when faced with a genuine fear. One you now recognize and can fight against in the future.”
“What if I’ve already lost her?” Now that Pop Pop had shone a light on what his future could hold, Padraig wanted it with all his heart.
“You didn’t. You just need to convince Emmy you’re not merely talking the talk. You have to walk the walk.”
Padraig chuckled. “You sound like Kelli there.”
Pop Pop grinned. “That’s exactly who I’m quoting. She came by the pub this morning full of piss and vinegar, prepared to, and I quote, ‘kick his ass and drag him kicking and screaming if I have to’ back to Emmy, to make things right. Your father and I convinced her I might be a more levelheaded spokesperson.”
“Walk the walk, huh?”
“Which means taking your time. Having patience. You can’t look at this relationship with Emmy through the Mia lens.”
“Time is relative,” Padraig repeated, suddenly understanding. “I get it. I can do that. I will do that.”
“I believe in you, Paddy. You can do anything you put your mind to. Apologize—grovel, if necessary—but make it right. Then grab that girl with both hands and hold on tight. I promise, if you do that, you’ll be able to live your life without regrets.”
“Okay. Yeah,” he said, smiling for the first time in days.
“Good.” Pop Pop rose as Padraig walked him to the door. His grandfather reached out and gave him a warm hug. “Make me proud, lad. I love you,” he said as he left.
Padraig returned to the couch, feeling a thousand pounds lighter than he had just an hour earlier. His stomach growled, and he grinned, reaching for the burger and fries.
Between the food and Pop Pop’s visit, Padraig felt ready to take on the world, ready to claim the woman he loved.
But first…there was someone else he needed to talk to.
An hour later, Padraig stood before Mia’s tombstone, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. The sky was overcast, the gloomy, gray weather holding on tight after the storms from a few nights earlier.
“Hey, you,” he said softly, placing the flowers on the grass in front of her grave. He knelt down, running his finger over Mia’s name carved in the stone, then along the month and day—today’s date. “It’s been three years, Mia. I miss you so much.”
He glanced around at the sound of leaves crunching and grinned at Seamus, whom he’d tied to a nearby tree. The dog’s tail was waving enthusiastically, rustling a pile of dry leaves, as a squirrel scampered by. He and Seamus visited Mia’s grave together several times a year, on her birthday, which was also their wedding anniversary, the anniversary of the day they met, and today.
He always brought flowers and he always talked to her. It was Pop Pop who’d encouraged him to speak to Mia during his visits, confiding he’d been conversing with Sunday for decades about the kids and grandkids and life in general.
Padraig had felt silly the first time because he knew she wasn’t really there, but…well…maybe he had too much of Pop Pop’s belief in Irish magic flowing through his veins because he never failed to feel her presence.
“I’ve met someone,” he said. “Her name is Emmy. She’s a romance writer.”
Padraig chuckled, recalling Mia’s love of soap operas. “You’d love her books. And her. Seamus is crazy about her. She’s so sweet, Mia. She’s become a good friend the past couple of years. She’s been there for me, helped me get through the times when I was missing you so bad, I physically ached with it.”
He dropped from his knees to his ass, sitting in front of her tombstone. If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine the two of them sitting across the kitchen table from each other. Mia had always been easy to talk to. It was one of the many things she and Emmy had in common.
“I’m in love with her, Mia,” he confessed. “I didn’t know…I wasn’t sure I could fall in love after you. Colm always talks about the Collins curse, about how members of my family fall fast and forever. It certainly happened that way for you and me. And I’m going to love you forever. I don’t want you to think that’s changed. It’s just…I love her too. Cursed twice,” he said with a chuckle. “Normal people might think that sounds unlucky, but I feel like the luckiest man alive. To have had you in my life. And now her. I think you’d