Wild Irish Dreamer (The Mystic Cove Series Book 8)

by Tricia O'Malley

  “Thank you. As will you. Do you think he’ll mind that I’ve reversed the tradition?” Grace nibbled her lip as she eyed her dress where it hung on the wall. An ombre blush color, the dress had been hand-dyed so that the palest of pinks started at the bust and flowed through to a deep fuchsia layer at the hem. With miles of skirt tumbling around her, Grace would look like a wildflower sprung from the garden. For her girls, she’d chosen white, and Fi had to admit, their bridesmaids’ dresses were stunning.

  “I think the man will lose his mind when he sees you,” Fi promised, then closed her mouth so the makeup artist could do her magic. It wasn’t long before Fi was prepared and ready for her own floral crown, but first she had to slip into her dress. Sneaking away to the bathroom, she took off her robe and slid the simple white dress over her head. Grace had chosen well here, Fi thought as the cool silk slid over her body. With a simple halter neck, the gown hugged her body without being tight, and the simplicity of it only contributed to its elegance. When she walked out into the bedroom, Grace clapped her hands.

  “You look amazing. Oh, Fi, you look like you’re getting married.”

  “Hush, now, I do not. But I will say, you’ve picked a good dress.”

  “Let’s put the crown on,” Gracie instructed the makeup artist, who dutifully clipped a crown of blush pink flowers entwined with greens to Fi’s head.

  “Does it look silly? It feels like it should look silly.”

  “No, I… wow,” Gracie said, pointing to the full-length mirror. Fi walked over and studied herself. Her eyes looked huge in her face, darkened from the makeup, and her lips like a ripe raspberry waiting to be plucked. Though she’d never been a flower-crown person, she had to admit, it looked amazing with the simplicity of the dress.

  “Sure and you did a lovely job putting this all together, Gracie.”

  “Now it’s my turn!” Grace squealed. Not caring about modesty, she dropped her robe and stood by her dress while Keelin and Fi helped her into it. When they’d finished and Fi fluffed out the skirts, the room came to silence.

  “Well?” Grace demanded.

  “I can’t speak, or I’ll cry,” Keelin said, both her hands to her face.

  “No, don’t ruin your makeup,” Gracie ordered.

  “You’re a vision,” Fi breathed. “Go look at yourself.”

  A wide smile broke out on Gracie’s face when she stepped to the mirror. She looked lit from within, and happier than Fi had ever seen her. She would never forget this moment, Fi realized, for she’d always hoped her friend would find such happiness.

  “It’s time,” a voice shouted from the front of the cottage and everyone flew into flurry of activity – last-minute makeup touches, bouquets to grab, and last glimpses in the mirror. Finally, Fi stood at the front of the cottage where she was to meet Liam and walk out together. Apprehension stole through her. As best man and maid of honor, they had a lot of duties together tonight. Fi hoped she’d be able to keep the day focused on Grace, and not let her own emotions steal into it.

  “Ready?” Aislinn asked, poking her head through the door of the cottage.

  “Is Rosie set?” Gracie called.

  “Aye, she’s ready,” Fi called back. As ringbearer, Rosie was decked out in a collar of flowers and ribbons, and from the way she pranced and wagged her tail, Fi guessed she quite liked all the attention.

  “Let’s make an honest woman of me then.”

  Fi laughed and stepped through the cottage door. For a moment, the light outside blinded her and she blinked to adjust her eyes. Liam stood, the expression on his face indecipherable, and simply stared at her.

  “Do I look bad?” Fi said, looking down at herself and then up at him. He shook his head, as if in a fog, and cleared his throat.

  “No, of course not. You look lovely,” Liam said, his words short.

  “You look very handsome,” Fi tried, hooking her arm through his as he led her toward the field overlooking the cove, where the wedding had been set up. And he did, at that. In a dark grey suit, with a simple white shirt and a flower at his lapel, Liam looked dashing.

  “Thank you.” Liam’s words were clipped and Fi’s heart took a dive. She wanted the old easygoing Liam back.

