Extended Epilogue

Two Years Later

Hannah was walking languidly about the chamber, her entire body swaying to one side, then to the other. Her hands were occupied. They were holding the most precious thing a person could ever hold: a baby.

Little Rose was still sleeping. She was a wonderful baby, rarely fussing, always smiling. She would be awake soon, and as always, it would be a competition to see who would get to hold her and take her outside into the garden. Usually, Alistair's mother would win. She had fallen in love with her granddaughter, just like everyone else. It seemed that with the final overcoming of all hardships, baby Rose was the crown of Hannah and Alistair's love.

Hannah loved that baby Rose looked exactly like Alistair. She could only hope that she possessed his best qualities like bravery, fearlessness, and the ability to be tender and loving when the moment demanded it of him. In Hannah's eyes, Alistair was now not only the perfect man and husband, but also a perfect father.

A knock on the door interrupted her stroll. Instead of calling out, she walked to the door and opened it. She saw Alistair there, looking all hopeful.

"Is she awake yet?" he asked in a low voice, bending down to place a tender kiss on a small tuft of brown hair that peeked from a little lilac-colored blanket.

"Nae yet," Hannah whispered back, smiling. "Why?"

"Olivia and George have arrived," Alistair informed her.

"Already?" Hannah wondered. "I thought they werenae to arrive for another two hours. I'm nae certain that everythin' is ready for the picnic."

Alistair shrugged. "It doesnae matter. I'm sure the final preparations are being arranged. Should I tell them ye will come down later?"

Just as he asked that question, Rose opened her eyes wide, looking around. The moment she saw her mother and father, she graced them with one of her sweet, toothless smiles that always melted their hearts.

Hannah never thought that one could feel so much love. Alistair had become her sun and the moon, her everything, and her heart belonged to him. But the arrival of baby Rose seemed to widen the confines of her heart, stretching them beyond belief, assuring her that no matter how many people one could love, there was always room for more. That was why she was eager to have more children once Rose was a little bigger. She could already imagine her playing with her brothers or sisters. One big happy family, exactly the way Hannah had always imagined it.

"Our princess is awake, it seems," Alistair grinned, overjoyed at the development of the situation. "We can all go downstairs and welcome the guests."

Hannah smiled. "Perhaps I ought to change her clothes?"

"Why?" Alistair asked. "She is perfect the way she is. Just look at her."

He reached for Rose, and Hannah gently placed her in his arms. He lifted her to his chest, then rested her gently against him. He lowered his chin to her forehead, relishing the soft touch. He paced about the room just like she did, taking Rose to the window.

"See?" he started telling her. "Everyone is getting' ready for the picnic. Aunt Olivia and Uncle George are comin'. Uncle Hunter as well. And yer grandmaither and great-grandfaither are already here. Now, if only I knew where yer Uncle Felix was right now…"

"He should be back in an hour as well," Hannah informed him. "Yer maither needed him to fetch somethin', but from what I understand, he should be back for the picnic."

"Ah," Alistair nodded, not turning around, but keeping his gaze intently focused on little Rose, who cooed softly in his arms to everything he said, almost as if the two were having a real conversation. "Look, Hannah! She's talkin' to me!"

"Aye," Hannah chuckled. "Soon, she will nae want to tell us much, so enjoy the moment while ye can."

"Me daughter and I will never have secrets between us," Alistair informed his wife importantly. He seemed pretty certain of that fact, which amused Hannah even more, because she remembered not really wishing to share much about her life when she was older with her parents. However, her father was very different from Alistair. Perhaps things could be different.

Hannah could not help but chuckle again. "It is merely wishful thinkin', but I'll let ye have it for now."

Seeing them like this always made Hannah teary eyed. She knew that Alistair was a good man. Somehow, even that first time she met him, when their first impression wasn't all that good, she knew it deep down. And with every subsequent year that they spent together, he just kept on proving this to her with his every thought, word, and action.

