Iain hooked his arm around her shoulders. “My family donates to several facilities. We’ll make sure Sean gets treatment as long as ya wish.”
“Thank you—oh, man, that woman is like a bad penny that keeps turning up.” Jane tried to change direction as she saw Mrs. Callister at the front desk. Iain didn’t let her. “What does she do? Make the rounds to see who has what illness?”
“One second.” Iain let her go and strode to the woman. Mrs. Callister blinked in surprise at his sudden approach. With a devil-may-care smile and a slightly thickened accent, he inquired, “Ya still have that book ya carry around?”
Mrs. Callister appeared confused but slowly nodded.
“Write this down,” Iain instructed. Mrs. Callister pulled the notepad and pencil out of her purse. “Jane is going to marry me. I’m going to try to convince her to have twelve children and a dog. And her tomatoes cost three dollars and fifty cents a pound.”
Mrs. Callister’s pencil didn’t move.
“Have a nice day.” Iain tilted his head before offering his arm to Jane to walk her out of the hospital.
“Did you just include Mrs. Callister in your marriage proposal to me?” Jane asked as they walked the long sidewalk through the manicured lawn to the parking lot.
“Technically, the nurse. Ya didn’t protest when I called myself your fiancé so that counts as an agreement and I’m holding ya to it. And if ya want quibble over details, my ma is already doing the wedding plans, and ya didn’t protest that.” Iain grabbed her hand and stopped walking, pulling her out of her forward momentum and into his chest.
“I thought that was Erik’s wedding,” Jane said.
“Ya are everything to me, Jane. Even if ya don’t ever walk down that aisle to be my wife, I belong to ya. It’s that simple, and I don’t care who knows it.”
Jane kissed him. Love and happiness filled her. And then there was hope. Hope in a future. Hope in a life without sickness. Hope in a fate greater and bigger than she’d ever imagined.
Iain held her tightly in the safety of his embrace. Without looking to see what was happening, she felt his magick surging through her, radiating from them to bloom flowers and lengthen the grass. Finally, when she pulled away, she looked up into his loving eyes. She could spend an eternity with him, and it wouldn’t be enough.
“Let’s go home.” He tried to continue walking down the sidewalk, but she held him tighter.
“Iain,” she whispered. “I have to tell you something important.”
“What is it, love?” His expression fell in concern.
“My tomatoes are only two dollars a pound.”
Chapter 25
Jane stared at the expansive lawn covered with giant food billboards—a plate of two-foot buffalo wings, three-quarters of a five-foot pizza, a three-foot beer bottle, gigantic cheese curds and a…boxer puppy ten times the normal size?
“Ah…” Jane pointed at the dog in confusion. Iain gestured his hands to the side, indicating he didn’t know.
“I want to name him Jim,” Rory announced. “He’s so cute.”
Jane sighed in relief. “Oh, thank goodness. For a second, I thought you wanted to, um, never mind.”
“Da wants to see you upstairs, Iain.” Malina strode from the house. The mansion door had been left open. While they were at the hospital, the MacGregors had been busy setting up outdoor dining tables and stealing billboards.
“Don’t start eating without me.” Iain kissed Jane’s cheek.
“I can’t make you a giant puppy,” Malina told Rory. “Even if I could, he’d grow up to be an even bigger dog. You can barely take care of yourself.”
“But Niall gets his pet lizard,” Rory protested.
“No.” Malina shook her head. She hooked her arm into Jane’s. “Come with me.”
“But we still get to have the giant feast, right?” Rory yelled after the women.
“Sorry about them.” Malina led Jane into the house and through the dining room. “They became a little too excited when they found out we can make giant food without killing the entire forest.”
“Too bad it has no nutritional value,” Jane said. “Together, we could feed the world.”
“We’re already working on it.” Malina let go of Jane’s arm and continued up the stairs. “Uncle Raibeart founded a MacGregor charity, whose purpose to feed underprivileged families all over the world. We keep a low profile and off the various government radars. Raibeart feels politicians just get in the way of good deeds. Then again, he remembers the feudal system from personal experience.”
