Epilogue

One Week Later

“So, ye bedded our sister?”

Tad felt pinned to the spot under the collective gaze of all the Mackintosh brothers. Alec was the one who had spoken, and the one who definitely looked the most furious. He sat behind his desk, regal as ever, so angry that he was bending the wood of his desk from his grip upon it. His wife, Kira, seemed to be struggling to calm him at all with her hand on his shoulder.

Bran and Ilyssa stood near the window of the room, sharing equal grimaces at the way the news had just unfolded. Evander sat on the edge of his brother’s desk, tattoos flaring on his forearms, his jaw slack. Dunn was sat in the nearest chair, in danger of falling out of it.

“Bran,” Tad hissed, turning to glare at Ilyssa. “Did ye have tae say it like that?”

“Well, it is what ye did,” Bran said innocently, earning a slap around his arm from Ilyssa for his words.

Tad grunted and looked at Catreena beside him. She looked as outraged as any of the rest of them, but mostly because Bran had just announced to his brothers with no preamble at all that Tad had bedded Catreena and now come to ask to marry her.

“Well, this is a great reaction,” Catreena mumbled.

“I should have kenned.” Alec was wild and suddenly on his feet. He towered over his desk, prompting Kira behind him to jump back with a heavy sigh. “Ye, ye who beds everyone he meets, have moved ontae our sister?”

“We told ye we’d slit yer throat if ye ever did that,” Dunn said, also scrambling to his feet.

“I believe we promised tae cut off a different part of his anatomy.” Evander slid a knife out of his belt and laid it threateningly on the desk beside him.

Tad gulped. Taking punches from Bran was one thing, but if Evander came at him with that knife, it would be entirely different.

“Dear Lord!” Catreena suddenly exclaimed. “Ye would actually consider castra–”

“He deserves it,” Alec said in agreement, pointing at the knife. “Evander, get tae it.”

“What the hell!?” Tad suddenly bellowed. “I’m here tae ask fer her hand in marriage, nae tae be made a eunuch.”

“Should have thought of that first.” Evander stood off the desk.

Tad actually took a step back as Catreena took hold of his arm with both hands.

“He saved me life. He wants tae marry me,” she pointed out.

“Fer the hundredth time,” Tad said in panic, turning to look at Bran. “How many times have I begged fer yer blessing tae marry her?”

“A fair few,” Bran acknowledged with a reluctant nod.

“I want tae marry her, Alec.” He decided to fix his gaze on Alec, the man who was truly in charge, the Laird of the Mackintoshes.

“Ye will never stray again?” Dunn asked with a scoff which suggested he already didn’t believe him.

“I never will,” Tad said heatedly, glaring at Catreena’s twin. “I wouldnae dae that tae her.”

“We could elope,” Catreena suggested with a sudden gleam in her eye.

Dinnae tempt me.

“They’d hunt me down and kill me anyway,” he pointed out. “Please,” Tad said, rounding on all the brothers and looking between them. “I am begging ye all. I just want yer blessing.”

A tense silence overtook the room. No word was said, and the only sound was Kira’s heavy breathing as she clutched Alec’s shoulder, still doing her best to calm him.

Then Alec’s eyes were suddenly no longer slits. They became wide as booming laughter escaped him. He clapped once loudly as Evander broke next, chuckling deeply.

Confused, Tad looked around between all the brothers. Even Ilyssa was sniggering into Bran’s shoulder as he shook with laughter.

“What did I miss?” Tad muttered under his breath, and Catreena looked as confused as he did.

“Bran told us when ye arrived last night,” Alec said with a jovial tone as he jerked his thumb in Bran’s direction. “Forgive us if we decided tae mess with ye a little.”

“Mess!?” Tad spluttered. “Ye threatened tae cut off me–”

“Aye, we did. Good touch, Evander,” Dunn praised his brother with a nod, to which Evander bowed.

“I thought it a nice one. We did threaten tae dae it some time ago.”

“Lucky fer us, Bran caught ye first.” Dunn smiled. “I heard he punched ye intae a pulp.”

“He didnae fight back,” Bran spoke up between his own laughter. “Did ye?”

“Nay, I couldnae.” Tad sighed as Catreena’s hand moved from his arm down to his hand. He threaded his fingers with her own, all too aware that many of the brothers watched this action with considerable attention. “Ye were right tae hit me at all.”

“I called it.” Dunn raised his hand in the air. “I would just like tae point out that I said years ago Catreena was secretly in love with him.”

“Ye said what!?” Catreena spluttered. She stepped toward her twin brother but Tad pulled her back again. Now he had her hand in his, he wasn’t in a hurry to let go of her.

“Aye, aye, ye did say that once.” Evander agreed with a nod. “I thought ye were way off the truth. Turns out, I was wrong.”

“Well, there ye have it.” Alec stepped around the desk and came toward Tad. “Other than the bruises ye sustained from Bran.” He looked at the now healing marks across Tad’s face with a rather put-upon grimace. “Ye have our blessing, Tad. Quite frankly, even with yer reputation, we ken nay other man will take care of her more.”

Tad looked at Catreena beside him, his thumb running a small circle on the back of her hand. As she smiled up at him, he couldn’t help smiling back.

This is where I should have always been.

“It’s time we were officially one big family after all, isnae it?” Alec said, looking between Tad and Catreena, and Bran and Ilyssa close by. “One family.”

Tad smiled. For so long, it had just been him and Ilyssa, their friendships to the Mackintoshes the most important ties of their lives, though not official. He couldn’t help agreeing with Alec.

“Aye, one family,” he whispered, pulling Catreena to stand an inch closer to him. Her eyes flitted down to his lips as he did the same to her, thinking of what it could be like to start a family with Cat. They were forced to step back from each other, however, as Bran’s voice sounded from the corner of the room.

“Remember, ye arenae married yet.”