Was there a part that bored you or that you didn't really like in the book?

Even a character, a scene, or anything. You could say no if nothing bothered you.

What moment from the book you enjoyed the most?

Something you liked, a specific scene, a character's quality, some detail that caught your eye.

Which relationship dynamic do you instantly love? *

• Grumpy x sunshine
• Brooding warrior x a spirited nun
• Enemies who must pretend to be married

Which kind of heroine do you enjoy most in historical romance? *

• Fierce warrior
• Quiet but clever healer
• Outspoken noblewoman
• Mysterious nun

Is there something else you'd like to share?

Something you noticed, frustrated you, left you confused, etc.

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One Month Later…

The sky was a clear field of azure above their heads and the sun cast its rays of warmth over them. Lorne smiled. The day couldn’t have been more perfect if he’d crafted it himself. It had been a fight to get everybody to agree to hold the wedding outdoors. Most feared the volatile nature of Scotland’s weather. If it had rained, it would have made a mess of it all.

It was a roll of the dice and had taken some time and plenty of arm twisting, but Lorne had eventually managed to convince everybody that an outdoor wedding would be wonderful. And it worked out. For that, he breathed a small sigh of relief and said a silent word of thanks. He never would have lived it down if it had gone the other way.

He stood at the head of the aisle, Diana on his arm and across from them, Gavin stood with Beatrix on his. Knowing those two didn’t want to wait to be married, Lorne and Diana had decided to hold a dual wedding. It was unorthodox, but the way Lorne saw things, it was a day of joy for everybody. Adding Gavin and Beatrix’s nuptials to the day only spread more joy. It only made sense.

Laird Dunn and Lady Elayne stood on the dais before them. Lorne’s father stood beside them. They looked out over the gathering, smiles on their faces. Tiernan gave Lorne a knowing nod and a smile. The pride and unfettered joy he saw in his father’s eyes, something he’d never seen before, made Lorne’s heart swell.

Over the weeks after Diana’s rescue, they had become close. They were developing the sort of relationship Lorne had always wanted. Had always chased. It seemed odd to have that sort of relationship developing now that he was older, but he thought perhaps because it was something he’d always craved but never had, he had learned to appreciate it more than he would have if he’d had it as a child. Whatever the case, he was glad to have grown as close to his father as he had.

“Are ye ready?” Diana whispered. “Last chance tae back out.”

“Maybe I should take it then.”

She slapped his arm playfully and giggled. “Beast.”

“Aye.”

Lorne looked across the aisle to Gavin, who was puffed up and smiling. Moved up in position had done wonders for him. But not nearly as much as being with Beatrix had. In the weeks since they’d first come to Castle Macgillivray, Lorne had seen his cousin grow and change. Had seen him eschew some of his childish habits in favor of a more adult view of things. He had started to take things a bit more seriously.

Oh, he was still sarcastic and prone to bad jokes, and there were times he didn’t seem to take things all too seriously, but Gavin was growing into a man before his very eyes. More than that, he was growing into somebody Lorne knew he could count on as his chief advisor whenever they both assumed their roles once his father stepped down.

“Friends, thank ye for comin’ today,” Laird Dunn intoned. “We come together for the most auspicious of reasons. We come together to celebrate love. And joy. Tis nae often faithers and maithers get tae celebrate the weddin’ of nae just their oldest daughter, but their youngest one at the same time.”

Laughter rippled through the crowd behind them. Lorne snuck a peek over his shoulder and saw people from his own lands and many he had only just started to get to know from Diana’s. There were good people here in Clan Magillivray. They reminded him of the people back home. Hard working. Honest. Charitable. Compassionate. The two clans seemed to share many of the same values and he knew because of that the alliance they’d forged would stand for generations.

