“Welcome to my store. How can I help ye, sir?” The clerk’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, reminding him that he was looking for something special.
“I need something for a lady.”
“A special quine?” The clerk was an elderly woman, with gray hair and spectacles propped on the end of her nose. She wore a tidy apron over her gown and held her hands together at her waist. “This is Gretna, after all,” she added.
Her blue eyes sparkled behind those spectacles.
“Yes.” Jasper couldn’t help but smile. “A special lady and a special occasion.”
“Och! I have somthing perfect fur ye. Follow me.” She led him to the back of the store where she went behind a counter and opened a drawer. Closing the drawer, she held out a silver brooch. “A Luckenbooth. Grooms gift it to their brides as a sign of loove an' devotion. It also brings good luck to th' marriage. Is this whit ye had in min'?”
It wasn’t at all what he’d had in mind, and yet it was perfect.
Just like Nia.
“I’ll take it.”
He paid, and while he watched the woman wrap the brooch up as a gift, he looked forward to Nia’s reaction to it. She’d expressed more pleasure when he’d won the ring made of paste than any of his father’s brides had shown while being showered with priceless jewels. Nia was different.
And Jasper was not his father.
Crossing back to the inn, the gift tucked safely in his pocket, he felt as though nothing could go wrong today—his wedding day. He had a beautiful bride waiting for him, and together they would carve out a promising future. They’d have a family of their own.
Children. His children would grow inside her.
A vision of little girls with golden curls and brilliant blue eyes suddenly filled his vision. And little boys, unruly, but not too unruly, playing beside them followed. Their children.
Buzzing tingled down his spine. It was nerves—a good sort of nerves. The kind that meant this was real. The kind that meant he was undertaking something meaningful.
Stepping inside the taproom, he realized he’d returned early for her. But he didn’t mind. Because now that he’d decided marriage was something he wanted, he didn’t want to wait any longer than necessary to make her his.
The Anvil
“This isn’t anything like St. George’s Cathedral,” Nia commented as she and Jasper stood in front of the single-story blacksmith building. “It doesn’t seem real.”
He’d returned earlier than he’d said, and as she’d dressed quickly, she appreciated that she hadn’t been forced to wait alone long, entertaining all her doubts.
“Did it feel real the morning you were to marry Dewberry?” Jasper covered her hand, which was comfortably tucked into the crook of his elbow.
“No, but in a different way. I felt like I was attending my own funeral.” She startled herself in that she wasn’t exaggerating.
“So today, it feels unreal because marriage to me is too good to be true?”
Nia chuckled nervously. Because she heard teasing in his voice, but also some other emotion. Something she couldn’t quite identify.
“Absolutely.” She turned to meet his eyes.
“Wait.” They’d crossed the road, but Jasper stopped before walking them to the entrance. “I have something for you.” He released her and dug into a pocket inside his jacket, removing a small but carefully wrapped package. “It’s for good luck,” he added as he handed it to her.
She had not expected anything from him and suddenly wished she’d been able to buy him a gift as well. “You didn’t have to—”
“It’s a special day. I wanted to give you something to signify…” Nia lifted her gaze from the package to his eyes.
“It is a special day,” she agreed. “Thank you.”
Jasper nudged her. “Open it.”
Forgetting her nerves for the moment, Nia carefully unwrapped the tissue paper to reveal a silver brooch. The silver was twisted into two overlapping hearts, and on top of the hearts, a single crown. “It’s lovely,” she whispered.
