And Agnes Wright was the only thing that mattered.
“I can’t believe you proposed in front of everyone,” she gasped between kisses.
“I can’t believe you said yes.”
“Of course I said yes, you bloody eejit. I’ve been in love with you more than half my life.”
“Still.” I pulled back to look at her, this woman whohad dragged me from the grip of an ancient curse with nothing but her bare hands and her stubborn refusal to let go. “I should have done it properly. You know, candles. Flowers. A ring.”
“I don’t need candles or flowers.” Agnes’s eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled up at me.
“Och, you most certainly do. You’ll be getting a ring, my bonnie fiancée. And a fancier proposal when I’ve got my head about me again. But for now… you’re all mine.” I sunk into the kiss, never wanting it to end.
Agnes laughed, the sound bright and warm in the dim room. “It’s really fine, Graham. This was perfect. Frankly, why wouldn’t everyone be there for it? They’ve been in our business for ages now.”
“Maybe I’ll have Kaia forge a ring for you. She can imbue it with protective magick or whatever it is she does.” I pulled Agnes forward into the room, not wanting to stop touching her. I wanted this lightness to always stay in her eyes, and not that deep line in her brow that came when she was worrying.
“Graham, seriously, I don’t need?—”
“I’m serious.” I cupped her face in my hands, my thumbs tracing the line of her cheekbones. “I’m going to give you everything, Agnes. A proper ring. A proper wedding. A proper life. As soon as we break this curse and murder the giant water serpent?—”
“We’re not murdering the Beithir.” Agnes rolled her eyes.
“Maybeyou’renot,” I muttered.
“Graham! You can’t go near the loch. You’ve promisedme.” Agnes moaned as my lips found the sensitive spot just behind her ear. I scraped my teeth over her soft skin.
“I’m not sure you get a say in this anymore. You’ve spent a decade pushing me away when we could’ve been having so much more fun together.”
“I was trying to save your life, you ungrateful eejit.”
“My life wasn’t worth saving without you in it.”
My words hung in the air between us. Agnes’s smile faltered and her hands came up to grip my wrists.
“Don’t say that.”
“You want the truth? Here it is.” I leaned my forehead against hers. “Every day I spent without you was a day I was just going through the motions. Running the pub, laughing with the lads, pretending everything was fine. But it wasn’t. Because you wouldn’t let me in. Because you kept holding me at arm’s length, and I didn’t know why, and I thought…” My voice cracked. “I thought it was me. That I wasn’t smart enough or good enough for you.”
“Graham—”
“And now I know it wasn’t me at all. It was an ancient curse and a family secret and you trying to protect me from something you thought you couldn’t fight.” I kissed her, soft and slow. “But you did fight it. Today. You fought the whole bloody loch for me.”
“I don’t even know how I did though, Graham.” Agnes shivered underneath my hands.
“But you still did it.” I paused and properly looked at her. “You almost died today, too, Agnes. You went into that water without hesitation. Without thinking about what might happen to you.”
“I was thinking about you.”
“Exactly. And I love you for it. But I also need you to know that I can’t lose you either. See the thing is, I really need you to come out the other side of all this. Alive. With me.”
“Och, duh. That’s the plan,” Agnes said, sighing as I nudged her toward the bed.
“And you do so love a plan. Tell me how you see it, darling.”
She rose on her toes and kissed me. “We’re going to break this curse, and we’re going to get married, and we’re going to have a life. A long, boring, completely ordinary life.”
“Ordinary?” At that, I laughed, shaking my head.
