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Well…except when he was with her.

Colin had been accepted onto the school’s soccer team as a striker, and after the school won their first game thanks to his goal, he’d quickly gained more friends on his soccer team. That had made him happier, of course, and Marjorie, too.

Colin looked back at Mark. “Now, Uncle?”

Mark nodded to him and winked conspiratorially. Colin came to him, and Mark handed him something. When Colin turned back to her, a white bouquet with a tartan ribbon stole her breath away.

“Something blue,” Mark said. “And new.”

Colin brought her the bouquet, and when Marjorie took it in her hands, she felt something else there: a box attached to a string that held the bouquet together. She opened it and gasped. An elegant diamond necklace sparkled there.

“No, Mark!” she said. “’Tis too much.”

“It’s actually not from me,” he said.

Helen clasped her hands. “It’s only borrowed, Marjie. And it’s old, I bought it at an auction. I have more money from my paintings than I can ever need, and I want to spoil you. I’m so lucky I have Konnor, but I’ve always wished for a daughter.”

Marjorie shook her head. “Nae, I canna.”

“You’ll give it back afterwards. Let me do this for you. Please?”

Marjorie sighed. Her clan had never been rich, and no one had ever spoiled her with anything, not because her father didn’t love her, but simply because they hadn’t been wealthy. Everything in the twenty-first century seemed luxurious to her. Miraculous machines that washed dishes and laundry, audio systems that played music, cars—the iron carriages that drove themselves, the vacuum cleaner that swiped and cleaned… Not to mention airplanes. Everything was cleaner than anything she’d been used to, except the air. It had taken her a while to get used to the constant scent of burned metal that hung in the air in Los Angeles. Konnor told her it was the air pollution.

“Thank ye, Helen.” She took it out. “I dinna want to offend ye, but ye dinna need to do this to care for me. Yer love and acceptance is everything I’ve ever wanted in a mother-in-law.”

Helen wiped a tear and came to her. “Here, let me help you, honey.” She took out the necklace and put it on Marjorie’s neck. It sparkled like stardust on her dress.

“’Tis wonderful. Thank ye.”

“You’re so welcome, sweetheart.”

A knock sounded at the door, and Gina, the wedding organizer looked into the room. “We’re ready for you, Marjorie. The groom is awfully handsome and waiting for you.”

Finally, she could go and marry Konnor.

When she and Colin had traveled in time and met with Konnor, he’d taken them to a hotel in Edinburgh. Both Marjorie and Colin had been completely overwhelmed by the future. The train, the houses, the car, the noise of the city, the amount of people, the scents, the lights, the buildings with huge windows.

They’d stayed in Edinburgh for a few weeks, and Konnor had helped Marjorie and Colin to slowly adjust to their new lives. One of the challenges had been creating documents for Marjorie and Colin. Konnor had taken care of that. She didn’t really know how exactly he’d done it, but it had involved a lot of coin, hiring someone called a “hacker”, something called “the dark net”, and waiting for passports to arrive. The most difficult thing, apparently, had been to keep their real names and make it so that Colin was still Marjorie’s son even in the twenty-first century.

The flight to Los Angeles had been the scariest thing she’d ever done in her life. Konnor had held Marjorie’s cold, sweaty left hand, and she’d poured one whiskey after another down her throat, murmuring about why was it worth it to cross hundreds of years only to die in a giant iron dragon-like carriage that could fly. Colin had had the best time of his life, watching the crystal-blue sky and snow-white clouds passing by in the window with huge, excited eyes.

But they’d made it, and Marjorie had no intention to sit on a plane ever again.

All she needed now was to walk outside together with her son to find everything she ever wanted in her future—Konnor Mitchell.

Marjorie nodded to Gina. “Aye. I’m coming.” She bit her lip, containing the burst of excitement in her heart. She looked around at her new family, thinking of her old one—her father, Craig, Owen, Domhnall, and Ian, and of her friend Tamhas, and Malcolm, and Muir, and Isbeil, and everyone she knew from Glenkeld. She knew even if they weren’t here physically, they were with her in spirit.

“Let’s go,” she said and hooked her hand through Colin’s arm.

He was walking her down the aisle.

They descended the beautiful stairs down to the ground floor and went through a grand foyer with wooden paneling and paintings of the Highlands. They walked out into the open air and the green meadow facing the ocean. Bagpipes started playing “Highland Wedding” when she appeared, and the guests stood from the rows of chairs and faced her. There were friends of the Mitchell family, including Konnor’s best friend, Andy, with his wife and daughter. Konnor’s Aunt Tabitha was there with her family. Mark’s three children were also there, as well as other more distant relatives Marjorie hadn’t meet yet. Then there were her own friends.

Six months ago, she opened a sword-fighting school. Her students were kind and interested in her. They could probably also be what Konnor called nerds, and though Marjorie knew some people considered nerds boring, she loved them. They were the ones she could talk to the most. People who loved history and sword-fighting and medieval culture. Many of her students had become her friends, and she loved spending time with them.

Then she saw the man she loved at the end of the aisle. He was wearing a Campbell kilt and a tuxedo jacket, and the happiness in her chest truly bloomed, swirling inside of her in a tornado of bubbles. He stood watching her with such a glowing expression, as though everything he’d ever wanted had come true. As though he finally understood the meaning of life. As though he was finally happy.

Colin walked her down the aisle towards an arch made of white roses. When they reached the small white platform, Marjorie gave Colin her bouquet, kissed him on the cheek, and joined Konnor on the platform. His blue eyes shone brighter than the sky under his long eyelashes. Her heart squeezed in her chest at how handsome he was, and how solemn at the same time. He was so tall and broad shouldered, and something about him wearing the kilt made her stomach flip in the most delicious way. There was a sprig of white heather in his buttonhole, a Scottish tradition for good luck.