“Wemust face him,” she corrected.
“Of course.”
“He won’t be happy.”
“No.”
Lyssa turned in his arms. She knew what he was saying. “Ian, what if he refuses us?”
“Then I’ll tell him the truth. That I debauched his daughter, stole her innocence, and will marry her in a heartbeat whether she likes it or not…although I would like his blessing.”
Joy surged through her. She threw her arms around him. “You love me!”
“Was there any doubt?”
She shook her head, even while admitting, “I couldn’t be certain.”
“My sweet, wonderful Cailín. I think I’ve loved you ever since you crashed that ironstone pitcher across the innkeeper’s head.”
“That was terrible of me.”
“Despicable,” he agreed, smiling, and her happiness knew no boundaries.
Putting her hand on his chest, right over his heart, she asked, “You will really ask my father for my hand?”
“Aye. That is, if you’ll have me.”
“Oh, Ian, such a stupid question.”
“It’s not, Lyssa, I have nothing—”
She cut him off with a kiss. “You have me,” she whispered. “You’ll always have me.”
“And can you live with the fact your father may not give us his blessing?” he asked, doubt in his voice.
“Yes,” she replied with conviction.
But Ian didn’t laugh this time. Instead his expression grew thoughtful. “Now, is this before or after we accuse his wife of attempting to murder you?”
“I don’t even care about that anymore,” she told him. And then she took the leap of faith. “Ian, I love you.”
Simple words, and yet they made all the difference to her world.
And to his. “You are everything to me,” he whispered to her, his voice fierce. “Everything.” He pulled back, holding her hands in his. “Lyssa Harrell, will you promise to be my wife, to love me, to be faithful to me all the days of my life?”
“Is this our church then?” she asked.
“Are we not before God?”
“Oh, yes,” she agreed, her chest tightening with emotion. “And, yes, I will have you Ian Campion. I will love you and honor you—” She paused, and then an imp of mischief caused her to add, “Andobeyyou.”
“I doubt that,” he said, half laughing. “And I don’t care, Lyssa, for I shall be strong enough and courageous enough to take care of you all my days. Even if I have nothing to offer right now.”
“You have me,” she corrected.
With a glad, wild Irish whoop, he picked her up in his arms and swung her around. He twirled until they were both laughing uncontrollably and they tumbled to the ground in each other’s arms.
Suddenly, they both went quiet. This was a sacred moment, one Lyssa wanted to capture and remember all her life. She never wanted to forget anything, not even the exact color of the blue sky behind white and silver clouds, or the feel of the light breeze on her cheek. And she wanted to burn in her mind forever the look of love in Ian’s eyes.
