Caledonia

Protection

A couple months passed, as winter fully settled around them. Snow had started to fall and temperatures dropped below freezing. There was little to do outdoors and Callie soon grew restless. She first repurposed an empty chamber near the one she shared with Alex to be used as the nursery. Once she had knitted enough warm blankets, she turned her attention to the main floor of the keep. One day, Callie was busily cleaning the stone floors of the main reception hall, as Alex walked inside the keep after a cold morning of training his men. He was livid to find her doing it on her own.

He snapped at her. "What the hell do ye think you're doing, wife?"

"Cleaning." She saucily rolled her eyes at him before returning to the task. "What does it look like?"

Alex groaned loudly. "You shouldna be doing this in your condition, Callie! You are doing far too much again."

She frowned back at him. "Says the one who is out sparring with a leg barely healed!"

"It isna the same thing at all!" He glowered back at her. "I stayed off it two bloody weeks just to please you and Glenna. I'm laird if this clan, ye ken. I canna let a wee scratch keep me from training my men."

"Oh, you did that purely for my sake? How bloody kind! You nearly died charging that boar, ye blockhead!" Callie spat out, now furious. "All I'm doing is a wee bit of cleaning. Everything is so filthy with the snow being tracked inside. You ken I'm not going to sit idly by and let it stay this way!"

"As my wife and the mistress of this castle, you shouldna be on your hands and knees cleaning the bloody floors. I forbid it!" The more he thought about it, the angrier her got.

"You wouldna dare, Alex!" She glared back.

"Try me, my love." Now he wouldn't back down, no matter how much guilt he was feeling at seeing her wide, moss green eyes suddenly fill with unshed tears.

Callie stood up, refusing his arm to help her up. She faced him with arms over her chest, fuller since pregnancy, and the movement drew his eyes to them like a moth to a lit candle. "I can deny you something as well, ye ken."

Now wary, he asked. "What are ye on about, love?"

"I wilna share your bed any longer if you forbid me to do this."

"Callie, be sensible. You canna mean it. We have servants to clean the keep."

"May I continue?" She pointed to the floor.

"No, damn it!" He pulled her to him.

"Dinna touch me." Her voice was eerily quiet, as she stepped away from him. Callie dropped the wet cloth from her hand into a nearby bucket. "If you forbid me to stop cleaning, then you dinna have any right to touch me."

From her arms, his hands dropped off to his sides, as though her angry words physically burned him. His own, deep voice fell to a hushed whisper. "Callie, come on, love. Just be reasonable. I'm doing this to protect you and the babe."

She refused to back down. Alex wouldn't see her side of the argument and she felt he owed it to her to listen. She was glad that no one had ventured into the room after they began to argue, so she spoke as freely she desired. "I will sleep in your bed, as not to bring shame on ye, but you wilna touch me."

"It's our bed, my love. Not mine alone." Alex reached out, then put his hands right back down. He clenched them into fists at his side to prevent himself from attempting to touch her again. "Callie, please..."