Tiernan stepped forward. “I am very proud of me son. And his cousin. Good men both. Honest. Devoted. Earnest. I am hard pressed tae name two better men,” he said, his voice deep and resonant. “But now that I’ve had the chance tae meet and get tae ken the women who will be their wives, Beatrix and Diana, I cannae think of two better women for them. I dinnae need tae tell most of ye just how special these two women are. But what I admire most about them is their ability tae make both Lorne and Gavin better. I can see that Diana and Beatrix have inspired me son and nephew tae grow. Inspired them tae be more thoughtful. More compassionate. And I believe that is a testament tae how they were raised. Laird Dunn and Lady Elayne are a couple of the finest people I’ve gotten a chance tae ken.”

Lorne listened to his father words, stunned at his eloquence and loquaciousness. Growing up, he had been hard pressed to get a full sentence out of his father. But hearing him go on made him realize there were layers to his father he had yet to discover.

“We come together, Lady Elayne, Laird Tiernan, and I, tae join our families. Tae join our clans. Tae build an alliance and a kinship we all hope will last forever,” Dunn said. “And I cannae think of a better family tae unite with.”

The gathered crowd behind them applauded and the buzz of conversation filled his ears. He held onto Diana’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her smile was radiant, and she was ethereal in her wedding dress. Lorne looked at her and felt himself warm from the inside, his entire body flowing with emotion. Her dark eyes sparkled as she looked back at him.

“Are ye all right?” she whispered.

“I’m better than all right,” he replied. “Tis like a dream, tae be honest.”

“If this is a dream, I dinnae want tae wake up.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Will our brides and grooms step forward,” Dunn called.

“Here we go,” Diana said. “Last chance tae run.”

“I’ve never been so certain of somethin’ I want in all me life.”

She smiled. “Nor I.”

As Dunn, Elayne, and Tiernan stepped to the side of the dais, their priest stepped forward, looking at them with a wide smile on his face. He had been Diana’s family priest since they were young, and he knew them well. Perhaps even better than their parents in certain ways since he’d been hearing their confessions all their lives.

“We are here, before ye all and in the eyes of the Lord and in thae spirit of their love, tae join these two couples in Holy matrimony,” the priest began. “I’ve always kent that I would one day have tae marry these two women away, but I never expected it tae be the both of them on the same day.”

That got another laugh from the crowd and the priest gazed upon Diana and Beatrix affectionately. He gave Lorne a nod then Gavin.

“Ye two are marryin’ two of the finest, most upstandin’ women I’ve ever kent,” he said. “Be sure ye appreciate them. Cherish them. From today tae the end of yer days. Can ye make that commitment today? Before all these witnesses and in the eyes of God?”

Lorne nodded. “Aye, faither.”

“Aye faither,” Gavin echoed.

“Very well,” he said. “Dae we have the bridal cloths?”

Tiernan stepped forward and produced the cloth he and Lorne’s mother had bound themselves together with so many years ago. The moment he saw it, Lorne felt a stitch in his heart. He raised his gaze to his father who stood before them, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

“Thank ye, faither,” Lorne whispered.

“Aye.”

Their hands clasped together, Lorne gave Diana a smile as he raised them. Tiernan wound the cloth around their hands then stepped back. On the other side of the aisle, Dunn was doing the same with Gavin and Beatrix, using the same bride cloth he and Elayne had used. The two men smiled then stepped back to the dais and Elayne leaned against her husband, tears of joy spilling down her cheeks.

“In the eyes of the Lord and by all the witnesses here today, we join these two couples, Lorne Davidson and Diana Magillivray, Gavin Davidson and Beatrix Magillivray, in the bonds of love and marriage from this day until yer last,” the priest intoned, then with a proud smile, said, “yer union is recognized by God and is now sealed.”

The crowed erupted in applause and cheers as Lorne pulled Diana to him and kissed her deeply, letting her feel the depth of his emotion. She returned his kiss with equal fervor. Eventually, they parted and stared into one another’s eyes.

Lorne smiled. “From this day—”

“Until our last,” she finished.

The End.

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