When Hannah gave birth to Rose, she could immediately see the bond between a father and a daughter. An unbreakable bond. A bond for life. Sometimes, she regretted never having such a bond with her own father, who seemed to lack care for his children and their futures, leaving them in financial debt.

When she was overwhelmed by these thoughts, she tried to banish them from her mind. After all, her own daughter was going to have the best father she could ever possibly have. What more could Hannah ask for?

"Is the princess awake?"

Alistair's mother was standing in the doorway, as Alistair had forgotten to close the doors. Hannah smiled.

"Yer son has already taken her from me," she smiled.

"Ah, nay, nay!" Alistair's mother shook her head, rushing to Rose. "She is grandmaither's wee bairn, arenae ye, wee one?"

Without even asking, she gripped the baby tenderly and took her into her arms. "Why daenae we let yer parents rest a little, and grandmaither will take ye out for some fresh air?"

Instantly, the two were gone, and baby Rose's giggles were heard long after, reverberating throughout the corridors of the old castle, which was now revived by the presence of a new life.

Hannah walked over to Alistair and hung her arms around his neck. She gazed at him lovingly. "How did I ever deserve such a wonderful man such as yerself?"

He grinned at her comment. "I've been askin' meself that same question all this time."

"Ye mean, ye also have a wonderful man by yer side? Who is it? Do I ken him?"

Alistair burst out into a chuckle. This was the sort of laughter she always loved to hear. Deep, unrestrained, completely free. Hannah found herself smiling back at him. The notion that she was the cause of such happiness for him brought her much joy. She could do that. She could make him laugh like that. She didn't even have to learn how to please him. It was all inside of her, all this time. It just needed to come out to the surface.

"We should go down," he suggested. "Not let yer sister wait."

"Oh, but she is with George," she reminded him. "She is so utterly smitten, I doubt she would notice if we took two hours to come down, as long as she spends that time with him."

"Aye," he smiled. "A much better choice this time."

"Oh, Lord, daenae remind me," Hannah rolled her eyes.

"I have to," he said gravely.

"Why?" she wondered.

"Because everything I ever did, everything all those other people did, including Colby Johnstone, led me to this moment here, with ye," he revealed. "Fate has arranged it like that. Our destinies aligned. We were simply meant for each other, and other people played a part in making this happen."

"That is a nice way of lookin' at it," she agreed. "I'm also very happy that Olivia finally managed to find someone who loves her as much as she loves him."

Alistair nodded. "That is crucial for leading a happy life. And I am happy beyond measure."

He pressed his lips to hers, then she pulled away. "Let's join our guests." She linked her arm with his and allowed him to lead her down the stairs.

The guests were already out in the garden, watching the servants put the final touches on the picnic table, which rested underneath a large, shadowy weeping willow tree. It was Hannah's favorite tree. There was a certain sadness about it, but at the same time, its beauty seemed to surpass that melancholy.

"Hannah!" Olivia exclaimed upon seeing her sister. They hugged tenderly, kissing each other on the cheek. "Where is me little niece?" She looked at Hannah's empty hands as something shocking.

"She is with her grandmaither," Hannah explained. "They should be out any moment."

"I see Hunter hasn't arrived yet?" Olivia wondered, looking about.

"Ye dinnae think ye could have a picnic without Uncle Hunter, did ye now?" A cheerful voice broke from somewhere behind Hannah.

Both sisters turned in the direction where the sound was coming from and saw Hunter waving at them. Cordial greetings were made, and an hour later, everyone was seated at the picnic table, exchanging funny stories or gushing over baby Rose.

Hannah turned to Hunter, who was seated to her right. "It is so nice to have the whole family together, isnae it?"

"Aye," he smiled. "We should do it more often."

"Absolutely," Hannah nodded. "Family is the most important thing in the world."

"Aye," he agreed again. Then suddenly, his expression turned grave.

"What is it?" Hannah inquired. "Has anythin' happened?"

"Nay, nay," he shook his head, clearing his throat. "It's just… I ken we spoke about this already, but I want ye to ken again that I only did this to help all of us."

