And if he accomplished all of that I would make damn sure the future didn’t have that bitch Bella in it.
I hoped it would include sweet Archie.
Magnus said Archie had been almost three years old and that he called me Mammy.
I wrote in my journal a lot.
I walked on the beach looking for shark teeth, enjoying some solitude. And then I had an appointment with the lawyers about my grandparents’ estate, much larger than I ever imagined. Grandpa Jack had done very well for them in tech stock.
I had some of the paintings appraised. My father’s investments of Magnus’s money made for a nice pile, but then also, one day I was looking through the finances and found an old British bank account in my name with tons of money inside. It had been receiving investments and deposits for over a hundred years, a lot of European real estate and never before seen art — I was the main beneficiary.
It all added up to an amazing amount far beyond what I imagined ever needing.
And then one night about three weeks in, Hayley showed up with a six pack. “Beer!”
Zach teased her, “I shop, I have beer stocked in the fridge.”
“Sure, but you get all judgy about your beer. This is my beer. It’s light and delicious. And I can have as many as I want.”
She put it down on the counter and started popping tops. “Beaty, you about killed me when you changed your status from ‘single’ to ‘in a relationship’. I was thinking, ‘How crazy is that? An eighteenth century married lady just figured out Facebook.’” She handed her a beer, then took it away. “I forgot, your married ass is underage.”
Beaty giggled. “I like Facebook verra much, did ye see the picture I posted tae day? Tis of Ben?”
“I did, did you take the quiz I sent you: How to Know What Character of the Office You Are?”
“Aye, I was Michael Scott. I daena think I understood the questions.”
We all laughed.
Quentin popped the lid off a Coke bottle and brought one to Beaty too. He was enjoying his job these days. He took a shift as a guard and then got to relax, because most of our danger was over. “I’m thinking you’re a lot more like Pam.”
Beaty giggled. “I think I am like Dwight. I do love beets.”
We all cracked up about that one.
Hayley said, “I was thinking, since you’re all gathered here — what if you bought a house?”
I looked around at the interior of the beach house. “This one is pretty good, plus this is the one Magnus knows and...”
Hayley leaned forward. “But does it fit you?”
“Not really, the style is pretty weird, too much glass, and there are not enough bedrooms, for sure.”
“Exactly, I have to sleep on the couch when I want to come have a beer with my bestie. Plus, I’m bored and have too much to think about so I spent the last couple of days looking at real estate. I found you a house. And I would like to mention, there is an island real estate agent, your mother, that I’m kind of in competition with. I would love to sell you this house.”
“What kind of a house?”
“It’s a mother-flipping mansion, and it’s on the beach, on the south end. It has wings, and a circular drive, seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, you're welcome.” She swigged from her bottle, then added, “It’s a half mile from Amelia Stables. An easy walk.”
“Near Sunny?”
“Aye,” she joked.
“Oh my god, I don’t even have to look. Can I afford it?”
“The question is, can you afford not to? Also, Zach, Emma, Quenny, what do you all think about it?”
Emma said, “Sounds great, we really need a bigger place.”
I looked around at all their faces. Magnus’s family, packed into this beach rental, and he would be home on our anniversary and— “I could buy it for him for his anniversary?”
“That’s way too fucking extravagant,” said Zach. “I mean, are you trying to kill him? You can’t buy a man a house for a gift. He will never live up to it. He’ll never be able to top it.”
“Oh, right, so you think he will mind if I move him while he’s away?”
Zach said, “Nah, I’m kidding. Magnus won’t care at all. You know where he wants to live? With you and me and Sunny. That’s it. If we’re all in a bigger house he won’t care as long as the three of us are there.”
“Truer words were never spoken.”
We all raised our drinks.
I said, “To Magnus, King of the future, and a Man of Simple Tastes living here in Florida. Give him a private chef, a warm bed, and a horse, and he’s completely happy.”
We drank.
Hayley grinned. “So I can sell you the house?”
“I’d like to see it tomorrow, but yeah, let’s buy a house.”
