Chapter 21

21

Lana paced the dining hall, anxiously checking the door for any sign of her husband. She knew things had ended poorly last night, but she didn't think Daniel would avoid her in front of her family. With each family member that entered the room, her embarrassment grew. Even worse were their sympathetic glances as they realized he hadn't come down for breakfast.

"He's feeling a bit poorly," Lana told her siblings and their spouses. She would rather make excuses for Daniel than have her family pity her. "Perhaps some of the food disagreed with him last night."

"Or some of the drinks." Magnus laughed, jabbing his elbow into Alexander's side.

Lana felt Ciara's eyes on her, but she wouldn't look at her sister.

"Shall we wait for him?" Moira asked. She believed in doing things correctly, and Lana knew her mother would feel strange about eating a meal without their host in attendance. "Or perhaps we should take our leave early? If the Laird is ill, he may wish to be alone."

"Leave without eating?" Olivia asked. "I'll faint of hunger on the ride home."

The family began bickering amongst themselves, arguing about the proper next steps for their morning. Lana felt shame deep in her stomach that made her face hot and her hands clammy. Ciara's eyes were still locked on her, clearly recognizing that something deeper was going on.

But just as Ciara stepped closer to Lana with a compassionate expression on her face, Lana was saved by Cameron and Skye bursting through the door.

"Apologies for our tardiness," Cameron intoned, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Lana saw him scan the room quickly, and she knew he was clocking Daniel's absence. "Are we too late to join ye?"

"Of course nae," Moira replied, quickly finding her seat now that Skye had entered the room.

Moira and Skye had become fast friends, and Lana knew her mother would be disappointed to leave the girl today.

As the rest of the family settled into their seats, Cameron stepped behind Lana, stopping briefly to whisper to her.

"Will me brother join us?" he asked under his breath.

"Nay," Lana told him quietly. "I've told them he isnae well."

She caught his gentle nod, and relief flooded her body. With Cameron here, she wouldn't need to make excuses for Daniel on her own. Cameron would stand in for his brother and play the entertaining host.

"Apologies, me brother isnae up for company," Cameron said as he lifted Skye from the chair at the head of the table and lowered her in her proper seat. He took Daniel's place and smiled at the table. "I ken me brother would thank ye all for such a lovely ceilidh last evening. We are honored to join Clan MacCrawford with Clan Gunn. Thank ye for letting Lana join our family."

He raised his glass in the air, and the rest of the table followed suit. Lana caught Skye beaming at her from across the table, and she smiled back at the child. Even without Daniel, a big part of her new family was right here with her.

"And now, let's break our fast."

Cameron kept the conversation flowing throughout breakfast, cracking jokes and asking questions that made the meal fly by. This allowed Lana to relax into her family's comfortable conversations. She watched Olivia and Alexander bend their heads to speak to one another, and saw Magnus squeeze Ciara's hand as they talked about their children.

It was strange to realize she was also a married woman now.

Should I feel different? I daenae feel so.

She thought of Daniel, locked away in his chambers while joy and laughter exploded down here. As she pictured the man in bed, she was confused by a sudden longing to be with him. She remembered his hips pressing against her own and his lips teasing her collarbone. What would happen if she went to him now? But then she saw the pain in his eye when she asked him what he was afraid of.

"Well then, we should be on our way."

Magnus stood up and helped Ciara to her feet, and suddenly, the whole table was moving. Everyone talked of going to their rooms to pack their trunks and getting on the road before the day grew too warm.

"Are ye alright?" Ciara whispered, suddenly at Lana's side.

"Aye," Lana muttered, plastering a smile on her face. "All is well."

She noticed Ciara's skeptical expression, but she didn't know what else to say to her sister. There wasn't enough time to tell her what had transpired between her and Daniel last night, and there weren't words to express how conflicted she was feeling about her new husband.

Ciara took Lana's hand in her own and squeezed it. "Love isnae simple," she told her. "It's always more complicated than we expect."

Magnus held his hand out to Ciara, and she took it, letting him lead her out of the room.

A minute later, Lana's family had filed out of the dining hall, taking their noise and energy with them. Skye had left with Moira, insisting on helping her grandmother pack.

"He cares about ye."

Lana looked up, surprised to see Cameron watching her. She stared back at him, pulling herself back to the present moment.

"Daniel cares about ye," he repeated, making sure she understood him. "I ken him better than anyone, and I can see it in the way he looks at ye."

"If that's true, he has a strange way of showing it," Lana muttered dismissively.

Cameron put a hand on her arm, gently turning her to look at him. "Things havenae always been easy for him," he said. "The last time he married someone, she was taken away from him."

Lana's eyebrows rose in surprise at the words. She thought of Skye's mother, and for the first time, she truly wondered what losing Evelyn might have done to Daniel. Did he still think of it?

Lana remembered her father's death a few years ago. For a time, she had worried that everyone around her might also be killed.

"He blames himself," Cameron added quietly. "And he is afraid it will happen again."

