“Oh.” It was my turn to stare into space searching for the right words, finding them in a meme I saw months before. “Did you know that all the cells in your body have a lifespan and they die and are replaced by new cells?”
“The cells?”
“Yes, your entire body is made up of tiny cells and those each die and new ones take their place. Our whole body is completely new every seven years.”
He pulled his head away to look at my face. “Tis true?”
“Science, maybe a little bit of myth, but that’s unimportant. What’s important is that you are what, twenty-three years old now?”
“I think I am twenty-two...”
“Oh no you don’t. You were away for a year. You do not get to stay younger while I get older. You are aging at the same rate as me. This is not some Twilight bullshit.”
His mouth turned up in the corner. “I haena any idea what ye are talkin’ about, but I will say I am twenty-three years auld.”
“My point is your body may have been originally built by Donnan and Mairead, but since then you have rebuilt yourself at least twice again.”
His eyes squinted. “Really?”
“Really. Plus, if you think about it, you pray all the time asking for help and guidance. I think God has helped to build you into this big strapping man beside me. He doesn't want you to be evil. And Zach gets some credit, he feeds you every day. How can you be evil when you’ve got Zach serving you bowls of ice cream? Your physical trainer helped your muscles get all awesomely big. Me, I got you that oxygen tank. I made you take those vitamins. I tell you cool science-y things turning you into an awesome eighteenth century geek. We should get a lot more credit than those other two evil people.”
“I haena thought of it that way.” He tucked his head into my shoulder again and kissed me on my collarbone.
“It’s a nice way to think about it right? We get to renew ourselves. Constantly shifting and changing. So don’t worry about what you might become, just become the man you are. And you’re a good man. And I love you so much.”
“And I have kept my promise tae ye?”
“With every breath.”
“Thank ye, mo reul-iuil.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I do need tae check in with the security guard.”
“Can I come with you? My heart is still racing. I don’t really want to be alone.”
Chapter 2 - Magnus
The next morning Kaitlyn was still asleep when I jumped beside her on the bed and jiggled her awake.
“Kaitlyn, wake up.”
She startled, “What — everything okay?”
“Aye, daena worry, tis just the day tae get Sunny. I am up already.”
She groaned and patted the bed beside her. “You are not up already. It’s too early for you to be up already. And definitely not because you’re going to get your horse.”
“I am standin’ afore ye, dressed. Zach will have breakfast in a moment. Ye needs be up, ye have tae drive me.”
She smiled. “Are you excited to get Sunny?”
“I am. I haena ridden for a verra long time.”
She said, I think she was teasin’, “You’ve been riding me, I’m not good enough?”
I had a memory slam intae me, Bella, sayin’ — My Magnus, are you comparing your wife to a horse?
“You arna...” Bella, in my mind, leering up at me, tryin’ tae entice me. I shook my head trying tae push the memory away. I took a deep breath. “You are more than good enough, but ye arna a horse. I need my horse. Can ye be ready soon?”
She threw the covers off sensing my urgency and went tae our bathroom to dress for our day.
Chapter 3
We parked at the end of the stables and Debbie met us to show Magnus to Sunny. It was a blustery cold day. I was bundled in a sweatshirt and a knit cap, mostly because of the wind. Magnus was wearing his kilt and a white thermal henley-style shirt. I gave him a wool scarf that was green tartan plaid.
He said, “I daena think tis cold enough for this.”
“Lean forward.” I wrapped it around his neck. “You can take it off when I’m out of sight. I need to fuss over you a bit.”
The plan was for Magnus to ride along the beach all the way to the north end.
We paid a builder to add a stable for Sunny at our house, so he could live there part time. We didn’t have the permits, but the house was situated in a way that the stable was hidden from view, plus our neighbors were short-term rentals, mostly. I was sure no one would complain, at least for a while, and we would work it out if they did.
And when I saw Magnus nuzzling his face to Sunny’s muzzle, speaking to him softly in Gaelic, I knew this had all been the right decision. Magnus was home. Our house was ready. Our lives were hidden. He needed his horse.
Soon enough his ribs would be healed and we would have to implement the next phase — rescue Quentin.
I hung out and helped Magnus a bit while he curried Sunny and saddled him up. Then I walked with him as he led Sunny down the path to the beach. “Twill nae take me long, mo reul-iuil.”
“I’m nervous.” We faced each other. “I want to come but I need to help Emma with her wedding plans and...”
“Aye,” he smoothed the hair back from my face. “We have tae learn tae breathe again, both of us. We are holdin’ our breath for what comes next.” He tilted my chin up and kissed me. “I winna be gone long.”
“Okay, definitely.” He climbed up on Sunny and looked majestic and so freaking happy that I did breathe a little better. “Have a really good ride, okay love?”
“Och aye, tis a beautiful day. I will see ye at home, mo reul-iuil.” My husband rode his favorite horse across the sand dunes to the beach and turned north.
I walked back to my waiting car and spoke to it. “Mustang, we will try our best not to let his love of Sunny make us jealous. You will always be my favorite horse.” I slid into the driver’s seat to ride home.