  Taking a breath, Fi looked around and smiled, pushing her worries away. Today was about Grace and Dylan, and that was what really mattered.

  Bales of hay had been set up in long rows, with tartan blankets thrown over them. An arch built of roughhewn logs, twined with twinkle lights, greens, and hundreds of flowers, stood at the end of the aisle. On the other edge of the arch, the earth dropped away to water at the cliff’s edge of the cove. It was a spectacular place to marry, and Fi was glad Grace hadn’t gone too fussy with the wedding. Who needed to overdesign when nature was the prettiest backdrop?

  Liam slowly escorted Fi down the aisle, and she smiled at everyone, almost rolling her eyes when she saw her mum dash a tear from her eye. This felt good, she realized, being on Liam’s arm in front of her friends and family.

  She wished it was her wedding day.

  The thought slammed into her so hard she stumbled, just a bit, and Liam held her tighter to his side, making sure she didn’t fall.

  “Are you all right?” Liam whispered.

  “Aye,” Fi said, but it was a lie. She wasn’t all right. None of this was right. She was turning her back on a good man because of her own stupid fears. She could have this – this future and the life she wanted – if she’d only give Liam a chance. If she could bring herself to trust him and tell him what she really was.

  They parted at the end of the aisle and Fi felt bereft at the loss of him. She didn’t want to let go of his arm, or not stand by his side. But, following protocol, she walked to her side of the aisle, smiling at Dylan, who stood waiting for his love. When the crowd gasped, Fi could have cheered. Gracie had chosen just right with her dress and she looked luminous floating across the green grass – a rose blooming for her love.

  Fi saw Dylan wipe a tear, as did many in the group, and she stepped forward to take Grace’s flowers. Straightening, she kept a smile on her face as Flynn began the ceremony.

  Wind tickled her face and Fi turned, looking down at the cove, and then back up to Liam. His eyes locked on hers as Flynn delivered his message.

  “Love is a dance, the steps of which only you two will know. You may dance together, partners, and yet remain free in your own individual movements. Love ebbs and flows, much like the waves that crash on the shore below us. It’s never the same each day, but rest assured, only when you truly love someone can you be free.”

  Liam’s eyes burned into hers, and Fi’s heart stopped for what felt like forever, as she lost herself in his eyes. Maybe this was what she needed to hear, she realized. That a true partner wouldn’t restrict her, but would set her free. And in that moment, she decided to trust Liam with her secrets.

  “Look,” Keelin whispered from behind her. As Grace and Dylan were pronounced husband and wife, the cove lit from within – a brilliant blue color that only those at the cliff’s edge could see. Fi blinked back tears and stole a glance at Liam, wondering what he would think of the magick displayed down below. A wide grin split his handsome face, and he seemed enraptured by what he saw. If that was truly the case, then maybe Grace was right – maybe Liam could be the man to accept all of her.

  Chapter 38

  Fi made it through the first dance before she had to step away and take a moment for herself. They’d erected a huge tent with a dance floor on the green fields by the cove, and everyone had laughed their way through the evening and now on to dancing. Fi just needed… a minute.

  She needed to breathe.

  There hadn’t been a moment alone that she could talk to Liam all day and night, with pictures, dinner, speeches… it was just one thing after another. Now, as everyone took to the dance floor, Fi realized she needed a moment to check in with herself and her feelings. Slipping away from the dance floor, she walked the fields until she ar
rived at the edge of the cove. The moon, full as could be – because of course Grace would marry under a full moon – shone brightly off the water far below her.

  “Fi.”

  Fi didn’t turn, for a part of her had known he would follow. Instead, she steeled herself for what would come next.

  “Liam,” she said, still looking down at the water. He came to stand next to her, following her gaze to the waves that crashed below.

  “That’s quite a drop. I hope you aren’t thinking of jumping,” Liam said lightly.

  “No, just admiring the water. I needed a moment,” Fi said with a laugh.

  “Did you see the water during the ceremony?” Liam asked and Fi tore her gaze away from the water to turn and look up at him.

  “Aye, I did. Did you?”

