice failed her completely then, and she pressed her forehead to his shoulder, shaking.
Kieran’s heart twisted painfully at the sight of her like this, He lifted his uninjured hand with effort and rested it against her back, fingers curling into the fabric of her gown.
“I couldnae risk yer life,” he said quietly. “Nae ye. Nae our bairn.”
Lydia pulled back, her eyes blazing now, not just with fear but with fury. “And what about yers?” she demanded. “Did ye even consider that?”
He looked at her then, at the fire under the fear, the fierce love he had tried so hard to deny her.
“For ye?” he said simply. “I would’ve died happily.”
Her breath caught, color rising to her cheeks. Bu then, just as quickly as she had fallen silent, she gasped, fresh tears falling from her eyes as if she could hardly stop them.
“Daenae say that,” she whispered. “Daenae ever say that.”
“I mean it,” he said, voice rough. “Sendin’ ye away nearly tore me apart. Every hour without ye was worse than any wound.” His hand tightened slightly at her back. “I missed ye, Lydia. God help me, I missed ye every moment.”
For a second, she just stared at him. Then she leaned down and pressed her forehead to his, her tears warm against his skin.
Kieran shifted slightly, wincing as the movement tugged at his wound, but he didn’t let go of Lydia’s hand. The world still felt unsteady, as though he were standing on the deck of a boat in rough water, yet her presence anchored him more surely than any solid ground.
Lydia sniffed and wiped her cheeks with the heel of her palm, her expression sharpening as her wits returned. “Ye ken,” she said, voice still thick but steadier now, “if ye missed me this much, ye shouldnae have chased me away like some… some unwanted burden.”
The words were mild, but they struck him all the same. He had always known he had hurt her. Sending her away had been one of the biggest mistakes in his life, and he would do anything to undo it, but there was no undoing the ache.
He drew a slow breath. “I kent ye’d say that.”
“Och, I’m only gettin’ started,” she warned though there was a softness beneath it now. “I was humiliated, Kieran. I was so hurt. I thought ye dinnae want me, that ye regretted marryin’ me. All that pain and for what?”
He tightened his grip on her fingers. “For yer life.”
She stilled.
“I ken it was a mistake now,” he continued. “I should have told ye why at least. I should have told ye I thought ye would be safer here with yer sister, away from Sebastian. But I dinnae do that, and I will always regret hurtin’ ye like this. I was just… terrified he’d learn about the bairn. And he did. He found out, but I dinnae think he’d come after ye like this.”
Lydia was silent for a long moment, absorbing his words. Then she let out a short, incredulous laugh.
“Well,” she said dryly, gesturing vaguely around them, “that obviously dinnae work.”
Kieran barked out a laugh before he could stop himself, the sound rough but genuine. It pulled another small wince from him, but he didn’t care. The absurdity of it all—the careful plan, the sacrifice, the utter failure—hit him at once.
“Nay,” he agreed, shaking his head. “It dinnae.”
Lydia smiled then, a real one this time, damp with tears but bright all the same. “Ye’re terrible at deception, ye ken.”
“Never claimed otherwise,” he said. “I’m better with a sword than a scheme.”
She squeezed his hand. “Next time, try tellin’ me yer plan before ye break me heart.”
His laughter faded, replaced by something deeper and more solemn. “There will be nay next time,” he said gently. “Nay more secrets. Nay more sendin’ ye away. I swear it.”
Lydia searched his face, as if weighing the promise. Then she nodded and leaned closer, resting her head against his shoulder with careful tenderness.
