Page 62 of An Irish Kiss
He did, from this morning when Bernie had taken their photo.“I do.”He sent the picture, then waited as she fumbled with the phone trying to see it.
“Oh, there it is.Oh my, sheispretty.Such lovely hair.”
Yes it was.And just as soft as he’d imagined.
“And the cottage—is that thatch?”
“Yes.It’s actually one of the places the Quinn family used to live in.”
“Oh my, how wonderful.”
Another yawn escaped him.“Sorry, Gran.”
“No, no, that’s quite alright.You need your rest.Good night, Aidan.And thank you for calling.”
“Thank you for answering.”He blew her a kiss then ended the call.
Then flicked back to the photo, one of the first from hundreds he’d taken today.
Where the woman of his dreams stood in front of the house once said to belong to his family.
A sigh rippled from his soul.This photo that represented his dilemma.
Lord, what do I do?
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Rory touched her tender lips as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror.Yes, she should be getting ready for bed, but instead she wanted to relive in technicolour detail every second of this most perfect and wondrous day.Of that most perfect and wondrous kiss.Any doubts she had about his feelings or intentions were answered in that moment downstairs when his lips had touched hers.Had she ever felt such heady delight?Never.And while she hadn’t exactly combusted, her knees had felt weak and she’d needed his arms around her, as emotion had ignited deep within.
Oh yes, this sense of connection did feel quick.But better this than the sense of uncertainty she’d felt before.Now, it felt like a petal had unfurled giving a glimpse of the beautiful life that lay within grasp.And while moving to Australia for a job—okay, and yes, a man—might seem extreme, people had done less for love.
Love?She touched her lips again.This feeling wasn’t love, was it?Perhaps it was.
And perhaps this was yet another element of the Fairall legacy, where Cupid’s arrow struck and stuck fast, and nobody could dislodge it.Was this how her father had felt upon meeting her mother?Regret panged that she couldn’t ask him, one of the many things she could no longer ask her father about.She could ask Colin, she supposed, but that was fraught with challenges, so it was probably best that nobody in her family knew just yet.Not that she could see a way that they would come around…
She turned away, unbuttoned the top button of her blouse when someone banged on the bathroom door.And seeing as there was only one person who would bang on the bathroom door, at this time of night, she braced and opened it.“Ash, I’m trying to have a shower, and I really don’t appreciate—”
“You kissed him!”
Rory covered her mouth.People could tell?
Her sister’s eyes were wide.“There!I suspected, but you just proved it.You did, didn’t you?”
She faced the mirror again.“I would really like a shower.It’s been a long day.”
“This day is going to take even longer unless you answer my question.”
She had a sinking feeling that was true.
“Did you or did you not kiss Aidan Quinn?”
She bit back a smile.“Well, technically I think he kissed me—”
“I don’t care about technicalities!You participated andenjoyedit.I can tell.”
“You should be a detective with these skills you’ve got.”
“Maybe I should, because then I could find all the cheaters.”
