Hold Fast (The Laird's Holdings Book 1) by Eliza MacArthur

Author:Eliza MacArthur [MacArthur, Eliza]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eliza MacArthur
Published: 2023-12-06T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 25

Through the crack in the window coverings, Ewan watched as the sky lightened, the deep, inky black of night fading to the dusty pink of dawn. Una’s head rested heavily on his chest, her body curled into his. He tucked her closer against his side and traced lazy swirls up and down her naked back under the covers.

“Una,” he said quietly, lifting his head to kiss her hair.

“Go back to sleep,” she said grumpily, burrowing closer against him.

“The keep will soon be waking, and we must talk before I return you to Joan’s room.”

She groaned and rolled off of him, flopping onto her back and flinging her arm over her eyes. “’Tis too early to talk, Ewan.”

He couldn’t help but smile. But she was wrong. They needed to talk now. He needed things settled between them.

“Una, I need to know if your answer is the same as it was before.”

Her arm fell away from her face. “I havenae the slightest idea what you’re talking about,” she said, rolling over and showing him her back.

He vaulted over her and out of bed. She squeaked in surprise. Ewan knelt beside the bed, his face inches from hers. He covered one of her hands with his.

“Una, on my knees, I’m asking you again if you will marry me.”

Her face fell, and Ewan forced himself to remain calm, to not let the threatening panic rise and run away with him. Again.

“I cannae marry you, Ewan,” she said. “I told you that.”

He stood, suddenly aware of his nakedness in the cold room. Una held onto his hand, though, and tugged on it.

“At least nae yet.”

“What the hell does that mean?” he asked, pulling his hand away and raking it through his hair.

Una sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest.

“Handfast me.”

“Christ, Una,” he gritted out, throwing his hands up in frustration. “A handfast? Why in God’s name would you want a handfast when I’m asking to marry you?”

Una sighed and picked at a loose thread of the blanket with long fingers. “I want you to be certain,” she replied, staring hard at the wool beneath her hands. “I want to be certain.”

Marshaling every bit of control he had learned in his life, he kept his voice low. “You think me the sort of man to propose marriage without being certain?”

“Of course you are nae that sort of man,” she said. “But you’ve gone from never wanting to marry at all to insisting that I marry you in a verra short amount of time. And I have gone from swearing off men entirely to spending the night in your bed in naught but my skin. Let us take the year and a day. Be with me like that for a year and a day. And at the end of it, if you still want a wife and I still want you like this, I’ll marry you that verra day.”

“Una,” he said, a near growl.

“Please, Ewan,” she begged, coming to her knees, the blanket falling to the bed.

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