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Not a second passed by before Finn responded, taking charge of their kiss and leaning toward her, wrapping his arms around her more securely with a deep sigh.

After a moment, his fingers caressed the back of her arm, and he broke off their kiss to look down at her skin. “Goosebumps?”

She looked down to see them for herself. “I guess so,” she said with a knowing smile.

“Does that mean I passed the test?” he asked, his thumb stroking the bottom of her lower lip as he stared down at it.

“Aye,” she said with a smile. “And you most certainly taste like Fifteens and Heaven.”

Then he leaned in and kissed her again.

Maisie melted into Finn’s embrace, returning his kiss with one of her own that she hoped expressed what she felt for the man who’d left his job, who’d chosen her, who’d flown across an entire ocean just to ask her out, just because she was worth it.

And for the first time in her life, even though she didn’t know what the future held, her hope was bright, and that made all the difference.

EPILOGUE

Three Months Later

Maisie walked down the street with Finn as they passed by the steady stream of shoppers in Manchester. Windows boasted the last of the autumnal displays at the arrival of November, and the wind had taken on a bitter chill, warning pedestrians that the cold weather was not only approaching—it had arrived.

Of course, Maisie hardly cared about the chilly temperatures. With her pink joggers beneath her long dress and her fingers interlaced with Finn’s, she was as warm as she’d ever been.

“We’re gonna be the last ones there, aren’t we?” she asked,

“Aye, to be sure,” Finn responded. He wore his flat cap and cardigan, though even this weather was too cold for him to pull his sleeves half-up. “We should probably hurry.”

And yet, their footsteps didn’t move any faster. They’d spent the last two weeks apart, Finn in Northern Ireland and Maisie in Boston, so clearly, neither of them was in any rush to see the next two weeks they had together fly by.

“We should come up with an excuse,” she mused. “To explain why we’re late.”

“Why? You don’t want to tell me friends the truth?”

“What, that we were too busy kissing to get out of the car to meet them on time for lunch?” she questioned with a raised brow.

“Aye, they’ll understand.” He shrugged. “Or they’ll be filled with jealous rage. Either way, I’m winnin’.”

Maisie laughed, wrapping her other hand around his arm and holding him tightly. How she’d missed him. Each time they were apart, she’d missed him.

Over the last two and a half months, they’d traveled between Northern Ireland, Boston, North Dakota, and back, visiting with family and attempting to syphon as much time together as possible in between it all. They’d spent weeks apart as Finn worked at his new part-time touring gig in Northern Ireland, then again as Maisie poured more time and attention into Daphne’s restaurant.

Now that they were finally together again—this time in England—they were spending it with his friends, having decided to meet up with Cedric before his big game, the first since his injury.

Maisie couldn’t complain about sharing Finn with others because she was in for the long-haul and had the rest of her life to spend time with him—even if she did grow weary when they were apart. It just meant moments were all the sweeter when they were together, especially when they talked about their future and the dreams they shared.

Marriage, children, even a bus tour of their own that focused on visiting all the best sites—with all the best foods—of Northern Ireland. All of it sounded better than she ever could have imagined, and it was all because of Finn.

As she walked down the street toward the pub, she stared up at him, still marveling that he’d chosen her.

“If you keep lookin’ at me like that, love, I’m goin’ to forget all about me friends and take you back to the car,” he warned, his brown eyes glinting with mischief.

Her heart jumped, though she told it to calm down. They were there for Cedric today. Her and Finn’s kissing could wait.

For a minute, at least.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the pub where Matthew, Winnie, and Graham stood waiting.

“Finally,” Matthew said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “We’ve been waiting hours for you two. We left the bed and breakfast at the same time. How did you get so far behind us?”