Page 136 of Twist of Fate
“But, I thought it wasn’t up to you.”
“It isn’t. I don’t micromanage. She had free rein over whom she hired—obviously, and she had the final decision on who stayed. But—” He hesitates for a moment. “She wanted to make sure I was okay with her choices or if I wanted to shuffle anyone around.”
My eyes widen at the gravity of what he’s saying. I’m on my feet before I even realize it. “And what did you say?”
“I obviously told her no, Ash. I knew you’d never forgive me if I chose you over one of your friends.”
My eyes water at the truth of his words. It’s true. I would never ask him to do that, but at the same time, the opportunity was right there, and he didn’t take it. Does that mean he doesn’t want me to stay?
Oh my god. I’m being ridiculous. I can’t be simultaneously glad he made the right choice and mad he didn’t.
“I see those wheels spinning in your head, Ash, and I can only imagine what you’re thinking.”
“No.” I shake my head, turning away from him. “You made the right choice.
“Yeah, I do that a lot, don’t I? Ever since we met, I feel like I’ve been making the right choice—the noble choice. I don’t want to be noble anymore.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I don’t want this to end. I want you to stay. Not just for another six months or a year, but I want you here forever.” His eyes meet mine as his thumb brushes over the Claddagh ring on my right hand. “I love you, Ash.”
My eyes begin to water, and I throw myself into his arms. “Say it again.”
“Tá mé i ngrá leat,” he whispers softly in my ear, and even though I don’t fully understand his words, I feel the meaning of each one in his voice.
“I don’t have a fancy way of saying it, but I love you too. My mom brought me to Ireland hoping it might breathe life back into me. Not only did those seven days reawaken my spirit, but I also found the other half of my soul.”
“Didn’t I tell you that you were searching for something?”
“Yeah, and I finally found it,” I say with a smile. “It just took a few tries.”
He tilts his mouth over mine, and we kiss until I feel breathless. I’ve waited so long to hear him say he loves me, and now that he has?—
I pull back. “I’m still leaving in two weeks, Finn. Nothing’s changed. I could get a travel visa, but it’s just a temporary fix and only one of our issues.” I let out a breath because this is something I’ve been terrified to talk about for weeks. “I know you’re running yourself ragged, Finn. I’m worried?—”
He places a finger to my lips, silencing me. “I know,” he agrees. “I meant what I said; I’m done making the noble choice, which is why I’ve decided to step down as CEO today.”
I jerk back, my eyebrows shooting up to the ceiling. “What? Are you crazy?”
He laughs. The guy actually laughs. “I believe we’ve already established that we’re the good kind of crazy, remember?”
“Walking away from your family’s legacy isn’t the good kind of crazy, Finn. That’s just the regular kind of crazy.”
He takes my hand and leads me back to the couch. Apparently, this is a discussion that requires us to be seated. “I said I made the decision. I didn’t say I was actually going through with it.”
I open my mouth, but no words come out.
Yep, I’ve got nothing because that doesn’t bring us back to square one. If he’s still CEO and I still have to leave the country, how is any of this better?
“I’m going to start over because I can see I’ve made a mess of things.”
“That’s an understatement,” I mutter.
He shoves his hand into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He taps on it a few times before handing it to me. I look down, my brow furrowing in confusion.
“What am I looking at?”
“That is a photo album of all the photos from our tour.”
