“I see nothing but perfection.” He pressed a kiss to her stomach so she knew he understood why she thought he wouldn’t want her.
“I’m not perfect.”
“That is where you are wrong, love. Why would you think anything different?”
“Parker told me—”
“We won’t speak of that idiot.” He lifted her and laid her back on the bed. “You are magnificent, Carissa. These scars,” he touched the marks on her stomach, “show that you are a woman. You got these from carrying Gabby, don’t ever be ashamed.”
“You make me feel beautiful.”
“You are beautiful. The most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
He took her mouth again, and she felt his attraction in the kiss. Parker had never kissed her like this, not even before she got pregnant. Garrett made her feel as if she was the only woman in the world and that she couldn’t breathe without him.
She tugged at his shirt, desperate for the feel of his skin against hers, and he moved off of her long enough to pull it over his head. Taut skin was stretched over thick muscle, and her mouth watered just looking at him. She reached for him, and he covered her again.
Her hands splayed over his chest as she felt the ridges of hard muscle under her fingertips. Her body was already aching for him, and she thought she might explode if she had to wait another second for him to claim her.
Carissa arched her hips up into his groin, and she felt his erection where it pressed into her. She moaned with need, and he moved off to remove his kilt.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice strained.
“Yes,” she whispered, and he took her mouth as he thrust into her. He was much larger than she would have expected, and it took her a moment to acclimate to him. When he started moving, she met his rhythm with her hips.
The orgasm tore through her, and she cried out. When he stilled inside of her, she urged him on. He began moving again, and when he brought her back up this time, he fell with her.
“Are you alright, love?” he asked her as they lay still on the bed.
She grunted and smiled. “Can I tell you something?”
“Of course.” He pulled her into his side so that he was lying behind her.
“I’ve never had an—”
“Never?” he asked, surprised, before she could even finish her sentence.
“No.”
“But what about—”
“He never cared.”
“Then I suppose we have some time to make up for.” He grinned and placed a kiss to her breast.
She arched up into him, sore but already yearning for more. “I suppose we do.”
He smiled down at her and felt the missing part of his heart slide back into place. She was what he had been waiting for, he knew it. The three of them made a family, and he hadn’t ever imagined he would get so lucky.
Chapter Eight
Garrett looked down where she slept in his arms. She was so incredibly beautiful inside and out, and it angered him that she had been made to feel unworthy.
When she had allowed her dress to fall, leaving her standing bare before him, he had nearly lost all train of thought and pulled her down. It had taken every ounce of strength he possessed to kneel tenderly in front of her.
Still, he knew that it would take time before he convinced her of her perfection. He would spend as much time as needed until she realized it, and then more time to make sure she never forgot.
He watched as her face took on a frown. She didn’t know, but he came in and held her every night during her nightmares. Once they were over, and she was soundly back to sleep, he would spend the rest of the night wishing he could kill the man who was the cause of them.
When his mother had sent him the letter telling him she was coming and that she was not from this time, he had believed she had gone mad. He had known that she and his aunt possessed special gifts, but he hadn’t understood the reach of them, still didn’t, in fact.
Why had this woman been sent to him? He wondered still. Who had sent her back? His aunt had been missing for years, presumed to have been killed by the man she had been forced to marry as a girl. Garrett’s jaw tightened at the thought. That was another man he would relish in the death of.
Gabby cried out, and Garrett eased out of bed. He pulled his kilt on and walked quickly to the little girl before her mother woke. Carissa deserved a good night sleep.
“Dada,” Gabby said, and reached for him. His heart soared at the endearment, and he lifted her.
“Well, hello, wee one.” He smiled at her and walked to the small window that looked out over the countryside.
“You are awake early, aren’t you?”
“Got it.” She giggled and leaned her head against him. She had recently begun saying ‘got it’ instead of ‘yes,’ and it amused him. He had never heard such a phrase before.
“Scared,” she said as she burrowed closer to him.
“You need not be afraid, I am here with you.” He kissed her hair. “Did you have a bad dream?”
She shook her head. Carissa had told him that Gabby turned two next month, but she already seemed so much older to him.
“Bad boy come.”
His jaw tightened. “The bad boy won’t come for you, Gabby. Dada will protect you,” he whispered it softly. He hadn’t been the one who taught her to call him that, but he wouldn’t be telling the truth if he denied the enjoyment it brought to him.
“Dank you.”
“You are most welcome, M’iníon.” He used the Irish Gaelic word for daughter, and the way Gabby smiled at him sealed the bond he felt with her.
“Thank you,” Carissa said from the doorway.
He turned to face her, and her beauty caught him off guard. His jaw fell slightly as he looked at her. Her sleep tousled blonde hair fell in curls around her face. Her lips were red and swollen from the love they had made, and her smile was unguarded for the first time since he’d met her.
“No need to thank me.”
“You don’t mind that she calls you Dada?” she asked, walking toward them.
