Becoming the Whiskey Princess
Page 22
I smile before leaning over and kissing his lips in a smacking kiss. “Gotta give me a week or so. I gotta figure out how to tell my aunt and uncle.”
He nods, cupping my face. “Sure. We can wait till after the engagement party if you want.”
It is in a week, which will be great. We would be announced to everyone, so then maybe they would be okay with it. Probably not, but oh well, I’m doing this.
I’m moving into my fiancé’s mansion with him.
And his family.
“Are ya sure?”
I nod as I wipe up the beer I just spilled. Look back at Fiona, I shrug. “He really wants this, and you said to give a little.”
“Yeah, but, okay, I’m being selfish. I don’t want ya to leave,” she admits with a grin. “Stay till ya marry.”
I laugh as I shake my head. “It isn’t like I’m disappearing. I’ll still come to work, I’ll see you once school starts, and it’ll be fine, I promise.”
She shakes her head as she passes mugs to three waiting patrons. “You say that now, but ya never know.”
“I do know,” I say, placing my hand on her arm. She covers my hand with hers and smiles.
“Why don’t ya stay until the wedding?”
“We never see each other. I miss him,” I answer and she nods.
“I only ask because that’s when I’m moving out.”
I pause and whip my head in her direction. “What?”
She smiles sheepishly as she comes to me, leaning against the bar. “Yeah, I’m moving in with Kane, but I figured you wouldn’t move out till the wedding, so I told him that’s when I’d move in.”
“Fiona! When did you decide this? That’s huge!”
Her face reddens as a genuinely happy grin comes over her face. “Ah, we just decided last night. Gives him a couple months to get use to the idea, but I’m starting to leave things there.”
“That’s so awesome! Next he’ll be begging you to marry him.”
She laughs before looking over my shoulder where Kane is sitting and eating. “Oh aye, Kane.”
I turn to see him look up before grinning. “Yeah, lassie?”
Cocking her head to me, she says, “She asked when we’re getting married.”
He laughs and so does Fiona, while I stand here confused. “What?”
“We are too young for that. We’re gonna enjoy life first. If, after all that, we are ready, we’ll do it. But now, we are going to be young and in love. Try the living together thing out.”
He nods in agreement before catching her hand before she walks off. “But I’m sure the first chance I get to make you my missus, I will.”
She cups his face, grinning as she says, “I look forward to it.”
He taps her ass playfully before giving her a smacking kiss. As I stand watching, I envy them. Not only do they get to see each other whenever they please, but they have time. Declan and I don’t have that. Everything seems as if it’s in fast-forward mode and we have no idea how to slow it down. We’ll be married in a couple months, we’ll be living in his home, and he’ll be running a company while I bust my ass during school. It kind of scares me. I’m not saying I’m having second thoughts because I’m not, but I am nervous.
To my core.
“When you gonna tell Ma and Da?”
I look over at Fiona and shrug. “I was gonna ask you the same thing.”
Her brows come in before taking a step toward me. “What’s wrong?”
I let my shoulders sag and shake my head. “I wish I had time like you and Kane do,” I say quietly, turning to face the bottles of alcohol so no one can hear me. She comes to the front and nods.
“If you want it, tell someone.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “He’ll lose the distillery—”
“And you won’t let that happen. Yeah, I got that, but you have to think of you too.”
“But it isn’t just about me. It’s about both of us.”
“Sure, I get that, but you are being rushed.”
“Yeah, but it’s my choice,” I say, shaking my head. I turn and reach for a rag. “I shouldn’t have said anything. No worries.”
I tear away from her gaze and notice we need more beer. “I’m gonna go get some more beer.”
She tries to stop me, but I head to the back to get the beer. With each step I take, I hate that I said anything. I knew what I was getting into when I said yes. I knew that this would be fast, that things would change, and that my life wouldn’t be just mine, but Declan’s too. I want this. I do. So much, I can feel it in my bones. I want him for the rest of my life. And while, yes, some time to just be us and not worry about everything that is going on would be ideal, we have the rest of our lives for that. Once we get married and all that is behind us, it will be us. We will fall more in love with each passing day. It will be great.
It will be everything my mom ever wanted for me.
“Rubbish, is what it all is.”
I look across my desk at Kane, who nods in agreement. Looking back down at the newspapers, I want to scream. Each one is nothing but trash, but still, the people of this town read it. This is one of the parts I hate about being who I am. The part that comes with having the name O’Callaghan. A part of me wants it all to stop, but this is who I am. It worries me, though, because I’m bringing Amberlyn into this. I can’t shield her from these people, hell, I can’t even shield myself, so I have to ignore it. But it’s so fucking hard.
Reading each one, I shake my head. It’s complete bollocks!
Will Casey Burke go away for life or will his plea of insanity break him free?
What will the O’Callaghans do if that happens?
Will the Whiskey Prince be there to support his bride?
When is the wedding?
Will she marry the man she took a bullet for?
The Whiskey Baby due early next spring!
Glancing back to Kane, I say, “I’m so tired of it all. I wish they’d all go away.”
“Ah, it’s been like this since you were born,” he answers and then he laughs. “Remember when we took your car and went joyriding? We were drunk, drugged up, and had the devil in us according to the papers.”