Fifty - Magnus
I landed in Paris in the year 1904, nae long after Kaitlyn and I had left. I was almost three years older though, and had the weight of the years on me. But I had won the war. Roderick’s forces were down tae an insignificant threat in the eastern region and he had gone intae hidin’. I had soldiers huntin’ for him, but I had given up carin’. Twould take too many years for him tae regain his forces, and I was enlargin’ my own army, strengthenin’ my armaments, and building loyalty in the ranks.
I remembered how my troops had turned on me in the past. I was keen on growing respect amongst m’men and it was working.
The kingdom was mine and I had solidified m’power. Now I needed tae ask for Lady Mairead’s help in the matter.
I aimed m’landin’ for a place farther from Paris and then I hiked intae the city. M’clothes were patterned on the uniform of the time, wool pants and coat, a vest and a linen shirt. I wore a hat and looked the part of a gentleman.
At Lady Mairead’s house I rang the bell.
She called down, “Who is it?”
“Tis Magnus Campbell.”
Her footsteps descended the stairs. She opened the door, but left me standin’ on the stoop. “Why are ye here?” Her eyes squinted. “Ye have aged. Where is Kaitlyn?”
“I will explain when I am nae on the stoop of yer house.”
“Fine,” she huffed as she led me up tae the sitting room.
“You have been gone a week, yet ye have the look of someone who has been gone a verra long time. Out with it, what has happened?”
I sat in the same chair I had sat in with Kaitlyn perched on the arm, while Picasso had lounged with m’mother. “Where is the baby-man?”
“Pablo Picasso?” She laughed. “He is nae a baby-man, he is a genius. I have told ye this, but he is nae here. This morn he was in a fury about something and has stormed—”
I said, “Much as a baby-man would behave. I am surprised ye want tae care for a bairn, ye dinna want tae care on yer own.”
“Verra funny, Magnus. I have sent Pablo home until he can return with an apology.”
She smoothed her skirt. “Answer my question.”
“I wasna able tae keep Kaitlyn and Archie safe, I—”
“I told ye this, I told ye that ye—”
“I ken what ye told me.”
“But ye ignored me, though I have proven myself tae have abilities and wisdoms that are necessary in this game. Ye ignored me much as a baby-man might do.”
I scoffed.
She shrugged, leveling her eyes on me while I continued, “Ye have also proven yerself tae have evil machinations and terrible judgments on character, so I canna trust ye on principle. Though in this instance, tis true, ye were right on this.”
She raised her chin haughtily. “Good. So tell me what has happened.”
“King Roderick’s soldiers captured Kaitlyn and Archie. I couldna think where they had gone.”
She winced. “I daena like the idea of that man having the upper hand on ye, Magnus. He daena deserve tae be a threat tae ye, he is—”
“Allow me tae finish, Lady Mairead. When I realized I couldna win against him, I restarted the game.”
&n
bsp; She leaned forward, her eyes wide. “What dost ye mean?”
“I went tae a time verra near the beginning of the war and intervened. I fought the war against Roderick and I have won, after almost three years, I have won.”
Lady Mairead clapped her hands together. “Finally! Are ye then the king, Magnus?”
“Aye, I am King Magnus, construction is happening on m’castle, now called Caisteal Morag.”
Her eyes gleamed in a way that looked as if she might cry.
I continued, “I have brought ye a present.” I pulled a small box from my coat pocket and passed it tae her.
She pried open the lid and a tear did spill over and roll down her cheek.
I explained, “Tis a matchin’ set — the Campbell crest on a brooch for ye, along with a sgian dubh.”
She fingered the pieces delicately. “Tis beautiful.”
“The brooch is inscribed for ye, after Mary Stuart, ‘In My End is my Beginning.’”
“Och, this is verra beautiful, Magnus, I thank ye.”
“I kent ye liked her words.”
“I do, she was desperately ill-used. I have often wondered on going back tae advise her on her path, I suppose...” Her eyes grew wistful.
