The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,9
I glanced up at Emma and she was smiling widely, a little teary-eyed.
Once the kids were ready for bed we all pitched in to put them down. Hayley sighing loudly. “I guess no one sings me to sleep. You’re a lucky-duck Ben, you stay cute, because you’ll miss it when it’s gone.”
Fraoch said, “I sing tae ye, I hae a song I will sing right now.” He began to croon, “There is a wide sea, dark and deep, the cry the faery glen…” and sang a story about two young lovers.
Magnus said, under his breath, “Och, tis one of m’favorites.” He closed his eyes to listen.
Hayley held her hands over her heart and pretended to swoon.
I was carrying Isla to her room but she turned around and gave him her full attention so I stopped in the hall to listen.
At the end Fraoch grinned, “Twas about the fae seducin’ ye away so ye never see yer family again.”
Hayley said, “It’s such a horrible thought in such a lovely song. You can sing it to me every night, it will give me nightmares tied up in my sexy dreams.”
“Aye, tis a lovely song, tis about family and love and bein’ safe, tis a warnin’ never tae go to the woods alone. Bairn will need the reminder, or the monsters will eat them. Och, I should change it tae the marsh and a warnin’ on the alligators.” He called to me, “Madame Kaitlyn, tomorrow I’ll sing the bairn to sleep!”
“Ha!” I said, “If it’s about gators, probably not. Let’s keep it about the fae, so it’s not quite so real.”
As I left to carry Isla to the nursery I heard Beaty say, “Och, the fae are plenty real, tis good tae hae a warnin’. Alligators be just wantin’ a meal, fae want the mischief.”
While Emma nursed Zoe, I sang to Isla and she didn’t cry at all, didn’t even seem scared, but I was cautious. I didn’t want to scare her by loving too much, and I didn’t want to overstep with Emma, but whenever I caught Emma’s eyes she was beaming.
She told me she would be happy as Aunt Emma, I hadn’t been sure I could believe her, but I could see it in her eyes, her selflessness was true. Of course, she was breastfeeding, so it was probably a little of the oxytocin too, warming her up, spilling over with love.
This would have been so complicated without little Zoe Greene.
Once Isla was asleep, I crept from Isla’s bedside into Archie’s room. He was lying on his side with his eyes closed. I sat down on the floor beside his bed and put my hand in his. He said, “Come say goodnight?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it. Isla’s asleep. I love you, sweet dreams.”
“Sweet dreams, mammy.”
I wasn’t crying beside his bed, not really, I was smiling. When I emerged from the room Emma met me and passed me one of the baby monitors.
“Congratulations. If Isla wakes in the night, she’s your job now. If she needs me I’ll come, but I think she’d like to have you come. I swear she recognizes your voice.”
“You think? I mean, I kind of thought so, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”
She nodded. “It’s been a day and she’s already warming up to you. There’s no stress, no one is leaving her, so she can be calm. There are now more people around who love her and so I think she’s relaxed about it, and there’s something innate there, with your voice. Something she remembers.”
I clutched that baby monitor to my chest like it was a precious gift.
Six - Kaitlyn
Day Two
The next day was Thanksgiving.
I heard Isla through the monitor, just after dawn. I jumped from bed but Emma’s voice came through, “Hey Katie, I’ve got Isla, she and Zoe woke up at the same time, go ahead and sleep if you want.”
So I slept a little longer, and woke slowly, enjoying the snuggle and the glorious comfort of the bed. My husband’s hand slid up under my shirt touching my breast just as the door of our room banged open. Archie rushed in, behind him, toddling, wee Isla.
Magnus and I separated respectably.
Archie climbed onto the bed and Isla stood at the end, saying, “Up! Up!” Archie climbed off, hefted her up, and climbed up after her. Isla sat in between us. “Ma! Da!”