Page 76 of Forbidden Highland Affair

Vivien stifled a gasp as Kieran dug in his breast pocket, pulling out a simple golden band.

“Vivien.” He turned to face her fully, as the entire congregation that had gathered in the hall gasped as though they were one person.

“Will ye dae me the honor o’ being my wife? O’ letting me love ye till the day I die?” his eyes sought hers, searching their depths. A slow, bright smile spread across Vivien’s face as she looked dotingly upon Kieran.

“Of course I will, Kieran. Of course, I will,” she said, her heart threatening to pound its way out of her chest.

“Och, thank God,” he said, as he pulled her close and placed a searingly passionate kiss on her lips. Every person present at the feast roared their approval as they watched their Laird and future Lady make their promise to wed each other.

Vivien had indeed been worrying for no reason, and she was happy for that.

* * *

They were married a few weeks later, in a traditional Scottish ceremony.

Kieran stood there in his kilt, his bright clan colors proudly on display as Vivien stood next to him in a dress of the darkest green velvet.

Their hands were tied together in the age-old tradition of the hand-fasting ceremony. A strip of cloth of Kieran’s clan colors was used to bind their hands together. The more they pulled their hands apart, the tighter the knot became, pulling them inexorably closer to each other.

Vivien felt it was a fitting thing to do; no matter how far apart they had been after they had first met, something always drew them back to each other, no matter what the consequences were.

As the ceremony continued, they both drank from a ceremonial Quaich. Vivien held both handles gently in her hand, knowing that it was a family heirloom and incredibly important to both Kieran and Tilly, as she took a sip of the dram it contained – a strong, wonderfully oak-infused whisky that was made by Kieran’s own clansmen.

She passed the Quaich to Kieran, who also held it on both sides, draining the remaining contents before pulling Vivien in for a kiss. The crowd inside the chapel clapped and called their good wishes upon the newlywed couple as they finally walked outside into the bright summer sunshine, both smiling broadly, giddy with happiness.

The newly married couple followed the piper to the feasting hall, refusing to let go of each other’s hand as they walked.

Kieran had spared no expense when it came to both the wedding ceremony and the feast they shared afterward. It was a night that Vivien would remember until the day she died, and she knew that the same could be said for Kieran.

In finding Kieran, Vivien’s living nightmare had finally come to an end. She could finally allow herself to heal and become the woman she truly was. Kieran loved her deeply; she came to realize and believe and did not care about the wealth she brought with her as her dowry. Vivien felt love and appreciation for the man she had just married and would spend the rest of her days with.

Later that evening, after the feasting was over and they had finally been allowed to retreat to their shared bedroom, Vivien and Kieran made love as a married couple for the first time.

The passion and exhilaration Vivien had always found during their coupling were as strong as ever, and she very much doubted that it would ever fade.

She refused to let it.

As they lay on the bed, next to each other, bathing in the afterglow of their lovemaking, Vivien turned to Kieran, who smiled lazily at her.

“I want to give you something,” she whispered, as though afraid that if she spoke too loudly, she would wake up and find that everything that had happened had been nothing more than a dream.

“Ye dinnae need tae give me anything more, Sassenach,” Kieran murmured, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose, “Yer love is all I want. Nothing more than that.”

“I know.” Vivien smiled up at him. “But I want you to see just how long I have loved you for.”

She climbed out of bed, not bothering to cover herself as she walked over to the trinket box on the mantle in which she kept her most valuable possessions.

Vivien knew that she had no need to hide anything away from Kieran, and so she had not bothered to look for a hiding place for her trinkets and baubles of sentimental value.

She pulled a piece of cloth out of it and returned to the bed, sitting down next to Kieran.

He lay on his side, his weight supported on his arm, as Vivien took a deep, shuddering breath.

“I made this for you on the night we first met. The night that we shared our first kiss,” she felt the blush creeping up her neck and across her face.

“I know it is not much, and I know that it is charred, dirty and burned, but I made it for you. I tried to destroy it, for fear of Stone finding it.” She swallowed heavily. “But I think a part of me knew even then that we belonged together. I sewed it without really realizing what I was doing until it was done.”

Vivien stopped talking, feeling far too emotional and on the brink of tears to continue. The best part of that was that they were tears and feelings of joy, comfort and love.

She held out the piece of cloth, the handkerchief she had absentmindedly sewn with the letter ‘K’ on it.

Kieran’s eyes grew wide as he gingerly took the handkerchief in his hand, staring at it. He turned it over and studied every inch of the cloth.

Finally, he smiled at Vivien and pulled her in for a kiss.

“It is the best thing I have ever received. I cannae believe ye made this, an’ kept it. There is no luckier man in this world than I,” he murmured, his eyes dancing with happiness.

“And there is no luckier woman than I,” Vivien replied, feeling herself return Kieran’s smile of delight.