Chapter Nine
Brodie
The past few days have been the absolute best ones of my life. Not only was there the face-melting sex and bonding with my soulmate, but Callum and I have been busy planning our ceremony.
He also took me to another museum; this one was filled with art of all kinds.
He read me all of the little plaques with the artists' names on them and we talked about what we saw and how the art made us feel.
Callum made me feel important and cherished by listening to me and taking me to places that I enjoyed.
He also started teaching me letter recognition, beginning my journey to learn to read. It would be a long process, but Callum was patient; he said we had the rest of forever to learn. He never made me feel dumb or less than, and I couldn't love him more.
Tonight, he was taking me to another very special place; a St. Andrew's Day festival in honor of the Patron Saint of Scotland.
My stomach was a ball of excitement as I sat in the front seat of Callum's SUV, and he pulled into a makeshift car park in a large field next to a street festival.
Hundreds of cars were parked around us, and people flooded toward the celebration.
"Are you ready, m'anam?" Callum asked after he unbuckled his seatbelt and stashed his keys in the sporran that was wrapped around his hips.
"I'm so excited!" I'd never been to a festival, besides the games at the coven which went horribly wrong. "But are you sure I look okay?"
For the festival, Callum bought me my very own kilt. It matched his, in green and navy blue plaid which he said was called 'Abercrombie' print. To be a 'true Scotsman' like him, I wasn't wearing anything underneath. I felt a little exposed, a little naughty, and a lot brave.
We both also wore a navy sweater, brown boots, and a black sporran. The only thing I had in mine was a pack of chewing gum; Callum offered to give me some money to carry, since he said what was his was mine, but I liked the feeling of him providing for me.
"You're stunning, Brodie. Everyone at this festival will see you and know what a kilt is supposed to look like." He always knew just what to say to quiet my nerves and make me feel beautiful. "C'mon, let's go have some fun."
He helped me from the vehicle (only taking a little peek beneath my kilt in the process) and held my hand as we walked across the grassy field.
A symphony of sounds hit my ears as we approached the cordoned off streets and the booths they held; applause and conversations from the crowds, laughter from children, and music piping in from every direction. I squeezed Callum's hand in excitement and he winked and squeezed right back.
My breath caught when we stepped into the hustle and bustle of the festival.
Dozens of canopies were set up along the streets, selling food, crafts, and trinkets, and blue flags with white Xs waved in the cool evening air as far as the eye could see.
Music sounded all around me, and I heard the steady stomp of dancers in the distance.
"What should we do first?" Callum asked with another squeeze to my fingers.
"I...I don't know." I was overwhelmed by the options and wanted to do everything.
"Are you hungry?" Callum smiled when I nodded. "Well then, there's only one clear choice." He took me to a food vendor and ordered, "Two plates of haggis with neeps and tatties, please." He passed over some cash and balanced a heaping dish in each hand as he led me to a picnic table.
"Here you go, love." He slid one of the thick foam platters in front of me, and I took a whiff of the food it held. The haggis gave an earthy, hearty smell and overpowered its side dishes.
I scooped a bite into my mouth and chewed the coarse texture, humming at its peppery flavor. "This is good," I told him around another big bite.
"I'm glad you like it." Callum removed a flask from his sporran and took a big swig of the whiskey inside. He offered it to me, and I took a tiny sip. I'd been slowly working on acquiring the taste, and it did go well with the haggis.
The potatoes were savory and buttery as I expected, but the mashed turnips were sweeter than I thought they'd be. The whole thing was delicious and I gobbled down every bite.
Callum tossed our garbage in the bin and I heaved my full belly off of the wooden bench. "I really wish that I could unbutton this kilt," I whined, making Callum laugh.
"I take it that you don't want dessert, then?"
"Wait, there's dessert?"
Callum laughed again. "There's anything you could want here, but maybe we should let our food settle for a bit."
"Fair enough; I doubt haggis would be as tasty coming back up."
He snorted before straining his neck and smiling. “They just announced that a Ceilidh exhibition will be starting soon.” I didn’t hear anything, but I also didn’t have super-sonar vampire ears. “Would you like to watch?”