“Raibeart founded a charity?” Jane tried to stop her surprise from showing.
“I know, right? He hardly seems capable of dressing himself in the morning.”
“So what’s up? Where are we going?” Jane took the stairs slowly.
“We have a surprise for you.” Malina grinned. When they reached the stairs, she grabbed Jane’s hand and practically ran down the hall, pulling Jane behind her into one of the bedrooms. They came to a full-length antique mirror. “Follow me.” Malina stepped through the glass front and disappeared. However, she didn’t let go of Jane’s hand, and Jane was pulled through after her.
Jane closed her eyes tightly and held her breath as she passed through the warm glass. They surfaced on the other side in a small bedroom that did not belong in the MacGregor mansion. Lydia Barratt examined her reflection. She wore an elegant lace wedding dress. Cait and Margareta waited behind her with wide smiles and clutched hands.
“You look beautiful,” Jane said.
“So will you.” Lydia picked up a bridal magazine and handed it to Jane. “Choose quickly, before Charlotte wanders back into the house. She can’t know about the magick.”
“Choose?” Jane asked in confusion.
“Pick your dress,” Cait said.
“My dress?” Jane slowly took the magazine.
“Double wedding,” Lydia said in excitement. “The elders saw a sign.”
“Surprise! Welcome to the twelfth century. You’re getting married today, and no one asked you if that’s what you wanted.” Malina smirked, clearly finding amusement in the circumstances.
“The sign was clear,” Margareta said. “Today is a good day for weddings. We cannot ignore the signs. Ya never know when ya will see another.”
“The sign was a giant billboard my family committed a felony to get,” Malina said, not losing her mischievous smile.
Margareta sighed and looked annoyed. “Ya never listen to the signs, Malina, but even this one should be obvious to ya. A wedding billboard for a MacGregor challenge made by the unknowing bride. We all know that MacGregor men can be a challenge. It must be done today if there is to be happiness in these marriages.”
“Now?” Jane’s hand shook as she held the magazine.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Margareta said, “but the magick is clear. It doesn’t take future casting to see how much my boys love ya two.”
“I wish Charlotte could come. She’s my best friend.” Lydia frowned at her reflection. “She should be my maid-of-honor.”
“Charlotte is delicate right now and, though we can veil her from seeing the magick, I’m not sure that’s the best idea,” Margareta said. “Her mental health must come first.”
“Tell her your new mother-in-law was overbearing with the wedding plans and you decided to elope,” Malina suggested. “She’ll believe that.”
Jane took a deep breath. The full impact of possibilities hit her. She could have a full life, a family, children, a husband. Iain.
“Jane?” Malina asked, concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m going to live.” Jane moved her gaze over the other women. “Really live.”
“Aye, dear, for a very long time,” Cait said. “Practically an eternity.”
“Iain will give ya his power,” Margareta explained. “His love will recharge ya, extending your years and—”
“It’s not as romantic as all that,” Malin
a interrupted. “It’s a way to make you non-natural-born-magicks keep up with us. After a while, you won’t need to be around him all the time. You’ll build up reserves to help your own lifespan and magickal gifts. Until that happens, you’ll need to be around your husbands almost constantly.” Malina arched a brow. “Are you sure you two want to marry my brothers? I mean, they—”
“Malina!” Margareta scolded. She flung her hand at her daughter. Jane gasped as she felt the woman drawing energy out of her to make the magick happen. Malina’s body flung back, flying through the mirror and disappearing. Margareta retracted her fingers and laughed. “Ya are a battery, Jane. Perhaps ya will not need Iain’s magick. There seems to be perks to being half bean nighe.”
“Where did she go?” Lydia asked.
Margareta went to the portal mirror and stuck her head in. “She’s fine. A little dazed. I simply willed her out of here so she could rethink her attitude.” She clapped her hands and smiled. “Now, where were we? Oh, aye.” She reached for the magazine Lydia held. “Time to pick your dress.”
