Megan

“Can we go over the itinerary again?” Megan asked while finishing her Irish coffee.

“Good Christ, woman,” Devon muttered. “We’ve been over it a dozen times since we left Boston. Nothing’s changed. Zander’s picking us up in Dublin and we’re gonna have a grand ol’ time chasing leprechauns and rainbows.”

“Don’t patronize me, Devon.”

“Then don’t ask patronizing questions.”

“I’m not sure you understand the meaning of the word, Dev. Still having trouble mastering English? I guess it’s understandable, but you have been living in Boston for almost three years. I’d hoped you’d have caught on by now,” Megan teased.

“I speak English just fine.”

“No, you speak Irish. But that’s a good thing since we’re going to Ireland! Now make yourself useful and read me today’s itinerary or make me another drink.”

“Megs, that mouth a yers is gonna get ye in a right foul mess if ye don’t mind it, lass.”

Megan crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at Devon. She loved her best friend’s boyfriend dearly, but sometimes she wanted to murder his stubborn Irish arse. She didn’t have any siblings, but she assumed the love-hate relationship she shared with Devon was pretty close.

Megan turned around in her seat searching Sam out. Her best friend, Samantha Connors, was six rows back in the private plane Cor-Tec had chartered to fly them to Dublin. Devon was part owner of the billion-dollar tech company, along with Sam’s father. That’s how Megan had scored such an amazing study abroad internship in Ireland.

Going to Ireland was a dream come true for Megan Fields. She’d had an obsession with the whimsical country for as long as she could remember. But this was the first time she was actually able to visit. Megan was supposed to go for a semester her sophomore year, but Sam’s demanding sports medicine courses made it impossible. Seeing Ireland with her best friend was part of the draw for Megan, so she deferred her study abroad opportunity until they could go together. Luckily, Devon had pulled some strings so they could all attend this year.

Megan was currently a third year film student at Boston University, where she shared an apartment with Sam and Devon. She loved them both dearly and was seriously happy that their relationship was going so well after all of the hurdles that almost derailed them in the beginning, but she often felt like the third wheel. Which was part of the reason she was out of her mind about going to Ireland, where she’d finally get to meet the love of her life in person—Zander O’Leary.

The only problem? Zander had no idea that Megan was in love with him.

Zander was Devon’s best friend and business partner. They’d had a complicated history for a while, but since Devon and Sam started dating, things had been better between Devon and Zander.

Megan and Zander had actually been instrumental in getting Sam and Devon together and it had spawned their own cyber romance. Megan and Zander had been video chatting for nearly three years since first connecting Sam and Devon. But this was the first time they’d meet face-to-face, and the idea had Megan more than a little excited. Even though Zander shamelessly flirted with her online, he never gave her any real inclination that he wanted anything more than friendship. But Megan always suspected it was because a relationship hadn’t really been an option since they lived on separate continents. Although that certainly hadn’t stopped Megan from falling head-over-heels in love with the Irish heartthrob.

Now that she was actually headed to Ireland, Megan was convinced she and Zander were meant to be. She’d always been a hopeless romantic, and watching Sam and Devon’s love story unfold had made Megan crave one of her own. She was convinced if she could just spend some time with Zander and play it cool that he’d find her irresistible.

Unfortunately, playing it cool was definitely not one of Megan’s specialties. She was more of the in your face, impulsive type, and routinely contracted nerdy verbal diarrhea about useless movie facts when she was nervous. Megan could already feel her nerves flapping around her stomach like over-caffeinated bats. Which was precisely why she needed to distract herself for the rest of the flight.

She glanced back at Sam again. All she could see was the headphone-clad top of Sam’s brunette head buried deep in her kinesiology book. Megan groaned. She was practically bouncing in her seat with excitement. Maybe the three Irish coffees hadn’t been such a good idea?

She’d hoped the copious amounts of whiskey she’d added would counteract the caffeine but it seemed Irish coffee was stronger than the Boston beans she routinely mainlined.

Megan glanced out the plane window as the clouds played peek-a-book with the patchwork of green and blue landscape below. The scenery only made Megan more jittery. She couldn’t wait to get her feet on the ground—and arms around Zander!

Megan had always been a bit boy-crazy. She’d dated her fair share of Boston collegiates while nursing her crush on Zander, but none of them ever held a candle to him. Even without having met in person, Megan’s attraction to Zander was undeniable. Her mind raced away with visions of him waiting for her arrival and she vaguely found herself wondering if she could die of horniness as her legs bounced to the rapid rate of her hopelessly pining heart.