Hannah frowned in confusion, then things immediately cleared up. "Are ye talkin' about me marryin' Alistair?" He confirmed with a single nod. She waved her hand dismissively at him. "We arenae angry with ye, I told ye. In fact, I never was. Alistair put everythin' in perspective the moment he confessed everythin' to me, and I never held it against ye."

"Sometimes, I wonder if I could have done it differently," he wondered.

"Nay," she assured him confidently. "Everythin' was done exactly as it was supposed to happen."

"Do ye really think so?" Hunter still didn't seem convinced. However, Hannah was.

"Most certainly," she confirmed. "This all started badly, with ye blackmailin' Alistair. But in the end, it all turned out well simply because this was how it would end anyway. Alistair and I were meant to be together. I am more certain of that than of anything else in this entire world. We needed to be brought together somehow, and ye were that connection. What ye did was… well, not very commendable, but it served a good purpose. Ye wanted to provide for yer sisters, and faither left us with more debt than we would ever be able to repay. Yer heart was always in the right place, Hunter, and that is what matters."

She meant every single word of what she said. She could tell from their first conversation that Hunter was beginning to feel remorse regarding everything, especially after the death of Colby Johnstone and finding out how he put Olivia in danger. He considered himself to blame. But Alistair was again the one who managed to calm down the situation.

It was just one of the reasons why Hannah loved him so. He was able to be the voice of reason in any situation. He could explain something in words anyone could understand. It was simply a gift he had and with her family, he used it wholeheartedly, every time it was necessary.

She knew that forgiving Hunter was difficult for him because he was a proud man. A proud man would never allow himself to be blackmailed like that. A proud man would never forgive such an offense, such a blow to one's pride. But because it was Hunter, he forgave him. All because of her, because he loved her more than life itself and she loved him back.

The picnic passed uneventfully, with everyone having a good time. That night, after dinner, when everyone retired to their bedchambers, Hannah first put baby Rose to sleep, then she nestled herself in her husband's arms.

They remained like that, embraced for a long time, neither of them saying anything. After all, there was nothing to be said. From the way he breathed, she could tell how he felt. Calm, content, joyful.

"The first time all of us were under this roof I never thought this would be possible," she admitted softly. "Deep down, I hoped… but I never dared to say any of those hopes out loud."

He smiled against her hair, kissing her. "Ye were so stubborn."

"Me?" she teased, pretending to be shocked. "Ye were the stubborn one."

"I am nay such thing," he playfully retorted. "Ye are the lass who dinnae want to admit that she had fallen in love with the dashin' laird the first time she laid her eyes on him."

Hannah couldn't resist the temptation to chuckle. "Dashin' ye were, I have to admit that."

"It is settled then," he nodded. "Ye were the stubborn one. And me… I was the agreeable laird who made no trouble for ye."

"Well, now ye are crossin' the line," she giggled, along with him. "Agreeable? Are ye serious?"

"I am the most agreeable laird there is," he said, pretending to sound all important and overly dignified.

"Oh, all right," she sighed, pretending that she could not disagree any longer. "Agreeable or not, I love ye, Alistair Peterson." She lifted her chin to him, giving him a peck on the nose.

"I love ye, Hannah Peterson," he replied in the same manner. "Ye have made me the happiest man alive, and I will live the rest of me life makin' ye the happiest woman."

"Ye do that every day," she gushed, burying her face in his chest, inhaling his scent.

Hannah had no idea how she deserved such a good man, such a happy life. After many dangerous twists and unexpected turns, they finally managed to find their way to each other. There was a time when she doubted that their love would be strong enough to survive it all, but it was. All these challenges only seemed to make their love grow.

Hannah closed her eyes, allowing sleep to take over. At that moment, nothing else mattered. They were finally together as husband and wife, as two lovers, two partners, two best friends sharing a life together. Their hearts were finally beating as one, as she drifted off to sleep, knowing that whatever challenges life threw at them in the future, they could overcome them… together.

The End