I groaned. “And I am pretty sure there are bugs all up in my hair, I just...” I scratched all my head un-loosening strands from the updo. “God it feels good to scratch.”
“We should go home.”
“Yes.”
He set our vessel to jump.
Eighty-six - Kaitlyn
We woke in the dunes — so freaking bright. Sun shining so hard, brutally hard. I shielded my eyes and peeked to see a ring of faces, Fraoch, Quentin, Hayley, Zach, and above them the two horses. A snuffling right by my ear. I glanced to see Mookie, much bigger, inspecting me with his snout. I glanced over at Magnus’s hand, then at his face. His cheek pressed into the sand. He flipped to his back with a groan and looked up at the faces looking down at him.
“Och, I am in heaven or I am home.”
There was a click-click, a camera above us, Beaty taking photos.
“Boss,” said Quentin. “It’s...” He glanced at his watch. “It’s 3:29 pm, November 24, 2021. You’ve been gone a really long time.”
“I ken. I ken it has been a year, we ken it.”
“Phew. I’m glad, I just wanted you to not be surprised.”
Magnus said, “We winna be.” He pulled himself to sitting.
I grabbed hold of Hayley’s knee and got to sitting too. “I might cry a little, but yeah, we know we were gone for a year.”
Hayley took my hand. “The thing is, Isla is a year old, you get that, right?”
I nodded and chewed my lip. “Where are they?”
“She’s inside with Emma, sweetie, I’m telling you this so you know, she thinks Emma’s ‘mama’. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s just the way...”
“Of course. Yeah, of course.”
Magnus said, “Chef Zach, Lady Mairead tells us ye hae a new bairn?”
“Yes, she’s a few months old now, but yeah, her name is Zoe.”
“Good.”
“I just wanted to ask you, I mean, you can’t loop back, right? Zoe was born, you can’t redo. You know that right? Because she’s here.”
“I ken, Chef Zach. Kaitlyn and I both ken. Tis impossible tae loop back intae the time we were gone, I wouldna do it. I am verra glad tae hear that there has been a new life gifted tae yer family in our absence. It gives me a comfort tae ken it.”
Chef Zach got misty-eyed. “Fuck man, I was not expecting that, thank you. I was worried. We didn’t know what would happen, we don’t know and she...”
“Aye.”
Magnus and I lumbered to our feet. I said, “I heard that Quentin and Fraoch made it possible for us to come home?”
Quentin said, “It took us forty-three days. I fucking counted, and someday soon, you’re going to have to listen to us tell the whole story, because that shit was crazy.”
Fraoch said, “But ye said we were nae tae speak on day twenty-seven.”
“Absolutely not, we’re taking that to our grave. Maybe we shouldn’t talk about that whole middle two weeks. Definitely not in mixed company.”
We all looked at each other, awkward for a moment, then the hugging. It had taken a moment, but once we hugged, we all had to hug. I hugged Hayley and Zach and Quentin for a long time, and Beaty took a lot of photos. Then I hugged her and then Fraoch and then Hayley again. Quentin was joking with Magnus about bringing more horses for the stable that, technically, he wasn’t allowed to have. Only then did I realize... “Wait a second, what’s Fraoch doing here?”
And everyone laughed. And my eyes drew up to the boardwalk, Emma backlit by the sun, a baby in her sling. A bigger baby on her hip. I inhaled, the baby in her arms was the size Isla had been. The world felt suddenly so cruel.
“Is that?”
“Yeah, that’s Isla.”
“Yeah.” I said. I waved up at Emma with a sad smile and she waved down.
I called up, “Where are the boys?”
She said, “They’re in the house.”
I turned to Magnus. “Ready to go up?”
At the deck I said, “Hi Isla,” patting her back. She tucked her face to Emma’s shoulder and then hid her face in Emma’s hair. My throat tightened. I peeked in the sling at the baby’s face, a sweetly nursing newborn.
“She’s a beautiful baby.” I squeaked out, “Welcome to the family.” I met Emma’s eyes.
We hugged. “I’m so sorry,” she said.
“No,” I said, “no worries, thank you for all you did.” As we withdrew I let my hand trail across Isla’s little back and she burst into tears.
I supposed she got that from me, crying, even when doing so might break someone’s heart.
We walked into the house. Archie was standing at the sliding glass door, palms on the glass staring down the boardwalk. I said, “Hi Archie.”
But his eyes were full of rage and leveled on Magnus. And as Magnus came to the door he yelled, “No! No! You can’t come in!”
Magnus said, “Och little man.”
Archie tried to push the glass door closed, using all his strength, “No! No!”
Zach and Emma tried to intervene but Magnus said, “No, tis okay.”
He pulled the glass door open as Archie struggled against it. “Tis okay ye daena want me tae come in, I hae been gone a long time.”
Archie angrily shoved his legs. “No! Don’t come, no!”
Magnus said, “I dinna get a chance tae say goodbye. I am yer Da and I should hae—”
“I hate you! I hate you!” Archie shoved him and shoved him and Magnus climbed down on his knees and covered his head with his forearms and Archie hit and shoved and punched him screaming, “I hate you!” until he started sobbing.
Magnus lowered his arms. “Tis enough, Archibald Campbell, tis enough.”
Archie gave him one last faint-hearted shove.
Magnus’s face drew down. “Ye can be angry at me, but I am yer Da, and I am sorry I hurt ye. Ye canna hurt me more than I a’ready feel it. Ye can yell at me, but I was lost, and I was tryin’ tae get home, and I couldna. It was verra hard. Please daena hold it against me.”
Archie said, “I hate you.” But as he said it he climbed into Magnus’s lap and curled up sobbing.
“I am yer father, please daena hate me, I love ye and I am doin’ m’best.” And Magnus wrapped his arms around Archie and held him there in the doorway.
Ben stood farther away watching all the fuss. The two boys were so much bigger, what was Archie now, almost four? Older? I needed my calendar. I would probably need to ask Emma. I looked over at Emma sitting in a chair, nursing one baby, consoling the other.
Zach said, “Okay, great, one down. Let’s see — I’m making dinner. What do you want Magnus, Katie?”
“A Big Mac and fries?”
“How about an Angus burger, loaded with bacon and cheddar, with truffle fries, a gigantic salad with citrus, and to top it off, ice cream with all the toppings?”
I said, “You had me at Angus, and loaded, and yes to toppings, all of it.” I turned to Hayley. “And, quick thing, tough to mention without — um... Could you get me a lice treatment? Probably for Magnus too?”