For one evening, I’ll forget that I’m homesick. Not for a place but for a man.
“I always had such a crush on your brother Kane,” Shannon O’Dwyer says with a laugh as she sets my fish and chips in front of me. “And still do, if I’m being honest. But his wife is a sweetheart, and I did just fine with my Danny. How’s your family, Maggie?”
“They’re all doing well,” I reply. “More babies are on the way, and my parents couldn’t be happier.”
“Well, isn’t that fine, then?” Shannon says with a wink. “Would you like another pint?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Be right up,” she says and hurries off with her tray lofted in the air.
“Why don’t you get up there and sing, Maggie?” Another cousin, Shaemus, says from across the hightop table. “We’d all love to listen.”
“Maybe after another pint,” I say with a wink. “And you’ll have to do it with me.”
“Deal.”
“Excuse me, Mary Margaret.”
I look up into Finn O’Leary’s cornflower-blue eyes and smile.
“Hi, Finn.”
He rests his hand on my shoulder and leans in for a chat so we can hear each other well over the music that just started. “I’d like the chance to take you out while you’re here. If you’re agreeable to it.”
“Oh, I—”
“You’re going to want to take your hand off her.”
The voice I’ve wanted to hear for a week comes through loud and clear. But as Finn starts to move away, I take his hand and plant it back on my shoulder.
Cam’s eyes narrow.
I glare right back at him.
“You don’t get to just walk in here and dictate who can and can’t touch me, Cameron Cox.”
Stop this. You’re happy to see him! Jump into his arms and tell him you’re sorry for saying horrible things.
“It’s okay, Maggie, I’ll just go sit—”
“You’ll stay,” I say to poor Finn and then turn back to Cam. “You don’t get to be bossy. You haven’t even called me since I got here. How did you know I was here, anyway?”
“I stopped by the inn first,” he says, calm as can be. “They told me where to find you.”
Finn tries to move away again, but I grab his wrist and narrow my eyes at him.
“If you know what’s good for you, Finn O’Leary, you’ll keep your hand right there.”
“You might want to listen to her, Finn,” Sinead says with a distinct laugh in her voice.
“I should have called,” Cam begins.
“You won’t get an argument from me. You should have called. You should have just talked to me when I was there so we could have hashed it all out right then and there. But no. You were pigheaded, and…Finn, I’m warning you.”
“C’mon, Maggie,” Finn mutters and then shakes his head woefully.
“Are you done yet?” Cam asks.
“I beg your pardon?”
“If you’re done with your little tirade, I’ll tell you that I’m madly in love with you and I’m here to make things right.”
I blink at him, then look over at Finn. “Okay, you can let go now, Finn.”
“Thank God,” Finn says and scurries away.
“Come with me,” Cam says as he takes my hand and leads me through the crowd in the pub, all of who are watching us now. We exit through a door to the outside. It’s cool outside, with a thick, heavy fog hanging, casting everything in shadow.
“We can go to my place,” I begin, but he frames my face with his hands and stares down at me longingly as though he hasn’t seen me in years. “Cam.”
“I love you, Mary Margaret. And I know that we have stuff to talk about, but damn it, I can’t go another day without telling you that.”
“I love you, too.”
He blinks as if he’s completely surprised.
“Why does that shock you? Why do you think I was so frustrated and angry?”
“Because of Joey—”
“No, not because of Joey. Because of you. And we can talk about this later because I really need you to kiss me—”
His mouth is on mine, not moving, just resting as if he’s relieved to be here finally. And then, with those hands cupping my face, he sinks into me in that amazing way Cam does that makes my toes curl.
“I’m staying in the guest house,” I inform him when he pulls away. “It’s private.”
“Let’s go there,” he suggests, not in a firm, stern way, but in a hopeful manner that makes me smile.
“If it will get us out of the cold, damp air, I’m all for it,” I say with a smile and walk with him to his car. I give him directions to the inn and the small guest house behind it, and once he’s parked and we’re inside, I light the peat fire to warm us and turn to find him staring at me with hungry blue eyes.
“First,” he begins, “I called my former boss and told him that I won’t be helping out on that case due to a severe conflict of interest. I can’t give you specific details, but I can say that I did the same several years ago for the same reasons.”