Warner? I have got to stop thinking about him. What’s wrong with me?
I had a perfectly good man standing right in front of me, and there my mind kept going back to Warner and how wonderful things had been with him. I couldn’t keep comparing my interactions with men to my ones with Warner when sparks would fly every time we slightly touched.
If I was going to move on with Killian, I had to let Warner go. I had to really leave him behind. A person can’t move on while they’re carrying a ball and chain around their heart.
I reached up and grasped the necklace Warner had given me. I never took it off. Not even to shower.
For six months, that necklace had been my connection to Warner. I knew that I had to take it off, or I would never move on. I would become a lonely old spinster—just me and my necklace to remind me of a love that could never be.
I felt someone push my shoulder from behind, and then I heard Cara whispering, “Are ya blind, lass? He’s on one knee, he is.”
Blinking, I looked down to find Killian smiling up at me. “Orla Quinn, I’d like to ask you a very important question.”
My hand held the Texas-shaped pendent, not wanting to let it go. My heart stopped beating as I watched Killian pull out a small black box from his pocket. He flipped the lid open, and there was a small gold ring with a solitary diamond on top of the band. The light hit it, and it glistened as if trying to capture my attention.
I broke into a sweat, knowing exactly what this meant.Say yes to him, and we can stay together. Say no to him, and he will end things with me for good.
“Orla, I know you don’t think I’m stable or committed to you. But with this ring, I want you to understand the level of commitment I am willing to give to you, my love. Marry me. Marry me, and I’ll make you happy for all our days. I swear this to you. Orla Quinn, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”
My jaw felt tight. My mouth wouldn’t open. My hand wouldn’t move away from the piece of jewelry I clung to. I looked up, away from Killian for a moment, to try to get my bearings and gain some wits about myself.
A man was standing in the doorway across the room. His mouth hung open, and there was a pain in his blue eyes. More than pain—agony—in a pair of eyes that were so familiar and dear to me.
This cannot be real.
“Warner?”