Chapter Thirty-Seven

Norah

Whirling around, I see Eamon standing on stage, guitar strapped over his shoulder, eyes locked on me. I can't breathe. It's only been days since I've seen him, but I drink in every detail like a woman dying of thirst. He looks tired, with dark circles under his eyes and his hair is disheveled. The sleeves of his black Henley are pushed up to his elbows, exposing his strong forearms, the muscles flexing with each strum of the guitar. His eyes stay fixed on me as he begins singing.

" In Dublin Town there lived a girl

Fairer than the flower I'm wearin'

Rose Donoghue—all fresh and new

And I love her past all carin'

And there she goes my Ringsend Rose

In God's Garden there's none rarer

And there she goes my Ringsend Rose

Dublin Town has seen none fairer."

I stand frozen to the spot through the entirety of the song, tears spilling down my face. His gaze is full of unspoken apologies. As the song concludes, he mumbles a quick thank you to the crowd before pulling the guitar strap over his head and setting the instrument on its stand before stepping off the stage and stalking straight for me. The audience follows his every move. When he stops inches from me, the pub goes silent, but Rowan comes to the rescue and starts playing a jaunty tune.

"Alright, who's ready for a lively version of The Last Shanty? You all know the words!" he declares.

The crowd cheers loudly and turns back to the stage, forgetting about us. Eamon reaches for my hand and leads me through the pub entrance. As soon as we're outside, he cups my face.

"Norah," he starts, eyes watching me earnestly. "I'm so sorry. I was the biggest arse thinking I was doing what I thought was best for you without even talking to you about it. I was wrong, so wrong. My head was all fucked up, Acushla. I don't think there are words to convey how truly sorry I am."

"Eamon," I begin, wrapping my fingers around his wrists and pulling them from my face. It's hard to think while he's touching me. "I understand why you felt the way you did. Honestly, I do. I just don't understand why you felt you couldn't talk to me about it."

He laces his fingers through mine and says, "Because I'm a fucking eejit is why. I felt so guilty about not being there for my Mam, that it clouded my better judgment. And because you're the selfless person you are, I knew you'd give up anything to stay, and I didn't want you to give up your life. You were so excited about Myra's baby. How could I ask you to leave all of that?"

"Simple," I say, looking him in the eyes. "You just ask. Would it be easy to leave this behind and move across the ocean? No, but, Eamon, you were as much a part of my life as they are. We could have figured something out if you just would have asked. "

He pulls me close to him, resting his forehead against mine. "I know, love. I know. Will you please let me fix this?"

I breathe him in, reeling over the fact that he's actually here right now, and choke out, "You said you didn't want me. You said I was a burden."

Eamon cups my face again and whispers, "I lied. Of course I want you. I need you. I need you like I need air to breathe. You are the air I breathe. I never thought I'd move on from Rhiannon. I didn't want to. Then I met this gorgeous fire sprite that challenged me to a drinking contest, and my world turned on its head. I love you, Norah. So much so that I want to be by your side for the rest of our lives."

He doesn't give me a chance to respond before he drops to one knee before me. The air leaves my lungs when he holds up a delicate gold band of Celtic knots surrounding a small, round emerald.

"Eamon," I gasp. "What are you doing?"

He takes my left hand, squeezing my fingers gently. "This is my mother's ring. My Da gave it to her three months after meeting her. He told her he knew there would never be another woman for him and wanted to marry her right then and there. She felt the same about him. Before I left, I told her that you were it for me. My beginning, middle, and end. She gave the ring to me, saying it would look perfect on you. No matter where life takes us, I don't want to do it without you. I love you, Norah. So this is me just asking like you said to do. Will you marry me?"

I'm crying hard, unable to harness the emotions soaring through me. Our relationship has been a whirlwind from day one. Proposing after only three months is insanity, but nothing has ever felt so right. Eamon stirred something in me from the moment I laid eyes on him, but I never dreamed that I'd be standing here before my kneeling Irishman who's asking me to spend the rest of my life with him. And I want that. I want it all with him.

He's staring at me expectantly, so I grin widely and whisper, "Yes, Eamon. Yes."

Beaming and eyes shining with unshed tears, Eamon slips the ring on my finger before springing from the ground and kissing me, winding his fingers through my hair to tilt my head and deepen the kiss. He parts my lips, plunging his tongue into my mouth, claiming me, body and soul. This isn't just a celebratory kiss, it's an apology and a promise. This kiss says everything words cannot and I revel in it. I have a fistful of his shirt in one hand as I cup his scruff-covered jaw with the other. A muscled arm winds around my back, arching me closer to his hard body. I pull away, gasping for breath. We're grinning like fools, oblivious to the world around us.

"I love you, Acushla," Eamon whispers.

"I love you, too," I say breathlessly. "Can we get out of here?"

"Aye, let's go," he laughs, starting to pull me away from the pub.

"Wait, I need to let the girls know I'm leaving."

He turns to smirk at me, showing off that dimple I love. "Oh, they know. How do you think I got you here tonight?"

