Liam

Chapter 52

The Gift

Liam whispered in Rayne's ear, "Wake up sleepy head." He nuzzled her neck and bit her gently. She groaned and tried to pull the blankets over her head, mumbling about it being too early. "Come on, I have a surprise for you, ástvinur," he tugged the blankets back and began to pull her from the bed. He was acting like a little kid.

"What are you up to?" she asked giggling as he tickled her sides. "I'm tired, let me sleep, silly."

"Nope, you have to come with me. I promise you will like the surprise." He was grinning like the Cheshire cat. "I told you I wanted to give you your present early." That caught Rayne's attention, and she sat up, eyes wide.

"Now? What is it?" She was starting to share in his excitement.

He pulled her from the bed, and with a wave of his hand, she was dressed in a simple light green summer dress that tied around her neck, and her hair was in a loose braid. "Ready darling?" Rayne took his hand and nodded. In a swirl of mist, they were gone and when she opened her eyes, they stood in a clearing that overlooked the lake. She looked around but nothing was there.

"Am I missing something? Is a trip to the lake my present?" She asked, confused.

"No, this is," Liam said as he turned her around to look away from the lake and then waved his hand. In a shimmer of green and gold, Rayne saw a house emerge. It looked exactly like the cabin from Missouri that she and her grandmother had lived in. The tears sprang to her eyes. Liam wrapped his arms around her waist, "It isn't the actual cabin, but I tried to build it as close to the real one as I could. I even had your grandmother help with the design. Welcome home, my love." he kissed her cheek.

She turned and wrapped her arms around him. "You..you built this? Thank you," she choked out between her tears. "This is amazing, I can't believe you did all this." She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him gently.

He kissed her again, then grabbed her hands, "Come on, I want to show you all of it!" He led her up the steps and pointed to the chairs on the porch, "I thought those would be nice to watch the lake." Rayne smiled, remembering her dream about the rocking chairs - she knew he remembered too. When they entered the front doors, she saw a large room with a fireplace just like the one in the old cabin. This one had a different mantle though. "I made a few changes," he smiled, "I hope it's okay. I carved it myself and added our symbols to each side and merged them in the center." He pointed to the triquetra carved into the center of the mantle. It had a serpent encircling it and the Kenaz rune in the center of the triple knots.

Rayne ran her hands over the symbol. "This will be our bond symbol after the handfasting," she said, turning to look at Liam. He smiled and nodded, then led her to the kitchen.

"I tried to merge the traditions of Tír na nÓg with your grandmother's kitchen." There was a modern stove with an oven and refrigerator as well as a small fireplace with a hanging tripod on the wall. "Since there isn't electricity here, the appliances are enchanted. They will work as if in the mortal realm." His voice beamed with pride at his creativity. There was a large set of windows looking out to the forest and set before them was a beautiful wooden table with runic carvings.

"You made this too, didn't you?" Rayne asked him, running her hands over the runes. "How long have you been working on all of this?"

Liam smiled, "Since you said yes." He laughed softly, "Come there's more. Your palace awaits, my lady." He took her hand again and led her further into the house. He showed her the large bedroom with a private bathroom. This was very different from the cabin, but she had to laugh when she saw the giant bathtub, just like the one from the penthouse. "Well, I did promise you one didn't I?" Liam said with a sly grin as Rayne playfully slapped his arm. The bedroom held a large four-poster bed with another fireplace.