“Not at all, it makes me happy to think that she sees me that way.”
“You know, Parker never talked to her.”
He gaped at her. “Surely he had to have spoken to her at some point.”
“No, not a single time. He talked about her, and at her a time or to, but never directly to her. He never even held her.”
Garrett looked at her, shocked. How could a man deny his child?
“Momma, Dada get me.”
“Dada got you out of bed?” she asked in a cute voice. Hearing that off of her tongue did more for Garrett at that moment than three words spoken could have. He wondered if she realized she had just accepted him into their lives.
“She’s already back to sleep,” Carissa whispered.
Garrett looked at the small girl and smiled. He laid her gently back into the crib and followed Carissa back to bed.
“How do you feel?” he asked her.
“Wonderful.” She smiled at him, and he leaned down to press his lips to hers.
“Goodnight, Carissa.”
“Goodnight, Garrett.”
Once he was sure she was asleep, he pressed another kiss to her forehead.
“I do believe I’ve fallen in love with you,” he whispered softly and fell asleep cradling her in his arms.
Carissa woke smoothly and stretched. Her body felt wonderful, and for the first time in as long as she could remember, she felt at peace. She rolled over and saw that Garrett had already woken.
She stretched again and stood to check on Gabby. When she got to the edge of the crib, panic set in. Gabby was gone. She told her mind that she knew Garrett had her, but she still felt shaky.
Carissa dressed quickly and bolted down the stairs. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Gabby’s familiar giggles.
“Momma!” Gabby yelled and ran for her.
“Morning, baby, did you sleep well?”
>
“Got it.” She grinned and then squirmed so Carissa would set her down.
“Good morning, love.” Garrett pulled her into his arms and kissed her lightly. “I trust you slept well?”
“I did, thank you.” She smiled up at him, and when they heard Kettie clear her throat, Carissa tried to step back. Garrett’s arm around her waist held her firm to him.
“Morning, you two.” Kettie’s eyes crinkled up in a smile, and Carissa blushed.
“Good morning, Mrs. McKinley.” Carissa addressed her with a slight curtsy.
“No need to call me that, dear, Kettie will do just fine.” She smiled at her again and knelt to accept a hug from Gabby. “Hello, wee lass.” Kettie stood and looked at Carissa. “Would you be open to me watching your little darling for a while today? I would love to spend some time with her here at the castle.”
Carissa felt the nervousness creep into her mind, she had never left Gabby alone with anyone. She looked around, Parker wouldn’t be able to get her here. She couldn’t think of any reason she shouldn’t allow Kettie to watch her.
“That would be fine,” she said and felt Garrett squeeze her closer.
“Perhaps we could go for a ride?” He looked at her, and she felt butterflies in her stomach.
“I would love that.” She smiled at him, pushing back the fear at not being close.
“It's settled then! Seth!” he yelled, and Seth came running into the room.
“Yes, sir?”
“Saddle my horse please, I am going to take Carissa out today.”
“Saddle two horses please,” she added, eyeing him. “I know how to ride.”
Garrett grinned widely.
“Very well.” Seth backed out of the room, and Kettie began laughing wildly.
“Why do I have the feeling this one is a handful? In a good way, of course,” she added, winking at Carissa.
“Would you like to spend the morning with me, Gabby?”
“Got it!” she yelled and clapped her hands.
An hour later, they were headed out to the stables.
“Are you sure you are okay with this?” Garrett asked Carissa.
She kept turning her head and staring back at the castle, expecting to see Gabby crying or running after her.
“I have never left her with anyone before, and—” She hesitated, afraid she would offend him.
“You’ve only just met my mother?” He finished the sentence for her, and she nodded, ashamed. “I understand, Carissa. Would you prefer if we headed back?”
Carissa watched his face. He tried so hard to hide the disappointment, but she could see it just around his eyes.
“No, I trust you.”
Garrett grinned. “She will be fine, I assure you.”
Carissa smiled and tried to let go of some of the anxiety she was feeling, “Where are we going?”
“Not far, I have someplace I wish to show you.”
His body was vibrating with excitement, and it made Carissa excited to see the place that would cause such a reaction from him.
He spoke quickly to the stable hand that handed him the reins to the two saddled horses.
“I had them put a normal saddle on your horse, but I can change it to a woman’s saddle if you would prefer.”
“Not at all, this is perfect. I don’t even know how to ride side saddle.”
At his side glance, she smiled. “That’s what I was raised to call a woman’s saddle.”
“Ahh, makes sense.” He helped her into the saddle and then climbed onto his own horse. “Shall we?”
She nodded and followed him.
Every step the horse took carried her further away from Gabby; she knew they hadn’t ridden that far yet, and still, she felt helpless. Garrett slowed his horse down as they rode through some trees that created a beautiful canopy over them.
They had only been riding for about fifteen minutes before he stopped and dismounted.
“Come, he said, reaching for her.
