extended epilogue

Two months later…

Music and laughter echoed in the great hall, where the entirety of Clan MacGregor had gathered, along with key members of Clan MacLaren, the two families coming together for Bonnie's and Evan's wedding. The day had passed by in a blur for Bonnie, as she had woken up in the morning and had instantly been thrown into preparations for the wedding. The ceremony itself had been so quick that Bonnie had hardly realized when it was over, and then the feast had begun, and everyone had come to offer her their congratulations.

Now, Bonnie sat with all her family, old and new—Evan, Alaric, Isabeau to her right and Macauley and Cathleen to her left, all of them enjoying the night.

Through the crowd, Bonnie spotted Macauley's best friend and laird of Clan Drummond, Kian, approaching their table. On his arm, his wife, Deirdre, strode next to him with the presence of a woman much larger than her small stature.

Not for the first time, Bonnie considered how striking they looked together. Kian, tall and broad, with his blonde hair gathered at the nape, and Deirdre, a beautiful girl with hazel eyes that seemed to stare right through her.

"Kian!" Macauley shouted, standing to greet his friend. They clasped each other's hand, their matching grins lighting up the whole room. "Deirdre, ye've been keepin' him too busy, lass."

"Ye've been keepin' him too busy," Deirdre said, the hand that wasn't holding Kian pointing an accusatory finger at Macauley. "Always askin' him tae visit ye."

"Ye can visit with him!"

"Aye, as if I have naething better tae dae!"

Kian turned to Bonnie and Evan with a long-suffering sigh and an apologetic smile. "They love each other," he assured them as he bowed. "Congratulations, Bonnie. Laird MacGregor."

"Please," said Evan, standing to greet Kian. "There is nae reason fer such formalities. Are we nae all family here?"

"So we are," said Kian, visibly pleased. "I look forward tae learnin' more about ye."

"We'd be happy tae host ye fer as long as ye wish," offered Evan. "Ye'll always be welcome here."

Bonnie could hardly believe just how much her life had changed in such a short time. Only a few months prior, she was fretting over her marriage, thinking that she would have to wed a stranger, a man who turned out to be cruel and selfish. Now she was there, with Evan, and there was nothing that could separate them anymore.

Only then did it sink in that they were finally married. They had been through so much, both of them, but now there was nothing but happiness ahead of them and anything that came to be, they would face it together.

As Kian and Deirdre turned to speak with Macauley and Cathleen, Bonnie turned her attention to Alaric, who had been sitting next to Evan with a look that seemed all the more morose as the night passed and with each refill of his cup. Leaning back on her seat, Bonnie waved at him behind Evan's back, getting his attention.

"What is the matter?" she asked, concern seeping into her tone even as she tried to keep it light-hearted.

Alaric shook his head with a sigh. "Naething."

It was just the answer Bonnie had expected to hear, but that didn't mean she was going to simply accept it.

"I can tell somethin' is botherin' ye," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Ye cannae hide from me."

For a moment, Alaric gazed at the laughing, dancing crowd, before he dragged his eyes to Bonnie, giving her a small, half-hearted smile. "I am glad fer ye," he said. "I really am. I am glad Evan didnae have tae wed simply fer an alliance."

Bonnie waited for something to follow, but when nothing did, she asked, "But?"

"But I might have tae."

This was news to her. She didn't even know if Evan knew it, but then again, he surely had to. His council would have spoken to them both, announcing their intentions before they made any decisions.

"Alaric… I'm sorry," Bonnie said, for lack of anything better to offer him. She knew just how hard it was to accept that one could spend one's entire life married to someone they didn't love.

"It's alright," he said, shaking his head as if trying to clear it. He smiled and though it seemed forced, it still gave Bonnie come comfort. "Perhaps it will be a very bonnie lass. An' besides, there is nae one else in me life. It isnae like it was fer Evan. I'm nae disappointed. Only… apprehensive."

As much as that could be true, Bonnie's heart still ached for him. She wanted Alaric to find a love like hers and Evan's. She wanted to see him happy, to see him smile like Evan did.

When Alaric turned away without another word, Bonnie looked at her husband, taking in his every feature as if she was seeing it for the first time—the high, handsome forehead, the slope of his nose, the full lips under a well-trimmed beard. With a smile, she reached for his hand under the table and the moment their fingers touched, Evan laced them together, taking a momentary break from his conversation to return her smile.

Surrounded by her family, her friends, with Evan by her side, Bonnie had never felt so loved.

The End.