[This post is from Cameron’s point of view.]
They lapsed into silence for a few seconds, listening to birds calling in the trees, the soft clanging of Matt’s hammer against the anvil up in the forge, the barking of dogs, the sound of people below, working on more shelters while the weather held, before the undoubtedly long winter came—still probably months away, but inevitably coming. Neve shifted slightly, nestling herself more comfortably against him, then said quietly, “You know, when I first met you, I wasn’t sure if you were meant for someone else.”
Cameron blinked, stomach twisting for a moment before it settled. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I thought maybe you and my cousin Aoife—”
“Her?” Cameron blurted. “Seriously?”
Neve choked on a laugh. “Will you let me finish?”
“If you were about to say what I think you’re about to say, I’m not sure I want to.” Cameron squinted at her, making a face he knew must have rather eloquently expressed how he felt about a possible pairing with her cousin. Though his encounter with her had been brief, it had been more than enough for him to know that she would not have made a good match. Neve stared back at him, clearly struggling to keep a straight face as she looked at him, a grin tugging at one corner of her mouth.
“She’s not—”
“Don’t even start to tell me that.”
She didn’t bother to stop herself from laughing this time, grinning and shaking her head. “Cam.”
“You were about to suggest that some sort of destiny might have tried to choose her for me. I don’t buy it.”
Neve’s brow quirked. “Why not?”
“Because I could never love anyone as much as I love you,” Cameron said simply, watching her as her expression changed, softened, her eyes seeming to grow brighter. “I could live a hundred, a thousand years and not find someone who’s as well-matched.”
“That makes two of us,” she said softly. “Though I have lived that thousand years and more.”
“I know,” he murmured, then leaned down to kiss her, gently, savoring the taste of her lips against his, faintly sweet and warm. “I love you, Neve.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered, then kissed him again. “Forever.”
“Aye,” he whispered against her lips. “Forever.”
