Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
His grip on my hand tightened. “I want you to come with me.”
I blinked, sure I’d misheard him. My head swam and I gripped the edge of my chair. “What?”
Tommy exhaled, shifting in his seat like he wasn’t sure how to say what he needed to. “I want you to come back with me. To Kentucky.”
I gave him a small, startled laugh. “Tommy… I can’t just—”
“Fi, listen to me,” he interrupted, his voice rough with urgency. “I don’t want to leave you here. I don’t want to go back to Kentucky without you.”
My mind spun, struggling to catch up. “But… I can’t just leave. It’s not that simple.”
His hands moved, gripping mine fully, thumbs brushing over my knuckles as he leaned forward. “I know. And I know I’m not sayin’ this the right way, but…” He inhaled deeply. “I love you.”
And that was the moment my entire existence upended. When I knew things would never be the same for me. The world seemed to stop and my heart filled with so much joy, I felt the tears forming. Everything around me—the chatter, the clinking glasses, the warmth of the fire—faded into nothing.
He loved me.
My lips parted, but no words came.
Tommy swallowed, his voice steady but thick with emotion. “And I think you love me too.”
I did.
God help me, I did.
My chest ached with the weight of it, with the sheer force of how true it was, but my tongue was so thick in my mouth I couldn’t get the words out.
But before I could respond, he kept going. “I love you, Fiona. And I want to marry you.”
I gasped in utter shock at this new revelation. “Tommy.”
“I know it’s fast,” he said quickly, reading my face. “I know. But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.” Words flew out of his mouth. “We’re young. So what? Will my feelings change a year from now? Five? Ten? Forty? No.” His blue eyes burned into mine. “Let’s do this, Fi. Let’s get married.”
I couldn’t breathe.
This was insane. Reckless.
And yet, my heart was soaring, because I wanted it. I wanted him.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to be reasonable, because this was not a simple matter of just running off to the church.
I exhaled shakily, forcing myself to think past the emotions clawing at my chest. “Tommy… it’s not that easy. Ye have to be twenty-one to get married in Ireland without permission. I’d need both my parents to agree, and ye know that’ll never happen.”
“We’ll go to another country,” he suggested.
I considered that. “We could go to Northern Ireland when I turn eighteen. That’s the legal age there and no permission is needed.”
“None of that matters,” he said solemnly, brushing his thumb over the inside of my wrist. “I’m still asking you to marry me, and we’ll figure something out.”
Tommy then shifted, pulling something from his pocket. My breath hitched as he opened his palm, revealing a small silver ring. It was simple, delicate, with a twisted Celtic knot carved into the band.
“I know it’s not much,” he said, his voice quieter now. “I bought it at the jewelers in town and the shopkeeper said the Celtic knot was a symbol of eternity, and that’s what I want with you.”
“Aye,” I said quietly, staring at the ring he held between his thumb and forefinger. “The pattern has no end and no beginning. Eternity.”
Tommy placed the ring in the palm of his hand and held it out to me. I stared at it, my heart hammering.
This was real.
This wasn’t a dream or a reckless fantasy.
This was Tommy, offering me forever.
I reached out, my fingers trembling as I picked up the ring from his palm.
“It’s perfect,” I whispered.
His breath left him in a rush, relief evident. “Yeah? Because I’ll buy you a big diamond back in Kentucky.”
I looked up at him, my heart swelling. “I don’t want a big diamond.”
A slow, stunned smile spread across his face. “So you’ll marry me?”
I laughed, tears slipping down my cheeks as I nodded. “Aye, Tommy Blackburn. I’ll marry ye.”
He plucked the ring back from my grip and placed it on my left ring finger. It fit perfectly and it felt so natural. It felt… permanent, and solid, and trustworthy.
It represented everything in my life that had been taken away, and this man restored it all with one tiny piece of silver.
Tommy surged toward me across the table, cupping my face in his hands and kissing me right there in the middle of the pub.
The world around us didn’t matter.
Nothing mattered except him, this moment, the promise between us.
We were young.
We had no idea how we were going to make it work.
But as Tommy kissed me, I knew one thing for certain.
I’d never been more sure of anything in my life.
CHAPTER 23
Tommy
The scent of metal and motor oil covered the aromas of horses and hay, and I didn’t like it one bit. But farming in any capacity meant you had to rely on motorized equipment, which meant maintenance.