Page 65 of In Bed with a Highland Liar

“I’ll find Gilchrist,” he said. “An’ ye, ye should try an’ see if ye can find a nice lass now that ye’re a laird.”

“I think I’ll stay away from lasses fer a while,” Evander said, much to Aaden’s surprise. “I think it’s best if I focus on the clan.”

Well… who would have thought Evander would ever say such a thing?

“Aye,” said Aaden. “Aye, I think ye’re right.”

The celebrations were only just starting, it seemed to Lilith, even though it had already been hours since the feast had begun. She had spent the first part of the evening with Aaden, the two of them going around the room to greet their guests and then dancing a few songs, before they separated, Lilith drawn to one end of the room and Aaden to the other. They still seemed to orbit each other, though, their gazes drawn together every now and then, searching.

“Evander is doin’ well, it seems,” Lilith said as she and Freya looked over to him where he now sat alone, both Aaden and his mother having left. Any other day, Lilith would have sent someone to keep him company, fearing that if she left him alone for too long, he would start thinking about his father, but now he seemed serene, content with being left alone for a while.

It hadn’t been long since Lilith had hated the mere sight of him, resenting him for every lie he had told her sister, but now her heart had softened. He, too, was one of Laird MacEwan’s victims. He had been raised by a terrible, cruel man, and yet he had still managed to come out better than he could have.

Lilith hadn’t forgiven him for everything just yet. If she had been the one to be wronged, perhaps she would have been more willing to forgive him, but instead, he had wronged her sister and that was a harder thing to forgive. And yet she couldn’t help but think of him as family now, as a little brother who needed her to look after him.

“He is,” Freya confirmed. “He even came tae me an’ apologized.”

“He did?” Though Evander had apologized to Lilith, she had thought that perhaps he would find it too difficult, too humbling to apologize to Freya, as well.

“Och aye,” said Freya. “He said he is very sorry fer how he treated me an’ that he behaved terribly an’ that he understands if I never forgive him.”

“An’ what did ye tell him?”

“I forgave him,” Freya said. She wasn’t one to hold grudges, after all. That was Lilith’s specialty. “I feel bad fer him, he’s already been through so much. I didnae want him tae think that I hate him on top o’ everythin’ else.”

Even so, Lilith knew Freya would never reconsider marrying Evander. There had been no discussion of it, Freya finding it only natural to cancel the engagement and Evander putting up no resistance.

“What will ye dae now, then?” Lilith asked. “I’m nae sayin’ that ye must wed, but dae ye still wish tae find a husband?”

“I dae,” said Freya with a small smile. “Dinnae fash, I havenae given up on love. I’ll find someone, eventually.”

“Well, I certainly hope he will be better than the last one,” said Lilith.

She had barely managed to end her sentence before Cameron slid up next to them. He was dressed in his formal attire, his wide, brown eyes twinkling under the light of the candles—eyes that, predictably, only looked at Freya.

Ach, Freya, the best option fer a husband is right in front o’ yer eyes!

However, as Freya looked up at him, taking his hand to let him lead her towards the other dancers, Lilith instantly noticed the way her cheeks reddened, her lips parting around a soft gasp. They walked off together, and Lilith couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head to herself.

Perhaps finally Freya would come to her senses.

“What is so funny?”

Aaden’s arms wrapped around Lilith’s waist and he pressed himself against her back, holding her close. Lilith leaned against him with a content sigh, letting her eyes fall shut for a moment.

“Naething,” she said. “Or, I suppose we will see.”

Aaden gave her a curious look but said nothing. He only craned his neck to kiss her, the gesture little more than a peck on the lips.

“Aaden!”

It was a voice Lilith had come to know well in the past few days, ever since Gilchrist and his entourage had arrived at Castle Stewart. He was there with his wife, Kyven, and their baby boy, and his brothers, Brayden and Tynan. Their friends, Elliot and Fiadh, were there, as well, all of them there to congratulate the couple.

“I cannae believe ye’re finally married,” Gilchrist told Aaden as he grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into the seat next to him. Kyven looked at him with fond exasperation, giving her husband a gentle push.

“Dinnae tease him,” she said. “It’s his weddin’ day.”

“Yet more reason tae tease him,” Glchrist said. “This is the very man who insisted he would never wed. This is the man who told me he loved his freedom too much tae wed, an’ look at him now.”