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“Did you spot a pot of gold?”
“No, but I spotted this,” he replied, dropping my hand momentarily to pick up a piece of jewelry.
“What are you looking at?”
“A Claddagh ring.” He carefully removed and replaced a few before settling on one. “The color of this heart reminds me of the dress you wore on the first night.”
My stomach twisted in a knot when he lifted his eyes to mine. Most people probably wouldn’t think twice about the ring, intrigued by the design and ties to Ireland. But I knew the tradition, that the ring symbolized that love and friendship should reign supreme.
We’d never discussed love.
“Do you know what these are?” I swallowed, my mouth dry.
“I know they can be a lot of different things, but they’re steeped in romantic tradition. The hands stand for friendship.” His eyes twinkled. “The heart stands for love, and the crown stands for loyalty.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Can we see if it fits?” he asked softly, holding the ring between his thumb and middle finger.
As soon as I nodded, he slipped it onto the ring finger of my right hand, the heart pointing toward me.
“It’s facing the wrong way,” I replied, moving to turn it around.
He took my hand and held it for a moment. “Is my heart the only one that’s taken?”
“Flynn—” I began, laughing softly. I stopped when he didn’t join in. “You’re not kidding, are you?”
He shook his head. “No. I may not know what the future holds yet, and I know there’s a lot we have to talk about and figure out, but I’m falling in love with you, Harper. I think I’ve felt that way for a long time, but I didn’t understand it.”
“Pay the man,” I whispered.
“What?” His eyebrows drew together, confused at my abrupt change of subject. Suddenly I wanted to be somewhere else, away from the cameras, saying words to him that I only wanted him to hear.
“Pay the man,” I repeated and tipped my head ever so slightly to the left as a hint.
He raised his eyebrows in understanding and shoved a wad of bills at the vendor.
“On three?”
“No, now.”
We burst away from the scene as quickly as possible, probably looking like two thieves trying to get away with a crime. In reality, we were just two people trying to gain a few moments of privacy away from the cameras that had plagued us all day. We bobbed and weaved, shoving through crowds and laughing, the cold air leaving us both breathless.
After a few minutes and reroutes, we found a tent we could duck into.
“I don’t remember you always being so keen on breaking rules, buttercup.” He leaned forward and put his hands on his thighs, taking in huge gulps of air.
“I thought you were supposed to be some famous athlete.”
He held up a finger. “Running and skiing are two very different things. I am not a runner.”
I held up my right hand and eyed the ring, my heart rate galloping.
“Did you mean what you said back there?” I asked, dropping my hand and giving him my full attention.
“That I’m falling in love with you?”
I nodded. “Yep. That. Did you mean it?”
