Son and Throne (Kaitlyn and the Highlander Book 11)

by Diana Knightley

  I put my hands on my hips. “The rest of it? Fraoch, I’m covered from my ankles to my elbows. It could be so much worse.”

  “Tis what ye are wearin’ outside the room?”

  “Unless it’s cold and then I’ll wear a coat, but yes, it’s hot today.”

  He ran his hand through his wet hair. “I daena ken if ye should be so bare, where is yer shift? Ye need a skirt.”

  I huffed. “Okay, wait.” I unbuttoned my shirt and pulled it open. “Check out my bra. Do you like it?”

  “Aye.”

  I tugged the edge of my bra down. “Put your lips right here, buck-o, kiss me right here.”

  His eyes sparkled and he dutifully kissed me there.

  I said, “You like that place?”

  “Aye.”

  “I’m tucking it away inside my bra, and now inside my shirt.” I buttoned up my front. “See, you can’t see it, hidden, right? But you know it’s there, right? Like it’s a secret just between us. Later you can ask me nicely and I’ll show it to you.”

  I unlatched the top of my pants, took his hand and guided it into my panties. “That there is my... what did you call it?”

  “I hae many names, but today we can call it yer fancy-pleasure-boat since I rode in it in the shower.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, perfect, my fancy-pleasure-boat.” I pulled his hand from between my legs. “now it’s tucked away in my pants.” I zipped and buttoned my pants up. “No one can see it. You, and only you, can ask me later to take off all these layers to show it to you, right?”

  “Tis why Beaty had nae clothes on?”

  “The women here don’t wear near as many layers, because it’s hot. And we’re liberated, I told you about that. I’m an equal, we all are, you won’t even have to act surprised because you aren’t — you’re an old fashioned man but you are adaptable and if something strikes you as weird just try not to be weird about it, okay?”

  I spread his shirt across his shoulders. “I’m even going to be barefoot.” I wigged my toes on the thick off-white wool carpeting.

  “Your feet could use a pedicure, but I hope you’ll go barefoot too. It’ll be comfortable, because we’re going to eat, curl up, walk on the beach, go to bed. It’s going to be bright. It’s going to be loud. It’ll suck, but we’re going to take it easy and if you really need to come back here to lie down we can do that too.” I slid his glasses up on his nose adding to my list: dentist, pedicure.

  “One more thing. No leering at women in their scanty clothes, you have to pretend not to notice. Other men are used to it, so try and vastly get used to it, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Good. Cause you’re too hot to be weird about it all. Let me show you my porch.” I led him out the sliding door to the small porch. It looked out over the dunes, the boardwalk, and the ocean. “Beautiful, huh?”

  “Aye, these lands are familiar, tis much the same as when I lived here. I am surprised tae find m’self here again. These are all Og Maggy’s lands?”

  “Well, this is probably weird, but his land is from there to there. It seems small compared to the miles of land around Balloch, but here this piece of land is very expensive, he has enough to be considered rich.”

  “And he is a king.”

  “Yeah in the future he has a whole kingdom. It’s huge. Here he has a mansion and a sliver of land near the beach, but somehow he likes this more.”

  “He told me twas the people.”

  “That’s nice.”

  As we headed downstairs, Fraoch looked all around or alternately stared straight ahead. At the main floor we sat down in two of the bar chairs at the kitchen island. Zach asked, “Whisky? Or beer? Wait, one of each, plus a Coke.”

  He turned around and put three drinks in front of Fraoch: One, a shot of whisky, two, a frosty can of Budweiser, three, a plastic bottle of Coke. He popped open the top of the can of beer. “Drink up Highlander.”

  “Och! So many.”

  Beaty and Quentin entered. I caught Fraoch glance at her bare legs and quickly away. He held my hand. She said, “Master Fraoch, I canna believe ye’re here. I am so excited. I canna wait tae show ye the new world. We will hae fun. Did ye try the Coke yet? Careful, it may make ye sick tae drink it, but tis worth it, tis so good.” She unscrewed the top of the Coke and pushed it toward him.

  He sipped a bit, grimaced, and shook his head, sour face and all. “Och, ye like this?”

