Daddy’s Kilted Friend

by Callahan, Kelli

  The gentleman we met when we arrived was Douglas Wallace, who claimed to be a direct descendant of William Wallace, the guy from the Braveheart movie. The Scottish Ale grew on me, or maybe I just enjoyed drinking with people that I actually liked—either way, I got to the bottom of my cup before I was ready to leave.

  “I’m going to get another drink.” I motioned to Chrissy’s cup. “Do you want one?”

  “Nah, I’m okay.” She held up her hand to decline my offer.

  One more drink, and then we can get back to the party at the Pi Beta Phi house. I doubt anyone has missed us, but I would like to keep it that way…

  I walked over to the booth, paid for another pint, and when I turned to head back to the bonfire, I saw a guy approaching from the opposite direction. He was tall, tanned—and so sweltering hot I felt my temperature rising the instant that his dark brown eyes focused on me. The sight of him literally took my breath away.

  He was dressed in a plaid kilt that was predominantly green with blue undertones and a black t-shirt that was really tight on his muscular frame. His left arm had beautiful ink that started above his hand and appeared to cover more of his skin than his t-shirt revealed. I took a quick sip of my ale as all thoughts of leaving evaporated in an instant.

  If his stare is any indication, he doesn’t want me to leave either…

  Chapter Two

  Lachlan

  Earlier that day

  “Get yer ass up, lad.” My uncle walked into my room and kicked the side of my bed. “We’re goin’ to be late fer the festival.”

  “Do ye think they’re gonna start without ye?” I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “Give me ten minutes.”

  “Fine…” He grunted and walked towards the door. “I’ll leave without ye if yer not ready by the time I get dressed.”

  Yeah, that’s not going to happen…

  My head fell back on the pillow, and I stared at the ceiling. I didn’t want to get out of bed, much less go to the damn festival. The only reason my uncle was so insistent that I go with him was that he knew I would win several of the Highland games and attract the attention of a few bonny lasses.

  If someone had told me I would end up being nothing more than my Uncle Douglas’ wingman when I moved back to Athens, Georgia, I might have had second thoughts about it. The job I was promised didn’t work out—the professor that was planning to retire suddenly decided that he had a few more years left in him, so my offer was rescinded right before the school year started.

  As comfortable as this bed is, Uncle Douglas hasn’t asked for much since I moved back in with him…

  We might have been running late, but I wasn’t going anywhere without a shower, so I headed to the bathroom while my uncle protested from the living room.

  The shower helped to wake me up a little bit, and a cup of coffee did the rest. To participate in the Highland games, I had to wear something that resembled traditional Scottish attire. I was proud of my heritage, but I usually didn’t wear a kilt unless I was going to a formal event—in Scotland. The last time I had put one on was for my best friend’s wedding, and he had been married for nearly three years.

  My uncle tried to get me to wear a kilt with the Clan Wallace pattern to prove that we were family, but hell would freeze over before I would put anything around my waist except for the tartan that represented Clan Kinnear.

  “Okay, I’m ready.” I walked into the kitchen and fixed a mug of coffee to take with me.

  “Why ye gotta wear that kilt.” He muttered under his breath and shook his head. “Ye know how I feel about yer father.”

  “Do ye really think the bonny lasses in Georgia can tell the difference?” I sipped my coffee and walked towards the door.

  “I can tell…” He grunted and followed me.

  My mother was a Wallace before she married a Kinnear, and I respected her family’s tartan, but that didn’t mean I was going to wear it—even if my father was a bit of a bastard at times.

  The main reason my uncle despised my father so much was that they were cut from the same cloth—and best friends until the day my mother told her family that she was pregnant.

  My parents got married two weeks after her big announcement, and that was the last time Uncle Douglas spoke of Kinnear with anything other than vitriol—outside of those that were related to him by blood.

  “I think ye can win the caber toss…” My uncle sat down in the driver’s seat and looked over at me. “Yer a big strong lad now.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure it won’t be hard to toss a few trees around.” I shrugged and nodded.

  “Can ye still throw a hammer?” He raised his eyebrows inquisitively.

  “If it’s lifting or throwing, I can do it.” I turned my head towards the window. “Just don’t expect me to dance or do any of that other bullshit.”

  Unless I’m drunk as hell…

  Even if I wasn’t looking forward to the festival, it would be a decent distraction. I certainly needed it. Nothing else in my life was headed in a positive direction. The woman I was dating while I was working on my Master’s degree—the woman I thought I was going to marry—decided that being a professor’s wife wasn’t glamorous enough for her. I told her that was what I intended to do from the beginning, but I guess she thought I would change my mind at some point.

  It certainly wasn’t easy to give up the comfortable job I had for one that paid a lot less than what I was making as a Securities Broker, but I hated working in an office building. I also hated New York—it felt like a concrete prison. Athens, Georgia, was a long way from the Highlands of Scotland, where I spent most of my youth, but it was better than New York.

  “Have ye had any luck finding a new job?” My uncle looked over at me. “Ye still thinkin’ about tryin’ to be a substitute professor or whatever?”