“Where are we?” Carissa asked. The only thing she could see was trees. It reminded her of the forest Garrett and Leon had found her and Gabby in.
“You said you trusted me.” He grinned and kissed her lightly.
“I do.” She smiled, took his hand, and followed him as he ran.
He stopped her just before the edge of the tree line and asked her to close her eyes. She did and smiled when she could hear waves. Were they that close to the ocean?
“Open.”
She opened her eyes and gasped. She stood on the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. She watched as the waves crashed into the rocks below them. It was the most breathtaking thing she had ever seen.
“Oh my, this is amazing,” she said as she pressed a hand to her heart.
“I come here sometimes when I need to think.”
“Garrett, it’s amazing.”
He nodded and turned her. “I am so grateful I found you and Gabby that day in the woods. You have turned my life around.”
Carissa felt her heart thump against her chest. This man made her feel as if she were the most important person on the planet, how did he do it so easily?
“You did the same for us.” She pressed her hand to his heart and closed her eyes to feel the rhythm of it beneath her palm.
For so long she felt as if she didn’t deserve to be loved this way, that she was destined to spend her life alone.
When Mrs. Kinley had appeared for her, she felt as if maybe this could be their fresh start, but she never could have imagined she would find the love of her life nearly eight hundred years in the past.
She felt his lips on her own and breathed him in deeply. His mouth moved smoothly on hers, and she opened for him, prepared to take anything he was willing to give her.
“Can I tell you a secret?” she whispered in his ear.
“You can tell me anything.” He rested his forehead against hers.
“I’m not wearing any undergarments.” She grinned at him wickedly when he looked at her shocked.
He groaned. “You don’t know what you do to me, lass.” He covered her mouth again, only this time, the passion took over. She opened under him, and his tongue darted in to dance with hers.
They lowered to the ground, and she pulled her skirt up slightly as he nestled himself in between her legs.
“Now, Garrett,” she begged him, and he obliged.
They lay breathless afterward, just listening to each other breath and the waves crash into the rocks below.
“I fear I am becoming quite addicted to you, Carissa.”
“I fear I am becoming quite addicted to you as well, Garrett.”
He propped himself up on an elbow and traced her face with his finger.
“As much as I hate to end our outing, maybe we should go back and check on Gabby?” He surprised her with his words.
“Are you worried about her as well, Dada?” she asked him, laughing.
“Does it bother you that she calls me that?” He wondered.
“Not at all. I’m so incredibly grateful that she feels that way about you. I wish it had been you from the beginning.” She blushed, afraid her words were offered too soon.
“You do not know what an honor it is to hear you say those words, Carissa.”
Her heart sped as she looked at the seriousness of his face. He truly meant it, and it made her feel beyond blessed. Could things really work out for them?
Chapter Nine
They arrived back at the stables quickly, and Carissa was grateful that the stable hand was waiting and ready to take the horses from them. She estimated they had only been gone for an hour, but she couldn’t wait to see Gabby.
She and Garrett walked hand in hand up into the nursery, and Carissa pressed a hand to her heart when she looked in on Kettie and Gabby.
Kettie was sitting cross-legged on the floor, playing with some toys that Edith had given to them. Gabby was giggling wildly, and had anyone been looking from the outside in, they would have believed K
ettie played with her granddaughter.
Before Garrett could walk in and interrupt, Carissa pulled him back, and they quietly left the room.
“So, tell me of yourself,” Garrett said as they walked along the hallway.
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything.”
Carissa laughed lightly. “Well, my birthday is December fifteenth, and I am twenty-six years old. I love to read and am absolutely addicted to romance books. Particularly those with strong Irish men in them.” She winked at him, and he grinned. “I went to nursing school and wanted to be a neonatal nurse.”
“Nursing school? Neonatal?” He wondered.
“I wanted to be a healer, or rather a healer’s assistant. A neonatal nurse works with newborn babies. I’ve always loved babies, I wanted five.” She laughed.
“Did you become a neonatal nurse?”
“I did, I worked for about a year before I found out I was pregnant with Gabby.”
“And then?”
“I was put on bed rest about five months into my pregnancy. A friend of mine took care of me while I was down, I had met her at the hospital.”
“Parker did not care for you?”
“No, he said he was too busy with work. Truth be told, I didn’t see him much beyond the day I told him I was expecting.”
“It continues to surprise me what a terrible man he is.”
She nodded her head. “I failed Gabby on that.”
“Failed her how?”
“Parker.”
“Carissa, you could never fail that little girl. You brought her into this world, and as far as I’m concerned, you did it alone. Don’t ever feel like you failed her.”
Carissa nodded quickly, her throat burning with unshed tears.
“Besides, she has me now. You both do.” They emerged from the castle and began walking along the grounds.
The air outside was crisp and clean. She breathed it in deeply and smiled when Garrett laced his fingers through hers.
How long had it been since she had felt loved? Cared for? she asked herself, although she knew the answer.
Their Own Time Page 5
