The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,48

myself: chill and cool, easy smile, not going to get detained…

And then he was through, his UK passport having been successful. It was my turn with all the papers and the kids and their US passports. And then we were all through. Magnus said, “Tis done?”

“Xray still to go.” I whispered without my lips moving, “You don’t have anything, not even something small?”

“I am naked except for the claymore.”

“Your—?”

He grinned, his familiar gleam to his eye.

“Oh, yeah, that you can travel with.”

Behind us, Fraoch and Hayley were through the security agent. She said, “Phew.” And I knew she meant, “Glad Magnus’s passports worked.”

Next I was separated from Magnus, Fraoch, and Hayley so I could go through the ‘no Xray’ family line, while they got the full check. I watched as Magnus stood in the machine, arms over his head and was viewed 360 degrees, good boy.

Then Fraoch. It took three tries for the man to explain what he wanted him to do, but then he managed it, arms up, stand there, be exposed and unprotected, good boy, you did it.

Then he was through and then Hayley got stopped for a pair of toenail clippers with a metal nail file, and had to go back through while Fraoch very sweetly stood in a half-state of panic waiting for her.

Then we were all through.

Hayley said, “Next stop Edinburgh!”

Magnus was on one side of the aisle, Archie beside his window. I was on the other side, Isla in her car seat by the window. I reached across for his hand and we entwined our fingers. “Ready Highlander?”

“Och.” The plane began to taxi to the runway.

Magnus talked to Archie and seemed genuinely excited by everything out the window, but then as we flew and the view became puffy-clouded whiteness he went quiet. Archie drifted off to sleep and Magnus stared ahead, tense and concentrating.

I slept, but never caught him sleeping. When I looked back at Fraoch he had his head tilted on Hayley’s and was sleeping mouth wide open and occasionally snoring.

One particularly loud snort I looked back and Hayley crossed her eyes and giggled. She gingerly nudged her husband and whispered, “Hey Fraoch, it’s a little noisy.”

He straightened and tried to shift to get comfortable. “Och, tis tae let ye ken I am still alive on this God-forsaken flyin’ contraption.”

Thirty - Kaitlyn

Hayley’s hair was all mussed, her eyes bagged with black, as we wound our way from the plane, through the crowd in customs. She said, “I couldn’t sleep, that sucked.”

Fraoch was rolling Hayley’s suitcase. “Ye slept the whole time. Ye were snorin’.” He gestured at his sleeve. “Tis a wet spot from yer spittle.”

She playfully swatted his arm. “Very funny.” She grabbed a napkin from the Krispy Kreme Donut shop as we passed and wiped at the wet spot on his fancy, pale blue dress shirt she made him wear for the flight. She sighed. “I’m sorry I got you messy.”

“Tis okay, m’bhean ghlan, I am nae used tae bein’ in fancy shirts.”

She frowned at Isla. “I blame my niece, if she hadn’t cried the whole time…”

Isla was sleepy with her head on my shoulder. She turned her head away from Hayley and nestled into my hair.

“She doesn’t have time for your BS Aunt Hayley, she slept, she was just awake most of the flight. We’ve been in three airports and a billion hours of travel, she only cried for some of it.”

Hayley mimicked me sarcastically.

I added, “You cried too and she’s not talking smack to you about it.”

“Fine, we both carried on a lot. I forgive you, Isla. And I’m not really mad I’m just jealous, no one lets me carry on anymore.”

Magnus was stopped, staring up at the Krispy Kreme. “Och, I feel terrible after that travel. Archie, dost ye want a donut tae make it all better?”

So we all waited while Magnus bought his son and himself a dozen donuts in the Edinburgh airport, and so we each had a donut in hand to help gird ourselves as we went through customs into Edinburgh, Scotland.

My face pressed into the mattress, Magnus’s face pressed into the pillow beside me.

He said, “Och I hae never been so tired while tis bright day outside.”

Our suitcases and my backpack were tossed, contents strewn, around the very luxurious room where we had changed the bare minimum of clothes and were now desperate for a nap. “Just an hour, that’s all I need, one hour. Then we’ll all go to dinner and a walk and