I gawk at him. "They knew? How? When?"

"I called Teagan. Who told Layla. She employed Myra and Amelia as backup in case you tried to back out of coming tonight," he winks at me.

"Traitors," I mumble.

He pulls me back to his chest and kisses me softly. "I would have come to you no matter where you were, love."

"Take me home," I whisper against his lips.

Eamon

On the short drive from O'Nelly's to Norah's house, I tell her about Caity waking up from the coma. Once she was fully weaned from the medicine, it took a while for her to come to, but when she did, she immediately recognized me and our Mam. She wasn't sure of the date and had no memory of what she did the night that landed her in the hospital. When Dr. Colm and Mam explained what happened, Caity cried silently and didn't speak to anyone for a long while. Eventually, after everyone else left the room, she finally spoke.

"Are you home for good, Eam?" she whispered .

I studied her face before replying, "No, Caity Bug. I'm not."

"Oh," is all she said.

"I, uh, I have a lass waiting for me back in the States."

Her eyes widened slightly at the admission. "Tell me about her."

So I did. I told her everything. She laughed at our drinking contest and told me I was a fecking eejit when I told her how I sent Norah home.

"Aye, I am. But I'm going to fix it. I'm going to ask her to marry me," I said sheepishly.

"No kidding?" Caity asked, her jaw dropping in surprise. "I didn't think you'd even throw around the idea of marriage after Rhiannan and Declan. I'm proud of you, big brother."

"Thanks, wee sister. I can't wait for you to meet her. I'll bring her back to meet you," I promised.

"Aye, you better. She sounds lovely. And if she's willing to take your sorry arse back, then she must be one hell of a woman. What does Mam think of her?"

"Ach, she loves her. She thinks I'm a fecking eejit too. Which I am," I laughed. "But let's talk about you, Caity. This was a pretty scary ordeal."

She hung her head, sniffling back tears. "I know. I just…I don't know how to get over losing Da. I know I was young, but Christ, I loved that man. But I didn't know how to grieve, you know? So I did everything I could to numb the pain or forget about it entirely. I made every bad decision in the book."

I reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I wish you would have talked to me more about it. Hell, I probably should have forced you to."

Caity barked out a laugh. "I would have fought you tooth and nail. The last thing I wanted was my big brother to call me on my shite. But in hindsight, I probably wouldn't be in this mess if I'd just swallowed my pride."

"You know I'm always here for you, right?" I asked. "From now on, promise me that when you're feeling lost, you'll call me. You're not alone in your grief, Caity Bug."

Tears filled her eyes. "You always seem so sound, Eamon. Like nothing can hurt you."

"That's because I'm an eejit that buries his feelings deep down in his gut and does stupid shite, like sending the love of his life packing," I chuckled but sobered quickly. "I wish I could show you the mess my head was in when Mam called to tell me you were in the hospital. I was an absolute wreck. I know we haven't been close over the last years, but Christ, Caity. You're my wee, baby sister and I love you. Always have, always will."

"I love you too, big brother," she sniffled.

I pull into Norah's driveway, putting the car in park, and turning to face her.

"We spent the rest of the day catching up. It was like we built a bridge over the gap that's been between us for so long. I'm so proud of her Norah. Not only is she determined to put her all into occupational and physical therapy, but she's found a counselor and is talking about going to rehab."

"That's amazing!" Norah grins. "I'm excited to hear about her progress. Sometimes it takes a significant setback to propel us forward towards a better future."

I reach across the console to take her hand. The hand with my ring on it. Mam was right. It looks perfect on her. I run my thumb over the emerald before bringing her hand to my lips.

"Aye. No more setbacks for us, Acushla," I tell her. "I'm ready for that better future with you."

"Me too," she agrees. "Now let's go inside so I can welcome you home properly."

We race from the car to the door, struggling to get the key in the lock. It doesn't help that I'm gripping her waist and banding her neck with open-mouthed kisses. The door barely clicks shut before I whirl her around and back her up against it. I press my chest into hers and trail a finger down between her breasts to hook a finger through her belt loop and yank her hips forward. She grabs the hem of my shirt, breaking the kiss long enough to rip it over my head and toss it on the floor. Her hands roam over my shoulders and coast down my chest to the top of my jeans. She manages to unbutton them, but I grab her hands and pin them above her head.

"Not yet, beautiful," I growl against her mouth. "I haven't had a chance to take anything off of you yet."

"Then hurry up, Kennedy. I'm not getting any younger," she challenges, eyes bright with need.

I release her hands immediately and don't waste another second ridding her of her sweater and bra. I cup her breasts firmly and graze my thumbs over her nipples, making her groan.

"God, I've missed you. I'm never letting you go again," I murmur against her shoulder.

"Eamon, please," she begs, fumbling with the button on my jeans again.