  “It looked like it shone an intense blue light. But that could have been my eyes playing tricks on me.”

  “No, it was real.”

  “It’s magick then. Not just a myth like the villagers say.”

  “Aye, it’s magick,” And so am I, Fi added silently. It felt good to say it, even if just in her head, she realized, and a warmth seemed to flood her.

  “I kind of figured, since it tried to kill me.” Liam laughed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “But this seemed a kinder side to the cove than I’ve experienced.”

  “It was. The cove glows from within in the presence of true love,” Fi supplied, and Liam tilted his head at her. The moonlight lit his eyes as he studied her face.

  “You believe in it then?”

  “Of course.” Fi took a deep breath. “And not only is the cove magick… but…”

  “But what?”

  “But I am as well.” The world seemed to freeze for an instant, the moment hanging suspended between them as Liam’s eyes held hers. She’d never in her life told another soul this secret, and her stomach turned as she waited for his response.

  “You’re… magick?” Liam asked, speaking slowly.

  “Aye, I am. I’m part of the bloodline that runs from the magick in the cove. I’m magick, Liam.” Fi blew out a breath and her palms felt clammy as she clenched her hands together.

  “Like Grace, then?” Liam asked.

  “No, my abilities are in a different area. Actually, one that I’ve fought against my whole life.”

  “Why? Why fight who you are?” Thank the goddess, Liam hadn’t run screaming, and was listening carefully to her words.

  “I didn’t want to rely on my… gifts to get me by in life. So I suppressed them.”

  “You can suppress magick?”

  “Of course. It takes work, but then it becomes routine. Except for the dreams; I can’t control those.”

  “What do your dreams do?” Liam’s eyes widened and she realized she still hadn’t told him what she was.

  “I’m a telepath, Liam. I can read people’s minds if I want to. I also have prophetic dreams. Oh, and I can see people’s auras. Kind of a mixed bag of things.” Fi went still as Liam’s face contorted.

  “You can read minds? You could read my mind? But… you said you didn’t know Luis was lying.” Liam crossed his arms over his chest, which she now recognized to be his defensive posture.

  “Please, before you get angry… will you allow me to explain? Before you judge me?” Fi pleaded, grabbing onto his arm.

  “Go ahead.” Liam bit out the words, and she knew he was working to keep himself under control.

  “I’ve never wanted this ability. My mum has it as well. Since I was young, she trained me how to shield myself so I didn’t hear other’s thoughts. Trust me, you don’t want to know the things you can pick up by accident. It’s… awful. Especially as a young child. As I grew older, I became so adept at shielding myself that it became second nature. It’s only when I’m really tired or my guards are down that I occasionally catch a stray thought.”

  “So you’ve never read my thoughts?”

  “No, I consider it an invasion of privacy. I don’t read people’s minds at all. In fact…” Fi’s voice caught and she turned away to look down at the water below, not wanting to see the rejection on his face. “In all my life, I’ve only ever told one person outside my circle about this. My first love.”

  “Ah,” Liam said, understanding dawning on his face. “And it didn’t go well?”

  “He outed me to his friends and they all tore me apart at a party he was having. It was awful. I promised myself I’d never let my guard down with a man again.”

  “I’m starting to understand why you’ve kept me at arm’s length.”

  “Nobody’s even come close to threatening my carefully curated wall. Except you. You are the only person it’s felt right with… and that fact terrifies me.”

  “You think I’ll hurt you. Or you did think so. What’s changed your mind?”

  “Because I realized today that I do trust you. And I want a chance with you. I trust that you’ll listen to me and maybe we can make a relationship work between us… and a life that we both want to live. That love doesn’t have to force you to settle down or temper your dreams. Maybe, with the right partner, I really could have it all.”

  “Fi,” Liam said, touching her for the first time, “look at me.”

  Fi turned and met his eyes in the moonlight.

  “Yes?”

  “You can read me.”

  “What?” Fi asked, feeling a fine trembling run through her body.

  “Read me. Open yourself to me. I have nothing to hide from you,” Liam promised, holding both her hands now. “Look inside me. The answer is there.”

