Laird of the Game (26 page)

He would never forget their first kiss, or how every kiss and touch of her gentle hands brought him a moment of heaven. Alex couldn’t erase those years of pain and agony, but finally had hope for a future with a wife who cared about him. It was her loving heart that had brought him to life, and now he would have a home and a future with her.

“Alex, I do have to wonder if the man can make love half as well as you did as a Celtic God.”

He grinned. “We will have to find out, luv. We are leaving tomorrow for our honeymoon,” he said against her lips. “I realized I had forgotten tae mention that I planned tae take ye tae The
Isle of Mor
in the Caribbean.”

“But how can we afford that? Alex, from what I’ve seen, the entire clan doesn’t have the kind of money that a honeymoon in the Caribbean would cost.”

“I think I forgot to mention that you would also be mistress of several houses.”

“Several? So you’re not dirt poor?”

“No. What made you think we were poor?”

“You never ate anything you didn’t steal.”

“That’s part of the Celtic Warrior Game. We get points for thieving. We just didn’t know ye didn’t like mutton, or we would have found something else for ye tae eat. We were half crazy trying tae get ye tae eat anything, lass.”

The rode on for a few moments, and then he said softly in her ear, “tell me again. I need tae hear it one more time.”

“You’re very demanding for a man I have just agreed to marry. Perhaps I should think about this just a wee bit longer?”

“You’ve got ten seconds.” He smiled in a delightfully wicked way.

 “Yes,” she said softly. He nuzzled her ear and held the sensitive ear lobe between his teeth. She was wrapped up in his tartan, and he warmed her against his muscled body.

“Yes,” she said again, and he chuckled softly and slid his tongue over her soft lips.

“Oh God, yes,” she groaned. “That’s cheating!”

“No,
A Grá
, that’s effective.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

I have an official invitation to the Victory celebration from the Laird of the Game. Prince George remains the favorite till the end. This is going to be an exciting evening when the winner is announced. The note I received also said there were still a few surprises in store for their guests so I’m ready for anything.

On the Streets, with Rosabel

Daniel let out a low growl and knew he needed to finish his task. They were all waiting to find out what would happen. “Now let’s presume,” he began in his best lawyer voice. “My brother has managed to pull off a miracle, and she will agree tae marry him.”

Amber sat at the table. Her legs were crossed and she was looking very bored. She quickly caught on to where Daniel was going. “I presume you’re talking about a pre-nuptial agreement?”

“Yes.” He blinked at her.

“Then I can speak for her on this.” Amber sauntered up to the bar and selected her favorite tequila. “Nice.” She also took out a bowl of limes and collected salt and two shot glasses.

Her smile dazzled Daniel when she set the bottle down in the middle of the table. She placed a shot glass in front of him. “The rules are simple. Every time we agree on an item, we get a shot of tequila.”

Daniel’s eyes sparkled with the challenge.

Amber huffed. “I just can’t argue with a man in a skirt. Do you mind putting on a pair of pants?”

“It’s a Kilt,” Daniel corrected, equally huffed. “It’s appropriate attire for the Highlands of Scotland.” The burr in his voice became evident when he was riled, and Daniel was ready to fight.

“Perhaps it is,” Amber yelled inches from his face. “But I can’t stop myself from wondering what you have on under it!”

***

“It’s abou’ time.” Robert was completely out of patience. The stallion walked slowly toward the house, and they strained for any indication of the outcome. Iain went inside to get Daniel and Amber. They hadn’t stopped shouting at each other, and if Iain hadn’t stepped between them, they wouldn’t have heard him.

William felt as if there were steel talons on his heart. If Alex could resolve the relationship with Melissa, she was lost to him forever. If Alex couldn’t, they would both be heartbroken. There was a price to be paid either way, and William hoped he could console her broken heart.

Daniel and Amber took a seat next to Evan. It seemed to take forever for Alex and Melissa to finally arrive.

