Page 26 of Complete Me

“It feels like you are.”

“I will never choose anything over you.” I meant it with every fiber of my being. “I will be with you on Christmas morning.”

“What about the night before or the day after?” she demanded. A sob wrenched free and she stood, trying to hide her emotions. Now she was the one keeping something from me. I could see it in her eyes. I had no right to demand she share it with me though. Not after I’d been so stubborn about opening up to her. Dashing over to Elizabeth, she picked her up. “They’ll be waiting for us.”

I blocked her at the doorway. I didn’t dare touch her. Not yet. Not while things were still so tenuous between us. She hadn’t forgiven me, and I hadn’t apologized. But I leaned forward and kissed Elizabeth’s forehead. She cooed appreciatively. “You are always with me.”

“Prove it,” she commanded me softly. “Come back to me. When you’ve let this go. Find your peace and then find me.”

Without thinking I reached out and brushed her cheek. “I will always find you.”

Before she could stop me, I bent and captured her lips. After so long without contact, I expected to be driven by my more primitive needs, but as soon as our mouths met, it was enough. The bittersweet contact, full of longing and hope, tugged the shattered pieces of us back together. When she broke away, she didn’t turn from me. Instead she allowed me to press my forehead to hers. We lingered like that for a moment.

“I love you,” I whispered, “and I will prove I’m worthy of you.”

She didn’t respond. I watched her leave, feeling ripped apart. Clara was my soul, and as she walked away, I questioned my decision. She might not understand why I had to see this through, but I did. So long as she was breathing, I would give everything, even my own life, to protect her. It was one sacrifice that I would never question, even if she did.

I’d started at the beginning as Norris had suggested. Now it was time to see this to the end.

12

Christmas had come early to Scotland, indeed. When Edward claimed the tree didn't meet his standards, he had apparently overcorrected to remedy the problem. Now the Christmas tree took up at least half of the estate's family parlor. The rest of the house was dripping to the core: fresh garlands covered mantels and wrapped around stair railings, large arrangements of poinsettias and roses dotted every flat surface. There were so many presents it looked as if St. Nicholas had come early. Clara stared at them, wondering exactly where she would put the presents she had brought. A familiar arm dropped over her shoulder and she leaned against her brother-in-law.

"Did I do okay?" he asked.

"It's perfect," she promised him. "But I don't know how we're going to fit a wedding in here."

Edward swiveled toward her, his teeth biting into his lower lip. He looked guilty as if he was about to deliver bad news. It wouldn't be the first time he called off his wedding, but this time might be his last. Clara was getting as tired of the delays as David. Perhaps, they could stage a coup.

"Nope." She clicked her tongue in disapproval. "You aren't getting out of it this time."

"That's not it." He rushed to assure her. "It's just the more David and I talk about it, the more we want only close family at the wedding."

"Do I qualify?" Clara asked.

"Shut up." He ignored the question rather than pander to her sarcasm. It was further proof that he knew her well. "I know your family will be here for Christmas, and while I love the Bishops—"

Clara cut him off with a raised finger. "You don't need to say any more than that. My lips are sealed."

Planning a clandestine wedding turned out to be harder than she thought. Edward filled her in on the numerous preparations the housekeeper, Mrs. Watson, had been busy making. She insisted that there be a cake, but that meant that they had to hide a cake.

"It's not just any cake," Edward told her. "She went up to the village herself and picked up a pair of lovebirds for the top of it. She was terribly disappointed when they told her they didn't have two grooms."

"If only everyone were as bighearted as Mrs. Watson." Clara couldn't help laughing. Edward had spent nearly every family holiday here since he was a baby, which meant the woman had watched him grow up. It was impossible not to love Edward, and his fiancée, David, was quite lovely, too.

"What will we wear?" Clara asked, motioning toward the couch. She wanted to hear all the details. A wedding was exactly what she needed to take her mind off the bombshell that Alexander had dropped before she left.

Just thinking about it made her twitch. If Alexander had told her, had he told Edward? It didn't seem a good idea to bring it up when he was preoccupied with his wedding but he deserved to know. She pushed the thought out of her mind. It could wait. Everything could wait. Right now, the only thing that mattered was that one of the people she loved most dearly was about to say I do.

"I wanted to wear white," Edward said dryly, "but David insists that no one will buy it."

"What about a veil?" Clara teased.

"He said we could go in drag for our second wedding," Edward reassured her. Lounging back into the well-worn leather sofa, he crossed his arms behind his head. "David insisted we pack our tuxedos for New Year's Eve."

"That was forward thinking of him," Clara pointed out.

"Exactly." Edward nodded as if this had not escaped his attention either. "In truth, you can't tell that man he has to miss out on an opportunity to dress up, even if it's only a party of six."