See Me (See Me #1)(48)

We watched for several hours, cracking up laughing about some of the silliness, especially things that Cassidy said whenever she’d video bomb. I’d forgotten about a lot of it. But the best part about the video was watching McKale’s reaction. He stared, riveted, leaning toward the screen. Sometimes he would nod in response to the on-screen me, or say something under his breath. He was oblivious to anything else.

In retrospect I can say it was during those hours of video-watching under the tree that I fell in love with McKale. As he watched me transform from an awkward new teen to a young woman on the screen, I watched him change from a jaded young man to a man who realized he’d been wanted all along.

I watched him heal, and I knew he finally saw the truth—finally saw me.

It was dusk when the video ended. He sat with his knees up, looking around at the gifts, understandably overwhelmed. He shook his head and ruffled his hair.

“I don’ know what to say, Robyn. I…”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything.”

“But I do.” He spread his arms at the display of things around us. “I never thought… If I’d had any notion…”

“I know. I just wish I could have written you or something. And I didn’t expect you to do anything like this.” I motioned toward the gifts. “I know bindings are for the bloodlines, but it’s hard to spend every day growing up with parents like mine and not hope for that kind of happiness.”

He turned to face me where we sat, placing us closer with our legs touching.

His voice was quiet and hesitant. “Do ye think ye could find that happiness with me, Robyn?”

I held his hazel eyes. My feelings for him had grown exponentially in the past few days. I cared for him now. We still had a long way to go, and obvious obstacles to overcome, but I was filled with hope.

“I think I could,” I whispered. “But it’ll only work if we both want it.”

He didn’t answer, and his face was so serious. In the next breath McKale bridged the space between us, his warm mouth on mine. His hands held each side of my face. I reached up and held his forearms until he pulled away just enough to see my eyes. We sat there, reading each other and savoring our prospects.

“I’ve found more happiness since ye came along than e’er before in my life. For the first time I look forward to the future. I still can’t believe me own luck.”

Luck of the Irish. I let out a rattled laugh of emotion, but McKale frowned at me.

“Are ye sad?” He swiped the back of his fingers up my cheeks.

“No. I’m happy.” My chin trembled as I said it and I realized I was crying. I’d never cried happy tears in all my life. I never understood how joy could make someone cry. It was unnatural, like the way the sun sometimes shone through the clouds while it rained. Apparently I required profound, blissful relief in order to trigger a tearful response. And clover kisses.

A light pattering of rain began to tinker around us. We hurriedly packed up my laptop and returned all of the gifts to the bin. Instead of leaving right away, we opened the umbrella and sat under it together, eating. And kissing.

Now I knew why romantics listened to love songs and gushed about stories with happy endings. There was exhilaration in such sweetness. Feeling like this made me see the world differently.

It was after sundown as we jogged the long way around the portal back to the village. We slowed our pace once we heard music playing in the distance and saw light from bonfires in the clearing.

“Will you dance with me tonight?” I asked him.

He answered with a shy grin. “Aye.”

I was eager to get to the party. A twinge of magic zapped me in the torso. McKale and I stopped mid-step. My eyes scanned the darkened field with dread as mist wet our faces and hair. My heart pounded so hard I was certain McKale could hear it next to me. I couldn’t see anything out there. The portal was still invisible.

“Nothing there,” he whispered, still staring out into the blackness. “Perhaps someone shifted.” But he sounded unsure and his Adam’s apple dipped and rose when he swallowed. I stepped a little closer to him, wishing he didn’t have to carry the bin so we could hold hands.

“Let’s get out of here,” I whispered.

The twinge of magic had been an unwelcome reminder of the girl from another realm, lying in wait. I didn’t fool myself into believing she’d be a gracious loser when she found out about McKale and me. But the question was, what would she do about it? I stared in the general direction of where the portal was as we passed it, feeling with each step that we were dodging bullets and jumping land mines.

Maybe it was time to search for a four-leaf clover. Or a whole field of them. I was going to need all the luck I could get.

IT WAS STRANGE TO part ways with McKale and watch him carry the bin away. The blue container had been a constant part of my life for so long, and now it was going home where it belonged.

I went back to my room and was surprised to see Cassidy in bed. She stirred when I came in, rolling over and shoving something under the covers.

“Still tired?” I asked her.

She nodded and rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?”

“As if I know.” I laughed. “What were you looking at?”

She sat up and shrugged.

“Show me.”