Becoming the Whiskey Princess Read online

  “I did, and those words are still true. I love ya, Amberlyn.”

  “Good,” she says with a wink. “Because I still and always will love you.”

  In the crook of Declan’s arm, I listen as Mr. O’Callaghan boasts about how the trial went. It did go well, but I’m not going to lie and say it was easy. I was a wreck when Declan was up there and they were attacking him, basically saying he caused Casey to go off and try to kill him. Like the man he is though, he kept his cool and didn’t falter at all. When Lena got up there, though, all his strength was gone. He was a nervous mess and I tried to comfort him, pointing out that Lena could hold her own, but the poor guy didn’t see that. He saw that his sister was under scrutiny, reliving the horrible events she went through, and of course, he wanted to save her. Can’t blame him though. I, too, wanted to pull her down and just hug her.

  I just couldn’t imagine.

  I had such an easy life, shielded from all the bad people. But then again, while I didn’t have to battle the demons Lena does, and even Declan does, I have my own. Stupid drunk drivers and cancer. Two things that I have no power getting rid of.

  “That gobshite will go away, no doubt about it. Good show, yous did wonderfully,” Mr. O’Callaghan says, sending us big, happy grins. I look toward Lena to find that she is looking out the window, completely ignoring her father’s happiness.

  “I loved the part where Amberlyn talked about your honor, so sweet.”

  “And true,” I say, taking my gaze from Lena. “Everything I said was true.”

  “Still so beautiful!” she coos with a wave of her hand.

  “So tomorrow, Burke gets on the stand—”

  “Probably lie through his teeth,” Declan adds and Mr. O’Callaghan nods.

  “Of course, and then the jury decides. After today though, there is no way they wouldn’t go in our favor.”

  I look out the window and let out a breath. I feel good about today. I told the truth and believe he should go to jail, but looking into his eyes really did gut me a bit. It was like he was reading his letter out loud to me, begging me not to testify, but I couldn’t let him get away with this. His mom will be fine, and surely he won’t do too long. Hopefully, time in jail will fix him, and he’ll come out a good, upstanding citizen, meet a sweet girl, maybe have some kids, and grow old. I can only hope, but still, I feel bad for his mom.

  Leaning on my shoulder, Declan kisses my cheek. “Ya okay?”

  I nod. “Fine, just a lot.”

  “Yeah,” he agrees, gathering me into his arms and kissing my cheek again. Cuddling into him, I look to where Lena is staring out the window, Micah silent beside her. Usually he is playing on his phone, but he hasn’t touched it since Declan knocked it to the floor. Maybe he broke it?

  When the car stops, the doors open and we file out. I assume we are heading inside, but Declan stops me, pulling me to him and in the other direction.

  “Declan, honey, where are you off to?”

  Glancing back his mom, he says, “We’re gonna go on a walk, clear our heads a bit.”

  “Oh, you don’t want to eat?”

  He shakes his head but then looks to me. “Ya hungry?”

  I shake my head. “A walk sounds great.”

  “Grand, we’re good, Ma. Be back later.”

  Lena looks at us longingly, and I can’t help but feel that she’d rather walk with us than go inside. Since I’m not sure why Declan wants to go for a walk, I don’t say anything as she heads back inside while his mom says, “Okay, see ya later.”

  He puts his arm around me and we head out toward the lake, walking in a comfortable silence, the warm sun shining down on us. When we don’t go where I thought we would, the dock, I look up at him.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Just walking,” he explains as he holds me tighter. “You were amazing today, my love.”

  Wrapping my arms around his waist, I smile. “You too.”

  “I’m sorry ya had to get up there and do that. You shouldn’t have been involved at all.”

  Rolling my eyes, I let him go and look up at him. “Even if I wouldn’t have stepped in front of you and taken the bullet, I’d still have to testify because I saw what happened.”

  He shrugs. “Sure, but still. I wish none of this would have happened.”

  He hasn’t said anything like this in a while, and I know it’s because I told him to let it go. It was bound to come back up with the trial and all.

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “Eh, I don’t know. I sometimes feel it is.”

  “It isn’t,” I remind him. “I made my own choice. Took my own risk to save the man I love.”

  He smiles down at me and nods. “Yeah, but I should be doing the saving, ya know?”

  I grin back at him, wrapping my arms around him. “But you have. You have saved me in every way possible.”

  “How so?” he asks, confused.

  “I could be a puddle of tears, doing nothing but crying and being sad because I’m an orphan,” I say, holding his gaze. “But instead, I’m happy and I’m excited for my life. You bring out all the good in me.”

  “As you do for me,” he answers, kissing my nose. “I do love ya.”

  “I love you too,” I say back as we reach a hill that a large stone building sits on. “Oh wow,” I gasp, taking in the beauty of it.

  “Yeah, this is the old church that most of my ancestors got married in. It was built in 1790. Pretty, yeah?”

  I nod as he leads me in through an entrance that I’m pretty sure had a door at one time. Everything is very old, but it has good bones; I feel like they could still hold a service here. It’s beautiful, but the windows are gone and there is only one pew.

  “Why doesn’t it have windows and a door? It could still be used.”

  “Eh, no one has kept up with it. The only reason it isn’t infested with animals and dirty is ’cause my ma has people to come clean it out every other month.”

  “Why, though?”

  “She was born here.”

  “What?” I ask, my eyes wide.

  “My ma’s ma worked on the grounds and was pregnant but didn’t want anyone to know because she’d gotten knocked up and wasn’t married. So she worked all through her pregnancy, had every intention of leaving my ma in the church for someone to come save or something, but she looked into my ma’s eyes and couldn’t do it.”

  “Oh my goodness,” I say, covering my mouth. “That’s so crazy.”

  “Yeah, so she raised my ma the best she could, very poor, but my ma was and still is a very pretty lady. My grandma used to say she was born on this land because she was meant to rule it and more shite. She married my da and here we are.”

  I smile. “That’s sweet that she keeps the church clean.”

  “Yeah, it makes sense. I come up here some, just to sit and to get back to me,” he says, and then he falls into the pew, looking up at me. “After Lena was found, they couldn’t locate me for hours ’cause I sat in here, crying and throwing myself a blaming party. It was bad, but I dusted myself off and went back, ready to stand by my sister.”

  I sit down next to him, taking his hand in mine. “You are the most amazing person I know, Declan,” I say, kissing his palm.

  “No,” he says with a shake of his head. “Ya know yourself, right?”

  I grin but shake my head. “I’m not that amazing.”

  “You’re right,” he says, cupping my face. “You’re damn well spectacular, yeah?”

  He kisses me as my heart just flies out of my chest and into the clouds. Wrapping my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss, I fall onto him. Holding me, he devours my mouth, both of us playing and enjoying the great splendor of kissing each other. When his hand goes up and under my shirt, I arch my back, wanting his hands on me. Trailing kisses down my throat, he nibbles at the valley of my breasts before slowly pulling away, looking at me with those intoxicating blue eyes.

  Pushing my jacket down my arm