Kresley Cole - If You Deceive

Unless each son finds his forechosen mate…

For his true lady alone his life and heart can save.

Carrickliffe, Scotland

Easter Sunday, 1865

Ethan MacCarrick was the oldest brother and head of a family that…flourished.

He relaxed in the shade of an old oak, surveying the rolling lawn before him. His mother, brothers, and their wives and children were all here, gathered to join him and Maddy for an Easter christening.

Maddy sat on a blanket, laughing with the two older of their three amazing bairns. Three children she'd given him, all with bright blue eyes and black hair.

Their first son, Leith—whose entrance into the world had taken years off Ethan's life, though Maddy hadn't thought it was that bad—was now going on seven. He was larger than most twelve-

year-olds and clever, like his mother. Three-year-old Catriona was an imp with delicate features just like Maddy's, who already knew how to manage her da pitiably. And Ethan had their infant son cradled in one of his arms. For some reason, the boy fell asleep better tucked there. They'd named him Niall after one of Ethan's favorite wild cousins, who still harried the Continent with Court's former band of mercenaries.

Ethan had been wary when they'd first had Leith, the infant seeming to take all Maddy's attention away from him. Then his son had begun to cry forhim . And just like his mother, the lad had looked delighted whenever Ethan entered the room.

None of Ethan's bairns were afraid of his scarred visage, and they knew nothing of their father's dark deeds in the past.

Motherhood agreed with Maddy so damned much, and she was an adoring mother, unlike her own. She'd been able to forgive Sylvie for all that the woman had done to her, but not for what she'd done to Ethan.

When Maddy had confided that to him, Ethan had known she'd accepted him as her new family—the two of them together, ready to defend each other, and their children, to the last breath….

They'd married again here at Carrickliffe in a grand wedding, since Ethan had been so eager to show off the bride he'd somehow managed to win. The festivities had been overrun with Weylands, including Quin—who'd only reminded Ethan about a dozen times that he'd been warned about Maddy….

She caught Ethan staring at her then, and she slid him that grin. It still made his heart speed up, always would. He thought he loved her more than was healthy, but had long resigned himself to it. At night, he held her close, his heart so full that his chest ached.

Ethan knew his brothers and mother had been astounded that he was such a doting husband and father. They could be lost for their families, but Ethan couldn't?

Hugh and Jane had one four-year-old son and were "waiting" awhile for the next. Hugh had unaccountably wanted to name their boy after Ethan—and just as puzzling, Jane had let him. Ethan still scratched his head about that one. The lad was their world, and the three were happiest traveling to far-flung places. They were only in town for Niall's christening.

Court and Annalía had their son Aleix, their daughters little Fiona and toddler Elisabet, and another one on the way. Though Court loved his bairns, he swore each would be the last. Annalía just smiled and started knitting.

Ethan's mother was delighted with all the grandchildren she'd never thought to have and often said she saw a bit of their grandfather Leith in each one. Presently Fiona was waylaid on the lawn by five of them.

Maddy rose from the blanket and strolled up to Ethan. "Is Niall ready for the bassinet?" she asked. "Or should I call in extra help?" Corrine, Maddy's oldest friend, lived on the property and had turned down a position as steward to become their children's nanny. Corrine had proved so deft at her job that other families shamelessly tried to steal her from them.

"He's sound asleep," Ethan said, then added with a chuckle, "He snores like you."

She lightly cuffed him on the chest. "I donot snore, Scot." She took the babe, kissing him good night before laying him in the shaded crib beside them. When Ethan opened his arms for her, she settled easily on his lap, gazing out with him. He drew her close, and she sighed. "I love you, Ethan."

He pressed a kiss to her sun-warmed hair, inhaling with pleasure. "How I'm lovin' you too, lass," he said. Then a thought struck him. "Right now, if I could give you anything in the world, what would it be?"

"That's easy. A lifetime of this." She waved her hand over the scene, with their children playing and their entire family strong and happy.

He cupped her face, and her blue eyes went soft as she gazed at him. "Done," he said, kissing her lips tenderly. "I'm going to give you that, Maddy MacCarrick."

And Ethan did.