Page 100 of Entangled With You

“Oh. And so what have you been doing since?” I stroked a hand down his shoulder and pulled him closer.

“I have been fighting. The first year there were so many battles, but then there was a war, on the eastern ridges, I...” He shook his head again.

I lifted his chin and looked in his eyes. “Tell me honestly, Magnus, is there something you need to tell me about?” I found his two hands and clasped them in mine. His wedding band was on his left hand, just like it had always been. “Did anything happen while you were gone?”

“Nae.” He shook his head. “Nae, Kaitlyn, I have nothing tae tell ye of. I haena strayed from my path as your husband, but, I ken something about what you…”

He put his hands on my face and kissed me long and slow and deep and — he tucked my head to his chest and held me.

After that hug I raised up and held his face in my hands and looked into his eyes.

“Tell me.”

“I lied tae ye, mo reul-iuil. I am sorry that I did. I said I had nae discovered the history of ye, but I had, and it hasna changed—” He shook his head. “When I am in the kingdom I check it every day. I canna stop checkin’ it. Tis close tae driving me mad. I daena like bein’ there because of it and it hasna changed.”

I stroked down his cheek, soothing and smoothing. “Tell me.”

“If I tell ye, it may hurt ye tae ken what is happenin’—”

“I’m a big girl. I just stormed a medieval castle with nothing but a protein bar and a vague idea that you might be here. Tell me.”

He searched my face and then said, “Ye will have a bairn with Tyler Wilson.”

“Oh.” My sad smile grew. “This is not what you think it is, my love — you have been torturing yourself about this for how long?”

“For a little over four years.”

“Oh my poor Magnus, poor wonderful Magnus, you are mistaken about it — it isn’t true⁠—”

“But tis true, tis in the history of ye.” His brow drew down. “Just because it haena happened yet — daena mean⁠—”

“So you were thinking it might be better to just let another man have me, Magnus? I truly expected you to fight harder for me.”

“I canna fight the men of your time, ye winna let me.”

“Well, yeah, with swords, but my love, in the future, I expect you to fight for me, whatever time period. And by the way, Tyler isn’t from my time period. He’s from the future. He’s your son.”

He continued to search my face.

“He came to the dock that night to help you fight those men because the first time it happened they killed me.”

“General Reyes’s men killed ye?”

There was a dawning realization on his face, but before he confused it further I added, “His name is Archie, right? That’s your son’s name?”

“Aye, but⁠—”

“To help us he used a fake name. He had a fake birth certificate, and when he left, he gave them to me, for you. So I could take you on an airplane someday. I don’t know what or how or why, but I think you might be the Tyler Wilson you’re worried about. Maybe because we need to hide you in the future. Or maybe we need to hide our baby. But that’s the truth of it, Magnus, you’ve been mistaken about it and by not telling me you’ve suffered about it for four years. So yeah,” I stroked his cheek and kissed his lips. “My future is with you and you should always tell me everything.”

“Och,” he shook his head. “Och.” He ran his hands through his hair. Then put them back around my ass, pulling me forward and close. “Tyler is my son, Archie?”

“Pretty amazing, huh? The whole thing is a lot of crazy-looping around through time. I have a diagram in my backpack that I can show you, but right now I really just want your arms around me. I don’t want to let go.” I put my arms around his head and he held me around my back. “I was so worried about you when you didn’t come home.”

“I tried, mo reul-iuil… I dinna want tae worry ye.”

“Yeah, well… I was. But now you’re in my arms. Tell me about Archie.”

“He is a wee braw lad, ye would like him verra much.”