The sun was almost touching the sea in the far horizon when they made their way back to the pub.
Declan stole sideway glances at Anna, whose vibrant hair shone more splendidly in the sunset light. She
looked aglow with happiness as she admired the coastal sunset and the rocky crags, whose beauty had
escaped her when she had been rushing to Dublin more than a month ago to propose to her boyfriend.
Now SHE was his betrothed. His hand tightened its grip on the soft hand that was now wearing his
mother's ring.
He never thought he would see her again. There was a momentary flash of pain when he recalled the
late nights he had stared at the ceiling atop his bed and regretted how he left without letting her know
about his heart, even futilely imagined how he could steal her away before she got married. The
American had awakened deeper feelings in him in their four days together than in all the years he had
spent thinking he was in love with Kaleigh or brokenhearted when she left. Yet he set his nose on the
grindstone and threw his soul into saving the Caragh instead, because he had thought there was no
hope when he had seen his rival's diamond glinting in its blue bed.
Yet here she was holding his hand, after appearing out of nowhere in her typical fashion and brazenly
stating a proposal that took his breath away. The certainty that he could no longer live without her had
come and he rejected her proposal, offering her his mother's ring on bended knee, instead.
"Anna." He stopped her before they could get to the stone hedge that served as the fence of his
property- the one she had called the funny little bar.
He looked straight at her soulful green eyes. "Here we go, then. You absolutely sure you want this ring,
before I tell the other blokes to open the beer keg?" He tried to make his voice lighthearted, but there
was a little pucker of worry on his brow. Although he felt no shame in offering his mother's ring, the
awful glint of the diamond and all it had signified to this classy American was still fresh in his mind.
Looking at his handsome face and sensing his worry, Anna was also reminded of that painful day in
Dublin. Unbeknownst to him, Declan's reaction when Jeremy got down on his knee had been captured
in the video. She had sent it to her own messenger and had spent many a time in that long month
rewatching Declan's face, her heart aching. The look of the wounded lion was imprinted in her memory.
She had known from the bus stop that he cared, but she didn't know that he cared THAT much. This had
given her the courage to go back.
She might be teased when he knew the whole story, but she knew he deserved to hear the story of her
"60 seconds" before they went any further.
She gave his hand a squeeze and told her story. "Declan, it was during our engagement party, around
two weeks after we got back. Jeremy was talking about his proposal with our friends." Her brow
furrowed. "He had said what gave him the push to propose was the lease to our new apartment. I had
spent a lot of time thinking about you and remembered your question, about what if there was a fire in
my expensive apartment. I HAD to do something; I had to know how much he and I cared, before I
married him."
His mouth was open by that time. The redhead was more brazen than he thought. "So you set fire to…-
?"
She rolled her eyes and punched his bicep none-too lightly. "I'm not looking out to be a criminal! I just
pulled the fire alarm." She continued on more soberly. "Jeremy took his expensive things. And that
moment, I didn't want to take anything from that place. I didn't even want to take him, so I got out of
there as fast as I could and ran to my old apartment."
She gave a wry smile. "So there you go. Jeremy and almost everyone else tried to change my mind, but I
terminated my co-lease and settled back into my old place." She didn't mention the anger, the
accusations nor the day that Jeremy came to her apartment, unshaven, pleading to be taken back. It had
been a hell of a fortnight. Even her friends were a little cold to her and were inclined to take Jeremy's
side. Only her father, to her surprise, was supportive and said he was glad she got rid of the prissy boy.
As soon as she could, she finished her contract, took a rain check on accepting new commitments and
got the first ticket out to Ireland.
Declan read between the lines and gave her a hug that took her breath away. "I'm sorry. I didn't know
you had it so rough." His voice rumbled in her ear and she could feel his sincerity - his most saving grace.
He was the most sincere and thoughtful man she had ever met. Even though she had been with him for
four brief days, she knew he wouldn't ape sympathy. He raised his head again to look at her and caught
her face between his hands. "I shouldn't have let you leave Ireland without a fight, or at least bloodied
the wanker's nose." His mouth tasted bitter as he remembered the unromantic proposal of his rival
which was like an afterthought, a bone thrown. Anna didn't deserve that.
The warmth in his eyes made her feel that everything was worth it. She laughed. "It's not your fault; I
had to realize a few things on my own." And Jeremy is now realizing a few things of his own, too, she
thought a bit smugly. Yes, doctors may have money, but she had helped Jeremy to grow and invest his
money fivefold these past years. You have to be a top broker before you get to be a stager of her
caliber, you know. He will certainly miss her in that area, to say the least.
She raised her hand and looked at Declan's ring, admiring the intricate workmanship and the way it
fitted her finger as if it was made for her.
"And I wouldn't want any other ring." Her voice was clear as a bell as her eyes shone up at his. She
kissed the heart in the middle. "Friendship, Love, Loyalty."- The symbols of the carragh ring was not lost
to this daughter of Irish ancestors – "I love that this is mine now."
He bit his lip to keep his smile from overtaking his face. "I'm glad it's now where it's supposed to be." He
added teasingly, "and I won't charge a bob for it." His voice was a tad rougher and his eyes shone
brightly as he dodged another swipe. He kissed her again long and gently, promising a lifetime of
happiness. How he had missed her, his fiery, courageous maiden. How glad he was that she came back,
at last.
He held her hand and continued on to the pub, where they were met with shouts and clapping. It was a
truly fine day in Ireland.
A/n: This story kinda wrote itself.
Do forgive me; I love the movie so much, though I discovered it late
