She knew what she looked like in the simple green dress with her hair pulled back tightly, and her cheeks flushed from the longwalk down the corridor from their chambers. She saw the way his gaze ran over her body and back to her face. The way his gaze lingered on her face, and his eyes darkened.
But the next moment, his face hardened. “It’s nae up to ye to ken when I spend time with me son,” he said, returning his attention to the ledger. “Ye and yer parents kent I had a son, and ye kent ye’d be expected to raise him.”
“That’s nae right,” She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her with more force than necessary.
“Isnae it?” Elijah remained perfectly still, his expression carved from stone as he considered her words. “Because from where I sit, nothin’ has changed. Ye’re me wife, he’s me son, and ye’ll raise him. Simple. I daenae need to spend time with him.”
“Simple?” Her voice climbed an octave. “Ye think parentin’ is simple?”
“I think ye’re makin’ it more complicated than it needs to be.”
Iris crossed her arms, her jaw setting in that stubborn line he was beginning to recognize. “Fine, then tell me what me duties are. Exactly what ye expect from me as his stepmaither.”
“I’ve already told ye. Take care of him, make sure he’s fed, clothed, educated, and see that he grows into a man worthy of the McMurphy name.” He shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “What else do ye need to ken?”
“What else do I need to ken?” She stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “How about what kind of discipline he responds to? What are his fears? What makes him happy? What is his routine? Does he have nightmares? Favorite foods? Friends?”
Each question she asked seemed to land on him like a small blow, and Iris felt a pang in her chest as she watched the way his jaw tightened. He didn’t have the answers; she could see it in his eyes before he spoke.
Codie had most likely been raised by nurses and tutors, seen by his father at meals or formal occasions, and treated more like a small adult than the child he truly was.
“Those are details ye’ll learn as ye go,” he said curtly.
“Details?” Her voice was incredulous now. “Those arenae details, Elijah. Those are the things that matter, what bein’ a parent means.”
“Then it’s good that ye’ll be handlin’ all of it.”
She went very still. “What do ye mean?”
“I mean, raisin’ Codie is yer responsibility now, entirely. I have a clan to run, lands to manage, enemies to keep at bay, I daenae have time for nursery concerns.”
“So that’s it?” Iris’ voice was dangerously quiet. “Ye force a child on me and then wash yer hands of him completely?”
“I’m nae forcin’ anythin’ on anyone. This was part of the arrangement.”
“The arrangement.” She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Of course, because God forbid ye actually act like a faither instead of just a laird makin’ business deals.”
She saw his face grow dark, and she watched him set down his quill with deliberate care. “Be very careful how ye speak to me, wife.”
“Or what?” She stepped closer to his desk. “I’m beginnin’ to see that all the rumors about ye could be true after all. Ye really are as cruel as they say.”
The words were intended to hit hard, and Iris could see she succeeded. Apart from the twitching of his jaw, Elijah kept his expression neutral. “If that’s what ye want to believe.”
“It’s what ye’re showin’ me.” Her voice was shaking now with anger. “That poor boy lost his maither, and instead of givin’ him more love, more attention, ye’re just... handin’ him off to the nearest available woman like he’s a package to be delivered.”
“That woman is his stepmaither now.Yeare his stepmaither.”
“And ye’re his faither!” The words burst out of her like they’d been building pressure for hours. “Or at least, ye are supposed to be. Because a real father wouldnae be so dismissive of his own child!”
Too far. She knew it.
Elijah rose from his chair slowly, his full height giving him a clear advantage over her smaller frame. When he spoke, his voice was deadly quiet.
“Ye’re oversteppin’, Iris.”
But instead of backing down, she stepped closer, lifting her chin. “Am I? Because I’m his stepmaither, as ye keep remindin’ me, and that makes his welfare me concern.”
“His welfare, aye, nae questionin’ how I choose to handle me relationship with me son.”
