Beautiful in My Eyes (13 page)

I lower my eyes and he again catches my chin in his hand.
I am startled by the tears
now
trailing down his face
. “Ah, angel, this is
wha
' ha' been
botherin
' ye. Ye
hav
' held it in for all this time. Why did ye no tell me?”

“I was afraid,” I whisper.

“Ah, Giselle, my heart is
achin
' for ye, for
feelin
' like ye ha' ta handle this alone. I'm so sorry, love.”

“No,
I'm
sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with this.”

Julian shakes his head, pulling me close, and draws my head down to his chest. My ear picks up the strong beat of his heart.

“Do ye hear
tha
', love?” His voice is soft. “Hear how ma heart beats for ye, Giselle.
Only for ye.
Yer
ma heart, ma
verra
soul.
Never doubt ma love for ye, angel. Trust in it.
In us.
In me.” He tilts my face up and lowers his lips to mine. “Never doubt,” he whispers before deepening his kiss.

Within seconds, I am on fire. His mouth passionately coaxes and devours mine with heated affection, sending molten lava through my entire body. His tongue dances over mine and I completely melt. Then his mouth is everywhere, branding
me, his strong arms and body claiming me
. As my tears flow, his love flows into me, soothing the hurt and taking it away. He is my knight, my protection from harm, the holder of my honor, and defender of my heart. In his arms, nothing can touch me. He is all that exists.

“Where is Aidan?” I whisper against his ear, kissing every inch of it.

“With
yer
grandmother,” he breathes, slipping my shirt off my shoulder and covering the area with kisses. “Now, I'm
goin
' ta take ye upstairs, ma bonnie wife, an' make extremely passionate love ta ye. Is that all right?”

“Aye . . .”

A long while later, Julian gazes down at me, his eyes caressing my face, and the love in them is so clear, it's almost blinding. He kisses me,
then
lightly rests his forehead against mine.

“Ye are the
verra
air I breathe,
mo
nighean
donn
. I
cannae
imagine no
havin
' ye in ma life. Ye own ma heart. I am completely
yers
, as ye are mine.
Tha
'
willnae
change, no matter
wha
'.”

Caressing his smooth back, I smile, taking heart in his words, because I know they aren't just words. “I love you.”

“An' I love ye.” He caresses my face with the back of his hand, his breath fanning my lips as he kisses me, his warm mouth lightly toying with mine. “Someone once said, '
Ye
donnae
love a woman
because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because ye love her
.'
An' they were right.
Ye will
alwa's
be beautiful ta me, Giselle–the most bonnie lass ta ever grace this whole earth.”

“Thank you, Julian, for loving me.”

“No need ta thank me,
darlin
'. I
wa
' born ta love ye.”

No other words are spoken because none are needed. And as the passion between us is renewed, it speaks more that can ever be said.

“Do you ever miss it?” I ask later in the night. “Living in Scotland, I mean. Do you ever miss it?”

“Aye,” he sighs. “Sometimes. But I am happy here because I am with ye.”

I nod. “I miss going to the pub and hearing you sing. I know you sing to me still, but I do miss it sometimes.”

“We made a lot o memories there,
tha's
for sure.”

I
raise
up, resting my chin on his chest, finding his eyes in the dim light of the moon. “What would you think about moving back for a while?” I watch his eyes widen.

“But this is
yer
home. Ye would really leave?”

I've been giving this some thought for some time now and my answer comes easy. “Dad has a new life now, so nothing is holding me back. I want Aidan, as well as our future children to know their heritage on both sides. It would be fun to go back for a while. We still have the house there. Besides, anywhere we are together is home.”

He smiles, his expression one of contemplation. “Aye.
T'would
be nice ta live in the auld house again, but this time with ye an' Aidan.” He caresses my face. “Are ye sure,
love
?”

“I am.”

“All right, then. Home to Scotland it is.”

Chapter 13

When you reach the heart of life you shall find beauty in all things, even in the eyes that are blind to beauty.

Kahlil
Gibran

“How are you holding up?” Cassie asks me.

“I'm okay, just trying to stay upbeat and think positive.”

“
Have
either of the prescriptions helped any?”

“Well, I'm still losing hair, but there haven't been any large amounts lost during the past week. I don't know if it's because of the creams or if my follicles are just taking a brief pause.”

“Well, hang in there. Giselle, the reason I'm calling is to ask if you would be my maid of honor.”

“Really? I would love to,” I answer, touched and honored that my future stepmother is asking me to stand with her.

“Thank you. Having you beside me when I marry your father means a lot.”

“It means a lot to me, too,” I say, wiping a tear away.

“And since Julian will be Jack's best man, everything will be perfect.”

“It will, and he is honored as well. We're so happy for you guys,” I tell
her,
grateful to have her in my life, and for the happiness she has brought to Dad.

We talk for a few minutes more and say goodbye.

I hang up the phone and stare out at the full moon through the kitchen window, allowing my thoughts to drift to and fro. I know it is only a matter of time before I lose the rest of my hair. I have accepted this fact, but a small hope is always there. I keep thinking I should go ahead and buy a couple of wigs, but it seems like there is always a reason it put off. And I will definitely need one now that I am to be Cassie's maid of honor. Wearing a hat or scarf is completely out of the question.

Maybe tomorrow I will go and browse.

As soon as I awaken I can feel that something is different. Not wanting to wake Julian, I sit up, my hands immediate
ly
going to my head, and I am shocked to feel more bare sections on my scalp. Hesitantly, I go into the bathroom and close the door, locking it before turning on the light. I don't want to move to the mirror, afraid of what I will see, but I know I must, so I slowly approach the vanity with my eyes closed. Then I look at my reflection and a river of tears splash down my face. My scalp looks like patchwork. I have lost so much hair during the
night,
no amount of camouflage will help.