“Do you need to use the loo?” Devon asked, interrupting Megan’s thoughts.

“Huh?”

“Yer legs are shaking like a jackhammer.”

“Oh. I might have had a wee bit too much coffee,” she lied.

In truth she just needed to talk to Sam about Zander before her anxiety got out of control.

Megan was a take-charge, positive individual, but she wasn’t completely immune to doubts. She needed some girl talk with her bestie to calm her nerves. Her stomach had been a shitnado of stress since she boarded their flight in Boston, and presently, remaining silent and seated seemed like an impossibly tall order.

Since the flight attendant would most likely frown upon Megan doing backflips in the aisle to expel some of her pent up energy, she decided to pester Devon some more.

“Come on, Dev,” she begged. “Just keep me occupied. Let’s go over everyone at Cor-Tec’s names one more time. You know I love listening to your accent.”

“Now who’s being patronizing?” he shot back.

“I was just messing with you. You know that’s how I show my love.”

“I know you’ve had everything ye need to know for yer Cor-Tec film project memorized months ago and yer just trying to drive me batty.”

“Well Sam is busy being boring so you’re my only option for entertainment.”

“Why don’t ye watch a movie?” Devon suggested pointing to the large flat screen on the wall.

“I’ve seen them.”

“All?”

“Yes, I’ve seen all the movies. Now talk to me about something before I throw up, damn it!”

“Wait, are ye really gonna be sick? Ye know I don’t do well with sick,” Devon said nervously.

“No, I’m not going to be sick, you bitch waffle. I’m just nervous about meeting Zander in . . .” Megan glanced at her watch. “Oh God! Like twenty minutes! Shit! This is really happening. I’m gonna meet Zander!” Megan squealed, her voice near supersonic.

“Sam!” Devon bellowed. “I could really use yer help up here. Megs has gone a wee bit mad.”

Sam’s head emerged into the aisle several rows back. “Guys! I’m studying.”

“But we’re on vacation,” Megan called back.

“Study abroad, not vacation,” Sam corrected.

Megan rolled her eyes. “I miss the old Sam,” she whispered to Devon. “Doctor Sam is no fun.”

Devon glanced over his seat to see if Sam was watching them before replying. “I know. I tried to tell her double majoring would be no picnic.”

“I can hear you!” Sam hissed from her seat.

“Then just come up here already,” Megan begged. “You can study later. We’re going to Ireland for an entire semester! Get excited, people.”

“I am excited,” Devon said giving Megan a goofy smile.

“You’re just excited to see your mangy mutt,” she replied.

“Eggsy is not a mutt!” Devon shot back, sounding sincerely wounded.

“Who do you love more?” Megan asked. “Eggsy or Sam?”

“That’s not a fair question. One is my best mate and one is my girl.”

“Oh my God! You’re always supposed to choose girlfriend!” Megan yelled. “Sam! Devon loves Eggsy more than you.”

“I didn’t say that!” Devon barked practically leaping out of his seat to silence Megan with a hand over her mouth.

They battled with each other, Devon messing up Megan’s mane of wild black hair, while she tried to give him a wet willy.

Sam finally snapped her book closed and marched up the aisle, shoving Devon back into his seat and plopping down next to him.

Devon promptly gave Sam a kiss.

“Hello, lovely,” he said pulling her onto his lap. “Nice of ye to join us.”

“I didn’t have much choice with you two carrying on up here. What’s the problem?”

“No problem,” Megan chirped, bouncing in her seat. “I’m just excited to go to my favorite country with my two favorite people!”

Sam studied Megan quizzically for a moment, and then swiped the travel mug from her hand, sniffing it suspiciously. Sam’s eyebrows shot up and she turned an accusatory gaze on Devon. “You let her have an Irish coffee?”

“No, he let me have three!” Megan squealed, wiggling her dark eyebrows.

Sam glared at Devon and shook her head. “You’re useless as a babysitter.”

Devon offered an apologetic grimace. “Megs is persuasive.”

Sam narrowed her eyes and sniffed Devon’s breath. “And how much whiskey did you have?”

“This many!” Megan giggled as she held up four fingers.

Devon shot Megan a traitorous scowl as Sam swatted him.

Sam sighed. “What am I gonna do with you two?”

“I tried to refrain, love,” Devon murmured.

“Yes, I’m sure Megan had to twist your arm.”

