Aiden froze. “Did you say you love me?”

She gave him a tremulous smile. “I did and I do.”

He stopped in his tracks, still holding her hand aloft. “I love you too, Antonia.”

“Then it’s settled,” she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Now we just figure out how the next step goes.” She promptly stepped on his foot and stumbled into his chest.

He pulled her closer and tried to contain his laughter. “Would you allow me to give you dance lessons, darling? I’d like our future to include dancing.”

Antonia’s heart sang in delight. Even though she was incredibly clumsy on her feet, she felt buoyant in his arms. “Can you say it again?”

He wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held her by the waist. “I will say it every day for the rest of my life,” Aiden whispered in her ear. “I love you, Antonia. My selkie from Chicago.”

“In America.”

He grinned down at her. “I want to get out of here.”

She looked around at the crowded banquet hall. “Don’t you have to stay?”

“My obligation ended as soon as I presented that paper. A paper I couldn’t have finished without your help, by the way. You complement me, Antonia.”

“You want to leave now?”

“I want to love you somewhere private,” he whispered before stepping away to lead her off the dance floor. Her face grew flush as she followed him toward the exit. She gripped his hand tightly. Where is he taking me? Her mind was a flurry of excitement as they wove through the crowd. Before she knew it they were outside in the crisp cool air of a quiet garden. The sound of crickets and distant Galway traffic was their only company as they wandered through the tall rose bushes.

Aiden found a stone bench that was out of view from the conference attendees. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap. A shiver ran through her body as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “This is lovely,” she said as she bathed in the floral scent of their surroundings. “You have a beautiful university.”

Aiden took her by the face and held her gently. “It pales in comparison to you.”

The touch of his hand was almost unbearable in its tenderness. She relaxed, sinking into his embrace. She wanted the warmth of his arms, fearful that she’d almost lost him for good. She tilted her head back, eagerly waiting to receive his kiss. Reclaiming her lips, he crushed her to him in a kiss that reminded her of their past intimacy. Antonia relived the velvet warmth of his tongue as it coaxed its way past her parted lips. When he released her, her head swam with a heady desire that only increased under his piercing gaze.

“My love,” he whispered. “You came back to me.”

“I had to be the brave one,” she said with a shaky laugh. “I hope that’s not going to be a habit.”