  “I don’t think I have that many choices.” I exhaled sharply. “The Dean at the university said he’d put in a good word for me.”

  “He should!” My uncle grunted. “He screwed ye over.”

  “It wasn’t intentional…” I sighed.

  The job was kind of a long-shot anyway. I was actually surprised when the Dean called. The one thing that gave me an edge over some of the other candidates was my work experience—the students seemed to be more responsive to professors that had real-world examples to share, especially the students that were pursuing business degrees. The fact I had been teaching some evening classes in New York while I was pursuing my Master’s degree helped as well.

  I didn’t expect to actually like standing in front of a classroom—the first time I did it, I was just doing a favor for a friend who needed someone to fill in. Education was in my blood, so maybe that was part of it. My mother taught elementary school in Scotland, which was a lot different than teaching adults, but sometimes it didn’t seem that way.

  “Aye lad, look—they already got the tavern set up.” My uncle reached over and gave me a playful nudge on my shoulder. “That’ll be my first stop.”

  “I think I’ll wait until at least noon...” My attention was drawn to the festival grounds, which was mostly deserted, except for the early birds.

  “I don’t plan to start with whiskey, lad—just a few pints of ale.” He chuckled under his breath and put the truck in park.

  It wasn’t the first time I had been to the event that my uncle organized every year—Athens Annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games. I grew up in Scotland, but after my uncle moved to America, I visited him as often as possible, which was usually during the summer months. He was the cool uncle that let me do whatever I wanted when I stayed with him.

  If my mother had ever found out that I was basically unsupervised, she would have put a stop to those visits long before I decided that I wanted to move to America and work for her brother after I graduated from high school.

  Despite not being the greatest role model when I was younger, Uncle Douglas did insist that I continue my education—he even threatened to fire me if I didn’t at leas
t take a few classes, so I was forced to enroll in college. That turned out to be the right decision because a year later, he sold his company, and the buyer didn’t want the former owner’s overpaid nephew on the payroll.

  I couldn’t really blame him. Uncle Douglas was a lot more generous with me than he should have been.

  Shortly after I finished school, I got a job offer in New York City and started the next chapter of my life. I even enrolled in school again to get my Master’s degree when the company offered to pay for it. They got a huge tax credit for having students employed at the company, and they got to write-off the expenses they spent on my education. My boss probably regretted that when it turned into a whole new career for me.

  “Alright, lad. I’ll be at the tavern if ye need me.” Uncle Douglas patted my shoulder and started walking towards it.

  If I’ve got to stay at this festival all day, maybe I really should start drinking early…

  * * *

  “Check that one out, lad. She’s been eyeing you…” Uncle Douglas tried to subtly point at a lass—it wasn’t that subtle, but I’m sure he thought it was since he was several pints in. “She’s got a sister too—a little plain, but I’m no spring chicken.”

  “Maybe ye should try not calling them plain before ye even know their name…” I shook my head and sighed.

  “I didn’t say I’d kick her arse out of bed,” he grunted and laughed under his breath.

  “I’ve resisted the tavern long enough.” I gave my uncle a wave over my shoulder as I started walking in that direction. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

  “What about the lasses?” My uncle let out a disappointed sigh, but I didn’t turn around.

  You can have them both.

  The tavern was basically just a booth set up for people to spend way too much money on alcohol. The only perk that came with being Douglas Wallace’s nephew was getting to drink for free.

  I ordered a pint and took a sip as soon as it was in my hand. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t really have a taste for traditional Scottish ale—I also wasn’t a big fan of Scotch, which was practically blasphemous to my uncle. The golden ales that were popular at most of the craft breweries on the East Coast were my drink of choice, but the pint in my hand would do—it certainly took the edge off as I got ready for the Highland games.

  “Alright, lad.” My uncle motioned to me when I walked back over to where he was standing. “Yer going to be a hero today—just like my ancestor, William Wallace.”

  “Haven’t ye worked his name into enough conversations already today?” I raised an eyebrow and sipped my ale.

  “Nay, not until I’ve told all the bonny lasses about him.” He grinned and pointed me in the direction of the first game that was about to begin.

  There wasn’t much competition at the festival, and I kind of felt bad after I won the first two games—everyone else was just there to have fun, and my uncle was treating it like he was trying to get a Super Bowl ring on my finger.

  I slacked off after the first two, and didn’t put much effort into winning—he wasn’t happy about it but seemed to cheer up once I attracted the attention he was hoping for from the lasses who were watching the games. He got to entertain them with tall-tales about his only famous ancestor—some of them weren’t even true, but I didn’t bother to correct him.

  By the time the festival started winding down, we had both collected a few phone numbers. I had no intention of dialing a single one of them. I wasn’t ready for another relationship.

