Page 67 of Steel & Surrender

Taking the cup from her once more, he drank deeply.

And then, he told his mother all of it. The only thing he left out was the mess he’d made of things with Brìghde. Some things didn’t need to be shared.

As he talked, his mother’s gaze shadowed. Tears brimmed in her eyes.

Greig’s chest constricted. Maybe this wasn’t a wise idea.

“All of this has been in Al’s honor,” he said finally, his voice roughening. “I made him a promise … and it’s helped me too. In truth, I’ve enjoyed fulfilling his wishes more than I thought I would.” He paused then, thinking of Brìghde. “Although it has complicated things … and humbled me too.” His words were cryptic, yet he didn’t wish to say anything about the Forge Maiden.

A brittle silence fell then. His mother stared at him for a moment longer, her throat working. And then, to his shock, her shoulders heaved.

Burying her face in her hands, she began to sob loudly.

Christ. Greig set down the cup and moved to her side. He hesitated—then swore under his breath and pulled her into his arms.

Mairi leaned into him, her weeping louder now.

“Ah, hell,” he said, his voice roughening. “I should have kept my mouth shut.”

“Daft lad,” she hiccoughed. “Ye should have told me before now … aye, it upsets me to talk of Al … but I think what ye’ve done is … beautiful. I’m so proud of ye.”

She gasped then, grabbing his gambeson in fists as she continued to sob.

“I always wanted ye to be closer to yer brothers, ye know,” she managed through her tears. “Ye used to be so … distant with them. And to honor Alistair in this way …”

Greig’s throat started to ache, and the backs of his eyes prickled.

Shite.

His mother’s words brought him to the edge. He hadn’t wept since boyhood—not even after news of Alistair’s death—but he came close now.

His vision blurred, and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. “Ye are right,” he admitted, his voice catching, betraying him. “I never spent enough time with Al. But I won’t make the same mistake with Davy. I swear it.”

And he wouldn’t. He’d already been making sure of that.

“Ye’re a good lad, Greig.”

Hiccoughing once more, his mother drew back, knuckling away her tears. Her eyes were red, her face blotchy. Yet, to him, she was beautiful. She always had been.

“Ye will make a strong clan-chief one day, ye know,” she added, favoring him with a tremulous smile.

Greig swallowed hard, pride burning in his chest. However, a moment later, he thought of Brìghde once more. “Will I?”

His mother’s head inclined, her dark gaze searching. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head, reaching out and taking her hands in his, squeezing gently. “Nothing that can’t be mended.”

19: CORNERED

BRÌGHDE WAS SHOWING her brother how to fold and hammer steel for a sgian-dubh blade when Greig turned up at the forge.

The sight of him made her heart jolt.

In truth, she hadn’t expected him to show his face here, not for a while at least.

A week had passed since they’d climbed Ben More, since the kiss that had changed everything between them. And in the intervening days, she’d thrown herself into her work.

She wasn’t ready to see him again.