Page 83 of Tempting Irish
“Close yer eyes,” I sayagain.
She glares at me, before obeying. “Fine. They’reclosed.”
“Good.” I chuckle. “Now, go to the spot inside ye, the place that’s raw, vulnerable. Feel it. See it. Hear it.” I play a few chords softly, waiting as I watch some of the tension ease from her features. “What do ye want to say,Bree?”
She lets out a low breath. “I don’t know…Ican’t-”
“Don’t worry if the words don’t make sense. Just let them flow. Let the emotion carryye.”
Her brows draw down, but her eyes remain closed. “Owen-”
“Letgo.”
She sucks in a breath, and starts to sing. The first few words are soft, almost inaudible, but as she finds her voice, the words fill the small room, vibrating off the walls and hitting me square in thechest.
“…memories fade and branches break, but home still calls myname…”
I change the chords to accompany the melody she pulls from the deepest part of her, slowing the pace to matchhers.
“…can’t go back to broken promises…can’t believe in new dreams…unless you’re there to catch me when Ifall…”
A tear slips across her cheek, but she doesn’t brush itaway.
I let my own words mix with hers. “Tell me it’s worth waitingfor…”
She blinks, her lips trembling, but her voice doesn’t falter. “Not sure what I’m fightingfor…”
“Hold ye up. Won’t let yefall…”
“Branchesbreak...”
“New treesgrow…”
More tears stream down her cheeks and she chokes out the last few words. “I’m cominghome…”
Raw.
Haunting.
The song, even after the last chord has been struck, and the last note sung, moves inside ofme.
We sit in silence for a moment, before I put my guitar down and scoop her into my lap, then seal my mouth overhers.
“Thatwas…”
Nowords.
A smile edges at the corners of hermouth.
God, the woman has undoneme.
It’s terrifying to realize how much I actually care about her, how much she matters tome.
I’m not ready to give herup.
Notyet.
Maybenever.
