Forget Me Not, My Scottish Love by Allie Palomino

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“I canna believe she is alive,” Alice said, smiling happily with tears in her eyes.

“I cannot believe that the laird is,” Diane said, smiling in return.  “I knew since the day they married that he was for her.  He truly is a good man,” Diane said with an intelligent nod to her head.

“Aye, he’s that.  Takes after his father.”

Diane looked at Abby.  “I am sorry for your loss, Alice.  Truly, I know the monster my husband was.  I wish I’d been braver to face him.”

Alice patted Diane’s hand.  “Ye’re an inspiration, Diane.  And, most of all, we love our Abby.  She is a wonderful, kind-hearted, intelligent, and strong woman.  Those traits came not from her father, but from ye.  For that alone, ye did a wonderful duty to her and that is testament to yer own strength.”

Diane let the pent up tears fall from her eyes and some of the guilt lift off her shoulders.  “Your kind words humble me.”

“They are most deserved.”

The mothers watched Abby, who sat in front of the hearth.  She was irritable and jumpy, not to mention annoyed that the strange man, and that’s what she’d called Cameron, hadn’t brought her son.

She looked up expectantly when she heard steps descending the stairs.

“She’s very eager to see Trystan,” Alice said, smiling.

“Aye, so am I,” Diane said, smiling at Alice and walking to Abby excitedly.  “‘Tis the first time I’ll see my grandson.”

Keith was in front of Cameron as they entered the great room.  Abby stood immediately, her face horrified and in shock.  Her heart rate sped up and her breath came out in pants.  She’d only seen Cameron, for Keith blocked the view of the baby.

“What is the meaning of this?” she yelled, stunned.  “Cameron?” she asked, not able to catch her breath.  “Cameron?” 

Abby looked around at the family.  They were all still recovering from their own shock at having her walk through their door. 

“My father killed you!” she whispered in agony.  Still, her breath eluded her.  Her cheeks were flushed and she looked at those around her, confused. 

“Nay, my love, I’m here,” he said, his emotions forming a lump in his throat.  He found it difficult to speak.  He’d quickly used his dagger to rid himself of the beard.  She was remembering.  He felt a surge of love so profound, he almost fell to one knee.

Abby stayed unmoving, looking at her husband as he walked towards her.  Keith walked over to Amy, who displayed her proud belly.  Finally, Abby saw Trystan.  He had longer hair than she remembered in her fragmented mind.  He was also so much bigger.

“Trystan?” she asked, her mouth wide. 

Her eyes bounced back from Cameron to her son as she walked forward slowly and cautiously.  At the mention of his name, he turned his head towards Abby.  He was biting on his fist and when he saw her, he began kicking his legs excitedly.

“Ma-ma,” he said, and giggled.  He took his hand out of his mouth and clapped, looking up at his father.  Cameron smiled down at his son and looked at Abby.

“I don’t understand,” she said, suddenly breathless.  “Cameron?” she asked again.  “Trystan?”

Her eyes were wide.  They looked everywhere and nowhere at the same time. 

She collapsed on the floor in a dead faint.

Hours later, she awoke, finding herself in familiar surroundings.  She was on their bed, in their chamber.  She smiled and stretched.

What a dream, she thought to herself.

She looked to her right and saw her husband sleeping with their son on his chest.  Trystan was also sleeping.  She looked at them for a long while, appreciating them.  She prayed to God, thanking him for the blessings given to her.  After her prayer, Cameron slowly opened his eyes and gave her a sexy grin that she could have sworn she hadn’t seen in months.

“Cameron,” she said.  “I had the most horrible dream.”  She inched closer to him, placing a cupped hand to his smooth cheek.  Her sad eyes called to him.  “I dreamt that you had gone to battle my father to avenge yours.  And when you were on the border, he ambushed you and his men killed you,” she said, her voice strained.

Cameron placed a finger over her mouth.  “Shhh, my love.  All that doesna matter now.  ‘Twas no dream, sweet Abby.  I had gone to battle and yer father had ambushed us.  I was felled on the battlefield but I was not killed.”  He told her of the events of the past months.

“I couldn’t explain why Trystan looked older.  I’ve missed months of his life,” she said regretfully.

“We have the remainder of our lives, Abby,” he whispered, leaning in for a tender kiss.  She closed her eyes when she felt the warmth of his lips on hers.  He touched his forehead to hers gently and smiled. 

“I was dead the past months, Abby, but now I am renewed with life.  Dear Lord, how I missed ye,” he said passionately.

She smiled warmly at him, rubbing his cheek.  “I’ve missed you, Cameron.  In my mind, you were dead and my son gone, taken.  It was too much to bear.”  Her eyes widened as a thought struck her.  “My brother, Harold.  What if he seeks retribution?”

“Nay, I doona believe he will.  He was absent when I returned to seek vengeance for ye and my father.  Harold, I was later informed, didna want his father to mar his title or future relations with others.  Though Harold was not unlike Haynsworth, he has the good sense not to challenge those better than him.”

She smiled at his arrogance.  “I love you,” she said, her face softening in wonder and elation.  She ran her hand down Trystan’s head who stirred awake.

“I love ye, Abby,” Cameron responded, watching his son struggle to sit up.  Abby sat up as well, and Trystan threw himself at her.

“Ma-ma,” he said, smiling at his accomplishment.  He laughed.  “Ma-ma,” he repeated.

“‘Twas his first word,” Cameron said and on second thought, added, “It is his only word.”  Cameron tried to look offended and Abby laughed. 

“He began saying it after the battle.  It was painful, Abby, ye’ve no idea.  I yearned for ye, my love.  Every day I kept our son close to me, not letting him out of reach for long.  If I would have lost him, I know that I would have lost myself.  And every day that I looked into his precious eyes, I saw yers.  Yer beautiful and pure soul stared back at me through those eyes of his.  They believed ye dead.  What Keith and Aidan witnessed was convincing, but my soul knew better.  My heart beat every day with a heaviness that made it difficult to continue.  I knew that ye still lived, sweetness.  I felt it in my soul.”

“How?”

“If ye had died, I would have, too.  Ye are a part of me, Abby.  My blood is yers.  My heart beats for ye and ye alone.  My soul mourns for ye when ye’re nay near like a wounded animal.  When I was told that ye’d thrown yerself from a window, I nearly lost all reason.  I have been bestowed many blessings, the greatest of which are here with me now.”

Touched, she leaned down and kissed Cameron with Trystan still in her arms.

“Our family,” she said, laughing.  “How blessed I am!  And now my mother is here, safely.  I’ve a feeling that she will at last be at peace here.”

Cameron kissed her and said, “Aye.  She will be at peace and so shall ye.  At last, my soul and heart will rest easy.”

They played with Trystan, not caring about the time or the hours they spent alone.  When at last Trystan fell asleep, they placed him down in his bed.  Walking back, Cameron pulled her into his arms.

“I’ve missed ye,” he said, kissing her with the passion of a man who’d thirsted for water after years without.

“How much?” she asked, huskily.  The need was rising in her, too.

“Words are a sore replacement for the activity.”

Cameron kissed her passionately and breathlessly, as both fell onto the bed.  They hurriedly tore their clothes off, never breaking the searing kiss.

And with his actions, he showed her just how much he’d missed and loved her.