Chapter 24
The steady patter of raindrops echoed on the awning, the perfect accompaniment to her gloomy mood, as Daisy, dressed in a pair of cutoff denim shorts, and a plan black tee, sat next to Callan in the comfortable camp chair, watching the storm move across the ocean.
The air was thick with the scent of wet earth and the distant crash of the waves against the shore.
Her heart thumped as she turned to face him, her hands trembling slightly as she reached for his.
She took a deep breath, gathering her courage.
It was time. Daisy had spent days sorting through her emotions and the events of the past as they danced around each other, polite but each lost in their own thoughts.
It was time to finally confront the fears that had nearly cost her everything.
“Even though I wanted to believe you were from the past, I doubted you at every turn, letting events from my past take over my present. And I almost lost you because of it.”
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she met his gaze.
“I know now that not only are you from the past, hard as that is to believe, you’re not like the others who left. You would never leave me to go off on an adventure.” She blew her nose. “You’d take me with you, as you’ve done on this trip. You’re a good man, Callan. The best man I’ve ever known.”
She reached into the pocket on the chair, pulling out the white bag. With shaking fingers, she handed it to him. When he opened it, he saw the white box with the sleek new smartphone.
“I bought this for you,” she said softly. “I was hoping, maybe, you’d consider carrying it with you? That way, if old fears get the best of me, I could text you. Just to check in and say hi, to remind myself that you’re still here, that you’re not going anywhere.”
Daisy bit her lip, searching his face for a reaction, knowing it was a gamble.
“I’m working on overcoming my fears. But there might still be moments, at least for a while, where they get the best of me. I... I need you to be patient with me and tell me when I’m overreacting. What do you think?”
Her heart hammered in her chest as she waited for his response.
He set the phone on the table between them, then lifted her out of the chair, settling her on his lap, his embrace warm and solid, her anchor.
“Aye, my love,” he murmured into her hair, his voice low and soothing. “I’ll carry this wee phone with me. In truth, ’tis past time I had one. I’m not going anywhere. I vow it.”
“Thank you. I’ll add you to my plan, at least until we can get your legal status taken care of.” Relief flooded through her as she melted into his arms, the last of her doubts washed away by the rain and his vow.
Callan gently disentangled himself from her embrace, the gray tee stretching across his muscled arms. “I have something for ye as well.”
Moments later, he emerged from the van with a small package wrapped in a brightly colored scarf.
“I saw this scarf at a shop in Salem and thought of ye,” he said, pressing the package into her hands. “I thought mayhap you could use it to tie back your bonny hair when the wind blows.”
“It’s beautiful.” She touched the fabric, admiring the vibrant colors before unknotting the ends of the package. Her breath caught in her throat as a delicate charm bracelet tumbled into her palm, charms glinting in the muted light.
“Callan,” she breathed, her eyes widening. “It’s beautiful. Where did you...?”
He ducked his head, a boyish grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I’ve been collecting the charms as we’ve traveled, lass. A reminder of all the places we’ve been together.”
As she admired the bracelet, he pointed to each charm.
“This one, the teacup, is from when we first met in Boston. And here, the Constitution, from our visit to the ship. The Lincoln Memorial, the Statue of Liberty...”
Tears blurred her vision as she listened, knowing how much he cared that he took the time to pick out a charm at each place they’d visited together.
With that simple, thoughtful gift, the rest of her fears receded, and in time she thought they would finally vanish, leaving behind a faint scar that no longer hurt.
“The sand dollar,” Callan finished softly, “is for Holden Beach. For the place where I finally found the courage to tell ye how much ye mean to me. I love ye, lass.”
“I love you, too. More than anything in the world.” Daisy threw her arms around him, the bracelet clutched tight in her hand as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
The afternoon sun peeked through the clouds as they strolled along the beach, the damp sand cool beneath their feet.
They had just returned from looking at a rental house, Daisy chattering away about all the possibilities for the future.
’Twas good to have his lass back. Drake told Callan he would save himself a great deal of trouble if he learned to talk to his lass, not to stay quiet when something bothered him. Callan would remember.
Halfway down the beach, the skies darkened, clouds rolling in, and the winds kicked up, swirling around them as she held tight to his arm, the ends of the scarf she’d tied around her hair blowing into her face. The sea turned angry, waves crashing against the shore with a deafening boom.
What made him look to the water’s edge, Callan couldn’t say, almost wished he had kept his gaze firmly on the sky, but there it was, a glint in the water.
He stooped, his jeans soaked to mid-calf, fingers closing around a small, cold object. As he straightened, his face blanched, the color draining from his cheeks. In his palm lay an old coin, the markings unmistakable—’twas from his own time.
The air crackled with energy, an unseen force tugged at his very being, beckoning him back to the 14th century, back to where he belonged.
Memories of his first journey through time flooded his thoughts. The disorientation, the fear, the sense of being ripped from everything he knew.
But this time ’twas different. For instead of darkness and silence, Callan found himself at a crossroads. The choice was his to make.
Return to his own time, to Blackford Castle and his newfound brother where he could build a life, the past a familiar comfort.
Or he could stay, in this odd and wondrous future with Daisy, the woman who had captured his heart and shown him the true meaning of home.
She was his family. All he needed in this world.
When he blinked, the clouds had vanished, sun shining down upon them, as a gentle breeze touched his skin.
Daisy’s face was pale as she watched him with wide eyes, trembling.
“Callan, you... you faded. I watched you disappear. But you’re still here. What happened?”
When he turned to embrace her, the coin fell, forgotten, carried away by the gentle waves, as he swept her up in his arms.
“I had to choose. Stay here or go back.” He held her tighter, feeling the panic running through her.
“You are my home. My family. I love ye, Daisy, and I will until my dying breath.”
Without another word, Callan leaned in slowly, his eyes never leaving hers, the two of them drawn together by an unbreakable thread. The world seemed to hold its breath as their lips met, the kiss tender and filled with a promise of something deeper.
The sensation was overwhelming. The last of the terror faded away, replaced with excitement and anticipation as Callan looked at her as if she were the most precious thing in all the world.
He pulled her closer, holding her in his arms as if she weighed no more than a feather. Then his lips met hers, warm and soft, the taste of the sea on his skin, the steady beat of his heart beneath her palm.
Daisy felt as if she were melting into him, the kiss deepening as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer. The world around them faded. They were together.
He chose her. Nothing else mattered.
When they finally broke apart, she was glad to see he was as breathless as she as they stood there, waves whispering their secrets at their feet.
Soon the sounds of people returning to the beach after the storm had them blinking, coming back to the present as he smiled at her, gently setting her on her feet.
Hand in hand, they turned away from the ocean, their steps sure and steady as they made their way back to the camper van, back to the life they had created together.
The fates had offered Callan a choice, and he made it without hesitation. His future, his heart, belonged here, with her, forevermore.