  “I do, tis so good.”

  He tried it again, grimaced again.

  I said, “Maybe you just don’t like that flavor, we can try the lime ones too.”

  Zach slid another beer in front of him a darker one.

  I asked, “Now what? It smells like shrimp and grits?”

  “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. I’m not telling you, it’s something special for Fraoch.”

  Emma said, “What should I do with the research? I’m setting the kids here with mac and cheese.” The table had two laptops, a stack of books, and some notebooks around it.

  Quentin said, “We can put it on the desk, but I would like to bring it out later tonight, maybe Fraoch has some thoughts.”

  “Fraoch will probably need sleep before research, remember how exhausting this is. Have you found any record of them — anything yet?”

  Zach said, “I’m still scouring ancestry.com, their records, the time period.”

  Quentin said, “Also looking through letters, battle reports, we need to go through the birth and death records.”

  Zach said, “I keep running up against blocks. We need to go to the churches, see the actual pages, I think.” He added, “I can’t wait to show you what we found though, but first, follow me outside, first course, oyster shucking.”

  On the deck Zach had set up a long table with a plastic table cloth and we all sat down with a big platter of oysters in front of us. James opened the sliding door, “Hey! I wondered where everyone was. Thought maybe Ben and Archie were the only ones here, cooking mac and cheese for themselves. Fraoch! Glad to see you in the real world, man! How’s Scotland?”

  “She is verra good.”

  “I do miss it.” He pulled a long neck beer out of a bucket of ice, popped the cap, and chugged some. “If the food was better I’d go back in a second.”

  We all held up our drinks and cheered.

  Fraoch said, “Slainte!”

  I teased Fraoch, while I pried open an oyster, “And you haven’t even gotten started on the eating yet. I mean this is great, right? But what’s the next course? That’s what you should be asking yourself, Fraoch, not just ‘this is great’ but also, ‘what’s next?’” I slid an oyster onto a saltine cracker with a bit of cocktail sauce, and fed it to Fraoch.

  Zach said, “Next is my famous shrimp and grits: Locally caught shrimp, sautéed with andouille sausage, peppers, and onions, in a Tasso gravy over Blue Dog Farms stone-ground grits, finished with homemade green tomato and Datil pepper chutney. You know, the best fucking shrimp and grits around.”

  Emma had her hands full feeding Isla so Zach fed her some steamed oysters. She looked down at Isla. “Oysters and shrimp and grits, this was the meal that used to get Magnus all misty-eyed.”

  We all sighed fondly at the memory.

  Fraoch said, “I daena ken what half the words mean, but it sounds delicious.”

  Zach said, “For dessert, Key lime pie.”

  I said, “Scurvy protection covered in whipped cream, perfect.”

  We ate so much food. With the kids we walked out on the boardwalk between the main course and the desert. Then we got extra whipped cream because I goaded the boys into begging for it. Then Beaty put the boys to bed. Emma put Isla to bed. Then us adults all sat around the kitchen island again and talked and laughed.

  Zach told Fraoch about the refrigerator and the microwave and some other things that were happening, but then Fraoch leaned his head toward mine. I asked, “You tired? Cause I’m exhausted.”

  “Aye,” he said.

&n
bsp; I led him upstairs to our room.

  I went to the bathroom and when I came out he was pressing the mattress testing the softness. He had his borrowed clothes in a pile on the floor and I added to my list: take Fraoch clothes shopping.

  I changed into a T-shirt and we climbed into bed under the pile of soft covers. Though it was hot outside they were necessary because it was cool inside, the perfect temperature, always a little colder than necessary.

  I pulled the covers up to his chin. “What do you think so far?”

  In answer he asked, “What is the wind?”

  “It’s called the air conditioning. You can push a button for hotter or for colder.”

  He nodded and seemed to be thinking about something. “The lights, they are similar tae the ones Quentin...?”

  “Yes, those were portable, these plug into the wall and draw their electricity through wires.” I leaned up and showed him the cord, but he didn’t really try to see it, he just continued staring at the ceiling.

  “What is this?”

