ONE
“Attention all British Airways passengers…please have your tickets ready for check-in. We will begin boarding your flight to London Heathrow in approximately ten minutes. Thank you for flying British Airways.”
Laura ‘Red’ Pratt and Lindsey ‘Ice’ Raso both sighed deeply as they stood up from their seats. Raso and Pratt gathered Ryleigh, Cody and Ty as both women shook their heads, trying to hide the smile on their faces at their husbands.
Both Joe ‘Highlander’ and Marcus ‘Pats’ MacLeod were standing talking to each other with a baby harness on their chest. Both men carried the newest editions to the MacLeod clan. Highlander had his youngest son, Will, hand in his while patting his newborn daughter, Aurora, on her back. Marcus was swaying side to side slightly as he patted his newborn daughter, Arabella ‘Bella’ on her back as well.
Both newborn girls were given their names by Ryleigh, the first-born MacLeod daughter to Highlander. Since she had started calling the babies those names while the mothers were still pregnant with them, the names stuck and neither Pratt nor Raso had the heart to break Ryleigh’s heart in calling the newborns something different. Luckily for both women, the names were also of Scottish origin since that’s what they were going for in names.
Pratt and Raso had to laugh when Pratt’s oldest son, Cody, from a previous marriage groaned and faked puking as he saw several women ogle his dad and uncle. As a young kid, he just didn’t see what the big deal was with them being hands on dads. He was used to it, yet it tended to be an aphrodisiac for women all around to see a man holding a baby as if it was normal.
“Hey stud muffins, we start loading in a few moments, wanna swagger your way back this way with the horde?” Pratt asked, trying hard, but failed at hiding her smirk from her husband.
Highlander walked over to Pratt, grabbing her with his free hand and pulling her in for a kiss, then chuckling against her lips when he heard their three kids groaning in complaint.
“I can’t wait til we get to grandmum and grandda’s. I don’t have to see that gross stuff.” Little Will griped to Cody, gagging.
“Actually, lad, ye will have to see that ‘gross stuff’ because ye grandmum and grandda do it too. Trust me, I’ve seen it plenty of times. They are worse than ye mum and da are.” Marucs replied, stepping to the side as his brother tried to smack his arm. “Hey watch it! I have a baby on my chest!”
“Which is why he hit the arm, not the face like he wanted to.” Pratt replied, leaning in and giving her husband another kiss. “I hate the fact I won’t be sitting next to you, but at least I’ll have you to myself for a whole week when we get there.”
“Aye. Mum and da are excited to watch their grandchildren for a whole week that da actually paid for both sets of parents to be gone for the week to get their official honeymoon in Scotland.” Highlander smiled down at Pratt, winking.
“Did he have to send us to Edinburgh though?” Raso asked, leaning into her husband, rubbing his back as she looked over at her daughter.
“Cool, Cody and I will get to have some fun on the farm helping grandpa out.” Ty cheered, getting a high five from Cody.
All four adults chuckled as they shook their heads. Looking at each other with knowing looks, they decided to let the boys figure it out the hard way what exactly that entailed. Highlander and Marcus both knew what it entailed since they did the same thing once their father retired from the military. Despite their parents having twenty children, there was always something for them to do around the farm, and they each have agreed that their parents, as strict as they were, made them into the person they are today.
Only the males in the family were required to join the military for a minimum of four years or college while the girls were required to go to college. Of the twenty children, five went straight to college and the rest joined the military. Highlander, Marcus, their older brothers Mike and Bryson all moved to the United States after high school, attended college in the US and joined the US military. One sister, Kaitelyne also moved to the US, following in her brother’s footsteps by going to college and joining the US military. Five other brothers, three still active duty, all joined the British Military, then going SAS like their father.
“Da is making sure it’s not easy for us to sneak back to the house and steal their time with the grandkids.” Marcus laughed, kissing Raso on the top of her head, his free arm wrapped around her.
“I mean, they have other grandkids, doesn’t at least four of your other siblings have kids?” Raso asked, looking between the two men.
“Aye, that they do. Not counting our wee ones, mum and da have six other grandkids between those four siblings and still want more.” Marcus answered Raso, chuckling at her look.
“Just so ye lasses know, mum and da are havingallthe grandkids for the week while we are in town. We are not the only ones getting away for the week. What mum and da don’t know, we will have to tell ye when young ears are not around.” Highlander winked at the two women, who looked at each other with suspicion in their eyes.
“Why can’t you say it in front of us, dad?” Cody asked, looking at Highlander in confusion.
“Because son, while ye wouldn’t say anything, ye siblings might say something not realizing it’s a secret.” Highlander gently told Cody, who just nodded in understanding.
“Sure you’re ok with Will and Ari sitting with you babe?” Pratt asked her husband, rubbing the baby’s head before placing a quick kiss on her sleeping face.
“Aye, lass. If she gets too fussy or hungry, I’ll bring her to ye. I’ll only be a row away. Ye will get me to yourself for a whole week, something I’m really looking forward to myself. It’s been too long since it’s just been the two of us.”
Highlander and Marcus gave their wives a quick kiss before heading to the check-in clerk when the announcement came for them to board the plane. Highlander and Marcus were sitting with the babies on their chests, Will, Cody and Ty, while Pratt and Raso were sitting together with Ryleigh.
Pratt was afraid that Ryleigh, being a daddy’s girl, would have thrown a fit to sit with her father and the boys, but instead, she was content to sit with her and Raso, letting the boys have bonding time with dad and the uncle.
Their plan was to arrive at London Heathrow Airport, spend two days in London, meet up with Willie, Tommy and Jack…Highlander and Marcus’s bothers who were SAS. With the three brothers in tow, they would all fly from London to Inverness, Scotland and drive the three hours to Dunvegan, Scotland where their parents lived.
Pratt and Raso were a little antsy since this was their first real ‘real’ vacation they’ve taken since starting with the HTTF (Human Trafficking Task Force) with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. While they have taken trips with their spouses and friends, they always wind up working in some compacity or another. Something their in-laws pointed out when it was mentioned for them to fly to Scotland for the Christmas holidays. The two women, who objected heavily when their team Sgt and Captain both approved the three weeks that their husbands went to the captain about, reluctantly agreed to fly to Scotland with their husbands and children.
They hated leaving their team shorthanded, despite the fact that team members from both Bravo and Delta squad would be helping out in their absence. While Cody and the twins have spent time in Scotland with their grandparents, Joe flying with the kids there, this is the first time both Pratt and Raso were going to Scotland to see their husband’s homeland.
Lucky for both women, they had understanding husbands and in-laws. The men were almost as bad as they were about taking vacations back home, but this was the first time they both put their foots down and went above their heads to the captain to request the vacation time. Especially when they announced their phones were being taken away from them while they were together just the two of them for the week.
