Page 83 of Her Forbidden Highlander Husband

“Is he all right?” Ev said when Shea fell immediately to sleep.

“He’s had a bad time of it, but he has us now.”

“You’re a wonderful father,” she said with a smile. “To think you could have had this bed to yourself.”

Liam laughed quietly. “From the moment I was given this room I could think only of having you in it with me. And children.” He reached over and stroked a lock of hair from Gwennie’s cheek.

He pointed at the space still left. “Do ye know who might fill this space perfectly?” He tilted his head as if measuring it up. He smiled at Ev who was biting her bottom lip, clearly a futile effort to hold in her own smile.

“Rose?” she whispered. He could hear a hint of hope in her voice.

Liam nodded, happy they were of the same mind on that. “Aye. I’ll speak to Lach tomorrow about going and bringing her home to us.”

“And what if we have a babe?”

Liam patted his chest and winked at her. “I’ve still a bit of room here for a tiny one.”

She reached across the children and rested her hand on his cheek. He took it, placing a kiss on her palm. “Thank you,” she said.

“Nay, it’s you who has made us a family,” he corrected. “Without ye, I’d just be a lonely soul.” He paused and smiled before adding, “With this big bed all to myself.”

…

With a kiss, Evelyn saw Liam off the next morning. Lach had given him permission to go get Rose and bring her home to Dunardry.

When he was gone, she and the children met the others in the solar so Evelyn could work on some dresses for their new arrival.

Mari tilted her head. “I believe that dress will be too small for Gwennie.”

“It’s for Rose.”

Kenna was smiling. She must have already known and was eager to share the news. Before Evelyn had the chance to elaborate, the woman blurted it out.

“Liam left for Baehaven to retrieve a little girl and bring her home.”

Mari turned to Evelyn with a big smile. “That’s wonderful.”

“Rose is a little over a year old, though not as big as Andrew,” Evelyn nodded toward Kenna’s youngest who was just a year.

“My boys are not to be used for gauging the size a child should be.” The woman laughed, though it was true enough. The twins were only four and nearly the size of Shea, who was six.

“And wee Cam is the same size as the twins who are a year older than him,” Mari pointed out. “We’ll have to stop calling him wee soon enough.”

They laughed and went on with their work. “And soon enough we’ll have two more with Rose and my new niece or nephew,” Kenna turned to Mari and reached out to place a hand on her stomach. She looked over at Evelyn. “Or three?”

Evelyn shook her head. “No. Not me.”

“Not to worry. It will happen when it should. In the meantime, you’ve plenty of little ones to love.”

“I do love them all.” She was speaking of the children, but she couldn’t help thinking of Liam and how she was beginning to feel for him as well.

…

“Thanks for joining me,” Liam said to Cameron as they rode toward Baehaven.

“Aye. I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to drop in and point out how Bryce isn’t much of a laird.”

“From what Lach has said, I thought Bryce was doing well.”