She took a deep breath and forced herself to say the most important thing that had sent her here this morning. “I can’t live in Mia’s shadow.”
Padraig froze for a moment, just long enough to convince her she’d hit the nail on the head. “Her shadow?”
The confusion in his voice was her undoing, the last of her energy zapped. She had to get out of here.
“Goodbye,” she whispered, turning quickly.
She’d almost made it to the door when Padraig caught up to her, grasping her upper arm to halt her escape. She whirled around, digging deep for the strength that would give her the ability to end this once and for all.
Her gaze narrowed on his hand on her arm. “Padraig.”
He released her arm but only so that he could step closer, cup her face in his large, calloused palms. “Emmy.”
She tried to shrug out of his grip, but he refused to let her escape.
She stilled completely when he said, “You aren’t in Mia’s shadow. You’ve never been there.”
She started to shake her head, but he tightened his hold.
“Listen to me. I need you to understand this. When I met Mia, she lit up a place inside me that I didn’t know existed. She taught me what love was, how precious life is. When she died, that light went out and the world was dark—pitch black—for too long.”
He leaned closer, the heat of his breath on her face as he continued, “Then I met you. You’re different from her. You aren’t a light, Emmy.”
“What?” she asked, her voice breaking.
“And you aren’t standing in anyone’s shadow.” She frowned until he added, “You can’t be, because you’re the whole goddamn sun.”
Emmy stared at him, stunned. “I’m the sun?”
He nodded, then took advantage of her shock by bending forward and kissing her. It was a soft kiss, an apology and a promise rolled up in one. “You found me at my darkest point. You saved me, then you reminded me of all those lessons Mia taught me. I’m so in love with you, Emmy, I can’t see straight. You’re everything to me. God, you’re everything.”
Emmy let his words wash through her as she searched for a reply. For once, words failed her, deserted her completely.
It didn’t matter because Padraig wasn’t giving her a chance to speak. He kissed her again, this one harder, longer, pure passion. He retained his grip on her face, refusing to release her lips. Not that she was trying to back away. She’d breathe again tomorrow. For now, all she wanted was him. This kiss.
This moment to last forever.
She was the sun.
When they parted, she smiled. “I love you too.”
Padraig’s entire face lit up. “I’m never walking away from you again,” he vowed. “I know I hurt you, know my actions were unforgivable—”
“Paddy, I understand why you—”
“Understand or not, I was wrong and I know it.”
“It doesn’t matter now…because I’m never going to let you do that again,” she said, needing him to know that while she understood, she couldn’t watch him walk away from her again. “I’ll bar the door, tie you to the bed, kick your ass. You’re mine, and I’m not letting you go.”
He chuckled. “My kinky girl.” Then his face sobered. “Always fighting for me. I’m not going anywhere. I swear it.” He glanced over his shoulder toward the bar as if he’d just recalled something. “Don’t move.” He took a step away from her. “I have a present for you. I was going to bring it by your place after work.”
“I don’t need a present.”
Padraig ignored her as he quickly stepped behind the bar and pulled a small wrapped box out of his coat pocket before returning to her. “Here.”
She unwrapped it, and when she pulled the lid off, her eyes widened. “Paddy,” she breathed.
“It’s a rock.”
Emmy laughed. “I can see that.”
“It has a story.”
She gave him a playful look that said duh. “Of course it does. All rocks have stories.”
“This one has a very special story.” Padraig reached in and pulled the rock out, holding it on his palm so she could look at it more closely. “I found this rock behind the pub, the morning after the fire.”
“You did?”
He nodded. “I have no idea why I picked it up, but when I did, it was still warm from the heat of the blaze.”
Emmy studied the charred rock, understanding now why parts of it were black.
“I tucked it in the inside pocket of my coat for some reason and forgot about it. I didn’t realize it was still there until I found it again last week. That was when it told me its story, told me it was your rock.”
“Mine? Why?” she asked.
“As you can see, it’s suffered quite a lot. Endured a great deal of pain. This rock had to stand witness as its home burned down around it. It watched as its whole world was reduced to ash.”
Emmy looked at the black scorch marks, aware that Padraig wasn’t just telling the rock’s story.
“But these scorch marks only tell a small part of the tale, because if you flip it over…” Padraig lifted his hand toward her, prompting her to turn the rock over, so she did. “The original rock still remains. It was always there. Just hidden underneath the charring. The rock said it needs a special owner—you—because you’re the only one who can see what’s still there, buried beneath the pain. You’re the one who will always make sure that it lives in the sunshine, that it doesn’t get lost in the darkness, in the soot and ashes again.”
Emmy ran her finger over the smooth surface of the rock. “You’re right,” she whispered. “It is a very special rock.” She took it from his hand, closing it tightly in her palm. “I’ll always take care of it.”
He kissed her cheek. “I know you will. And maybe someday, you’ll tell our kids that rock’s story, along with all the others.”
Our kids.
Two words had never sounded so beautiful.
“I will,” she promised, her heart nearly bursting with happiness at the genuine joy on his face.
“And one day—when you’re ready, because I don’t want to rush this—I plan on giving you a different kind of rock. One I hope you’ll wear on this finger,” he said, pointing to the fourth finger on her left hand, “for the rest of your life.”
“I like the sound of that,” she confessed.
“Good.” Padraig lowered his head and kissed her again as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, feeling that after a lifetime of searching and hoping, she’d finally found her hero, her alpha male, her happily ever after.
The two of them parted, smiling at each other.
“Can we come out and hug you both yet?”
Emmy turned at the sound of Riley’s voice coming from Sunday’s Side and laughed when she spied not just Padraig’s aunt but his father and a couple uncles standing in the opening between the restaurant and the pub.
“Were you eavesdropping on all of that?” Padraig asked exasperatedly.
“Not exactly,” Riley replied as she and—to Emmy’s shock—the rest of the Collins siblings walked over to them.