  A ceiling fan slowly spun. “It’s for cooling off the room, though it’s plenty cold enough. It’s just extra.” I snuggled into the sheets. “That’s half of what’s so great about this time, everything is extra. Food, temperature, beds. Doesn’t the bedding feel great? Isn’t the smell fabulous?” I curled up against his chest.

  I looked up at his face. “I know it’s really hard to—”

  “Am I tae help guard the walls this night? I forgot tae ask Master Quentin, and he dinna tell me.”

  “No, I mean, you won’t need... not tonight. I’m sure he’ll talk to you about it tomorrow. Tonight he’s letting you rest.”

  Seventy-three - Hayley

  We made love right before dawn. This was the time of the morning he usually went to guard duty so he was awake. He shifted beside me and I slowly woke as he touched and felt and pulled me close. It was lovely in our warm comfortable bed. After we were finished we slept a little more until the bagpipes sounded.

  He asked, “What is...?”

  I groaned loudly. “Beaty, she gets up too early to play the pipes. You want to come see?”

  “Aye.”

  We dressed and rushed down to the front porch. All I could think of to say was, “Jesus Christ.“ Beaty was in shorts, knee-high rainbow socks, wind blowing through her neon-green hair because she was rollerskating around the circular drive while playing Jack Johnson’s Banana Pancakes on the bagpipes. Ben and Archie were on tricycles riding around her making vroom vroom noises as if they were very important to the whole show.

  Beaty swirled in reverse, a wide arc that Ben and Archie crossed in front of, yet no one got hurt. I said, “Hey girlfriend, you know that song really well now!”

  “Aye, tis because I am practicin’ it every morn. If I get good enough I am wantin’ fire tae come from the pipes.” She gracefully turned the other direction and began on the chorus.

  I said to Fraoch, “Welcome to the New World.”

  “Aye, tis a marvelous place.”

  Zach had cooked a full breakfast: waffles and strawberries with chocolate shavings, syrup, and whipped cream, plus bacon and sausages. Fraoch’s plate was piled high. His cup of coffee filled again and again. Isla was at her high chair eating hunks of waffle and strawberry with her fingers. She had strawberry juice wiped through her hair. “Girlfriend, you are a mess.”

  She giggled.

  “Great, there you go again. You have your mama’s eyes and you make me want to cry. Have some whipped cream.” I spooned a dollop onto her tray.

  She smacked her hand down on the pile, splashing it and saying, “Ba! Ba!”

  “Exactly. That’s what I’m saying, have more.” I made the pile of whipped cream even higher.

  Quentin came in a bit later for a coffee refill. “Boss’s favorite breakfast, huh? You like it, Fraoch?”

  Fraoch rolled a sausage through the syrup. “Delicious. Where hae ye been?”

  “Security guard patrol. Though I think all of Magnus’s enemies are dead, I have to keep security up.”

  “I would like tae help.”

  “We can get you started this afternoon. You like night or morning shift?”

  “Night.”

  Quentin grinned. “Perfect. I could use the sleep.” He grabbed a waffle, dipped it in syrup, and said, “I’m headed back out.”

  The boys ran in, climbed on my lap, and looked suspiciously at Fraoch. He was big, hulking, bearded, and wearing sunglasses at the table so I didn’t really blame them.

  He grinned widely. Archie pointed and said, “Toof.”

  Fraoch grinned even more. “Ye like m’smile? Tis because I dinna eat enough lime pie when I crossed the sea.”

  Ben’s eyes went wide.

  Archie asked, “Are you a piwat?”

  Fraoch laughed, “Me, a pirate? Nae, I am a highlander, a MacDonald. I come from the shores of Loch Leven. I do verra much like tae sail though.”

  I said to Archie, “Maybe we can take Fraoch to the beach?”

  Archie and Ben yelled, “Beach! Beach!” grabbing Fraoch by the hands and pulling him from the chair to lead him outside.

  He stooped to hold their little hands and then scooped them each up onto a hip. “Out tae the beach!”

  Seventy-four - Hayley

  After the beach, I wanted to take Fraoch for a drive. We stood in the garage looking at my Jeep. “It’s like that ATV, except you climb inside.”

