Emmy followed the direction of his gaze, spotting a scrapbook she’d never noticed before. She picked it up and carried it to him. “What is it?”
“Something I’ve kept tucked away under my bed for the past few years. But I think perhaps it’s time you saw it.”
Emmy claimed the chair next to him.
“Open it,” Pop Pop instructed.
She did as he asked, reading the words written in feminine handwriting on the first page. “The Book of Dreams Come True,” she read aloud.
“Mia left it in my care shortly before her death. She asked me to give it to Paddy after she was gone.”
“You didn’t?” Emmy asked, not bothering to hide her shock. This didn’t seem like the sort of thing Pop Pop would keep from his beloved grandson.
“Of course I gave it to him, the day of her memorial service. And over the years, he’s come by more than a few times to look at it.”
“Why didn’t he take it home?”
Pop Pop sighed. “In the beginning, it was too painful for him and I don’t think he could cope with the constant reminder of her, or perhaps he just didn’t want to look through it alone. It was easier for him to come here, to flip through the pages with me, then tuck it away again. Each time he did, we’d reminisce. At first, the memories were accompanied by tears, but as more time went by, the recollections brought him happiness.”
Emmy turned the page. “Oh. Oh wow.” Each page contained one of Mia’s dreams, the bucket list she and Padraig had worked their way through during their single year together as a couple. Some of the photos she’d seen—the framed ones he’d kept on his wall for years after Mia’s death. However, others were new to her.
As she continued to flip through the pages, she realized Mia disappeared from the photos even though it was still her handwriting on top—labeling the dream represented on each page.
“It’s still her writing,” Emmy observed.
Pop Pop nodded. “Padraig had helped Mia complete her bucket list, but there were still quite a few things on his. She made this scrapbook, leaving the empty pages with the headings so he would move on, would continue to live his life to the fullest. I’ve taken over adding the pictures.”
Emmy saw countless photos of Padraig with different members of his family. He and Colm sitting with their dad at the bar as the Super Bowl played on the big screen behind them. One of he and Finn at a NASCAR race, he and Pop Pop’s friend Moose on a fishing trip, holding huge fish aloft and cheesing for the camera, he and Pop Pop standing outside Scully’s Pub in Ireland, their arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders.
There was one Emmy had taken of him on the Appalachian Trail at the end of a long day of hiking, and one of Padraig, red-faced, his arms held high, as he crossed the finish line of a local marathon he’d run for charity a few months earlier. Emmy had taken that photo at Pop Pop’s request without realizing his intentions for it. Some of the pages were still blank, but Emmy made a note of each and every dream listed, determined to find a way to help Padraig fill them with pictures.
Emmy froze when she reached the last two pages of the book—and found photos of herself under the headings “True Love, part two” and “Paddy’s Little Girl.” On those pages were pictures of Emmy on her own wedding day to Padraig, as well as the day Lila was born.
She wiped away a tear. “Mia was amazing.”
“So are you, Emmy. You brought Paddy back to us, and you’ve made sure that each and every one of his dreams came true.”
It took her a moment to find her voice and when she did, all she managed to say was, “Thank you for showing me this.”
Pop Pop patted her hand, baby Lila still sound asleep in his other arm. Emmy flipped through the book once more, she and Pop Pop swapping stories about the pictures. Now, like always, whenever Emmy was with Pop Pop, she felt her mother’s presence, certain the born storyteller was there with them, loving each and every tale he told just as much as Emmy did.
“Em?” she heard Padraig call from the living room. “You got a second?”
She rose, turning to take Lila from Pop Pop. He shook his head. “Leave her here with me.”
Lila was awake now, and Emmy expected she’d begin fussing soon for a clean diaper and a bottle. But for now, she seemed perfectly content in her great-grandfather’s arms.
“I’ll be right back,” Emmy said, but Pop Pop waved her away.
“Take your time.”
Emmy had just reached the hall when she heard him whisper to Lila, “Have I ever told you what your name means?”
Keep turning the page to read a special letter written from Mari to all Wild Irish fans.
And did you know? You can SEE HOW IT ALL BEGAN for Padraig and Emmy in Wild Encounter, a Wilder Irish short story, about the first time Emmy ever walked into Pat’s Pub.
You can download it for FREE here.
What’s next? Are you ready to read more about those sexy Italian Stallions, the Moretti Brothers from Philadelphia? If so, you’re in LUCK!
The first book in this sexy series of menages, Down and Dirty is coming in 2022.
Preorder your copy today!
Dear Readers
When I first started writing the Wild Irish series in 2009, I had no idea that I would spend the next twelve years of my life immersed in the world of Pat’s Pub, nor could I have foreseen just how much I would come to love this family. I swear there are times I have to remind myself they don’t really exist!
There are so many moments from my own life reflected in the pages of these books, everything from characters’ names to practical jokes to actual dialogue. The “wings etiquette” debate was one I’d seen waged in person between my brother and husband! There are times during rereads where I laugh as I recall the “real life” event that inspired those scenes.
It was my beloved editor, Kelli Collins (see what I did there?), who after reading Come Monday, said “I want all the stories.” She has walked every step of the Wild Irish journey with me and her wonderful guidance, advice, tough love, and friendship has meant more to me than words could ever express. I commented after finishing the original series that Riley was one of my favorite characters to which she replied, “That’s because you are Riley.” I’m not sure she realizes how much I considered that an amazing compliment.
Over the years, I’ve received countless emails and messages from readers about this series. From those who’ve wished themselves a part of the Collins clan, those who hoped to be struck by that “curse,” and those who related to a particular character or story. I was most particularly moved by those of you who wrote to share your own experiences with grief and the loss of a loved one after reading Wild Devotion. Your stories, your memories, and your resilience inspired Wild Chance. To each of you, you are the sun.
Second chance stories have always been one of my favorite tropes—right up there with friends to lovers—and I desperately wanted Padraig to find love again. I hope I have done you all proud with his and Emmy’s story. I knew Padraig was going to need a very special woman after Mia…and then came Emmy, a sweet, compassionate woman who’d suffered her own losses and who understood Paddy (sometimes even better than he understood himself).