Page 58 of Enchanted

Keiran opened his eyes and smiled down at the woman in his arms. “We have both been through so much in the past few days. When we handfasted, the terms of our joining were for only a year and a day. So much has changed since we made that promise to each other. Now, I cannot bear the thought of being apart from you, not even for a moment. You are the most amazing woman I have ever known. You are a survivor. You are intelligent. You are witty. You are beautiful. And I love you.”

Rosalyn drew a sharp breath and looked at him with longing in her eyes. “I am the woman who loves you more than life. I want, more than anything, to spend every day of the rest of my life with you.”

Keiran took Rosalyn’s face in his hands and kissed her with the promise of forever between them. “What do you say if we change the terms of our agreement?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Will eternity be long enough for you?”

Her smile faltered. “Everything inside me longs to say yes. How do I know I am free to make that commitment?”

“Heavens, in all the excitement, I forgot to tell you that Lieutenant Long accepted our offer of a promotion and to leave you in peace. You are free to do with your life whatever you choose, Rosalyn.”

“Then I choose life with you, Keiran. For as long as you will have me.”

Before he could answer, a frothy grey mist swept into the passageway, then gathered into a more solid shape until the image of Lady Janet appeared before them.

You have returned to us. Everyone will be so pleased. Come,she urged them to follow her out of the passageway. Everyone has been waiting for days to see you safe again.

“Days?” Rosalyn asked, her expression one of confusion. “How is that possible? It seemed like such a short time while we were there.”

Keiran took Rosalyn’s hand in his and together they headed for the front courtyard. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. Time in other realms passes differently than it does in the human realm.” They exited the old keep and had to shield their eyes for a moment as their vision adjusted to the brightness of the spring afternoon. The air was crisp and clean, carrying the scent of wildflowers and the tang of the sea. The sun above was bright, though not yet warm as it bathed the courtyard in a gentle glow.

At the sight of the gaping hole in the castle wall, Rosalyn’s steps slowed. “What happened here?”

“Nothing that cannot be fixed.” His bride had been frozen and half in another realm while the attack had happened, unable to know what occurred in their home. Keiran noted that the men had cleared the entire courtyard of rubble, and that repairs had already started on the missing piece of the wall.

As they continued towards the new keep, the door of the castle burst open and Fiona and Tormod were the first to emerge, followed by the rest of the MacLeod clan. They filled the courtyard with excited voices and cheers of celebration that Keiran and Rosalyn had returned.

Fiona greeted Rosalyn with a hug. When Rosalyn opened her mouth to speak, Fiona held up her hand, cutting her off. “I do not want to hear an apology. You did not hurt me.” She offered Rosalyn a view of her smooth cheek. “You sent me back here, where I belong, and where you belong.”

Tormod pulled Fiona into his arms. “You have my thanks as well, Rosalyn. I went mad when Fiona disappeared, and I could not find her. If you ever need anything at all, please let me know. We are indebted to you, dear sister.”

Rosalyn blinked back tears. “I do not know what to say.”

Keiran’s entire family gathered around them. “Say you will stay with us and be the Scottish lass you were always meant to be,” Tormod said with a wink.

Rosalyn turned her gaze to Keiran’s. “I did not want to be a Scot when I first arrived here. Now I want nothing more.”

As Keiran stared into her hazel eyes, the world around them faded into the background, until there was only the two of them.

“I have thoughts, but why do you think Oberon used the words love and pain on the map he left for us?” Rosalyn asked him.

“Perhaps because instead of opposites, they are one and the same. To love, one must risk feeling pain, hurt, vulnerability, and even the possibility of loss,” Keiran mused.

He reached for Rosalyn and pulled her close. “Outweighing all that is finding a place where both you and I belong and are surrounded by those who love us.” He brought his lips to her ear. “Not to mention the thrill of being in your true love’s arms at the end of each day.”

A smile swept across her face. “Is that what I am to you? Your true love?”

“Always and forever. I love you, Rosalyn.” Hope for their future filled his heart to bursting.

She reached up and brushed a lock of his hair away from his face. “And I love you, Keiran MacLeod.”

He brought his lips to hers to seal their declaration, this time for a lifetime. His hands caressed her back and the spark that was ever-present between them flared. Would it always be like that between them? His healing touch moving into her and her sending it back to him? He hoped so, as he continued to kiss her with gentle thoroughness.

Caught in the joy of kissing her, Keiran did not hear the roar around him at first. But as he released her lips to draw her against his side, the full force of Clan MacLeod cheered around them.

Rosalyn rested her head on his chest and smiled. “I have a family who loves me and a husband I adore. Does life get any better than this?”

He returned her smile. “I suspect it gets better, much better. And I intend to show you just how much as soon as we are alone.”

Rosalyn laughed, the sound warm and seductive, as she nestled closer.

Keiran drew a satisfied breath. It had only taken nine years, but he was finally where he belonged. Home, at Dunvegan with his family, and with the woman he loved wrapped in his arms. Through the peaks and valleys in their future, love, not pain, would be their constant star, guiding them towards a life overflowing with every good thing they ever imagined.

The End