“Tae change her course might mean tae alter too much of your own.”
“This is true.” She folded her hands over the brooch and dagger. “Where is Kaitlyn?”
“I left her in Florida for the time so I could handle the war, the kingdom, and Archie, but now I would like tae return for her.”
She closed the lid on the box. “So why are you here?”
“I would ask ye tae attend me tae the future. I have finished fighting, I need ye tae guard and guide the kingdom in m’absence. Also, you should see yer grandson.”
“Aye, ye are lookin’ haggard. I can see the war on yer face.” She added, “As tae the other reason, grandsons of a young age are nae tae my interest. I will meet him when he is of an age tae be useful. And I daena ken if I want tae attend ye tae the kingdom. I have a life here, I—”
“Lady Mairead, I have done what ye asked, taken m’throne. I have a kingdom, and tis firmly mine. Ye have always wanted me tae ascend tae power, tis done. Tis time for ye tae come and assist me in m’duties.”
She sighed. “I have always wanted tae be the Queen Mother, think of the intrigues!”
“Och aye, I ken ye have a great deal of fun here, but imagine the trouble ye can get intae in the year 2386?”
Her smile widened and her eyes twinkled. “But Pablo was goin’ tae paint me again. He has a grand idea for the pose.”
I grinned. “I remind ye I brought ye that bonny jewelry.”
She sighed. “I could come back to see Pablo of course... and twill keep him guessin’ if I leave him. He does thrive on melancholy and unease. Okay, I will come tae the future with ye, Magnus. Will I have tae deal with Kaitlyn?”
“Nae, our deal is that ye winna deal with her at all, ye will treat her with the respect she deserves or I will finish ye with the dagger I just gave ye, out of a sense of poetry.”
“Ah, my son has threatened tae put a dagger through my heart, he sounds like a king. What else am I tae do, besides suffer yer wife? Must I also suffer your long beard?”
“Aye, Kaitlyn likes it, so I have grown it for her.”
“Fine, what else?”
“You will also need tae respect Colonel Hammond, he has—”
She threw her hands up. “Why is he still there...?”
“Because I have decided it. I ken the reason he has done what he does and I trust him.”
“Enlighten me.”
“He shares m’bloodline. He is a cousin. He daena want the throne, but Donnan threatened tae kill him. His mischief with ye was because he lived under Donnan’s threats. If I am king he is safe from challenge or intrigue. We have come tae a mutual agreement.”
She huffed. “Well, fine, but he doesn’t have a mutual agreement with me.”
“As the king, I demand ye treat him with respect as an officer under m’command.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine, I have tae treat everyone with respect,” she huffed, “And have ye given Bella a new chance tae redeem herself, tae prove she would make a good wife?”
“In the other future, the one I am writin’ over, she has used ye terribly—”
“Me? How can that be?” Her brow furrowed as if she was searchin’ her memory. “Bella kens I am her superior. I can break her in a second, she kens this, I daena believe she would...”
“She and Roderick had ye imprisoned, and they sentenced me tae death in the arena. Kaitlyn rescued us both—”
“Imprisoned! For what offense?”
“For nae bein’ useful tae their aims, for bein’ an impediment — do with the information what ye will.”
I took a deep breath. “I ken that Bella has always been reactin’ tae her circumstances. In this timeline I have tried tae be patient. I have given her a home, safety, the chance tae follow a different path, but I believe she haena been a good mother tae Archie and she has embarrassed me by seemin’ out of my control—”
“I have heard enough, Magnus. Give me the date that I am expected.” She reopened the box lid on the brooch and the dagger.
Fifty-one - Kaitlyn
We had spent the day touring our new home. It was perfect. But actually that wasn’t the right word: perfect would have fit us. This was too big, too majestic, too gorgeous. A Kardashian would use this house to get away from the paparazzi, or some old duchess with a healthy dose of agoraphobia would hide here, or maybe if Batman needed a beach estate…
It wasn’t the biggest house. I had seen big houses in Malibu, but this was Florida big, lavish and more than enough.
