Epilogue

EPILOGUE

T he days seemed brighter now that Finlay was around. Anne continued to live on the farm and told Brandon about how she and Finlay knew each other.

Brandon had interrupted their reunion. He came blustering out, wondering why they were taking so long and found them in the middle of an embrace. Finlay and Anne jumped away from each other quickly, fearing what Brandon might think of them.

"What's taking ye sae long?" he asked, but the words dropped out of his mouth in a halted breath as he saw them. His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head. His voice grew low as he gave words of warning to Anne. "Anne, I know ye hae been starved of men yer own age, but ye need tae be careful with this one. He hae only just told me that a lass helped him decide what was important in life. Finlay, I hope ye are nae falling intae old ways. Anne hae a good heart and I will nae hae ye breaking it. Maybe ye should find this woman who was sae important tae ye and bring her here. Ye are always moving ontae someone new," he spoke in an admonishing tone to his son, shaking his head gently.

Finlay and Anne glanced at each other, suppressing a laugh. Anne stepped towards Brandon.

"Brandon, I was that woman."

Brandon tilted his head to the side. "Ye?"

Anne nodded. "Aye, although I was nae as honest with him as I was with ye. In fact, it was he who helped change me. We both thought we were from richer backgrounds than we actually were, and we were all the poorer for it."

"Aye, Da, ye should be warning me tae watch out for her," Finlay added in a playful tone. Anne giggled, but Brandon remained resolute. He stared at both of them for a few moments and then shook his head, muttering under his breath about young people and how it was so hard to understand them as he turned back into the house. He clearly did not appreciate the way they had lied to each other, but he seemed glad that they had both turned over new leaves.

Finlay continued to live in the barracks, but he visited the farm every day. He helped his father in the fields and Anne was glad to see them make up for lost time. He was kind to the animals and seemed more at peace than he had been before. All the moments spent with him felt like a gift, and the attraction for him still burned fiercely. When she looked at him it felt as though there was a fire burning wildly inside her, and it was only a matter of time before it consumed all of them in an inferno.

One day, Finlay asked her to join him for a walk in the forest. It was the first time they had spent any true amount of time together outside of the farmhouse since they had reunited. They went on a long walk in the forest, strolling through the beautiful surroundings. Finlay began by confessing the truth about himself, about how he had felt lost even though he was a guard.

"I'm glad I dinnae hae tae lie and hide from people any longer, but this is nae the life I wanted," he said.

Anne nodded. "And as much as I like living on the farm, I still feel as though something is missing."

"The only time I hae ever felt truly alive is when we were taegether. Ye made me intae a better person. I wanted tae take on the world for ye. It was the first time in a long time that I actually wanted tae make someone proud of me. The only reason why I held off on marriage was because I knew I was nae good enough for ye. I thought as soon as ye discovered the truth ye would be angry with me."

"And I thought the same of ye. I hae planned tae marry ye as soon as possible sae that when we returned tae yer clan ye would just hae tae accept that I was nae who I said I was. But then I felt bad about lying tae ye, and when ye made it clear ye could nae marry me, I knew I needed tae dae something different."

"Sae ye stole from me."

"Aye."

Finlay laughed and shook his head. "I wonder what would hae happened if we hae just been honest with each other from the beginning."

"Ye would hae moved on tae another girl because I hae nae riches tae offer," she gave him a teasing look.

He arched an eyebrow. "And ye would hae found another target when ye realized I was nae the son of a Laird."

"Or we could hae joined forces and taken advantage of someone else. We would hae made good partners," she said wistfully.

"Aye, but that life is behind us now," he glanced towards her and caught a wicked twinkle in her eye. Their grins widened and they laughed heartily, shaking away the thought of falling back into bad habits. They were walking alongside each other with barely an inch between them. When their arms swung, their hands almost brushed against each other. Each time it happened, breath caught in Anne's throat and her heart skipped a beat, for she yearned for his touch again.