Devon smirked his adorable crooked Irish boy smirk that he knew admonished all sins and Sam smiled back. “Come on, love,” he begged. “We can have a little fun, can’t we? We’re going home, after all.”

“Boston is home, Devon.”

“Aye, but Ireland be in our blood!” Devon yelled, before picking up the tune to his favorite Irish song. “In Dublin’s fair city, where the girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone.”

Megan joined in and soon the two of them were belting the chorus. “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!”

Sam rolled her eyes but eventually joined in when Devon substituted her name for Molly Malone’s and began serenading Sam with his best Irish brogue.

“More Irish coffees!” Megan yelled when the song was over.

“I think you two have had enough,” Sam warned.

“Oh come on! You have to have one, Sam! I’ll order us another round!” she said, reaching for the flight service button.

Sam was on Megan in a flash, pinning her arms to her sides. Megan knew better than to struggle. She never stood a chance against Sam’s soccer muscles or towering frame. At five-three, Megan was nearly a head shorter than her best friend. Plus, Megan possessed the pale string bean arms of a lifelong film nerd.

She and Sam were opposites on almost every front, yet somehow they’d gotten along thick as thieves since the day they’d met. It gave Megan hope with Zander.

Megan and Zander were so opposite that a relationship between them seemed as likely as Belle and the Beast—except Megan considered herself to be the beast in their scenario. She knew she certainly didn’t stack up to Zander’s past girlfriends on paper.

Ever since taking over as the face of Cor-Tec, Zander had become a bit of a celebrity. He became the youngest billionaire in Ireland when he convinced the Core-Tec board they needed to move into military defense contracts. He landed a few rather high-profile contracts, launching the business as a global contender, which secured him as the company’s new CEO at just twenty-one years old.

Zander’s promotion gave Cor-Tec some major media buzz and Zander more money than anyone his age ought to have. And he knew how to milk it.

In the year since he’d taken over as CEO, he‘d made quite a name for himself. Zander donated money to children’s charities and sponsored Ireland’s premier football club in Dublin. He attended film openings and even rode on the Shamrock Rovers’ soccer float at the St. Patty’s parade.

It also didn’t hurt that Zander was devastatingly handsome. His face graced billboards and ads across the UK. And his dating profile read like a who’s who of Europe’s rich and famous. He’d recently graced the covers of tabloid sites, linked to supermodels, actresses and musicians. But Megan was never someone who let things like that bother her. She was a self-proclaimed lemonade girl—give her some lemons and she’d find a way to make a killer vodka lemonade.

As a short, nerdy, American nobody, Megan knew she wasn’t the typical type of girl that Zander dated, but she couldn’t deny the connection they had. Plus, the fact that Zander made time in his busy schedule to video chat with Megan almost daily. It had to mean she had a chance.

But from the look Sam was giving her, Megan knew her best friend was about to give one of her famous, ‘don’t get your hopes up’ speeches.

“Meg . . .” Sam started.

“Save it, Sam.”

“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”

“Yes I do. You’re going to say what you always do when I fall for a guy. You tell me to take it easy, go slow, pace myself, don’t overwhelm him with my fantastically quirky, yet adorable personality.”

Sam tried to hide her grin. “Okay, but you know I’m right.”

“No, you would be right if I didn’t know Zander, but this isn’t our first date. It’s practically our five millionth. He already knows and loves me.”

“This is what I’m talking about, Meg. Tonight isn’t a date. It’s the four of us going for drinks at a pub.”

“Fine, it’s a double date,” Megan protested.

“Did Zander actually call it a date?”

“No, but—”

Sam crossed her arms. “See!”

“What?”

“We’re going to be living with Zander for an entire semester, Megan. You can’t go in guns blazing.”

“Why not?”

“Because if things don’t work out then you’re still going to have to live and work with him, and it’ll make it awkward for all of us.”

“Why wouldn’t things work out? They worked out for you and Devon.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“Zander is not Devon,” Sam said.

“Why does she always say that?” Megan asked looking at Devon for help, but he only put his hands up in surrender, wisely choosing to stay out of the conversation.

Sam continued. “I get it, okay? Zander is exciting and handsome and charming, but I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I hate that saying,” Megan said dismissively. “Plus, hello! Have you learned nothing from Dumbledore? Life is all about getting hurt. But our choices show us who we are,” she added quoting one of her favorite series.

“You’re twisting that quote and you know it.”

“Whatever, you know what I mean. I’m not like you, Sam. I’m not afraid of everything. I go after what I want.”

