“I wanted to talk to you too. Why don’t we go sit.”
She took my hand and led me to the couch. “You look pretty serious. Should I be nervous?”
“Never with me,” I declared. “But I wanted to let you know that I spoke to my parents today and they are looking forward to meeting you.” My mother hopefully will have stopped crying by then.
“I’ve cleared my schedule for three days next week. Hopefully that will give us enough time together with them,” she said.
“That will be plenty. I also notified the hospital and submitted my resignation.”
“How did that go?” she asked.
“It feels good. Now I can start making arrangements with Logan for the transition. I know you still need to make a public announcement as well.”
She nodded. “I can schedule another meeting with Barry and this time you and Logan can attend, and I can introduce you to all of Tabiq. Watch out. You won’t be able to hide from the questions after that.”
“You think with this red hair that I’ve been able to hide so far?” I laughed.
“True. You do stand out. But I have a feeling you would even if you had dark hair like the rest of us. You are…unique,” she said.
Not quite how I wanted to be viewed, but it could be a lot worse.
“Is there any other business you want to discuss?” I asked.
“If there is, I can’t think of it. My brain is fried.”
Then what I’m about to say is probably going to finish the job.
“I wanted to talk to you about something more…personal. We haven’t had much time together lately. We both have been pushing it too hard and I thought it was time to stop. Maybe talk about…us.”
Her eyes opened wide, and she nodded. “I’d like that.”
“I am not one who believes in luck, or fate, but the universe seems to have played a role in our meeting each other. I had been scheduled to be off work hours before and if so, I wouldn’t have been at O’Malley’s. And with all the pubs between O’Malley’s and your hotel, I find it interesting that you happened to walk into that one. Why did you pick O’Malley’s?”
“It’s going to sound pathetic, but my shoes were uncomfortable and my feet hurt. I had been wishing for a place to sit and there it was, O’Malley’s.”
“So you weren’t coming in wishing to meet a fine Irishman like myself?” I teased.
“If you recall, I was looking for a doctor, and for the record, I found one,” she grinned.
That you did.
“I’m glad you offered me the position. As you mentioned Tabiq does grow on a person.”
“I’m glad you’re falling in love with it,” she said.
“Love is a very strong word. It’s not something I’ve ever used before. I would say I’m fond of Tabiq.” Reaching for her hand I looked into her eyes and said, “But I love you.”
I saw her tense, then her eyes glistened. “You love me?” she asked. I nodded. “I love you too, Finn.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. When our embrace ended, she said, “I’ve been wishing that I could have it all, but I know wishes don’t come true. Or at least I thought they didn’t. But what I learned is they can come true, just maybe when the timing is right. I wished you would come to Tabiq, and you did. I wished you’d take the job and you have. And I think I’ve loved you from the moment we met. I wished that somehow life would bring us together again. And here you are. Telling me you love me. It’s so perfect that I’m afraid I’ll find out it’s all just a dream.”
I leaned over and kissed her again. “Does that feel like a dream?”
“No. But you don’t understand. On the day I turned thirteen, I was crying because we had so little, and I felt so hopeless. My mother told me to make a wish and one day it would come true. Year after year it didn’t and one day, I stopped believing. But Finn, you’re everything I’ve ever wished for and more,” she cried.
“So are you Mo Ghra`?” I said.
She asked, “What is Mo Ghra`?”
“It means my love,” I said. “Like my parents and their parents, we give our hearts once, and for always. You are now and will be forever, my only love.”
Reesa started crying all over again and I held her tenderly stroking her back. This wasn’t the end for us, but just the beginning. She had so much more to do, but no longer would she have to face it all alone. I would be with her, by her side, every step of the way.
Mo Ghra`!