Wild Irish Dreamer - Tricia O'Malley Page 0,77

in the moonlight.

“Yes?”

“You can read me.”

“What?” Fi asked, feeling a fine trembling run through her body.

“Read me. Open yourself to me. I have nothing to hide from you,” Liam promised, holding both her hands now. “Look inside me. The answer is there.”

He was trusting her, Fi realized, not only with the story she’d told him about being magick, but with his innermost thoughts. Tears sprang to her eyes as she let down her shields for the first time in ages and looked inside Liam’s mind.

“You love me,” Fi choked out.

“Aye, I do. Even more so now that I know this extra layer of you,” Liam said.

“I think I love you too. I don’t know, I’m kind of a mess right now. But I know I want to give this a chance,” Fi admitted, stumbling over her words. “But it slammed into me when we were walking down the aisle together that I wanted a chance with you. A real one.”

“We can have that. But it starts with trusting each other. Will you trust me, Fi? To love you and be your partner? So that we can be together and explore the world? To design a future that looks exactly like we want it to?”

“I do,” Fi whispered, and then his lips were on hers and nothing else mattered. She’d finally found a safe harbor with the one man who would weather all the storms with her. Pulling back, she smiled up at him.

“Look!” Liam said, pulling her into his arm so they could turn and look at the glow emanating from the water below them. “It’s meant to be. The cove says so.”

“Aye, that it does.”

“It was worth it trying to kill me, then, as it led me to you,” Liam decided and Fi threw back her head and laughed.

And as simply as that, Fi finally embraced her magick.

Epilogue

“That’s a fine streak of luck you’ve had, Mr. Murphy,” Cait said, studying the leather-bound book she’d plopped onto the bar.

The entire pub laughed as Mr. Murphy crowed in delight.

“I can’t believe you’d bet on me. Me own mum.” Fi shook her head sadly, as if to ask what the world was coming to.

“Then you don’t know your mum very well,” Cait shot back, and Fi laughed.

“How’d you come to pick that date, Mr. Murphy?” Liam asked.

“Weddings make people feel romantic. It seemed like a suitable day,” Mr. Murphy said, tugging at his newsboy cap as his cheeks blushed pink.

“Well, you’ve won yourself a fine pot of money, you have. I think the whole town bet on it,” Cait said, sliding him another Guinness. “What will you do with your winnings this time?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about that…” Mr. Murphy ducked his head. “And I’ve a favor to ask of you.”

“Go ahead,” Cait nodded.

“I’m wondering if you’ll take me to see the elephants. A safari like you all were talking about a while back. I’m too old to go by myself, but I’d dearly love to see them before I leave this world.”

Cait’s mouth dropped open, then she turned a steely gaze toward the kitchen, where Shane stood with a towel draped across his shoulder. His mouth quirked with a small smile, but he said nothing.

“Oh, you’re a wily one, Shane, aren’t you?” Cait called, and Shane laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He knew, just as everyone else in the bar did, that Mr. Murphy was the man Cait couldn’t say no to. It seemed she would be taking a vacation no matter what.

“Is that a yes?” Mr. Murphy asked hopefully.

“Aye – but only if I can find someone to cover the pub,” Cait said, seeing a way out.

“I’ll do that for you, Mum,” Fi said cheerfully, smiling in her seat next to Liam, his arm casually around her waist. “I’m sure Liam could help, as well.”

“I’ve tended a pub or two in my time,” Liam agreed.

“It’ll be fun. And it will give me some time to haul all those boxes from your house to mine.” Fi layered it on, knowing how much her mother wanted the clutter out of her house.

“Oh, you’re a sneaky one too,” Cait said.

“So? Do we get to see the elephants then?” Mr. Murphy asked, his voice tremulous as he leaned forward.

“We do, Mr. Murphy, we do,” Cait said, and the entire pub cheered once more. Mr. Murphy was so delighted he almost toppled off his stool. Shane, ducking through the passthrough, picked Cait up and spun her around.

“I like your parents together,” Liam said into Fi’s ear.