Page 41 of Laird of Wrath

He was hesitant to go to sleep now. He was hesitant to close his eyes, in case the war and the carnage returned. In case he saw Rhea again in his arms, and himself, powerless to help her.

He hadn’t told Hudson about this nightmare, though he rarely ever shared his nightmares with anyone. Hudson only knew about a few of them, and that was only because the two of themhad to share a room sometimes while on the road and there was no hiding the screaming from him.

“Do ye think she was right?” Callum asked.

“About ye nae openin’ up? Of course she was right,” Hudson replied. “But ye daenae have to open up to anyone. That’s nae yer job.”

“I ken she was right about that,” Callum said. “I’m nae a fool, nor do I lie to meself.”

“Then…?”

“Was she right about meneedin’to open up?”

“Callum… nay,” Hudson shook his head. “Why would ye need to do that?”

Callum gave a small shrug. “I daenae ken. Isnae that what husbands do with their wives?”

“I daenae ken,” Hudson said. He was probably the wrong person to ask. He was a great strategist, a feared warrior, and a great friend, but good with relationships he was not. “But I daenae see how openin’ up is more important than… I daenae ken, protectin’ her. Protectin’ the people. Ye already do more than enough, daenae ye think?”

“Nae accordin’ to Rhea, I’m nae,” Callum grumbled.

How he wished things were that easy. How he wished that Rhea could simply understand that his role was not to share his feelings but to make sure everyone was safe, fed, clothed, and had a roof over their heads. He was responsible for so many people, and it was easier to simply push his own feelings aside, to bury them deep in his mind and never think of them again.

Och, I see what she means now.

It was a sudden realization and not an altogether welcome one.

Callum wished he had never come to it though, as it would have simply been easier to continue ignoring his feelings, but perhaps it was better this way. The more he buried them, the more distance he created between him and everyone else—especially Rhea, his wife, the only woman who was supposed to be so close to him.

And it wasn’t only Rhea. He and Hudson had a different bond, since they had grown up together. But Sienna was a different story. She, too, would benefit from him expressing himself more, from telling her how proud of her he was and how much he loved her.

But the words would never come out of his mouth. He simply wasn’t that kind of man.

What if I show them instead?

“Oi!” Hudson called, waving his hand in front of Callum’s face.

Callum blinked, jolted out of his thoughts. “What?”

“I said, what are ye thinkin’ about?”

“Nothin',” Callum said, waving his hand dismissively. He took another sip, savoring the taste, the burn as it slid down his throat.

Hudson took that as an answer and didn’t try to pry.

That was one of the things Callum liked about his best friend; he didn’t push. He didn’t demand answers unless it had to do with clan business, but even then, the two of them rarely argued. He took Callum’s responses as the absolute truth, but even if he didn’t, even if he suspected there was something wrong, he didn’t ask unless Callum himself brought it up.

Why cannae lasses be like this, too?

“Get her a gift.”

“What?” Callum asked.

“Rhea,” Hudson clarified. “Get her a gift.”

“What gift?”

“I daenae ken… a necklace.”