Chapter Three
Walking down the stairs in the plaid of the clan, Alyssa held her head high. She was marrying a stranger, just as Heather and Holli had done before her. She was marrying her best friend’s son, but that best friend was younger than her, and her son appeared older. Oh, it was too much to think about.
She stopped in front of the man she had to assume was the priest, dressed unlike anyone else in the room in a white robe with a belt around his waist. Kendrick turned to her and smiled, and she wondered if she should really be marrying a man who was twice her size.
She said all the right things at the right times, but it felt like she was sludging through mud the entire time. It was all so slow and strange.
When Kendrick was told to kiss her, he held nothing back. Lifting her by her waist and kissing her passionately in front of all the people there. And it seemed as if at least half the clan was there.
After Alyssa was back on her feet, she felt people surrounding her, hugging her, and welcoming her to the clan. The hugs triggered a memory that clan was the old Gaelic word for children. Yes, this was a big happy family.
Beth hugged her tightly. “It’s nice to have another one of us around. Thank you for bringing meCandy Crush, even though it upsets my husband.”
Alyssa giggled. “I just put a ton of games on all the devices I brought. I knew someone would want to play.”
“How many devices did you bring?” Beth asked, her eyes wide.
“No idea. We had a big drawerful. Every time I saw someone give a phone away on Facebook Marketplace, I’dsnatch it up. Then I’d delete everything off it and fill it with books and games. I brought my whole collection.”
Beth grinned. “I’m going to haveCandy Crushfor a long time!”
Alyssa nodded. “You just won’t be able to save your information and transfer it to the next phone.”
“Who cares? It gets so hard after a certain point; I would rather go back and start over.” Beth shrugged. “Seriously, though. Welcome to the family. It’s good to see my grandsons happy.”
“Do you have granddaughters?” Alyssa asked, wanting to know if there was truly any hope for her to have a girl.
“I do. Many of them. And you’ll have as good of a chance as anyone of having girls.”
“Thank you for reassuring me,” Alyssa said. “Do I hide my accent?”
Beth shook her head. “No, half the clan has an American accent at this point. Or should I say, American accent mixed with a Highland brogue.”
“Well, that certainly makes things easier for me. It’s strange to feel like I’m already part of things, even though I’m not. I guess it helps to have other people who have travelled in the same way I have here.”
Beth nodded. “You wouldn’t believe how happy I was to see Heather. And Holli. And now you. Sometimes you just need to speak with a modern woman to be understood completely.”
“I agree with that. I’m glad there’s a group of four of us now.”
“Your life will be different from ours. We’ve all held the title Lady McClain, and we’ve lived in the keep. Is it going to bother you not being married to the laird? I think that’s what the rest of us wanted.”
Alyssa smiled. “I’m not outgoing enough to be married to the laird of a clan. I’m more the supporting character, rather than a heroine.”
Beth nodded. “We all need those, don’t we?”
“Well, you can be the supporting character in my romance.”
Beth laughed. “Aren’t we always supporting characters in other people’s books?” With a hug, Beth was off, mingling with the clansmen there for the wedding and feast.
Kendrick joined her then, his arm going around Alyssa’s waist automatically. “Did you enjoy your talk with Grandmother?”
“Believe it or not, I did,” Alyssa said. “I think she and I were born in the same year.”
Kendrick frowned. “That makes no sense.”
“Your mother is a yearyoungerthan me.” Alyssa watched his face for surprise.
“This time travel thing you all do gets very confusing after a while, doesn’t it?”