He walked away then, leaving her to stare at his retreating back.

What are ye afraid of?

The answer had been staring Lana in the face all along. She was desperate for love. She needed it like she needed air. And she had just married a man who was afraid of it.

Daniel slowly went down the stairs, his head still pounding. He had slept late, unable to face sitting at the breakfast table with a bunch of smiling, smirking faces. He knew Cameron would tease him about his wedding night, and he couldn't face the dark glances Alexander would give him. He knew Lana's brother would be anxious to remind him that he was a dead man if he hurt his sister.

Give her time with ‘em. They're better off without me dark moods anyway.

Daniel had waited in his room until he was sure Lana's family was on the road, heading back to their homes. Ignoring them was rude, but he knew Cameron would step up and play the gracious host. He could picture Skye waving enthusiastically as the carriage drove away.

Skye.

Every time he thought about last night, a fresh wave of anger rushed through him. Laird MacDougal showed up to his wedding uninvited, and he had nearly destroyed it. If it weren't for Lana, Daniel didn't know what might have happened. Or rather, he did know what would have happened. Bloodshed.

He pushed his way into the great hall, looking for Cameron. He needed his brother to call a council meeting so they could discuss Laird MacDougal. Daniel had half a mind to send his soldiers to storm the man's castle just to send a message, but he had a feeling his council would have something else to say about that.

"Good morning!"

Daniel was assaulted with sunlight and cheerfulness as he stepped into the great hall. He had to squint his eye against the harsh light streaming through every tall window.

Lana's tone was light and energized, making him scowl in confusion.

"What is this?" he asked.

He looked around the room to see every curtain drawn back. This room had a twenty-foot ceiling, and the windows were nearly as high, so with all the fabric pulled away, Daniel felt like he was in the middle of a meadow rather than his castle. The space had never looked this bright before.

"I thought some light would be good." Lana smiled, her eyes kind, her expression relaxed. She was nearly bouncing around the room, and Daniel wondered if she had forgotten their tense words from the night before.

"Whatever, Sunbeam."

The words dripped with sarcasm, but Lana turned to him in surprise.

"It's Sunshine," she corrected.

He furrowed his brow in confusion. The light was making his headache worse, and he squinted at her as she danced around the empty room.

"What?" he barked.

He began to cross the room, headed for the library where Cameron sometimes hid when he needed a quiet spot after a night of drinking.

"That's what me faither called me," Lana explained.

Daniel stopped when he heard the wistfulness in her voice. He turned and looked at her, feeling the muscles of his face relax as he took in how beautiful she looked in the sunlight.

"He sometimes called me his sunshine girl."

"Aaah!"

Daniel jumped when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Skye launched herself from behind some of the curtains, holding her arms in the air as she tried to scare her father.

"My goodness" Daniel laughed, smirking as she rushed toward him.

Suddenly, the little girl was beside his leg, wrapping her arms around him and latching on. He was shocked by her behavior. He had never really played with his daughter before, and this energy was surprising. Perhaps last night had made her braver than he thought. Or this was all Lana's doing.

For a moment, he stood frozen. He caught Lana's eyes and registered the unease on her face. Did she expect him to push the girl away? Did she think he would yell at her?

Daniel realized he was holding back a smile, and he relaxed. As Skye held tighter onto his leg, he lifted it into the air.

"Hold on," he said as he shuffled forward.

He walked around the room with Skye holding onto his large, muscled leg while she balanced both her feet on his. Warmth coursed through his body as the little girl squealed in appreciation, telling him to go higher.

Daniel caught Lana's eye as he walked in a circle, spinning faster as Skye struggled to hold on. Lana looked away when his eye locked on hers.

"Alright, that's enough," he said softly.

Daniel suddenly felt silly. Lana's eyes were trained on the floor, and frustration bubbled inside of him. He hated how much he longed to see her smile.

"More," Skye cried out, trying to grab his leg again, but he jerked it away from her.

"I said enough," he insisted.

This time, his voice was far too loud, and he regretted the way it echoed in the giant room.

Skye's bottom lip quivered, but Lana instantly swooped in, smiling as she bent down to the girl's eye-level. "Let's go see the baby cows," she suggested.

Skye's eyes grew wide. "I forgot," she said.

The cows had been born a few days ago, and Lana and Skye had taken frequent trips to visit them. The animals were the perfect distraction, and Skye forgot all about her grumpy father.

Lana took Skye's hand and led her out of the room, but she looked over her shoulder at Daniel with darkness in her gaze.

"Daenae get too attached," Daniel called after them, disliking how she seemed to judge him. "If ye bond with one, ye might stop drinking milk."

Lana rolled her eyes at him, but then she stopped. She turned back, still holding Skye's hand.

"Speaking of bonding," she said, holding his gaze. "Perhaps ye should come. Ye could learn what it means to love something."

Lana turned away and began swinging Skye's hand, focusing her full attention on the little girl. Daniel watched them leave, feeling the sun beat down on the side of his face as he watched the infuriating woman disappear.