  He was trusting her, Fi realized, not only with the story she’d told him about being magick, but with his innermost thoughts. Tears sprang to her eyes as she let down her shields for the first time in ages and looked inside Liam’s mind.

  “You love me,” Fi choked out.

  “Aye, I do. Even more so now that I know this extra layer of you,” Liam said.

  “I think I love you too. I don’t know, I’m kind of a mess right now. But I know I want to give this a chance,” Fi admitted, stumbling over her words. “But it slammed into me when we were walking down the aisle together that I wanted a chance with you. A real one.”

  “We can have that. But it starts with trusting each other. Will you trust me, Fi? To love you and be your partner? So that we can be together and explore the world? To design a future that looks exactly like we want it to?”

  “I do,” Fi whispered, and then his lips were on hers and nothing else mattered. She’d finally found a safe harbor with the one man who would weather all the storms with her. Pulling back, she smiled up at him.

  “Look!” Liam said, pulling her into his arm so they could turn and look at the glow emanating from the water below them. “It’s meant to be. The cove says so.”

  “Aye, that it does.”

  “It was worth it trying to kill me, then, as it led me to you,” Liam decided and Fi threw back her head and laughed.

  And as simply as that, Fi finally embraced her magick.

  Epilogue

  “That’s a fine streak of luck you’ve had, Mr. Murphy,” Cait said, studying the leather-bound book she’d plopped onto the bar.

  The entire pub laughed as Mr. Murphy crowed in delight.

  “I can’t believe you’d bet on me. Me own mum.” Fi shook her head sadly, as if to ask what the world was coming to.

  “Then you don’t know your mum very well,” Cait shot back, and Fi laughed.

  “How’d you come to pick that date, Mr. Murphy?” Liam asked.

  “Weddings make people feel romantic. It seemed like a suitable day,” Mr. Murphy said, tugging at his newsboy cap as his cheeks blushed pink.

  “Well, you’ve won yourself a fine pot of money, you have. I think the whole town bet on it,” Cait said, sliding him another Guinness. “What will you do with your winnings this time?”

  “Well, I’ve been thinking about that…” Mr. Murphy ducked his head. “And I’ve a favor to ask of yo
u.”

  “Go ahead,” Cait nodded.

  “I’m wondering if you’ll take me to see the elephants. A safari like you all were talking about a while back. I’m too old to go by myself, but I’d dearly love to see them before I leave this world.”

  Cait’s mouth dropped open, then she turned a steely gaze toward the kitchen, where Shane stood with a towel draped across his shoulder. His mouth quirked with a small smile, but he said nothing.

  “Oh, you’re a wily one, Shane, aren’t you?” Cait called, and Shane laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He knew, just as everyone else in the bar did, that Mr. Murphy was the man Cait couldn’t say no to. It seemed she would be taking a vacation no matter what.

  “Is that a yes?” Mr. Murphy asked hopefully.

  “Aye – but only if I can find someone to cover the pub,” Cait said, seeing a way out.

  “I’ll do that for you, Mum,” Fi said cheerfully, smiling in her seat next to Liam, his arm casually around her waist. “I’m sure Liam could help, as well.”

  “I’ve tended a pub or two in my time,” Liam agreed.

  “It’ll be fun. And it will give me some time to haul all those boxes from your house to mine.” Fi layered it on, knowing how much her mother wanted the clutter out of her house.

  “Oh, you’re a sneaky one too,” Cait said.

  “So? Do we get to see the elephants then?” Mr. Murphy asked, his voice tremulous as he leaned forward.

  “We do, Mr. Murphy, we do,” Cait said, and the entire pub cheered once more. Mr. Murphy was so delighted he almost toppled off his stool. Shane, ducking through the passthrough, picked Cait up and spun her around.

  “I like your parents together,” Liam said into Fi’s ear. “They’re a good fit for each other.”

  “They are. They balance each other.”

  “Think we can balance each other?”

  “I think we can do a lot of things together,” Fi said, then blushed when Liam whispered a decidedly naughty suggestion in her ear.