Page 93 of Bumping into You

A soft gasp escapes her parting her lips, and a tear begins to fall slowly down her cheek.

I reach out and wipe away the tear, then stroke the side of her cheek with my thumb. “I know it will be hard, but we are going to figure out a way to make this work.”

Another tear slips from her eye, and I lean in to kiss it away. “Iwant you to come to Boston with me.”

Chapter 43

Gwen

“What?” I say. “Come to—”

“Boston,” Niall finishes. “With me.” His eyes shine with something, is that hope? Anticipation?

“When?” I ask, still dumbstruck by what he’s asking.

“This weekend,” he says. “Take the weekend, come with me to Boston. I’ll show you around, and we’ll make a trip out of it. You’ll see that we can make this last in the ‘real world,’ as you put it.”

“But I can’t just up and fly to Boston.”

“Why not?”

“I . . .” I start, but what real reason is there? I don’t have another event until mid-week next week. I have no plans for when I get home. Do I actually have a reason? No, no I don’t. “Okay,” I say, finally meeting his eyes.

“Okay?” he asks cautiously.

“Yes, I’ll go to Boston with you.”

The happiness rolls off him in waves and it brings a smile to my face.

“I want to make this work too,” I continue. “I care about you. I can figure out how to run my business and have a relationship. There are others who have done it before me, and surely I can do it if they can. Maybe I can hire an office manager or promote one of my other event planners to a senior role. Something to give me more time to visit with you.”

“You’ve just made me the happiest man,mo ghrá.” He kissesmy head. “You’ll see, everything will work out.”

There he goes calling memo ghráagain, it sends a thrill through me. Hope floods my senses.Maybe we can make this work.

Chapter 44

Niall

The next morning’s debarkation is a whirlwind of activity. We all leave at the same time, breaking off into groups. Greg and Holly head to the airport for an early flight. They are going up to Vermont to the Kenton family cabin for their honeymoon.

Mr. and Mrs. Kenton leave in their vehicle, as they are driving back to Chessie Valley. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer accompany them after deciding to cancel their flight home in lieu of a road trip.

Everyone else goes to the airport, but at a less hectic pace than Greg and Holly. I’m as happy as a kid on Christmas morning that Gwen is coming back to Boston with me, as my girlfriend.

After arriving in Boston, I don’t waste a minute. We load our luggage into my vehicle and go right over to the Revere Beach. The drive into downtown Boston would take too much time, and I want to do as much as possible with Gwen while she’s here.

“Where is your favorite spot?” she asks as we walk onto the beach.

“It’s just down this path,” I say, pointing ahead of us.

“Oh, it’s perfect. Let’s take a picture,” she says, motioning for me to come closer.

I’ve not done any proper sightseeing in years, and experiencing it through Gwen’s eyes keeps a permanent smile on my face.

We grab a bite of clam chowder for an early dinner and then stop by a bakery for one of their delicious cannoli.

“This is seriously the best cannoli I have ever eaten,” Gwen says, licking some of the icing off her lips. “Any chance they deliver?”

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