"I hae been thinking about the life that waits ahead of us, though. Now that I know ye are still here, it would be a shame if I dinnae make overtures tae ye. I dinnae know if a humble guard is worthy of yer hand, but my feelings for ye hae remained the same ever since we first met. If ye would hae me, then I would like tae marry ye and spend my life showing ye the kind of man I truly am, and I will dae all I can tae give ye the life that ye deserve."

Anne's emotions swelled and rushed out of her as soon as he admitted that he still loved her. She grabbed his hand and pulled him around to face her, and then she flung herself towards him, suffocating his words with her kiss, answering with her actions rather than words. As soon as they kissed, the tension between them was broken and the ghastly anguish of loneliness was dispelled. The flare of attraction and arousal reached dizzying heights just as they were sinking into the soft moss around them.

Their touches were frantic and urgent. Their breaths were deep pants. They smiled and laughed, rejoicing in the delight of touching each other again. As he exposed her breasts to the open air she arched her neck back, as though inviting all the world to gaze upon their shared glory. They tumbled on the ground, becoming a mess of limbs and hair, their lips crashing against each other in between whispered promises of love and beauty. Groans rippled out of them and the heightened pleasure was a tide that ebbed and flowed between them, growing more insistent with every moment that passed. The air crackled and her mind grew hazy, and soon enough their bodies were entwined together again in the wondrous act of lovemaking.

But this time it was different. Now they were truly honest with each other and neither of them was trying to play the roles they had created. They were just themselves, and this openness allowed the exquisite bliss to flow between them freely. They were unguarded with each other, utterly liberated from everything that had held them back before. They were breathless and delirious. Drops of sweat sizzled on the ground and Anne traced her fingers up his undulating spine as his hips rolled into her, spinning the earth around at a dazzling speed. The sky and the trees blurred together in sweet harmony as she lost herself to the sensations that careened through her mind, and this time their lovemaking was not tinged with a bittersweet air. This was not going to be the last time they ever saw each other, instead, it was the beginning of something new, something that was going to endure for the rest of their days until the sun set before them for the final time.

A month had passed because Finlay wanted to make sure Anne could get the wedding she deserved. It was held at the farmhouse and the friends they had made were invited. It wasn't a grand occasion like the gathering, but there were still plenty of people there to make it a fine celebration. At first, Anne was hesitant because she had always dreamed of wearing her mother's dress to her wedding. She seemed heartbroken when she confessed to Finlay that she had sold it in order to pay off his debt. Finlay nodded and then told her that he needed to bring her something.

"I thought that I recognized the dress when I was walking past the stall. I used my first pay tae buy it, just in case we ever ran intae each other again. And it helped remind me of ye," he said. Anne's heart swelled. She thought she loved him wholly and completely already, but she kept finding new depths to her affections that continued to surprise her.

She kissed him after gathering the dress, on the day she looked radiant. Finlay was standing beside his father, tapping his foot nervously. Brandon smiled.

"Ye remind me of how I felt when I married yer Ma. I'm glad ye came back, son, and I'm glad that ye found a way tae be happy. She's a good lass, I dinnae think ye could dae any better."

Finlay returned the smile and found that his nerves disappeared as soon as Anne appeared. She walked across the field, accompanied by Rory. Her dress fluttered in the wind. She had tied her hair above her head, fastening it there with pins, exposing her neck. Finlay's breath was taken away as she came closer. Every part of her was beautiful, as though she was the personification of the Highlands. She was wild, free, yet tender as well. Their guests shared hushed whispers and gasps at the sight of Anne, who looked far too elegant to get married on a simple farm, but they all faded away for Finlay. Nothing mattered except her. She was his entire world.

He puffed out his chest, wearing his guard's uniform proudly as she came to stand beside him. He took her hand and knew that he was never going to let it go. His gaze never wavered from her and in truth, the wedding was a bit of a blur. He spoke without being truly aware of what he was saying, for he was utterly captivated by her beauty. The same was true of her as well, and later on they would joke that they were so in love they were unable to appreciate their own wedding. Their words were honeyed as they promised themselves to each other and then, after their wrists were bound together by a loose knot, they sealed their solemn and divine vows with a kiss.

