Chapter 33
POV: Liam?
2 months later…
To say I was nervous, would be a fucking understatement.
I was fucking terrified.
It’s funny how things change—how your life takes a turn and how your feelings change instantly.
Before I was terrified of love—of emotions—of feeling things…with her.
But now, I was terrified of the exact opposite. I was terrified that she might not feel the same way and that when it came time to ask the most important question of my life, her answer might not be yes.
The ring sat in the pocket of my pants in a velvet bag.
We drove through the rolling green hills, the radio was the only thing that cut through our silence and I could feel Maeve staring at me, yet, she hadn’t questioned me about the silence. Yet.
She turned her body towards me, adjusting the volume of the radio and placed her hand on my thigh. “What’s on your mind?”
No. No. No.
I can’t answer that. Not now.
I shrugged, trying to play off that I was just tired. “Just tired. I didn’t sleep last night.”
“Really?” she cocked an eyebrow, suspiciously.
I’m barely holding myself together right now.
“Really,” I agreed, nodding, trying to make a good show of it.
“Hmm,” she breathed out, narrowing her eyes on me. “I don’t think I believe you, Liam O’Rourke.”
O’Rourke.
I repeated the name in my mind.
Maeve O’Rourke.
It had a nice ring to it.
Stay calm Liam, stay collected. Don’t let Maeve get to you.
It was almost laughable, the way I was trying to give myself a pep talk—convincing myself that the woman I loved, the one I wanted to marry, shouldn’t have this much power over me. As if I could somehow steel my heart against the very person who held it.
I tapped my hand nervously along the steering wheel. “Well you should, Maeve O’Connell, because it’s the truth.”
Maeve continued staring at me. “Fine, if you say so. But you’re too quiet. And I know something’s going on in that mind of yours.”
“Maybe I’m thinking about pulling this car over right now,” I teased.
“Oh?” she raised an eyebrow curiously. “And do what?”
“You know.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” she laughed. “It’s daytime.”
I shot her a devious look. “Don’t tempt me.”
She turned away from me and averted her attention back on the road.
She knew better than to provoke me, I wasn’t against pulling over and making love to her anytime and anywhere, and she knew that.
As we parked and made our ways out of the car, I grabbed the scarf in the back seat and wrapped it around her neck. Fall had begun to creep its way into the Irish air, making it cool and crisp, and damp.
“A scarf?” she smiled, her cheeks blushing as I tucked her hair behind her back.
“It’s getting cold. Just want to make sure you’re warm enough on our walk.”
She smiled. “You know, Liam, I never thought you’d shift this quickly from Mr. Grumpy.”
“What?” I smirked. “I’ve never been grumpy.”
“Yeah right,” she rolled her eyes, walking up the hill towards the Cliffs of Moher.
“I haven’t!” I called out, as I began jogging towards her.
“If you say so, love,” she giggled, still walking ahead of me.
“I do say so!” We walked side by side now, moving toward the cliffs, the wind whipping around us, picking up our clothes and hair.
Fuck me.
The wind picked the worst day to misbehave.
Maeve started down the paved path, her eyes scanning the horizon for the perfect vantage point.
Luckily, even with the cold and the bitterness of fall, the sun was still shining and not a rain cloud was in sight. The wind wasn’t great, but not everything could be perfect, and I learned that’s how life is like. Perfect is overrated. It makes things too easy.
Here you go, Liam. You got this. I gave myself an internal pep talk as I prepared myself for the most important question I’ll ever ask in my life.
Maeve stopped at a corner of the rock wall that overlooked the cliffs and gave the perfect view. Her back was turned towards me as she gazed out at the cliffs.
I watched her for a moment, taking in this very second, memorizing it. Memorizing the way that things were perfect and we were happy, together.
I once regretted love, I hated how it made me feel, the memories that came with it, and the woman behind it.
But now there was her. Maeve.
And I didn’t regret any of my feelings for her or the way love finally began to mean something again.
I got in position and got onto one knee, staring up at her with shaky hands as I took the ring out of the velvet bag and clutched it in my palm.
I must’ve waited for what felt like 5 minutes, my knee digging into the concrete and the ring shaking in my fingers.
Then she finally turned and saw me.
She glanced down, looking down at me on one knee, then at the ring, then back up at my eyes.
Her eyes went wide, her mouth fell open and she struggled to find the words to speak, “Liam?” she croaked out finally.
My throat tightened. “Yes, love.”
She managed out, “Liam—what are you doing?”
“What does it look like, Maeve?” I smirked, trying to regain confidence.
“I—I—don’t know,” she shook her head.
The lump in my throat only grew. “Proposing, love.”
Her eyes grew wider.
People began to surround us, watching with bated breath and eager eyes.
I took a deep breath in, my fingers shaking as I finally asked, “Maeve O’Connell, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
Maeve shook her head, laughing, her eyes welling with tears. “Liam.”
I looked around, a nervous smile on my face, “Well? What’s it going to be, Maeve? Will you grow old with me in Ireland?”
Fuck me. I couldn’t tell what she was going to do.
Surprising me, she started towards me, kneeling on the ground and pressing her lips into mine. “Yes! Of course! Yes!”
Claps and cheers exploded around us.
“Thank god,” I heaved out a breath after we kissed. “You were beginning to make me nervous for a second.”
“I did that on purpose,” she whispered, a smile grazing her lips before she glanced down at the ring on her finger.
“You minx,” I smiled, getting us both back to our feet.
Celebratory words were had with the ongoers before we made our way back downhill, glancing back the cliffs as we did, and stopping to cherish the moment.
“It’s funny,” Maeve said, smiling, looking back at me. “I thought I came to Ireland to write a book.”
“Yet you found a fiancee,” I smiled, taking her hand in mine and dragging her back towards the car. “Now let’s get back home.”
“To do what?” She gave me a knowing look.
“Or we can stop somewhere and do it in the car,” I shot her a wink.
“You’re the worst.” She sent me a wink.
Hand in hand, we headed back to the car and towards the rest of our lives.