I rubbed my forehead in frustration. “I wanted you to see, ya know?” I blurted out. “To see why I like traveling and experiencing new things so much.” I always avoided going up inside the castle, but I pushed myself today because I knew he’d probably enjoy it. “But I just…and I freaked out, and you… and I…” My shoulders dropped. “You were really sweet, but I feel like I just made a fool of myself.”
“No,” he automatically said. He tugged me into his side as we walked and dropped a kiss on my hair. “I’m glad I could be there for you, I promise. You have nothing to worry about. Put it all out of your mind right now, okay?”
My face scrunched in worry anyway.
“What else? Let’s hear it,” he said with a small chuckle.
I swallowed hard. “I'm embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. I’m not judging at all.” He slowed to a stop. “Can I be honest?”
I gave a small, tentative nod.
“I was sitting there thinking,wasn’t she always afraid of heights? Well, I guess I don’t know her anymore.And I almost felt a little…sad about it?” He squinted, like he was unsure of what he was saying. “Not sad that you got over a fear,” he added quickly, “just sad that I didn’t knowhowyou got over it, ya know? I don’t know if that makes any sense.” He shook his head. “But when you freaked out, I thought…” His hand went to his mouth to cover a chuckle. “I thought,yupp, this is my Ali.” He gave me a sheepish grin, and my embarrassment finally started to fade.
I gave him a little hip check. “Wow, you were relieved I freaked out.”
His face went slack. “What? No, I—”
“I’m kidding.” I gave him a small smile. “Thank you, JP,” I said earnestly.
“No problem.” He gave me his signature lopsided grin. “Let’s hit the road. You driving?”
My eyebrows popped up. “You trust me now?”
He grinned. “Always have, always will.”
_________
After arriving back in Cobh, we still had a little time to kill before we had to board the ship. We hiked up to the beautiful church that overlooked the town and took in the beautiful scenery: the colorful houses, the bustling shops, and the ocean in the distance. It was perfect.
On our way back into town, we stopped to buy powdered croissants and some iced Americanos. We sat on a park bench overlooking the pier, enjoying the breeze while the sun beamed down on us. I felt so comfortable with him that it was actually crazy. Then again, that's how it’d always been between us. He had a way of completely disarming my guard until I told him everything.
“Thank you for today,” I said, blushing behind my drink.
“Thankyou, Al.” His heavy hand landed on my knee. “This place is…wow.” He shook his head. “I feel like I’m meant to be here, like this place could be my home.” He let out a little chuckle. “Gotta bring my dad here one day, eh?”
“You should.” I stared at his side profile for a minute, feeling a little pain in my chest. “I’ve never felt that way.”
His eyes pulled together. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “I’m always thinking,How did I get here? I’m not supposed to be here. So, I keep searching, keep moving. I’m just a homeless nomad,” I joked. It was true even back in Michigan. I could remember lying beside my ex-husband in bed, staring up at the ceiling, feeling an intense need to run.
He licked his lips and cocked his head to the side. “Being a wanderer isn’t looking so bad right now.” He waved his powdered croissant in front of us, gesturing to the water. “This is beautiful.”
I smiled as I leaned my head against his shoulder. “It is, isn’t it?”
He paused for a beat, and I could feel his body tense. “One thing could make it better.”
“Yeah?” I popped up to look at him.
Nodding, his eyes dropped to my lips, and then he was leaning in to kiss me. He tasted like powdered sugar and sunshine. There was the perfect push and pull between us, and I sensed neither of us wanted it to end.
When we finally broke apart, he let out a sigh. “Damn.” He pulled my legs over his lap and rested his hand on top of my thigh. “Bestfucking day.”
A laugh popped out of me as I smoothed some sugar away from his lips with my thumb. “I like that,” I said, resting my palm on his face.
“Kissing?” He turned and planted a little kiss on my wrist.