  I pulled open the door for him, then raced around to the other side and climbed in. I leaned across him for the seat belt, and strapped it across him, showing him how to do it. Then I started the engine and drove it slowly from the garage.

  He said, “Och, tis faster than a horse but verra smooth.”

  "What you’re going to want to do, Highlander, is hold on.” I pulled up to the road. “I’m going to take this Jeep up to forty-five miles per hour, probably faster. Hold on.” I waited until A1A was clear and pulled out onto it. I slowly accelerated to the speed limit and watched as Fraoch did indeed grab hold of the handle and the seat.

  He winced. “Och, are ye capable?”

  “Of course I’m capable, dear husband, I can drive the shit out this Jeep.” I took a right, at a sensible speed.

  “Och.” He grabbed at the door and held on.

  “This is the horsepower I told you about.” I did a big loop of the island pointing out things to the left and right, noticing that he barely looked because he was concentrating on the road right in front of us.

  I drove up to McDonald's. “This is Katie’s traditional favorite place, and I know she brought Magnus here on his first day. See the sign?”

  He hunched forward to look up at the sign.

  “That’s McDonald’s.”

  “Tis m’clan.”

  “Yep, they have restaurants all over the world with the same name as yours. The Campbells have a soup named after them, but arguably this restaurant is far more popular. Want a soda or some French fries or something?” I pulled the Jeep into the drive-thru lane. “We can’t spoil our dinner but we can have a snack.”

  “I am verra hungry.”

  I ordered him a large Coke and four large fries to share in a bag beside us. It was fun to hear him gulp the drink and happily lick his fingers and eat with gusto. He concentrated on that instead of the road.

  “You like?”

  “Aye, I am proud tae be a Macdonald.”

  I laughed, “I wouldn’t say this food is something to be that proud of, you’ll want to eat a lot better than this—”

  “What dost ye mean? Ye just drove tae a window and asked for warm food and a cold drink and ‘twas given tae ye through the window. Did ye see this?” He held up a ketchup packet. “Tis a sauce tae mix in yer food!” He shook a salt packet. “Tis salt! For sprinklin’ on the potatoes. Tis a miracle.” He picked up the soda and sloshed it with a grin. “Ice!”

  “You convinced me. You’re right, the whole thing is a miracle and should make you very pr
oud.”

  I drove him to the south end and over the bridge and even faster. He clutched his stomach. “Och, I daena...”

  “Sure, yes, sorry about that.” I u-turned and headed home.

  When we pulled up at the house he said, “Ye get used tae it?”

  “I am, and you will, I promise.” I pointed at the wooden building by the garage. “But also, see that, that’s Magnus’s stable. When he’s here his horses are there. Right now they’re over at the public stables where he boards them when he’s out of town.”

  “I would like to ride a horse.”

  “I’m not sure how it works, but ask Quentin. He can take you over and introduce you to them.”

  James pulled his big ass truck behind me in the driveway and climbed down. Fraoch said, “Och, yer Jeep is verra grand.”

  James grinned. “Well, this isn't a Jeep, this is a Ford truck, an f350 dually with a lift to be exact. You can’t just buy these. You gotta get it handcrafted.”

  I joked, “Especially if you want to climb into it with a ladder.”

  Fraoch’s eyes twinkled, “Och, ye might need a ladder, Hayley. I winna need one. I would like tae drive it.”

  “Whoa nelly, husband, let’s get you used to riding first.”

  James asked, “Fraoch, whatcha doing with yourself today?”

  “Hayley was shewin’ me the island.”

  “Good.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’m here to challenge Quentin to Guitar Hero. Wanna watch?”

  Fraoch glanced at me.

  “The answer is ‘hell yeah’.”

  “Hell yeah,” said Fraoch.

  This was the scene that evening: Fraoch on the couch; sometimes with one or both of the boys sitting right beside him, under his arms; a drink in his hand; an endless train of snacks on the table in front of him.

  James had the PS4 rolling on the big screen. He and Quentin played Guitar Hero, but when James decided to play Fortnite, Quentin said, “Nah man, that first-person shooter shit is too real. I get my head all fucked-up lost in it.”