Page 138 of Promises to Keep

“I love him so much! Do you see? He is so perfect.”

Magnus pressed his lips to my cheek and nudged my lips up to meet his mouth. He kissed me and then drew away. “I will go find the bairns and bring them tae see their brother.”

I joked, “While I deliver the placenta!”

Emma said, “Fun!”

CHAPTER 65 - KAITLYN

The children crept into the room, their eyes full of awe, and stood at the edge of the bed to look at the baby. I said, “Let me see your hands.” Isla and Archie put their hands out. “Go wash your hands and then come and meet the baby.”

They ran to the bowl and Emma oversaw them washing their hands, then they returned and I patted the sides of me. “Climb up.” Isla curled up so that she could kiss the baby’s head, and Archie could hold his hand.

I said, my voice a whisper, a fire crackling on the hearth, the sun lowering, “This is your brother.”

Isla said, “A brother?” Her voice was full of awe. She kissed his head and said, “I always wanted a baby brother.”

Archie said, “Me too.”

Magnus sat down beside Archie and looked lovingly down on the new bairn and I had, yet again, happy tears rolling down my face.

Archie said, his hand looking like a big-boy hand clasped around the newborn’s fingers. “What’s his name?”

I looked at Magnus. “I don’t know, it’s been — I didn’t really believe I was pregnant, so I didn’t really…”

Magnus said, “I want tae call him Jack, after yer grandfather.”

“Oh.” I met his eyes. “Oh, I would really like that.”

Magnus said, “Good, it’s a strong name and it means he is named after a good man.”

I said, “But it’s also a variant of John, are you okay with naming your second son after the Johns you know — the Earl for one, my father for another?”

He said, “My stepfather as well, but this is because it is a common name, we canna hold any man against the name — we will call him Jack, and we will ken he was named for yer grandfather. Tis a good name. Then we need another fine name tae add tae it.”

Isla said, “Spider-Man!”

I giggled, “You want to name your baby brother Jack Spider-Man Campbell? Well, there are no bad ideas, we’ll put that on the list.”

Magnus said, “How about John Duncan Campbell and we will call him Jack. Duncan was the Campbell who built all of our best castles, so he seems a good strong name for the builder of walls.”

I thought about how I had once upon a time nursed the Duncan who had built those Campbell castles and smiled, “You do like high strong walls.”

Isla said, “Spider-Man climbs walls!”

We all laughed.

I grew tired and so Magnus shooed the kids from the room.

* * *

I slept for a bit, curled around the baby, nursing and dazedly sleeping, then I heard voices from the other room, Magnus speaking to Lizbeth and Sean.

Lizbeth’s voice, “I just want ye tae ken, Magnus, ye are wrong in this…”

Sean said, “Careful Lizbeth, ye are out of line.”

“Nae, I am nae, I am advisin’ him, as is m’way. I hae heard him make promise after promise and I am worried on him…”

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