I bite down on her neck hard enough to elicit another loud groan from her before ducking down to lave her breasts with my tongue. I give each one an equal amount of attention while I pop the button on her jeans and push them over her luscious hips. Dropping to my knees, I grovel by gripping her thighs, trailing kisses over her stomach, and swirling my tongue around her belly button. She's panting and digging her fingers into my hair, urging me lower. I willingly oblige, hooking my fingers around the edge of her underwear and sliding them down to her ankles. I nudge her legs further apart, so I can kiss my way up her inner thigh. She growls in frustration when I skip over where she wants me in favor of her other leg.

"I'm dying here," Norah whines. "I need you inside me."

I chuckle before seizing her hips and burying my face between her legs. I flatten my tongue and lick her slowly, applying extra pressure.

"Oh god," she groans. "Keep doing that."

I don't stop as she writhes against my mouth, legs quivering around my head. I keep a steady pace until she cries out my name, coming all over my mouth. Rising swiftly, I kiss her hard, swirling my tongue inside her mouth so she can taste how delicious she is. She whimpers as I scoop her into my arms, carrying her to the bedroom where I lay her gently out on the bed.

"I'll never get tired of hearing you call out my name like that. I'll never get tired of loving you like this," I say softly, hovering over her, arms braced on either side of her head.

Norah gazes up at me, "I love you."

I dip my mouth to hers once again, kissing her like I did at O'Nelly's. Claiming her forever. She wraps her legs around my waist, tightening them to force me closer, so without breaking our kiss, I position my cock at her entrance and slowly push inside, groaning at the sensation. I begin rocking into her, pulling out most of the way before plunging deeply back in, burying myself to the hilt. I planned on loving her slowly, savoring every second of our reunion, but the noises coming from her mouth snap my control. I fuck her harder and faster until I feel her clamp around me. That's all it takes and we're both careening over the edge together, crying out incoherent words. As we lay there panting, wrapped in each other's arms, Norah runs her fingers through my hair, scraping her nails over my scalp, trailing them down my spine and back up again. I rest my forehead against hers and kiss her softly.

"Thank you," I whisper.

Norah huffs a laugh, "For what? An orgasm?"

"No, smart arse," I tease, pinching her side playfully, which only makes her laugh harder. "Though I'm thankful for that too. Thank you for taking me back."

She quiets and looks up at me, "I don't think I ever really let go if I'm being honest. I told myself I was going to move on, but it was a lie. I don't want anyone else but you."

"Good. Because I'm here to stay, love. There's no getting rid of me now," I tell her, rolling to my back and pulling her to my chest.

Norah

I sigh contentedly, running my left hand over the planes of his stomach and onto his chest. I follow the lines of his tattoo, observing the Kennedy crest. My future last name. I grin at the ring on my finger, holding my hand up to admire it. Norah Kennedy. I could get used to that.

"Are we really getting married?" I ask.

"That was the plan," Eamon says sleepily. "Not getting cold feet already are you?"

I slap his chest. "Never. Just trying to wrap my mind around it. I don't even know where to begin with planning a wedding."

"I'd think the first, and most important, thing would be deciding when. We can wait as long as you want, but I'd marry you right this second if there was someone to officiate," he says seriously, intertwining our fingers.

"Naked and in bed?"

"It would make the consummation quicker," he deadpans.

I snort loudly at that. "You're ridiculous."

"Alright, fine. Not naked and in bed," he grumbles. "How long do you need to plan?"

I prop myself onto my elbow and gaze down at my fiance , getting momentarily lost in the depths of his blue eyes.

"When I was little, I always imagined a huge, lavish wedding complete with twelve bridesmaids. I would, of course, make all of the dresses. And we would release doves at the end of the ceremony."

Eamon raises an eyebrow at me, "Doves? You're joking."

"Looking back, that does seem a little excessive," I laugh. "But I would like to at least make my own dress. As far as everything else, I don't have a clue. We could get married in Ireland and come back and do a reception at Paddy's for all I care. I don't need anything extravagant."

He turns his head to me abruptly. "Really? You'd get married in Ireland? What about our friends? I'm pretty sure a few of yours would be quite unhappy about that."

"It's not their wedding," I shrug. "Though they could always come too. The girls and I had talked a while back about going together someday, so it's not too far-fetched. I'm sure Teag and Ro wouldn't mind going back home for a visit. Maybe we could even get Paddy to go."

"Ach, Paddy would love that," Eamon grins. "I bet he'd even give you away if you wanted him to. "

I inhale sharply and feel tears start to well in my eyes. Eamon immediately wraps his arms around me, pulling my head to his shoulder. "Shite, I'm sorry, love. That was stupid of me."

"No, it's okay." I sniffle. "I wasn't even thinking about not having parents at my wedding. I mean, I knew there wouldn't be a dad, but my Mom…"

"I know, Acushla. I'm so sorry. We can elope if you want…" he offers.

I shake my head. "Mom wouldn't want that. She'd want me to do what makes my heart happy. Even though she's not here anymore, it would feel like an insult to her memory. But I do love the idea of Paddy giving me away. He's the one responsible for us being together anyway."

"Aye, I suppose that's true. Though I always give credit to that pint of black stuff you were choking on that night."

I snort again. "I'll never live that down, will I?"

"Not a chance, fire sprite."