Needed By The Highlander - Rebecca Preston Page 0,111
as night gathered, they made the short walk back down to the quarters they shared.
She took a seat at the dining table as Niall took Eamon into his room to put him to bed — then was surprised when, a minute later, Niall reappeared in the doorway, his hand outstretched.
“What’s wrong?”
“He wants you to come and say goodnight too,” Niall said, a smile dancing across his handsome face. “If that’s alright.”
“More than alright,” she said softly, taken aback — and oddly touched — that Eamon wanted her to be a part of his bedtime ritual with his father, too. She rose to her feet and padded quietly into the room, where the little boy was tucked up safe and sound in his little bed. He peered up at her, those bright, intelligent eyes crinkling in a smile as he saw her.
“Night, night, Helen,” he said formally.
“Goodnight, Eamon. Sweet dreams.”
The boy smiled sleepily, his eyes sliding shut — then Niall stepped in to tuck the blankets in around his chin, stooping to press a kiss to his forehead. It was such a tender moment, and she felt oddly honored to be part of it — to have been explicitly invited here, to watch the little boy drift off to sleep. Niall hovered in the doorway for a few moments, looking over his shoulder at the rise and fall of Eamon’s little chest in the bed, making sure he was comfortably asleep before he slipped out of the room and gently closed the door behind him. She gazed up at him, not quite sure what to say, simply delighted to have been invited to share in this beautiful little moment — to form an odd little family with these two.
Smiling, they sat down together at the dining table. It was becoming a nightly ritual, these conversations at the table, though she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel a certain new electricity to the air this time, a tension between them that hadn’t been anywhere near as strong before Niall had kissed her the night before. She found herself wishing he’d do it again — and, at the same time, feeling mildly puzzled that he hadn’t. What was holding him back? Eamon was asleep, they were alone together…
“So, how are you finding Scotland?” he asked suddenly, making her blink with the randomness of the question.
“Um, it’s alright,” she said, blinking a little as she tried to catch up. How was she finding Scotland? Did he want to know if she was happy here? Of course she was happy here. Then it clicked — he wasn’t asking about Scotland. He was asking about him and Eamon. “It’s wonderful,” she said, more firmly — and the light that came into his eyes confirmed that her suspicions were correct. “Truly, I love it here. It’s such a beautiful place… and I feel so welcome.”
“Are you missing home?” A shadow passed across his face. “When Erin moved here from Ireland, I remember she missed home terribly.”
“I do, a little,” she said carefully. She wanted to reassure Niall that she was happy here — but she didn’t want to gloss over the sadness she felt at leaving her home, her family, everything that was familiar to her. That wouldn’t be fair to her and her feelings — though it might make Niall happier in the short term, she trusted him to be strong enough to understand her complexity. Thanks, Elena, she thought to herself with a smile. “A lot, honestly. Being away from everything that’s familiar… not having a chance to say goodbye to any of it, or anyone I knew… it’s hard. But…” She took a deep breath, exploring her own thoughts for the answers to his questions. “I think… I think that if I was offered an honest choice, I’d want to stay here.”
His eyes widened a little. “Is that so?” Carefully: “Is it because of your friends, the women at the castle? Or —”
“It’s because of you,” she said, almost irritated by how careful he was being. She took a deep, steadying breath, knowing she had to speak quickly before she got too frightened of telling him the truth. “Niall, you make me feel like I could stay here forever — like I could have a home here, a life here, a purpose. Meeting you and Eamon … it’s changed my life, honestly. I’m a different person than I used to be… and I like who I’ve turned into.”