Robert stepped forward and held on to the stallion’s halter while Alex jumped down and helped Melissa to the ground. Alex held her a moment longer so she could feel her legs again.

“I am the luckiest man alive. She said yes!” Alex kissed her again.

The group behind them broke out in cheers, tears, and laughter. There was lots of hugging and kissing. Melissa got hugged by all of Alex’s brothers.

“I’m going tae like having sisters.” Alex guffawed. “We have a wedding in fifteen minutes.” He took Melissa’s hand in his and tugged her up the stairs.

“The priest is waiting at the Kirk.” Daniel had personally seen to all the details. “Ye’d better hurry, Alex!” Daniel reminded him of the time.

Aunt Marianne and Uncle Adrian arrived by helicopter along with their esteemed Grandfather Sean MacKenna. Daniel walked up to meet the family members that had been given short notice of the upcoming weddings.

A beautiful young lady with sparkling dark eyes walked out of the house. She met Iain on the stairs, and he reached his hand out to her. Iain’s smile could dazzle the morning sun. She wore a strapless white satin wedding dress with pale pink ribbons laced to crisscross up the bodice. Small pale pink silk rose buds were scattered over the satin skirt that hung loosely to her ankles.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Iain said and reached out to take her hand. “Ye look beautiful, darling. We’ll do formal introductions later since we’re about tae have a wedding. Everyone, may I introduce my lovely Bonnie and her friend, Emily, who will be standing up for her.”

“Hello, Bonnie and Emily,” Amber said, walking down the stairs with Daniel. But she stopped in her tracks as a drop-dead gorgeous man walked up to them, and Daniel greeted him casually.

“George, you’re just in time. Alex and Melissa are getting married, too.” Daniel couldn’t help but notice Amber’s reaction to his cousin or his cousin’s reaction to Amber. They looked star struck at each other, and he was about to issue drooling rags when he cleared his throat and took Amber’s arm. He nearly had to drag her away from George, who suddenly looked very lonely.

“It’s a ploy,” Daniel said testily. “George hasn’t been lonely for a single day in his entire life.”

“I can see why,” Amber said dreamily. “Wow. That guy is hot.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. They had heard it all. Normally, Daniel didn’t have any trouble getting a woman to notice him, but Amber didn’t seem to remember she was walking on the path with him.

Alex gave Melissa five minutes to get ready. He put on a clean shirt and kilt while she changed into her dress and brushed her hair.

They walked to the Kirk together, relieved the day had turned out to be sunny and dry. Melissa was introduced to their aunt and uncle, Adrian and Marianne, and their infamous grandfather who had made a fortune gambling on the outcome of the game.

Rebecca, Agotha, Rosabel, Bridget, and Niki walked in just before Iain and Bonnie said their vows. Niki sat beside George, and he put his arm around her. Agotha sat beside Robert who took her hand in his and kissed her fingertips.

Rosabel had arrived at the house in time to hear the news of the weddings and joined the group walking to the Kirk. Bridget looked calm now that she was sedated, and they all wanted to meet the infamous Melissa!

Rosabel could only imagine the sparks that would be flying that evening. It was obvious Rebecca was preoccupied and deep in thought about something. Bridget was also in love with Alexander and wasn’t about to concede their long-term association to a Yank.

Rosabel introduced herself. While Bridget smiled, Rebecca looked terrified, but Rosabel quickly assured her she had a personal invitation from Gideon. It was only a slight exaggeration.

Rosabel’s curiosity was piqued when she arrived and there was a wedding cake that would feed an army being delivered in a helicopter along with Russian caviar and a shipment of champagne.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

A time for forever…

The Priest began with Iain and Bonnie.

The vows were beautiful, and Sarah filmed the event, including the stunning men who played the bagpipes. The warriors lined the path with their swords held aloft, greeting the happy couple.

The Priest addressed the witnesses in the Kirk. “I ask all of you to support and encourage this couple in keeping their commitment, promises, and vows. If you so agree, I ask that you repeat after me and say, Aye.”

