24
"How much longer is this goin' to go on for?" Aaron asked. His heart ached as he listened to Izzy's cries from the stables. Yet, even that far from the castle, it still sounded as if she were right there next to him. How he wished there was something he could do to ease her pain, but the fact that she was so vocal gave him hope and reassurance.
"Would ye rather goto the village? I'm sure we can go to the tavern and have a few drinks to calm yer nerves," Ryan suggested as he planted his hand on Aaron's shoulder. Aaron tried to keep the malice from his gaze as he turned on Ryan.
"And have history repeat?I think nae," Aaron answered as he moved to the stable door and leaned against the frame. The castle was lit up against the darkening skies. Lightning skipped between the clouds as thunder remained low and distant.
Aaron pursedhis lips into a tight line as he said a silent prayer to keep the storm at bay. The last thing he wanted was forsomething to happen to Izzy during childbirth when he couldn't do anything to help.
"History will nae repeat,"Ryan said with such certainty that it almost broke Aaron's resolve. "Caiden is gone, and we've yet to hear from his daughter."
"That iswhat scares me the most," Aaron confessed. "Melina was Caiden's daughter. There's nay tellin' how far that apple fell from the tree. Or have ye forgotten that it was her hand Caiden wanted me to have?"
"I remember all too well,"Ryan huffed. "But she is nothin' like her faither."
"And ye ken this, how?"Aaron asked as he tried not to hear Izzy crying over the wind. Her plea rattled against the windows and ruffled the thatched roofing over their heads.
"It was somethin'I heard her mention at the feast for yer weddin'," Ryan said. "I believe that she was thrilled that ye dinnae pick her because her heart resided with another."
"So, she's happy then?"Aaron asked as he folded his arms over his chest. "If that's the case, then why has she nae returned me letter? She must ken about her faither."
"Aye,I'm sure she does. But nae everyone is as bold and straight forward as ye are. Some people daenae like to confront their past," Ryan answered, and Aaron's attention shot to the castleas the thunder rumbled the ground. The storm had shifted its course, and by Aaron's calculation, it would hit before Izzy could give birth.
"That cannae be good,"Ryan said as he turned to face the castle. The torch lights scattered throughout the castle flickered and danced as the wind shifted. Aaron glanced at Ryan. The panic and horror cascading down Aaron's back was too much for him to bear. But it was the hair on the back of his neck rising that got him moving. Unable to contain the anxiousness rising him, Aaron took off for the castle.
"Where are ye goin?"Ryan called after him, but Aaron wasn't going to stop till he was at Izzy's side. As much as he tried to fight against the rising shadow lurking in the back of his mind like the storm brewing outside, the thoughts were growing intrusive and violent.
"Izzy,"Aaron answered over his shoulder as he pushed through the side door. Izzy's screams echoed through the castle. Aaron closed his eyes as he rolled his shoulders back. It was her pain that drew him to her. He didn't care that it wasn't his place to be in the room with her, Izzy was his wife, and she needed him.
"The midwives willnae letye in the room," Ryan argued as Aaron took the steps two at a time, following the wailing of his wife. Panic shot through Aaron as the castle fell into a somber silence that rang in his ears. Aaron stopped at the top of the steps and glanced around. He wished he could stop his heart from drumming in his ears.
"What do ye hear?"Aaron asked Ryan, too fearful that his senses were betraying him. Surely there was some sign of life. Izzy couldn't be… no, she was far too strong. After everything that she had been through, she wasn't dead. Aaron swallowed hard and moved with haste to her chambers.
"What are ye doin';ye're nae allowed in here," the midwife said, pushing Aaron out of the room.
"Aaron?"Izzy called; her voice was frail and weak that it splintered him. Uncertainty shot through him like needles from a pricker bush. Fear dug into the soles of his feet like spikes planting him to the threshold. What if this was her last moment? Aaron couldn't bring himself to deny her one more look at him, even if it broke his heart. Swallowing hard, he moved past the midwife and made a beeline for the bed.
The room was still.Too still if he had any say in the matter. And then he heard it, the suckling and slurping. Aaron's chest tightened as he pulled back the curtains to see his wife nursing his child. The pressure in his chest vanished in an instant. Aaron blinked at the sight before him as it felt as if the world had released him. He was no longer bound to the planet by logic or reason but by the tiny figure nursing at his wife's breast.
"Laird McNeil,"Izzy said with a weak smile, "I'd like to introduce you to Quintin."
"Quintin?Where did ye come up with that name?"
"You don't like it?"Izzy asked, and the smile on her face dipped just a little into a pout.
"I thinkit'll grow on me," he said as pride swelled within him. Aaron studied the small figure at Izzy's side. His heart fluttered and skipped as he brushed his finger over the baby's head.
"Grow on you?The child isn't a fungus or a plant."
"Aye,"Aaron said with a playful smirk plastered to his lips. "But ye're the one who wants to curse the poor lad for life. Let's give him the most English name ye could think of, is that it?"
"And what? Wait, let me guess,"Izzy countered. "You want Doug or Dwight? How about Howey or Edward."
"Edward is a strong name,"Aaron conceded.
"Of course,you'd pick that one," she said as she shifted the baby to the other breast. Aaron couldn't help but be astonished at everything she was. He never thought he'd ever find peace and happiness, and even if he did, it wouldn't be from a family.
Yet,here he was savoring the moment. His line would continue, the lairdship and the land would be passed to his son. He pressed his lips together as he studied the boy's face. Why Izzy thought he looked like a Quintin confused him. If anything, Aaron was going to name his son with a strong, sure name, something more on the lines of Edward.
"I daenae rejectthe name Quintin, I just think our son should have a stronger sense of self. That name doesnae really give the lad any roots to grow from, ye ken."
"With you as their father,I doubt that will be an issue," Izzy teased as the baby had it's fill and drifted into a peaceful slumber. Aaron glanced at Izzy before his attention shifted once again to the child.
"Their? Is there more than one?"Aaron gasped at the prospect of having twins. Instantly he hunted the room for signs of another baby. Izzy's laughter settled on him and zapped the anxiety from him in a flash.
"There's only one for now,"Izzy answered. "But I'm hoping maybe you might want to do this again?"
"Let'sjust focus on this one at the moment and worry about havin' another later," Aaron suggested as he pressed his lips to Izzy's forehead. "After all, I'm only one man."
"And the only onewe will ever want."
