Page 96 of Taming Irish

I take a deep breath, and take my mom’s arm when she moves to stand besideme.

“I’m proud of you,” she says when the others have gone, her brown eyes misty with unshed tears. “You really inspireme.”

I furrow my brows at her. “Why?”

“Because you faced something that would normally crush a person’s spirit. But you didn’t give up. You could have. And I wouldn’t have blamed you. But you had the strength to take another chance on love. On happiness. Knowing there was a chance your heart could be broken again. I wish I had half of yourstrength.”

I squeeze her hand. “There’s still time to find love,Mom.”

“Maybe,” she says, and there’s a flicker of hope in hereyes.

A guitar begins to play as I exit the house and start down the petal-covered grass toward the man who gave me the courage to loveagain.

He’s all rough edges, with a cocky, lopsided grin that promises trouble. Even in a tux, the man has a wildness about him, and I know he’ll never be able to shake that bad boy persona, even though I know his heart is mine, and minealone.

Dimples cut into his cheeks when he sees me, his smile crinkling the corners of hiseyes.

“Gorgeous,” he says for my ears only when I reachhim.

My heart fluttersagain.

This man. He’severything.

I say my vows, barely getting through the words that I wrote myself. “I promise you all of mytomorrows.”

He kisses me hard then, even though he hasn’t said his own vows, resulting in laughter and applause, followed by the minister’scough.

Shane just grins down at me when he pulls back, not even slightly sorry for it, and Ichuckle.

He lets me slip the ring I had designed for him onto his finger, then takes myhand.

“Makena.” He says my name like I’m the only one here, and my knees goweak.

He still has that power overme.

His gaze holds mine, and his expression goes serious. “I used to live my life like I wouldn’t get a tomorrow. I never believed anything could complete me the way music did. I didn’t know it then, but I was lost. Empty. Unsatisfied. I was always searching for the nexthigh.”

He shifts slightly, and takes a deep, steadyingbreath.

“And then I met ye. And yer heart captured my soul. Ye soothed me, and burned through me at the same time. Ye made me realize that I didn’t have to be afraid of not getting enoughtomorrows.”

He slips the ring onto my finger, holding my hand in his largeone.

“Ye know I’m not good with mushy words. But I promise ye this, love. I’ll love ye to my dyingday.”

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