Chapter 26
Iain was sure he’d never felt as amazing as he did in this moment, or as scared. When he went up to see his father, it was to find the MacGregor elders waiting with Erik. His brother wore his finest kilt and formal jacket.
“Put this on,” Angus told Iain, thrusting a formal tux at him. “Ya can’t wear jeans to your own wedding.”
“Always do what your wife says,” Fergus advised the grooms.
“Always pretend to do what she says,” Angus corrected. “But don’t get caught disobeying. Your ma keeps a tally in her head of things I’ve done. After a few hundred years, those tallies add up.”
“I disappear for a few days and everything has changed with ya.” Erik brushed his hand down Iain’s chest, dusting off his jacket. “Can ya believe we’re to have a double wedding?” Erik paused. “Did ya remember to propose to her? Apparently, the women like it when ya propose.”
“More or less.” Iain smiled to himself. He loved how uncomplicated Jane was. She didn’t demand anything from him and yet gave him so much by her very nearness. He’d seen the big heart in her when she’d offered to take her stepbrother into her home. Not many people would forgive so quickly. Iain wasn’t sure he could ever be so forgiving.
Erik frowned. “That wasn’t a joke, Iain. Lydia almost left me because I did not respect her by asking her to marry me before assuming she would. Do not start your marriage wrong.”
Iain saw Erik’s unusually serious expression. His smile fell. Without stopping to think about what he was doing, he ran from the room.
“Iain, your kilt,” Angus yelled.
Iain let his feelings guide him as he sought out Jane. He found her in the backyard standing next to a buffet of giant food. Members of his family were there, but he ignored them all. The sight of Jane in a white mermaid dress took his breath away. The skirt hugged her hips and thighs, only to flare at the bottom. Her curly hair piled on her head, revealing the nape of her neck and the slope of her shoulders.
“Iain?” someone said his name, but he didn’t pay attention.
Jane turned at the sound to look at him. “Iain? What’s wrong? What’s—”
Iain strode to her. He cupped her face and looked into her eyes. “I respect ya.”
“Uh, thank you. I respect you too,” she said.
“From the moment I first saw ya, my world stopped. Time meant nothing.” His love for her poured out of him. “I may not do things the right way, but know I respect ya and…”
“You trust me,” Jane said. “I know. You told me.”
“And I love ya. I want to marry ya. Marry me, Jane.” Iain let go of her face and quickly kneeled.
“I thought that was what we were doing.” Jane pulled at his arm to get him to stand. “This dress isn’t really my everyday gardening attire.”
“I’m proposing. Ya have to say ya will marry me. I don’t want to start our marriage wrong.”
“Yes, Iain, I will marry you in a few minutes in this dress with your family as witnesses.” Jane gave a small laugh, stopping him from kissing her. “On two conditions.”
“Anything, love, anything.”
“You unfreeze your family.” Jane glanced to the side.
Iain had managed to stop time again, just like the day he’d found her at her nursery. He hadn’t meant to. He wanted to be alone with his bride and so his magick had made it happen. His ma stood nearby, her mouth open in mid-sentence. Rory was gesturing to the billboard of the giant puppy while entreating a cross-armed Malina. Euann was grinning at a bridal Lydia while Angus stood poised to smack him on the back of the head for most likely flirting with his brother’s fiancée. “And the other condition?”
Jane laughed harder. “You put on some pants for the ceremony.”
Iain glanced down in surprise to realize he’d left his kilt upstairs. He stood in his boxer-briefs. “I wasn’t done changing. What? Ya don’t like my legs?” He turned and thrust his ass to the side to give her full view of his goods.
Jane tilted her head to the side and smiled. She gave his ass a little smack. “Lime-green boxers are an interesting choice with this tux jacket. But this wasn’t what I picture you wearing under your kilt.”
“It’s not.” He winked. “I told ya, I wasn’t finished getting ready.” He pulled at his waist band and started to inch them down his hips. “I can show ya if ya like.”
Jane put her hands over his and stopped him from disrobing on the back lawn. She glanced to his frozen family and laughed. “Lime green boxers it is. I guess I can try to explain the wedding pictures to our children later.”
