Page 147 of Fix You

“Thank God,” I murmured.

As I slammed my lips against his, Rafe’s arms came around me, pressing me tight against him. I kissed the hell out of him until we were both breathless. Rafe’s hand slid down my back to cup my ass.

“Ms. Kavanaugh!” Sister Antonia screeched.

At the sound of her voice, I jerked away from Rafe. Heat warmed my cheeks at her accusatory glare. “Have you and your guest forgotten that this is our Lord’s house?”

“I’m so very, very sorry, Sister Antonia.”

Rafe bit back his smile. “We’ll be sure to say many Act of Contritions tonight, won’t we, Maeve?”

After shooting him a glare, I nodded at Sister Antonia. “Yes, we certainly will.”

“I would hope so.” She then waved a wrinkled hand at us to exit the church. “Unless you plan on seeking that contrition at this moment, I would suggest the two of you take your conversation outside.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Taking Rafe by the hand, I then led him down the church’s aisle and into the sunshine.

“Go get your things.”

“But I have to say goodbye. They’ve been so good to me.”

“A very quick goodbye. I want you back stateside with me.”

I swept my hands to my hips. “Stateside? I think you forget my life has been in Dublin.”

“Then we’ll stop in on the way there and pack you up.”

“But it’s not that simple. My classes won’t be finished for another month, and I’m tired of taking them online. I want to be back in the classroom with my professors and my classmates.”

Rafe’s expression darkened slightly. “I’m serious, Maeve. I don’t intend for you to be out of my sight ever again.”

Although I should’ve been touched by his words, my temper flared that he didn’t seem to be listening to me. Jabbing myfinger at him, I said, “Now let’s get one thing straight. Just because we’re together, it doesn’t mean I’m going to let you boss me around. I’m also not trading my brothers’ rule for yours.”

Rafe’s neck jerked back like I’d slapped him. “I don’t want to rule over you. It’s just I thought I was going to have to spend the rest of my life without you, now that I know I don’t have to, I don’t want to waste a minute.”

“That I can live with. But I also know how many men in my world view marriage and how relationships change once a ring is on a woman’s finger and she loses her last name.”

Crossing his arms over his broad chest, Rafe countered, “Aren’t you putting the cart before the horse? I mean, I haven’t even asked you to marry me.”

Mortification rocketed through me, heating my cheeks. “Uh, well, you’re right. You haven’t.”

An impish glint burned in Rafe’s eyes. “Maeve Kavanaugh, how can you possibly think I don’t want to marry you?”

“Like you said, you haven’t asked me,” I countered in a huff.

“Then let me remedy that.”

Elation and disbelief overwhelmed me as Rafe dropped to his knees before me. After reaching into his suit pocket, he produced a Tiffany box. “I made a pitstop in New York on the way out of the country to stop for a ring. Even though they had a Tiffany’s in Philly, I didn’t want anything that came out of that city on your finger.”

A nervous giggle bubbled from my lips as I stared down at him. When he cracked open the teal box, my hands flew to my face. An enormous diamond glittered up at me. “Oh, Rafe, it’s stunning.”

“As it should be since it’s going to be on the hand of a stunning woman.”

After removing the ring from the box, Rafe then took my hand in his. As he put it on my left ring finger, he said, “Maeve,marry me and make my life complete, but more than that, marry me and let me spend the rest of my days making you happy.”

A sob tore loose from my throat as I threw my arms around him. I could barely find the words to express my overwhelming happiness. Nodding, I replied, “Yes.”

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