The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,37

enough.”

He raised his glass. “I hae been a diplomat, a negotiator, a juror, a commander. Tae be them all was taxing. Yet finally we are home, surrounded by family, and about tae eat a grand dinner. I want tae raise a glass tae Colonel Quentin, for accompanying me tae the kingdom. Twas a long time without yer wife, thank ye for yer service. Slàinte!”

We all said, “Slàinte!” and drank

The wind picked up outside, high water, dunes spraying, sand whipping outside in the wind, dark and mysterious. I loved this time of year — the Florida version of winter, stormy ocean and cold gray skies. Inside the restaurant was glowing and warm and convivial. A romantic song started up and I tossed down my fork and knife and dragged Magnus to the dance floor where I wrapped my arms around his neck and we rocked back and forth to the music. I looked up in his eyes. “We haven’t had many romantic dances, a handful here, a couple in the past, but I love dancing with you.”

“Ye would think all the trodding upon yer feet would cure ye of the like of it.”

I laughed. “Hold your hand up,” I held his fingers, and spun out and back, with comical flourish, as if I was Ginger Rogers dancing with Fred Astaire, except it was my husband who was wearing the skirt.

I spun back into his arms with a giggle, quite buzzed at this point.

“Och, tis funny?”

“Yes, but not you, this whole thing, being home, eating out, the weather, it’s all like a dream come true.”

“Tis much like it, and I just proved I can go away and come home, tis not always tae be a dangerous emergency.”

“Even though there is, again, a danger.”

“Aye.”

Hayley didn’t drink, Emma didn’t drink, but I had a pretty good drunk going so Hammond had to drive my car.

We all laughed and stumbled into the house and then lumbered the kids, already sleeping, into their cribs and toddler beds, while Magnus and Quentin went to send Hammond off back to the kingdom.

I gingerly placed Isla in her bed and then leaned in and took a whiff, ugh. I quietly and carefully, with all the lights off, got her diaper unhooked and traded with a clean one. I walked out backwards, hands up, silent. She didn’t wake.

I made it to the hall to see Emma coming from her bedroom. She whispered, “I got Zoe to sleep.” We high-fived.

I peeked in the boy’s room, Archie was fast asleep. I kissed his cheek to make sure, goodnight.

I tiptoed to the living room. James and Hayley were sitting on the couch. She asked, “All the kiddies in bed?”

“Yep!” I pulled myself a beer from the fridge and popped the top, dropping into a chair. “God, all of this is amazing, restaurants, cold beer, comfortable chairs.” I slung a leg over the arm of the chair. “Bare feet.” I added, “He came home.”

“Right when he said he would, that’s two for two.”

“If he keeps this up, eventually I might actually get over the feeling of dread when he goes.”

The sliding door opened and Fraoch, Magnus, Quentin and Zach entered from the porch.

Magnus sat on the floor in front of my chair. I wrapped a leg over his shoulder and he held onto my foot.

“How’s it going out there?”

“Good, we hae a security strategy in place.”

Zach passed around beers and asked, “So how’s the kingdom?”

Quentin gestured at Magnus, “I don’t know how he does it, it’s full of pompous blowholes and over-important jackasses.”

Magnus raised his beer. “And I am their king.”

We all laughed.

James said, “How’s Lady McBitchface?”

Magnus drank from his beer. “I put her in jail for a few hours, but then I let her free.”

James said, “You put her in jail-jail, actual jail?”

“Aye, I had a mind tae keep her there for a long time, but she is always wantin’ tae be too verra useful.” He sighed dramatically. “She had tae return the Trailblazer.”

James joked, “She’s like having an attack dog around that keeps biting you.”

“She is exactly like that.”

Zach said, “Shit, I can’t believe you put her in jail. That takes some serious balls.”

“I was verra hungry, and she told me I was too thin — twas jail or kill her. I tried tae be reasonable.” Magnus took a sip of beer. “While she was in jail, the quiet was bless-ed.”

I asked, “You said there were time discrepancies and something more?”

Magnus said, “The timeline is verra confused. Conversations are bein’ repeated. I