“Sure, sure. Now, let me play for ya.”

Pulling my knees up to my chest, I lean on them softly as I nod my head. With a grin on his face, he starts to sing a song I’ve heard many times before. One he knows is one of my favorites, “Wild Mountain Thyme.” My dad used to sing it a lot, and it made my heart just sing in my chest. When the whole pub starts to sing along with him, I join in and it feels so right. Closing my eyes, I sing like I was singing with my dad while my mom sat to the side, tapping her foot on the floor as she read. I can see it so vividly. I can smell my father’s cologne and the roast in the Crock-Pot, and I can recall the feeling of being so surrounded by the love he gave me. His dark eyes would be on me while his fingers ran along the strings of his guitar.

“Sing for me, love,” he would say and I would.

Soon my mom would join in, and we would all start to laugh because she couldn’t sing for shit, but it was her. And we loved her.

When the song ends, I open my eyes and smile. “Beautiful.”

“Your voice, it is. I didn’t know you could sing, Amberlyn,” he says, his eyes playful. “I’ll have to do duets with ya from now on!”

Everyone cheers for that, causing my face to burn with embarrassment. “No way! I was just singing along.”

“Ah, hush, you have the voice of an angel. Sing for me!”

“No!” I say, giggling as I wave him off. Soon everyone is urging me on, and I shake my head, still laughing. “You guys are crazy!”

“Come on then, Amberlyn! Do it!” Fiona calls and I shoot her a dirty look, but I know they aren’t gonna give in until I do what they ask.

“Fine. Pick a song I know,” I say to Richard.

“‘Parting Glass,’ yeah? I’ve heard you hum it before,” he asks and I smile.

“Yeah,” I nod, and I pray I can get through the song without tearing up. Clearing my throat, I am surprised by how much I want to do this. I always said I would never sing it without my dad, but now, after facing death, I feel like singing it will bring him even closer to me. Keep his memory alive and burning in my heart.

Not waiting for Richard to start playing, I start to sing, causing the pub to go quiet. When Richard joins in, our voices harmonize together almost like my dad’s and mine used to. My eyes are locked on his as we sing the verses I learned from my dad. He lets me take the lead, harmonizing with me, and it’s such a lovely sound. I wait for everyone to join in, but they don’t. It’s just me and Richard.

As I sing the last line, Richard does a flair with the guitar, causing everyone to cheer out loudly as my throat goes tight. I miss my dad so much. Every dream I have, he is never there, only my mom, and I would do anything to see his face again. Even in a dream. Standing up, Richard wraps his arm around me, hugging me softly as a lone tear rolls down my face.

In my ear, he whispers, “I’ve sung that with your da many times, my dear. Let me just say, he raised one hell of a singer, and what a beauty she is.” Pulling away, he meets my gaze and wipes away my tear. “He’d be very proud of ya.”

“Thank you,” I say softly.

“Simply stunning.”

I whip my head to the side to see Declan standing there, a grin on his face. “Hey!”

I hop off the stool and into his arms. Pain explodes across my chest, and I scold myself for that dumb move, but I’ve missed him. He’s been a constant presence since I got shot, and I don’t think I like being apart. As I kiss his lips softly, he smiles against mine, and I know it’s because we are in front of the whole pub, but I don’t give two shits. He’s my man!

Parting, I smile up at him, running my finger along his jaw. “They threw me a little welcome home party.”

“It was Declan’s idea,” I hear Fiona say, and my grin grows as his cheeks warm with color.

“Oh, really?”

He shrugs. “Sure. Everyone’s missed ya.”

I grin and he sends me a grin back before he unlocks my arms from around his neck. My brows come together as he says, “Sit down, sweetheart.”

I do as he asks, and then he takes my hand in his. “I heard this song a couple years ago. I saw the artist perform it here, right, Fiona?”

Fiona grins as she nods. “Yeah.”

He meets my gaze again and kisses my knuckles before saying, “And yeah, he was amazing, but I never thought about this song until about an hour ago.” He pauses, lacing our fingers together, and I can feel the nerves coming off him in waves. He hates crowds, and I am surprised he is saying this much, but I appreciate it. “I was in my library and the thought of you was heavy on my mind. Like always,” he says, sending me a grin that I return. “And all of a sudden, this song comes to mind. This is how I feel for ya, and it describes ya perfectly. So, yeah, let’s have at it.”

Richard starts to play and I fully expect him to start singing, but to my surprise, it is Declan who starts to sing. It is a lovely sound too! Deep but with a little bit of a softness to it. I recognize the song almost immediately as Ed Sheeran’s “Fall.” It is one of my favorites, and hearing Declan sing it has my heart coming out of my chest. While he doesn’t have the voice Ed Sheeran has, his voice is beautiful just the same, and I am in complete awe of him. The song lyrics talk about how much he loves falling for the girl he loves, and it rattles my soul seeing my boyfriend, I mean fiancé, sing so beautifully. Just for me.

The whole pub has fallen silent again, and everyone is in total shock. As am I. Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone hold up their phone but Fiona takes it away, shaking her head. She really is so amazing. I meet Declan’s gaze again and can see that he is nervous, but my God, he has no reason to be. He is beyond amazing. Squeezing his hand as his voice fills the pub, I am flabbergasted.

As the song ends, I stand up, wrapping my arms around his neck as I kiss his lips while everyone claps and hollers out for him. Love explodes in my heart for him, sending tingles through my body as we share a long kiss. His fingers are tight at my waist, and I can feel his heart beating against my chest, almost in time with mine. Parting, we share a smile, but when I go to say something, he shakes his head before falling down to one knee.

Holding my hand in his, he looks up at me and my heart kicks into hyperspeed. I know what he is doing, but seeing him down there just makes it extremely real.