  My uncle, on the other hand, had been knee-deep in single-and-ready-to-mingle mode since my aunt told him that if he moved his company to America, she wasn’t going with him. I was pretty sure that was a deciding factor in his decision to do it because they didn’t know the meaning of the word peace. I couldn’t remember a single family gathering that they made it through without fighting over something meaningless. There had been a few relationships over the years after they were officially divorced, but he really didn’t know how to treat a woman—most of them realized that fairly quickly.

  “I might see if I can catch a ride back to yer place.” I put my hands on my hips. “The festival is dying down, and yer not leaving until ye get to lock the gate.”

  “That’s nonsense, lad.” He scoffed and shook his head. “The best part of the festival is the afterparty. Grab yerself another drink—we’re going to light the bonfire as soon as the sun goes down.”

  “Okay…” I nodded and sighed.

  I doubt he’s going to be any shape to drive home, so I should probably stay until one of us sobers up.

  Most of the people left once all of the booths started closing, and the events were officially over. I hung out by the bonfire once it was lit and talked with the regulars who came to the festival every year. It was a good conversation, even if most of them were asking questions about my life in Scotland—apparently, they wanted a perspective that wasn’t intertwined with William Wallace lore. The guys that had been playing bagpipes periodically throughout the day took a break, but after a few drinks, they were right back at it.

  “Alright…” I put my empty cup down next to the log I was sitting on and stood. “I’m dying in these clothes.”

  “The festival is over, ye can change if ye want.” My uncle nodded. “I’m going to grab another drink.”

  I walked over to one of the booths and stripped down to my t-shirt and kilt, which was a lot more comfortable. I was already bored with my uncle’s stories, so I was in no hurry to get back to the bonfire. I sat down behind the booth, pulled out my phone, and started checking my email.

  More disappointment…

  It had become almost routine at that point—I didn’t expect to see anything promising. The school year was underway, and all of the teaching positions were filled, so it was unlikely that I would get a call unless I got approved as a substitute. I was still waiting on the district to finish my background check, and they wanted to be thorough, so it was going to take a while.

  I wasn’t hurting for money—that was the only good thing I had going for me. My uncle was quite wealthy after selling his company, even if he didn’t really flaunt it, and he refused to let me pay rent or help with expenses. I tried, but it became so much of a friction point that he got insulted, so I finally just dropped it.

  I made some decent investments when I was working as a Securities Broker. I didn’t have enough to retire, but I could be unemployed for a few years without feeling the pinch unless I had to get my own place. That was definitely going to be a priority once I got a job. I loved my uncle, but he didn’t quite grasp the fact that I was a grown man in my thirties who had different dreams than the lad who stayed with him after high school. Uncle Douglas was never going to grow up—that was part of why I liked hanging out with him so much when I was younger.

  I guess I should get back. Surely this party is going to wind down soon…

  I started walking back towards the bonfire and saw my uncle in what appeared to be another William Wallace tall-tale. His audience seemed to have increased by one—a redheaded lass that I would have noticed if she had been at the festival. I decided to grab one more drink since the party was clearly not winding down, and when I looked towards the booth, I saw that the redheaded lass wasn’t the only new face in our midst.

  “Damn…” I thought I was going to say that in my head, but it just came out before I even realized it.

  While I might have noticed the redheaded lass, the blonde ordering a drink was downright stunning. She had tight curls in her hair that looked natural, gorgeous curves that made me blink a couple of times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things, and when she turned around, I saw bluish-gray eyes that reminded me of home—they looked like the sky over the Highlands shortly before a storm rolled in.

  I started walking towards her before I even realized what I was doing. I didn’t want to meet her—I had to meet her. I didn’t even consider the complications that came with a relationship or the reason
s I was so hesitant to go down that road again after my last one fell apart. I just closed the distance between us without a care in the world—but my pulse was certainly racing.

  Fuck, I’m glad I didn’t leave…

  Chapter Three

  Amelia

  The music coming from the bagpipes, the conversations taking place at the campfire, and the crackling of the logs in the bonfire all seemed to be silenced at the gorgeous kilted man approached me. It was like someone had pressed pause on the rest of the world, and we were the only ones still moving—the only sounds I could hear were my heart beating in my ears, my breathing getting heavier, and his footsteps bringing him closer. Our eyes locked in a hypnotizing moment, the ones you only read about. I had never felt anything so primal. It was a force that transcended all others—a pull like I was the tide at night, and he was the moon in the sky—gravity in motion on a celestial level.

  “Can I get an ale?” His gaze diverted from mine one second before he spoke, and he turned his attention towards the bartender standing at the booth.

  “I’m Amelia.” I introduced myself as if he had asked my name instead of ordering a drink.

  “Lachlan…” He immediately refocused his attention on me once he had an ale in his hand. “I didn’t see ye at the festival earlier. Did ye just come for the bonfire?”

  Oh my god. Lachlan isn’t just wearing a kilt because of the festival—he’s Scottish too.

  “I just happened to wander by…” I looked up at him, and a smile spread across my face.

  “How fortunate.” He narrowed his eyes. “For me…”

  “I can’t stay long,” I exhaled sharply.

  “Would ye like to take a walk?” He tilted his head to the side.