“Aye,” was said loudly enough to shake the rafters.

Iain looked deliriously happy and slipped a gold band on Bonnie’s finger.

She reached up to touch his cheek. The love she held for him sparkled in her tear filled eyes. Her bouquet of rose buds tied with pale pink ribbons was handed to Emily who stood beside her.

Daniel stood up for Iain and got a little misty eyed when he handed the ring over to Iain.

The happy couple was introduced to the family as Mr. and Mrs. Iain MacKenna, and Bonnie’s mother and father greeted the groom. Alex shook Iain’s hand and gave him a hearty congratulation.

Melissa hugged Iain and said to Bonnie, “We are going to be the best of friends.”

Bonnie brushed a tear aside and hugged Melissa back. “Oh, we have so much to talk about.”

“Traitor,” Bridget said quietly under her breath, and Rebecca nudged her with an elbow.

Melissa would always remember the warm glow of stained glass windows and the brilliant smile on Alex’s face while the Priest read their vows. In his eyes, she could see their children and days of love and laughter. She could hold him forever, and the joy overflowed in her heart. There were no doubts in her mind they would be happy. There was no hesitation when she said, “I will, forever and always.”

Amber, who stood up for her sister, handed her a ring for Alex. A little taken aback at the appearance of a ring, Melissa slipped the gold band onto Alex’s finger. Gideon then handed Alex a ring for Melissa.

Alex took her hand in his, and the ring slid perfectly onto her finger. He then tenderly kissed her fingertips.

I love you so much it hurts.
Though she thought the words, she knew they showed in her eyes. The Priest asked again if their family would support Alex and Melissa’s commitment, promises, and vows.

“Aye,” was repeated loud enough to drown out Bridget’s antagonistic “nay”.

They took such good care of her and had gotten all of the details right. The gold band fit her, and she had to wonder how they did it considering she didn’t wear any rings. They were amazing men.

 The Priest gave them a blessing and introduced them as, “Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Girard MacKenna.”

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. He felt a little shaky, considering everything they had planned was executed to perfection. His love, his wife, was now safely tucked into his arms. The sparkle of love reflected in her eyes as he bent to kiss her.

“
Go deo, a grá
,” he whispered and touched the warmth of her lips with his. His eyes closed, and he felt true contentment. The abyss in his heart had begun to heal; she brought such joy into all their lives. The warmth of her mouth was his safe haven. He loved her with his kiss, with his heart, and his soul.

There were tears streaming down her cheeks when she looked up at her handsome warrior. “Forever and always, my love,” she whispered back. Melissa was overwhelmed with emotion and wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing onto his clean shirt.

Evan looked sad for a moment. “Bloody Hell, I’d cry, too, if I had tae marry him.”

Amber looked at Evan, shocked at his statement and then thought about what he had said. It was Amber who started laughing first they would all recall when the details of that day were remembered. She started with a body-rocking laughter that soon got everyone else laughing, too. It broke the enormous amount of tension they had been under.

The group departed the Kirk.

Daniel held out his arm for Rebecca, and she walked away with him.  They chatted on about the game with George and Niki.

Gideon was delighted to find Rosabel and offered to escort her to the party. Rosabel didn’t apologize for crashing the wedding, and hoped she’d get the exclusive story on the weddings of the decade.

Marianne and Adrian walked with the younger boys back to the party. There were lots of hugs and kisses for their beautiful Aunt Marianne and hearty shoves for their uncle, Adrian.

Their grandfather walked with Bridget. William was last in line to congratulate his brothers and just happened to be available to escort Emily to the party. The pretty, young lady blushed and placed her hand in his.

 Alex and Melissa were given a few minutes of privacy before the party would begin.

Alex leaned back against the pew and held her close. She couldn’t quit crying and had soaked the front of his shirt. It was a small price to pay, he thought.

Somehow, they had just pulled off a miracle. Daniel had gone to the ends of the world to give him this gift.