“Ah, fíorghrá, our children will be MacGregors. Trust me, ya will have a lot more to explain away than this.” Suddenly, he stiffened and looked down at her stomach. A slow smile found its way to his stunned expression. Excitement filled him. “Wait, are ya trying to tell me that ya are…?”
“What?” Jane followed his eyes down. “Pregnant? No. No, I’m not. I—”
Iain silenced her with a deep kiss. When she was relaxed fully against him, he said, “Not to worry, love, if ya want babies, we can start working on that just as soon as ya are done losing the post-wedding eating contest. And I promise ya—” he cupped her ass, pulled her toward his erection and lightly circled his hips so she’d get his obvious meaning, “—I will work tirelessly to make sure that happens.” Humming lightly, he held her tighter. The pressure of her felt wonderful against him. “I wish we could start now. I’m torn between my two desires—the desire to make ya my wife for eternity and the desire to cart ya upstairs and…” He paused, running a finger along the top of her bodice while keeping one hand firmly in place on her backside. He let the digit bounce lightly on her soft cleavage a few inches above where her nipple was hidden. “Rip ya out of this dress, throw ya on our bed and get started on our two-month horizontal honeymoon.”
Jane’s breathing visibly deepened.
Using his most persuasive voice, he whispered against her neck, “How about we sneak away for a practice round?”
“Mm, too bad you can’t also fast-forward time,” Jane teased. “That way we could do both, get married and—”
* * *
Jane gasped as the world blurred. She felt herself ripped out of Iain’s embrace and flung forward into a rapid motion she couldn’t control. The actions were almost too much for her to mentally process as they happened. Jane sped up a grass aisle with Lydia, meeting their future husbands at the end. Iain kissed her, the moment brief and interrupted by the protests of his family to get on with the ceremony.
Raibeart spoke words in a slur of Gaelic from an old leather-bound text. Purple and white light shot up from the book to rain down upon them. Next she was being swung in circles as Iain danced her around the lawn. There was laughter and joking, and someone set a tablecloth on fire. The taste of cake filled her mouth before being replaced by the insistent pressure of Iain’s hot kisses.
It seemed like only seconds had passed, squished full of hours. Kissing turned to something more, and Jane cried out as she came out of fast-forward. They were in Iain’s room, her new husband’s body on top of her. The first thrust filled her as reality completely returned.
Jane grabbed his arm. The soft mattress molded along her back. “What just happened?”
Iain looked as stunned as she. Then he smiled. “Hello, my wife.”
“Did you just fast-forward through our wedding so we could…” Jane’s attention moved from her disorientation to her stomach. Iain rocked, causing her to lose her focus. “So…we…”
He held her thigh against his waist and flexed his hips. Her body accepted him, already heated to near climax.
“My wife,” Iain whispered over and over as if amazed by the fact. “My wife. My wife. My beautiful wife.”
Energy hummed inside her, pure magick. She felt the life outside of the bedroom stirring and growing, delicate as a blooming flower and yet as strong as a tree. Iain’s love radiated through her. Her hands trembled as she caressed his body. Snaps of electricity joined the tips of her fingers to his chest and arms, and twinkling lights danced over the bed. The feelings overwhelmed as pleasure built. All thoughts left her as they found their climax in unison.
In the aftermath, as she lay in his arms, she said, “I can’t believe you made me miss my wedding.”
“Ya were there love. It happened. The memories will fill in.” He kissed her temple. “And for the record, it was ya who willed us to fast-forward time so we could make love—not that I’m complaining.”
“Nice try, warlock,” Jane countered. Just as she was about to tease him, her stomach made a strange noise. She groaned. It felt as if she’d swallowed a bowling ball. “Oh, damn, I’m remembering the cake-eating contest. Why didn’t you stop me?”
“And be accused of tampering with the results? Not a chance.”
“At least the girls won.” Jane drew her legs up to her chest.
“Think again,” Iain countered. He placed his hand on her stomach. Warmth filled her, instantly calming her churning insides. When she again relaxed, he said, “Ya lost.”
Spellbound Page 17
