Bella smiled then and loved him even more."That would be a fine plan."
"But Bella, now that ye carry our bairn, I must insist ye take at least four guardsmen with ye if ye go to the village without me.Better yet, I'll escort ye as well."
"Boyd, no, I dinnae want to—"
He cut her off with a kiss and said, "Please just indulge me on this.Let me think I have control for a little longer."
Bella burst out laughing then and conceded with a sigh."All right, but dinnae expect me to give in so easily."
He grinned and replied, "Never."
***
Epilogue – One Year Later
The firelight castshadows across the walls of the bothy, warming the small cottage against the evening chill.Boyd sat in the sturdy wooden chair by the hearth, his powerful frame somehow made gentle by the tiny bundle cradled against his broad chest.
Four-month-old Quinn MacKinnon had just finished his evening feed and now dozed peacefully in his father's arms, one small hand curled against Boyd's shirt.The babe's breathing was soft and even, his rosebud mouth occasionally making little sucking motions in his sleep.
Boyd gazed down at his son with an expression of such pure wonder and reverence that it made Bella's throat tight with emotion.She'd seen her fierce warrior husband face down enemies without flinching, had watched him command men with unwavering authority.But nothing, nothing, compared to the gentleness with which he held their son.
Boyd's large, calloused hand rested against Quinn's tiny back with exquisite tenderness, his thumb moving in slow, soothing circles.The baby fit perfectly in his father's arm, safe and cherished.
Bella sat in the armchair beside them, her heart so full she thought it might burst.The three of them had escaped to the bothy for some much-needed quiet time away from Keep life.Here, by the loch where they could simply be a family.
"He has yer nose," Boyd murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.His finger traced the delicate slope of Quinn's tiny nose with infinite care."And yer stubborn chin, I think."
Bella smiled."And yer eyes.Clear as the summer sky."
Boyd lifted his gaze from Quinn to meet Bella's, and what she saw there made her breath catch.Love, deep and abiding and fierce.
"I never thought I'd see this day," Boyd said, his voice rough."Holding our babe."
Bella's eyes glistened with tears."Aye, we dreamed of this when we were younger.A family of our own.I dinnae take a single moment for granted."
She thought back to Quinn's birth and how a sudden storm had trapped them at the healer's cottage as her labor began.How Boyd had helped the healer deliver their son with steady hands and a calm voice even as fear had flickered in his eyes.How he'd wept openly when he'd first heard Quinn's cry.
