The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,102

like a tourist, like I’m just ‘visiting’ his time, but when he’s living with me he feels like the act of it is against the rules. I used to think it was his religious-side speaking, but now… I don’t know. I think that fear, that it’s against the rules, and someone is going to notice, has been really bothering me today. Like this might be the final straw.”

She squeezed my shoulder. “While I appreciate your worries and I don’t want to minimize them in any way, I want you to know, you have bigger things to worry about. Like a madman who wants Magnus dead from the future. If Magnus can stop him by stealing the vessels, before the madman can get to them, then I say, yay! Right? Shouldn’t we be happy? He’s done this a million times, gone and done something crazy-dangerous to protect you and the kids. It's like his thing. I don’t think this is any different.”

“Yeah, you’re right. This isn’t any different. You’re totally right. It’s just… maybe I haven’t been really thinking about the reality of this all.”

“What do you mean?”

I gazed past the flag at the clouds racing against the sky. I pulled my jacket tighter around my arms. “The materialism of him. Maybe I need to think about his material reality, his present. ‘When’ he physically exists. When he matters. I don’t know, I wish Grandma Barb was here to talk to.”

She said, “I wish I could channel her for you. Her thoughts would probably be something like, you’re a physical person, he’s physical, go be physical together.”

“Ha! That’s not quite right, but it will do.”

We sat quietly for a moment then she chuckled. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Fraoch is as real as it gets, honey. Flesh and blood. All but his implant, that is fake.”

“He does look great with all his teeth.”

“And Magnus is real too. He’s not a fantasy, he’s a real boy. He’s made babies, you can’t do that if you aren’t real.”

I dropped my head back on the chair slats. “I don’t think you’re understanding what I’m saying.”

“I’m trying, but maybe what you’re saying is stupid.”

“It’s like this: Magnus was alive in the eighteenth century, now he’s on borrowed time. He’s an accident. He’s not supposed to be here. When I visit the eighteenth century, I’m just visiting. I’m my regular age, you know? I guess what I’m saying is I’m out of my time, not past my time.”

I sighed. “It’s never seemed important before, but now it seems like it's everything.”

“What would you do about it? Are you talking about moving to the eighteenth century?”

I looked at Archie playing with Ben and Isla walking over and bonking him on the head with a board book. Archie rubbed his head and kept playing. Isla hugged him.

“Yeah, I think that might be good.”

“Are you sure? I mean, you lived in the sixteenth century for almost a year. Would you do it again? What about all the things you’d have to give up?”

“We can take things with us, you’ve proven that. Lady Mairead has proven that, think about that pile of art she just carried.”

“I think Magnus would miss the twenty-first century too much. You’re thinking he’s an eighteenth century man but he really loves the present day.”

“Yeah, but I’ve lived with him in the sixteenth century — he’s at home in the past. And now that his kingdom is gone, maybe the past is the best way to hide.”

Hayley said, “It is very hard to hide here, one Google search and you are found. But, the inverse, how do you get through life without Google?”

“Yeah, so anyway, it’s just something I’m thinking about. Let’s make sure he exists first.”

Hayley joked, “I should order us some drinks though. We’re sitting beside a hotel pool. You need a glass of wine while you ruminate this crazy idea.”

“You’re having…?”

“A soda, of course, one of the miracles of modern day living.”

“If we moved to the past we could take sodas with us, a canister of fizzy, buckets of juice. Give me more things that I would miss, just so I can think this through.”

“Well, I can’t bring up mattresses or warm shoes because I already solved that issue, you’re welcome. How about sewage, toilet paper?”

I shrugged. “Overrated.” Then laughed. “I can’t even say that without cringing, it’s totally underrated in our world. Indoor plumbing? Greatest invention known to man. But we could take pipes. Bulk toilet paper rolls.