It was a hacienda style with large sprawling archways along outer hallways, a delicate cream color with an orange tile roof. There were large windows looking over decks, a pool, and a long walk to the beach. The beach was almost private because the house took up so much beachfront land.
The house was furnished with tile, wood, wrought iron, leather. It seemed perfect for Magnus — oversized, comfortable, built of sturdy materials. My husband would be comfortable here.
The house had wings, and enough bedrooms for Zach and Emma to have a whole section of the main house with two bedrooms and an office.
Magnus and I had two bedrooms, an office, and a guest room, as Hayley pointed out, “For me!” with easy access to the main living room.
There was a separate guesthouse that Quentin and Beaty wanted. It had its own kitchen, living room, and bedroom, all that they needed. I had offered the guesthouse to Zach first, but he had pretended to hyperventilate at the idea of waking up every day to a teeny tiny kitchen. “It would be devastating to my psyche, Katie. I need to wake up and go down the hall to the main kitchen. I have to, it’s important.”
I said, “All right, it’s a deal.”
While we walked around touring and planning and picking our bedrooms, Beaty spent the whole time on her phone, scrolling. Finally, she said, while we were all standing in the kitchen, “How dost one get a hair color such as this?”
She turned her phone to show us a teenager with bright, peacock blue hair.
I grinned. “It’s a hair dye.”
“Can someone such as me dye m’hair?”
“You want to do it?”
She asked, “Quenny, mighten I dye m’hair the color of the sky?”
He took her phone and held it up to her hair. “Looks pretty, I don’t see why not.”
Emma said, “All right then, on the way back I’ll stop at the drug store. When can we move in here, by the way?”
Hayley said, “It will take at least a couple of weeks or so. And while you’re at the drug store can you get a few extra pairs of the gloves? I want to help Beaty turn blue.”
Emma placed a box of peacock blue hair dye in front of Beaty, “For you.”
She tossed a package of latex gloves in front of Hayley, “For you.�
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And she placed a brown paper bag in front of me.
“What’s this for?”
“You’ll see.”
Inside the bag was a pink box, a pregnancy test kit. I squinted my eyes and leveled them on Emma. “Why did you get me a pregnancy test?”
Emma shrugged. “I don’t really know. I just have a feeling. You should pee on the stick.”
I stared at it dumbfounded. “Why would you have a feeling and I not have a feeling? And now I have to pee on a stick? That’s not usually the way these things work. When would I even have gotten pregnant? Magnus is away.”
“Magnus jumped back into your life a little over four weeks ago, did you have sex?”
“Uh, yeah, of course.”
“Well, I don’t think you’ve been paying attention. Pee on the stick.”
I glanced at Hayley. “Do you hear this, Hayley?”
“Yep. You should pee on the stick.”
My eyes went wide. “This kind of feels like a mutiny.”
We were all in my master bathroom. Beaty had a towel wrapped around her shoulders and parts of her hair piled on her head.
Emma was sitting on the counter reading the hair dye instructions. Hayley had on the gloves and was, “Preparing to turn this eighteenth century girl peacock blue.”
I was sitting on the toilet, not preparing to urinate, trying to build up my courage to urinate. I didn’t know why I needed courage, not really — until thirty minutes ago peeing on a stick hadn’t even been a thing.
Now the box was sitting on my lap and I was freaking out.
What if I was pregnant?
What if I wasn’t pregnant?
God, I couldn’t pee on the stick. I should just wait until — Magnus’s cocky smile, when ye are squat as a broody hen we will ken.
There was no way I was peeing on this stick.
Fifty-two - Magnus
Lady Mairead had been in all the meetings of my cabinet, she understood m’wishes on the runnin’ of the government. I dinna trust her, but I had enough threats over her tae keep her willfulness under control. Hammie was again m’closest advisor and kent my thoughts on issues.
Again My Love (Kaitlyn and the Highlander Book 9) Page 22