Chapter 4
Zach and Emma were waiting for me in the kitchen to discuss the wedding plans, though talking with them about anything these days was difficult, because every waking hour with Ben was spent corralling, redirecting, watching, scooping up, and speaking to him in caveman-style sentences. “Ben doesn’t want to put the key in the light socket, Ben wants to play blocks.” Everything in the house that was breakable had been moved to waist level. Most of the floor was strewn with toys and cardboard books.
The night before we had given Ben pots and pans to bang and then he screamed when Zach decided the pots were too loud. Magnus joked, “Tis good to be at peace in our home.” We all laughed. It was funny, but for Magnus it was also true. Even with the clamorous bang-banging of the pans this was the most peace in a long time. And for Magnus, Ben could do no wrong.
Ben was up in Emma’s sling, riding on her hip for our discussion. Zach and I sat at the kitchen counter while Emma stood beside us, rocking, dancing, swaying, passing things to Ben hoping to keep him preoccupied.
“First, where do you want to get married?” I had a notepad in front of me. They were already planning, but my own list was necessary.
Emma said, “I heard the Ocean Club does it. A beach wedding with a place for dinner if we can book it on short notice.”
“That would be perfect, we can call them next. How many guests?”
Zach said, “Us five.”
Emma huffed.
I cut my eyes at him. “Now let’s think about this, is that really the end goal here?”
“No, but that’s all that I want.”
Emma said, “By my count the number will be sixty-five guests: Immediate family, friends, some extras.”
I stuck my tongue out at Zach. “I like Emma’s number much better. So who will cater this extravaganza?”
“Me,” said Zach.
“That’s not really how it works.”
“You tell him,” Emma said, “I can’t get him to listen to me.”
I put down my pen
. “It goes without saying that you could if you wanted to, but part of being Magnus’s private chef is that you get to afford to have a wedding catered by someone else. He has a never-before-seen Picasso hanging on his wall and all he wants to do with his money is make sure his family is comfortable. You’re a part of his family.”
“There aren’t any other chefs that I want, except — okay, I’ll call someone, but I’m not happy about it.”
I grinned. “Here’s the thing, Zach, you love Emma right? You want to marry her. 100% of it is showing off to the world how much you love her and what you can provide for her. That’s the whole purpose. You aren’t supposed to have fun or even like the day much. It’s not even for you. It’s for everyone else.”
“You got married in a small wedding.”
“I didn’t have to prove anything to anybody. As a matter of fact I didn’t want anyone to know about it because the whole thing was crazy-town. You need everyone to witness your amazing wedding, because though you guys aren’t crazy-town somehow you have to prove it.”
“You’re right, I’m just being...” He reached for Emma’s hand.
I said, “So that brings me to this: Magnus and I discussed it and we have two gifts for you. You only get to take one. I’m going to tell you what they both are and you and Emma get to discuss them and tell us which one you want.”
I drew the number one on a new fresh piece of paper. “Magnus and I pay for the whole wedding, everything. At the wedding we tell everyone that Magnus paid for it all because you are his star chef and he admires you so much that he wanted to. This makes Magnus seem very wealthy and powerful and your career seem important.” I wrote ‘We Pay’ beside the number.
I wrote a two. “The second gift is Magnus and I don’t pay for the wedding, you do. And Magnus tells everyone at the party that he wanted to pay for the wedding, but you insisted because you are that kind of guy and you make plenty of money. In this one Magnus makes a speech at the reception about how much he admires you and it brings everyone to tears.” I wrote ‘Big Speech.’
I added, “I don’t know who I’m kidding though, Magnus is going to make a giant speech no matter what. He may cry too, so be ready. He’s such a romantic.” My eyes moved across the room to the tv. The weather channel flickered large on the main wall, the satellite imagery was clear.
Emma and Zach met eyes. Emma said, “We already discussed this. We didn’t really come to an agreement, but I’m playing the Bride Card so I win. I think, if it’s really okay, that Magnus should pay for the wedding. Nobody believes anything we say in regard to Zach’s worth, hopefully they’ll listen to Magnus on it.”
I glanced at Zach. He looked surly.
I patted the back of his hand. “This is a gift. Magnus and I want to do this. This is not you asking, or needing, or because you can’t do it. This is us giving you something and you can’t turn us down.”
“Fine.”
“So we should call about the rental, go ahead and set the date.”
Emma said, “What about Quentin, should we wait for him to come home?”
“I really don’t think you should wait. You know what Quentin would say? He would say, 'It’s about time.'” We’ll go get him soon and we can celebrate it together, but he won’t mind that you got married when you had the chance. Let’s book it the earliest we can. Preferably before Magnus’s ribs heal all the way, because once they do we’ll need to begin planning our return to the past in earnest.”
Emma said, “Okay, perfect. I’ll call to book the space.” While we had been talking, she raised her shirt to nurse Ben and was gently rocking him back and forth in the sling. I smiled at him as his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell asleep suckling right in the middle of our conversation.