“I don’t want tae let go of ye,” he said softly when she began to quiet.

“I love you, Alex. Don’t ever stop loving me.” She pulled back a little and looked up at him. “I am the happiest woman alive!”

“And the most beautiful.” His voice was a husky growl. “We will have a happy life together. Ye are my
Anam Cara
, Melissa. I never knew what it meant tae be happy. I had work tae do, and problems tae solve, but never knew this euphoria called love.”

“Love is beautiful and terrifying,” she agreed.

“You’re going tae have tae wait until later tae be properly bedded,” he teased.

“Oh, and what would you call what we’ve been doing for the past four weeks?” She looked aghast. “If that wasn’t proper bedding, perhaps I should call one of your brothers back here and try them out first.”

“They wouldn’t dare touch ye now.” He gave her a mock glare which was tinged with smugness.

“Perhaps they wouldn’t,” she teased softly.

“
Och
, ye wouldn’t dare.” Alex frowned, the cockiness erased from his face by a fierce frown.

Melissa turned, smiled at him, reached out, and took his hand. They walked out into the sunshine and paused to pay their respects at the stone Angel that guarded his ancestors.

“I think that I love ye as much as the Baron loved his Lisette,” Alex said fondly. “They sacrificed so much for their love and knew a rare kind of happiness. It’s been said that they died in each other’s arms, but no’ before they grew old together. I have that kind of love with ye, lass, and I’m certain we will live a long a happy life.”

“I feel as if I know them.” Melissa hugged her husband close to her.

Alex had finally found the kind of love his parents had shared.

***

Melissa found her luggage had arrived and changed her clothing for the party. Alex met her at the bottom of the stairs.

She wore a pearl beaded white tank top and a drape short skirt with a side tie that was made of plaid georgette and rayon that swished and swayed when she walked. Her shoes were ankle wrap high heels, and her hair was piled up on her head with a wild abandon of curls hanging down to her neck.

“God, ye are sexy.” Alex kissed her fingertips. “Ye take my breath away.”

She realized she hadn’t seen Alex in anything but his Kilt, and tonight he wore black slacks and a black shirt. “Wow! You are one handsome man, Alex MacKenna.”

She pulled his head down for a kiss. He kissed her tenderly, lovingly. They walked out of the house on to the lawn that was prepared for the party.

Melissa met up with her sisters at the bar and got a glass of champagne for a toast. “Here’s to the men in our lives. May they be warm, willing, and wonderful.”

She had barely swallowed a sip when Evan sauntered by. He gave her a hug, took the glass from her hand, gulped it down, and gave her a big kiss and an empty glass.

Amber laughed. “I can’t believe these guys. They aren’t the barbarians we thought they were.”

“They are all charming.” Melissa twirled the glass in her hands.

Alex and George met and shook hands. “It was a good game.”

George smiled. “I was certain we’d win this year.”

Melissa joined Alex, and he draped his arm around her. “I’d like tae introduce you tae my wife. Melissa, this is my cousin, George.”

“We have met.” Melissa smiled. “You’re the wandering art critic.”

“That was a sneaky move, cousin.” There was a hint of displeasure in Alex’s voice.

“This was my final season,” George announced. “I am also retiring.  My brother, Richard, will be taking over my duties. He should be here shortly.” The object of George’s affection arrived and turned the heads of a hundred warriors. “I’d like to introduce Melissa to my love. Niki, this is Melissa.”

Melissa was instantly jealous of her long legs. Niki wasn’t that tall, but in high heels, she looked elegant. She walked like she was on a runway, and Niki’s blue eyes, dark hair, and flawless ivory complexion could make any woman beg for her secrets. She didn’t just walk, she caressed the earth with long strides and a sway to her hips that stunned all who watched her.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Melissa.” Niki absently draped her hand through the crook of George’s arm. “It’s good to see you again, Laird MacKenna. Congratulations on your victory.”

Alex took Melissa’s hand in his. “It is a glorious day, indeed!”