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He avoided my gaze still as he helped me into a sleek, black car—not an SUV this time—and he avoided my gaze as we headed downtown but not toward the family home where I expected.
Instead, we cruised through the bustling downtown streets, passing charming cafes and picturesque squares in silence until he stopped in front of a beautiful old bookstore.
“Where are we?” I asked, gazing at the ornate façade and intricate ironwork of the building through the windshield. Somehow even though not an exact match, it had the same feel to it as the bookstore in Dublin.
My bookstore in Dublin.
My chest tightened with longing. I’d forced myself to forget about my dream. And I couldn’t be happier to be by Gabe’s side. But building my very own business, having my own shop and standing on my own two feet—that dream, that desire was still in me.
He exited the car and held the door open for me.
“Gabe, what’s going on?”
“Come on, let’s go inside.” He took my hand and led me through the heavy, wooden doors.
Inside, the scent of old books and polished wood wrapped around me like a comforting blanket. Rows upon rows of shelves stretched out before me, each one filled with books. Old mixed with new.
Love stories, beautiful fantasy covers, leatherbound editions from past centuries.
Heaven for a book lover like me.
I looked at Gabe, my eyes wide with curiosity and suspicion. “Why are we here?”
He smiled gently, looking both proud and vulnerable at the same time. “This is yours if you want it. I want you to have a place of your own, where you run the show, be independent.”
My breath got stuck somewhere between my throat and my chest.
For real? He bought me a bookstore?
My heart swelled with love for this man who understood me so well.
But then he hesitated, and his expression shifted into a hard mask. “But if you prefer the bookstore in Ireland, I understand. I realize the way we started out, the way I dragged you back… If you want to live there, we will somehow make it work.”
I stared at him, speechless.
He was willing to sacrifice his own destiny for my happiness?
Tears clogged my throat, and wetness pooled in my eyes, and the vision of the shelves blurred.
This gorgeous man was willing to do whatever it took to have me by his side.
Love, so absolute, settled into my chest that I could hardly breathe.
And I knew, with absolute certainty, there was only one answer.
“Gabe,” I said softly, tears streaming down my cheeks, “thank you.”
He pressed his lips into a white slash and nodded, bracing for whatever I would say.
“Thank you for this, and for giving me the choice.” I hesitated, then smiled. “But you said it yourself. My place is by your side. I choose you, and I choose us. So, wherever you go, I go. And together, we’ll make it work, no matter where we are.”
He grabbed me so forcefully that I couldn’t breathe for a moment, but then I hugged him back and inhaled his familiar scent, and as I hugged him tightly, I could feel the tension finally leave his body.
And mine.
Wherever the future would take us, we would be okay. Together.
We ended the embrace and went exploring.