“It’s pretty amazing how that kid can go from a hundred to zero in three seconds.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Chapter 5
Magnus came home. I knew he would. Mostly. But I was also really nervous that he wouldn’t. I was watching through the French doors in our bedroom and as soon as I saw him I raced down the boardwalk to the beach and arrived at the dunes breathless and over-excited. “You made it. And please don’t think I was being overly needy by watching for you.”
“Twas necessary, for many miles I was considerin’ ye might be lost tae me again.”
“So we are a fine mess, huh? Freaking out when we’re apart, freaking out when we’re together?”
“Aye. Better tae do it together.” He dropped from Sunny’s back.
“How was your ride?”
“Twas beautiful. Walk with me to the stable?”
“You haven’t asked me that since 1703.” I grinned.
* * *
That night’s dinner was pasta Puttanesca, a meal Zach hadn’t made in forever. Magnus talked about his day, the wind on the ocean, the houses he had seen. He asked us about Main Beach and the round house he passed. Zach and I did our best to explain how solar panels worked. He had seen them on a roof as he passed, but all the concepts were so foreign that our explanation got pretty silly, until we finally came up with “it’s magic.”
He shrugged. “It makes more sense that the sun’s heat would warm us, than the wee holes in the wall.” He pointed to the electrical socket. We agreed without mentioning that solar power also powered those “wee holes.” He also asked about the palm trees and we had to google whether they were indigenous. We had such a nice dinner, talking and laughing and teaching Magnus about his small piece of the modern world.
It reminded me of those first days with Magnus, getting to know him, showing him the Island, falling in love. The scent of the sauce and the memories of that time, all conspired, causing me to feel like I was falling in love all over again.
Chapter 6
Thanksgiving was upon us and our chosen family was pulled in different directions. Zach and Emma and Ben planned to eat with Zach’s family, joining Hayley and Michael. My mom and dad were the only parents who had other plans: a cruise they booked, which was absolutely fine by me. Someone needed to eat with my grandmother, also fine by me.
Magnus and I were invited to come after to the Greenes to eat with Zach’s parents, but ultimately Zach was bummed he didn’t get to cook. We made a deal, we would all eat early at other places, apart, and Zach would cook us our own Thanksgiving dinner together at about seven.
When we woke up that morning and I was putting on mascara, one eye closed, winking at the mirror, I asked, “Magnus, are you ready?”
“For the feast?”
“Not a feast, the biggest feast of the year, American-style. Wait until you try Green Bean Casserole — Zach is going to make it full of organic beans and portobello mushrooms and other things I couldn’t talk him out of, but at Grandma’s home they’re sure to have the one from cans. We’ll eat both and convene back here tonight to decide which one we liked better.”
“I canna believe we are goin’ tae have two feasts.”
“Two turkeys, two big piles of potatoes, so much gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, any of this sound familiar?”
He grinned, “Tatties.”
“Oh man, we are going to have so much fun.”
* * *
The first part wasn’t very fun. Grandma was loopy and confused the whole time. At one point in the lunch she startled at the sight of Magnus who had been there the whole time. “Who are you? Why are you here? You’re so big you’re terrifying me.”
“Barb, I am married tae your granddaughter Katie. I am Magnus, you and I are auld friends.”
She eyed us suspiciously and ate quietly.
It broke my heart a little and my heart wasn’t wanting to be broken anymore. I tried to be cheery. I laughed it off and we talked about the food. I chit-chatted about the waiters we liked and the chef, and I asked her questions about her yoga class.
Magnus ate, but our eyes met over our plates. A wordless conversation — This is hard. Aye. She doesn’t know me. Tis verra difficult — I tol
d her all about the wedding plans but in many ways she wasn’t really listening. And the food was delicious but really just another lunch because the conversation weighed it down.
On the way home, driving Magnus in the Mustang he held my hand and we talked about the Green Bean Casserole and the potatoes and then he asked, “Dost ye want tae talk of your grandmother?”
“No, not really. Not today. Today is for feasts and thankfulness. I’m filled with gratitude for all the years I have had with her, all the conversations, all the wise words. That’s what I want to focus on. I’m thankful for you, too.”
“I haena any idea why. I ate my tatties and tried nae tae scare her with my presence.”
“Your fortune makes it so she is taken care of, close by, and I can share meals with her. So thank you.”
“You’re welcome, mo reul-iuil. I am glad tae bring her comfort.”
I whacked my hand down on his bare knee, sprawled in the passenger seat, looking sexy under his kilt. “So, love of my life, now you and I are going to go for a long walk on the beach, maybe a nap, and we’ll be ready for feast number two, Chef Zach’s extravaganza!”
* * *
Zach’s feast was amazing. The turkey was moist and seasoned with rosemary. The potatoes were fluffed with so much dairy that they were all I wanted to eat. The stuffing was crusty on the edges, but moist in the middle and the gravy drizzled over it was amazing and not gravy from cans either. This was gravy from the drippings as Zach pointed out incredulously when I asked. Also, Magnus thought Zach’s Green Bean Casserole was much better. I wasn’t sure, but I let Magnus win this one to make both of these important men in my life happy.
At my request there was even a can of cranberry sauce, plopped onto a plate, still in the form of the can. Because, as Zach grumbled, I was hopeless.
Entangled With You Page 2