I smile. “The devil part might have been true.”
He nods, cupping my face. “Sure. We can wait till after the engagement party if you want.”
It is in a week, which will be great. We would be announced to everyone, so then maybe they would be okay with it. Probably not, but oh well, I’m doing this.
I’m moving into my fiancé’s mansion with him.
And his family.
“Are ya sure?”
I nod as I wipe up the beer I just spilled. Look back at Fiona, I shrug. “He really wants this, and you said to give a little.”
“Yeah, but, okay, I’m being selfish. I don’t want ya to leave,” she admits with a grin. “Stay till ya marry.”
I laugh as I shake my head. “It isn’t like I’m disappearing. I’ll still come to work, I’ll see you once school starts, and it’ll be fine, I promise.”
She shakes her head as she passes mugs to three waiting patrons. “You say that now, but ya never know.”
“I do know,” I say, placing my hand on her arm. She covers my hand with hers and smiles.
“Why don’t ya stay until the wedding?”
“We never see each other. I miss him,” I answer and she nods.
“I only ask because that’s when I’m moving out.”
I pause and whip my head in her direction. “What?”
She smiles sheepishly as she comes to me, leaning against the bar. “Yeah, I’m moving in with Kane, but I figured you wouldn’t move out till the wedding, so I told him that’s when I’d move in.”
“Fiona! When did you decide this? That’s huge!”
Her face reddens as a genuinely happy grin comes over her face. “Ah, we just decided last night. Gives him a couple months to get use to the idea, but I’m starting to leave things there.”
“That’s so awesome! Next he’ll be begging you to marry him.”
She laughs before looking over my shoulder where Kane is sitting and eating. “Oh aye, Kane.”
I turn to see him look up before grinning. “Yeah, lassie?”
Cocking her head to me, she says, “She asked when we’re getting married.”
He laughs and so does Fiona, while I stand here confused. “What?”
“We are too young for that. We’re gonna enjoy life first. If, after all that, we are ready, we’ll do it. But now, we are going to be young and in love. Try the living together thing out.”
He nods in agreement before catching her hand before she walks off. “But I’m sure the first chance I get to make you my missus, I will.”
She cups his face, grinning as she says, “I look forward to it.”
He taps her ass playfully before giving her a smacking kiss. As I stand watching, I envy them. Not only do they get to see each other whenever they please, but they have time. Declan and I don’t have that. Everything seems as if it’s in fast-forward mode and we have no idea how to slow it down. We’ll be married in a couple months, we’ll be living in his home, and he’ll be running a company while I bust my ass during school. It kind of scares me. I’m not saying I’m having second thoughts because I’m not, but I am nervous.
To my core.
“When you gonna tell Ma and Da?”
I look over at Fiona and shrug. “I was gonna ask you the same thing.”
Her brows come in before taking a step toward me. “What’s wrong?”
I let my shoulders sag and shake my head. “I wish I had time like you and Kane do,” I say quietly, turning to face the bottles of alcohol so no one can hear me. She comes to the front and nods.
“If you want it, tell someone.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “He’ll lose the distillery—”
“And you won’t let that happen. Yeah, I got that, but you have to think of you too.”
“But it isn’t just about me. It’s about both of us.”
“Sure, I get that, but you are being rushed.”
“Yeah, but it’s my choice,” I say, shaking my head. I turn and reach for a rag. “I shouldn’t have said anything. No worries.”
I tear away from her gaze and notice we need more beer. “I’m gonna go get some more beer.”
She tries to stop me, but I head to the back to get the beer. With each step I take, I hate that I said anything. I knew what I was getting into when I said yes. I knew that this would be fast, that things would change, and that my life wouldn’t be just mine, but Declan’s too. I want this. I do. So much, I can feel it in my bones. I want him for the rest of my life. And while, yes, some time to just be us and not worry about everything that is going on would be ideal, we have the rest of our lives for that. Once we get married and all that is behind us, it will be us. We will fall more in love with each passing day. It will be great.
It will be everything my mom ever wanted for me.
“Rubbish, is what it all is.”
I look across my desk at Kane, who nods in agreement. Looking back down at the newspapers, I want to scream. Each one is nothing but trash, but still, the people of this town read it. This is one of the parts I hate about being who I am. The part that comes with having the name O’Callaghan. A part of me wants it all to stop, but this is who I am. It worries me, though, because I’m bringing Amberlyn into this. I can’t shield her from these people, hell, I can’t even shield myself, so I have to ignore it. But it’s so fucking hard.
Reading each one, I shake my head. It’s complete bollocks!
Will Casey Burke go away for life or will his plea of insanity break him free?
What will the O’Callaghans do if that happens?
Will the Whiskey Prince be there to support his bride?
When is the wedding?
Will she marry the man she took a bullet for?
The Whiskey Baby due early next spring!
Glancing back to Kane, I say, “I’m so tired of it all. I wish they’d all go away.”
“Ah, it’s been like this since you were born,” he answers and then he laughs. “Remember when we took your car and went joyriding? We were drunk, drugged up, and had the devil in us according to the papers.”
I smile. “The devil part might have been true.”
