Page 78 of Accidental Irish Daddy

“Hey, be careful,” he says. “You don’t want to hurt the baby.”

“Nothing can hurt me now,” I say to him. “I can fly if I want to. Oh, I need to tell Bridget.”

I scramble off the bed and rush out of the room. I go to Bridget’s room, but it’s empty. Right, she’s probably up and having breakfast by now.

I run down the stairs. “Bridget! Bridget!” I’m screaming. I get to the kitchen, and Martha and her are sitting at the table, eating scones, and drinking tea. They both look at me with large eyes.

“Is something wrong?” Martha asks, her face full of concern.

“No,” I say breathlessly. “Nothing’s going to be wrong ever again.” I turn to Bridget. “How would you like to live with me forever?”

“I’d love that! But what about Uncle Liam?”

“Forget him,” I say. I hug her and lift her right out of her seat. “Forget him for good, Gidget! We’re free! We’re finally free!”

“Oh, my goodness,” Martha says, getting up from her seat. “Well, you must have gotten some pretty big news to be this happy.”

“The best,” I say to her. I set Bridget back down and say, “I mean, I still have to go to court, but by then it won’t matter because there’s no way he’s going to get custody of Bridget now.”

I want to tell them all of it, but Martha’s face has changed. She’s put her hands up to her mouth and has gasped as she looks over my shoulder so I turn. Grant is in the doorway…and he’s down on one knee… holding a ring in his hand.

“I know today’s a lot,” he says, “and I wanted to do this in a more formal setting like at dinner or something, but with the custody thing happening…” He stops. He’s flustered. It’s almost comical. He takes a breath and starts again.

“I want you as my wife. Permanently,” he says. “And I want us to be a family. Me, you, Bridget, and the baby.”

I blink, and for just a second, I can’t breathe. I swallow hard. “But…but the custody case. You don’t have to—”

“All I want is you, Aisling. Be my wife. For real, this time.”

It’s more than I could have asked for. It’s more than I could have dreamed.

Maybe I’m high from finding out the worst is about to happen to Liam or maybe the blood hasn’t rushed back to my head after an entire night of lovemaking…

No. No, I love him. I’ve always loved him. And all he wants is me…

I kneel on the floor with him and kiss him, nearly knocking the ring out of his hand. When our lips part, he says, “Is that a yes?”

“Yes!” I say. “A million times, yes!”

25

Grant

Sealing Liam’s fate was easier than I thought it would be.

I started by taking the evidence to Turning. He looked it over, eyes wide. Then, without another word, he got on the phone and called the police.

It took them an hour to swing around to Liam’s place and pick him up.

I would have killed to be a fly on the wall when they brought him in for his arrest. I hear he was drunk out of his mind. He probably didn’t remember a thing and ended up waking up in a jail cell. I sincerely hope that’s how it went.

It’s Aisling’s birthday, so we’re going out to eat, but first, I’ve got something special in mind for her.

As we drive, Aisling is starting to recognize the route. She looks over at me. “Where are you taking me?”

“To dinner,” I tell her. “We’re taking a little detour, though. There’s something that I want you to see.”

We pull up to the courthouse.

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