They were in heaven.

The farmhouse was alive with a party. Minstrels played jovial music and everyone was in good spirits. Anne barely left the dance floor, and because Finlay was still tied to her, his feet ached too. They drank and they ate and everything was right with the world. Anne's head spun with delirious delight as she realized she had found the place in which she belonged. She had a family now, a true family, and no longer did she have to hide in the shadows, pretending to be something she wasn't. She wondered if this was what her mother had felt all those years ago when a noble girl and a common boy had fallen in love. There had been times when she wondered if her mother had made a mistake, but after feeling what she felt for Finlay, she knew that love was a compulsion that could not be ignored. Rory seemed in a fine mood as well, having come around to liking Finlay after spending more time with him. He was receiving some admiring glances from girls as well, and it wouldn't be long before he was venturing down the path of romance. Anne hoped that it would be a far smoother trip for him than it had been for her, but that it would result in an equally happy ending.

Still, that was for another time in a golden future. The only thing she was concerned about now was spending the night with her new husband. When the moon was at its fullest, she gave Finlay an alluring look and then whisked him away to a barn that Brandon had adapted to be a private, romantic location to spend their first night in privacy. They giggled as they skipped away from the party and fell into silence.

As soon as they were in the barn, Finlay pressed her against the wall and they kissed. They slipped the knot off their wrists, freeing their hands to roam about each other's bodies.

"Ye are sae beautiful," he said as his lips moved along her collarbone and neck down to the hollow of her throat, deeper into the valley of her cleavage and he kept falling all the way down until he was on his knees worshiping her. The tight knot of pleasure was coiling in the depths of her, twitching and writhing like a living serpent. Her hands were pressed against the wall and her head was arched back as rampant breaths surged from her mouth. She gasped as she felt his tongue dancing and her eyes went wide as she experienced such blazing pleasure. Her entire body shuddered as she surrendered to him, to this blistering, cascading rush of emotion that tore her asunder.

He rose to a standing position and caught her in his arms, kissing her as he guided her to the bed. Her knees were weak and everything inside her had turned to liquid. She moaned as they fell upon the bed. It creaked under their weight. He whispered his love and other sweet, sensual things in her ear as he took out the hairpins and watched her thick hair tumble down, brushing against her shoulders and neck. She took the hairpins carefully from him, smiling sweetly as she pulled him into the soft sheets, kissing him ardently as their bodies pressed together. Their clothes were flung away as though they were poisoned, and soon enough their naked bodies were glistening, bathed in silver moonlight that poured through the open window.

Heat permeated the air as their hands rose up and down their flesh, stimulating the secret sweet spots that they had both found within each other. She nibbled on his lip, smiling as her hand reached down and curled against his hard desire. She watched his eyes roll back into his head as she pleasured him, knowing that it was rippling all over his body. She kissed his chest and breathed in his masculine scent, reveling in it all, drowning in the very essence of him. She pressed herself so tightly against his body that her breasts squeezed against him and her heartbeat thumped, echoing against his ribs.

Finlay turned, cradling her in his arms, his fingers running through the tide of her hair. She gasped as she rolled onto her back and her hand fell free, her arms splaying widely across the bed as he thrust into her, their bodies finding each other so naturally, so freely. She couldn't tell where he began and she ended. They were completely and utterly united, and she knew she would never be the same again. She never wanted to be, because she was more than she had ever been before. Finlay's love had given her a new identity, a new freedom to be who she had always been meant to be, and this elated feeling carried them through to a mutual burst of pleasure that spread radiant heat between them.

In the depths of night, they gazed into each other's eyes. Her hand was against his chest, while his were clasped around her waist. It was all perfect, and when she looked into his eyes she knew that she had a family again, and the love they shared was no lie.

Thank you so much for reading my novel!