Page 78

And then a vision hit her. Him and her, giggling, gliding, loving under her silky sheets, in a room filled with golden light, with the Highlands peeking from behind the window.

“’Tis me, lass,” he whispered. “I finally found ye, my beloved bride. I heard a song that sounded familiar…and followed the music.”

“Familiar? It’s your ballad.”

He chuckled. “It doesna belong to me anymore. I’ll tell ye later. I found ye, lass. I found ye. It was all worth it.”

He leaned down and kissed her, filling her with the clean taste of his mouth and smelling like the fresh air of the Highlands. Every fear and every doubt she had melted into that golden light. This had been an adventure that had changed her, that had made her stronger, and now that she was heading into the life she wanted, the only thing she wanted was to share it with the man she loved.

And now that he had found her here, had done something they’d both thought was impossible, she knew that whatever would come their way, they would sing the song of their life together.

Difficult and joyful, adventurous and challenging, it would be the song of a life truly lived.

Epilogue

One year later…

The iron dragon, otherwise known as an airplane, shook and rattled as it dashed forward gaining speed. Raghnall’s stomach dropped as the engines whirred and roared louder and louder. When he didn’t think it could get any worse, the dragon lifted into the sky, and the ground, the trees, and the airport buildings were disappearing off into the distance.

Sitting next to him, Bryanna squeezed his tight fist on his lap. “You’re flying,” she whispered, beaming.

Sweat streaming down his back, he nodded, still staring out the window, both terrified and unable to look away. Tiny houses, the threads of roads and trees that looked like green curls slowly moved beneath. “Aye, lass. See what I’m ready to do for ye. I still canna believe ye talked me into getting into this iron dragon,” he grumbled as he opened his fingers and squeezed her hand and turned to her. “I’m a madman with a death wish.”

Her green eyes sparkled as she smiled. “Well, you wouldn’t let me go home alone, so…”

He leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. “Never. Whether ’tis distance I must cross or time, there’s nothing I wouldna do for ye.”

They’d spent the last year in Scotland, adjusting to life in the twenty-first century. Bryanna had been working on making something that was absolutely essential in this century—personal identification documents.

God’s bones, the number of unnecessary long words in this century was astounding…

But now that he was officially a citizen of the United Kingdom, he could leave the country and cross the ocean to go see Bryanna’s mother and sister again. Now that they’d also been officially married in this century, Bryanna wanted to show him where she came from and he wanted to talk to his mother- and sister-in-law and reconcile with them. They hadn’t had the best start last year, and he knew it was important to Bryanna that he and her family got along.

Time was carefully measured and managed in this century. Everyone knew exactly what time it was, and although it was odd to him, he had learned to do that as well. So after ten impossibly long hours later, Bryanna and he finally stepped on the firm ground.

“Welcome to the United States of America,” she whispered as they walked through another glass-and-concrete building…O’Hare International Airport.

“Thanks, lass. I am walking on ground that no Scotsman of my time ever walked on.”

She giggled.

They got their luggage and walked out into the arrivals area. Raghnall knew Bryanna was nervous as her palm became cold and a wee bit sweaty in his hand. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, kissing her temple. “’Tis all right, lass. Nae matter what happens, I’m yers and ye’re mine, and ’tis everything I wanted.”

Then they saw them among the crowd of people. Bryanna’s mother had a different hair color…blond! And her sister held the hand of a short, handsome man. Kris waved to Bryanna enthusiastically. Her mother’s creased forehead relaxed as she spotted Bryanna and him, and she beamed and waved as well.

Bryanna let go of Raghnall and hurried to her loved ones, falling into their group embrace. Raghnall slowly approached them, giving them time to reconcile. Tears of joy streamed from her mother’s and her sister’s eyes, and he knew Bryanna was crying, too. After spending every day of her life in her mother’s company, she hadn’t seen her for a whole year, and he knew how a family reunion would feel.

When he’d returned home to Eilean Donan, his own heart had squeezed and lurched. And now that he knew he’d never see his clan again, part of him missed it—the sense of community, knowing there were people who’d have his back no matter what.

Bryanna was his clan now. He hoped her mother and sister would become part of it, too.

When they broke the embrace and everyone turned to him, he gave a polite nod to Pamela and Kris.

“Hello, Raghnall,” said Pam, giving him a small, careful smile. “It’s nice to see you again. Congratulations on your success.”

“’Tis nae my success. ’Tis Bryanna’s. Without her, none of this would have been possible.”

It was his ballad, aye, that became so popular, but it was Bryanna who had adapted the music to fit the modern style, Bryanna who had rewritten the lyrics into modern English and expanded them into a full song, and Bryanna who had made the connection with Jessica and her band…which had become their band. It was Bryanna who had started their social media channels, which went viral after several months. She’d been their spokesperson when a recording label had approached them after they’d heard them in an Edinburgh pub, and she’d negotiated and managed their rights and the money and all their appearances since.