“Absolutely!”
“Great; let’s go.” He took my hand again and we weaved through the horde of people until we reached a large crowd formed in a circle.
Callum wasn’t shy about nudging through the spectators and helping me to the front of the group so that I could see clearly.
He stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
To my left was a cluster of five men, all dressed in kilts similar to ours, white dress shirts, tartans and tall socks.
And each of them had a bagpipe tucked under their arm.
One of the men counted them off, and they began to play in unison.
The pipes skirled and moaned, creating a lively tune unlike I’d ever heard.
From my right emerged a large group of both men and women, all dressed in colorful kilts.
They broke off into pairs and tossed their hands in the air, kicking their feet to the beat of the song.
The men twirled the women in a circle, and then they linked together again to do a step that looked a little like skipping.
It was a beautiful thing to witness; everyone looked so happy and free as they paid tribute to their heritage.
As they danced their hearts out in front of us, Callum swayed to the tune as well, and stomped his boots to the beat.
“You know these dances,” I said, remembering what he told me on our first date.
“Aye, and this is one of my favorite songs.”
“Then you should join them!” Many other audience members were getting in on the action; the dancers had pulled a few forward, while others jumped in on their own. But I had a feeling my Callum could put them all to shame.
“I’ll go if you go.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know the steps.” As much as I wanted to dance, I didn’t want to make a wrong move or trip someone up.
“I’ll teach you.” Before I could respond, Callum pulled me into the center of the ring with the other dancers. “Put your arms up like this.” He raised his arms over his head and bowed them out so that his fingers almost touched into a perfect circle, and I copied him. “Good. Now kick to the beat!”
I mimicked his shuffle-steps, kicking my toes into the air and only laughing a little at the way my balls bounced and tickled under my kilt.
I didn’t laugh at all when I watched Callum, though; he was graceful and light on his feet, and downright sexy as his muscles bulged and shifted beneath his clothes.
I couldn’t compare to his talent, but I tried my best to do as I saw.
“Brilliant!” Callum called out with a huge smile on his face. “You’re a natural! Ready to spin?”
“ What ?” I barely got the word out when Callum grabbed my hand and spun me in fast, tight circles. The crowd blurred in front of my eyes and I laughed again, this time at the dizziness in my head and the way my stomach lurched.
The world had barely come back into focus when someone latched on to my other hand.
I looked around and saw that everyone was linked together in a large circle.
We all walked forward until the circle shrank and our stomachs almost touched the person in front of us, and then we retreated and spread back out.
The circle shifted to the right and we did the kick step again before shuffling back to the left. After a few more trips in, out and around, the music came to a halt and the dancers and crowd surrounding us all broke out into applause. Callum turned his applause on me and bowed his head.
“What did you think?” he asked over the cheers of the audience.
I was sweaty, winded, shaking from excitement, and beaming with joy. “That was incredible!” Callum leaned down to press a kiss to my forehead. “But I think I need a break.”
He chuckled and wrapped his arm around my waist to lead me out of and away from the crowd. “A break is probably a good idea; you want to be rested for the torchlight parade.”
“Ooh, what’s that?”
“Hundreds of people from the festival light flaming torches and march through the city streets. It’s a way for us to show our pride of Scotland and celebrate the patron saint.”
“That sounds so fun! Yes, I better rest up for that. Actually, I think I need to use the bathroom before I march anywhere.”
“There’s one behind you,” he replied, nodding to a small cinder block building. “How about you go take care of business and I’ll get you a hot chocolate at that food stand over there to keep you warm on the march?”
Callum blinked in surprise when I gripped his sweater and pulled him down for a kiss. For one, I was excited for hot chocolate. But mainly, I just wanted to thank him for this wonderful night and always thinking of ways to make me happy.
His eyes were dark and intense when I pulled away. I loved knowing that he was deeply affected by just a simple kiss, and that I was the only one who would ever excite him. Fate gave the best gifts.
Feeling like a sex kitten over getting my big man worked up, I shuffled off to the bathroom, making sure to put some extra swish in my hips for him to enjoy. I smiled at the low growl that I heard from behind me.