“Fine,” Sam said, rising to her feet. “But this Cor-Tec film is a huge opportunity. You should think about the repercussions before you throw away your entire future for a fling with a cute boy just because you like his accent.” With that Sam stomped off to her seat in the back of the plane to resume her studies.

“I like more than his accent!” Megan called after her, but Sam didn’t respond. Megan sunk sullenly into her seat feeling deflated. She and Sam rarely fought and it sucked that it was happening now. Why couldn’t her best friend just be happy for her?

Megan turned to Devon. “Why is she so PMSy?”

“Sam is on yer side, Megs. She’s just protective of those she loves,” Devon added softly.

“I know, but you’re both acting like I don’t know Zander at all. We’ve been talking nearly every day for three years. And don’t forget we’re the ones who got you and Sam together, so we’re not total Muggles.”

Devon smiled. “I know. But Sam’s not wrong. The Zander you know and the Zander we know might not be the same person.”

“Like Peter Parker and Spiderman? Because I could get down with that.”

“More like Jekyll and Hyde.”

“Good reference,” Megan replied proudly. She’d spent the past three years helping supplement Devon’s severely lacking movie repertoire. “But I think you’re wrong.”

“I hope I am.”

“I know you are. I know Zander and there’s no way he’s secretly the monster you’re painting him to be.”

“That’s not what we’re saying, Megs. But ye speak to him for two minutes at a time. Yer only seeing what he wants ye to see.”

“I know that. But I don’t care. We have a connection and I’m honestly just happy to get to spend some time with him and see Ireland, so stop worrying so much. Let’s just enjoy the ride.”

“If yer happy I’m happy, Megs.”

“Good,” she said pulling two mini bottles of whiskey from the stash in her purse and handing one to Devon. “To Ireland and happiness.”

Devon smirked devilishly as he uncapped the whiskey bottle and clinked it against Megan’s. “Sláinte.”

Zander

“Right on time,” Zander said to himself as he glanced at the clock on instrument panel again, grinning. There wasn’t much he loved more than flying his chopper. Well, maybe he’d love the look on Megan’s face when she saw him in it a wee bit more. But that was yet to be seen.

He hadn’t told Megan he planned to pick her up in his chopper. He wanted it to be a surprise. He was pulling out all the stops to impress her. Ever since he found out that Megan, Sam and Devon were coming to Ireland, Zander had been on cloud nine. His life was definitely going well, but it was strangely lonely at the top and definitely more overwhelming than he’d ever imagined.

But he wouldn’t trade it and he’d be a damn fool to complain. Zander had come from nothing and worked his arse off for the opportunity to run Cor-Tec. Devon had been happy to hand over the reins while he pursued environmental studies at Uni in the states, but Zander wasn’t one to let things lie. He never wanted to feel like he’d just been handed something. He believed in earning his place. He’d always been that way. With sports, women and now business.

He certainly felt that way with Megan. She’d strangely become his crutch over the past few years. Zander rarely let himself rely on others. A long history of disappointment and abandonment had taught him he couldn’t count on anyone but himself. But Megan, with her bubbly optimism and infectious humor, had worn through Zander’s normally impenetrable exterior. And now that she was under his skin he didn’t know what to do.

At first, Zander hadn’t seen the harm in letting Megan in. She lived in Boston. It’s not like she could hurt him from thousands of miles away. She couldn’t be anything more than a fun distraction with so much distance between them. But Zander hadn’t expected to become so attached to her.

They talked nearly every day. Sometimes more. He’d grown accustom to Megan’s quirky texts and random quotes that he sometimes spent hours trying to decipher. She was also the only person he ever shared his personal thoughts and worries with. Megan just had this way of making him feel safe. She demanded authenticity and didn’t stand for his usual bollocks. He loved that about her.

Megan had wormed her way into Zander’s heart and now that she was flying to Ireland to spend the next few months with him, he was starting to worry.

What if he didn’t measure up to the guy she thought he was? Or what if she wasn’t everything he’d built her up to be? Or worse, what if she was?

Zander knew he had a devastating crush on the adorable American, but he’d never expected to have the opportunity to pursue it. And now that he did, he wasn’t sure he should. Megan was only in Ireland for a semester. Afterwards, she’d return to Boston and go on being an incredible filmmaker, while Zander would be left behind as usual. He hated playing things safe, but he had a nagging feeling he needed to guard himself around Megan. He hadn’t even met her in person, yet he knew without a doubt she had the ability to hurt him like few others had.