Becoming the Whiskey Princess Read online

  Shaking his head, he holds my gaze. “I don’t, Noreen. It worked for us because my grandparents didn’t live here. We really did have everything to ourselves. It’s different for them, especially when Lena lives here too.”

  “Ugh, I don’t know. I think it’s best they live here. In his home,” she says, obviously not agreeing at all.

  Sucking in a breath, I want to tell her to be quiet, but when I glance at my da, I feel like he is agreeing with me. I know, even I’m surprised, but his brows are pulled together and he is shaking his head once more. Looking at her, he speaks again, “Yeah, but I get where he is coming from. When you love someone very much, you don’t want to share them or be without them even for a second; I understand that. I’ve felt like that for ya ma my whole life, and I see it in ya eyes when you look at Amberlyn. You love her. Like I love your ma.”

  I don’t know about that, I think my love is stronger, but who am I to disagree. Nodding, I say, “I do. I love her and want to make her happy.”

  He smiles before leaning back in his chair. “Then it’s settled. If that’s what ya want, I’m fine with it. With Lena moving to Dublin, it will be nice to just be me and your ma.”

  While I want to be happy that he agrees with me, I’m a little stunned. “What? Lena is moving to Dublin?”

  He nods as my ma says, “Yeah, she needs a change of scenery, from what she is saying.” She waves her hand in a dismissive way. “What she needs is to go find Micah and take him back.”

  I stand, kissing her forehead. “Nah, she won’t be happy. Dublin will be good for her. Thanks, guys, gonna go tell my bride the good news.”

  I turn to head to the door, and as I reach for the handle, my da stops me. As I turn around, we lock eyes and he smiles. “I’m proud of ya, son. She’s costing me a lot of money, but ya sure do love her and she adds to your life. Which is what ya needed. Someone that constantly adds. Makes it better.”

  “Yeah, she does.” I scoff as my grin grows, “And she’s worth every penny.”

  Heading out the door, I start to the stairs to go to my room. We have dinner in about an hour, so I can tell her the news and then take her to bed to celebrate.

  Good plan, I think.

  But when I open our door, she is sitting on the couch with her arms crossed, and I can tell she is seething mad. My brows come together as I shut the door behind me. She is just staring at me, which isn’t like her. She usually greets me at the door, kissing me senseless before asking how my day was. Something is wrong. Very, very wrong.

  “Amberlyn, love? What’s wrong?”

  Standing up, she puts her hand on her hips, holding my gaze with her angry one. “Oh, nothing much, just had myself a lovely conversation with your mother!” she says, her sentence dripping with sarcasm.

  “Ah fuck,” I mutter, falling into the chair. “What happened? I just spoke to her; everything seemed fine.”

  “What happened?! Oh, let me tell you!” she yells, and I look up surprised. Amberlyn doesn’t yell at me. Her eyes are filling with tears, and I stand back up, walking toward her, but she puts her hands up. “Not only did your mom know mine, but she dumped her as a friend for your dad.”

  My brows are probably in my hairline. “Really?”

  “Yes! But that’s not the kicker! She stopped being my mom’s friend because your dad made her.”

  Looking at her, I can understand that this is upsetting to her, but I really don’t think she should be hostile and taking it out of me. I didn’t do anything. “I’m sorry, love, but why are ya so mad about this?”

  That only makes her madder. “Because she then proceeds to tell me that he changed everything about her. That being an O’Callaghan wife, you lose yourself!”

  I shake my head. “That won’t happen to ya. I’ve told ya that.”

  “See, that’s what I said, but then she made some good points,” she snaps, and I don’t know why I am being dragged into this.

  “Well, please, let me have ’em,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Would you want me to work after I have our first child?”

  I feel like I’m walking into a trap, but I answer her. Truthfully. “No, sweetheart, I wouldn’t, but only for the fact I don’t want anyone caring for our wee baby but you.”

  “But what if I don’t want to raise our wee baby!” she says, mocking my accent. I’m not sure if I should be offended or not, so I go for the latter since there are other things to be offended about.

  I eye her as my heart starts to pound in my chest. “I’m sorry, love, but I feel like you’re trying to trap me. I don’t know the right answer here.”

  “Just tell me the damn truth!”

  Holding her gaze, I shake my head once more. “I’d try to talk ya out of it. At least till the baby is old enough to talk.”

  She holds my gaze, hers darkening as she shakes her head. “Do you want me to go to school? To work now?”

  I feel like I’m digging myself an even deeper hole, but I answer her truthfully. “No, love, I don’t. But only because I’m not used to it. I’ve always been told the wife stays home, the man works.”

  “We don’t live in the fucking 1920s, Declan!”

  “Yeah, I know, but that’s the way it is around here. I want to provide for ya, make sure you have everything because I gave it to you.”

  “No! I want to work for what I get!”

  “That’s fine,” I say, holding my palms up. “Calm down, now. No reason to be this upset.”

  “Yes, there is. You’re going to try to change me!”

  “I am not!”

  “Yes, you are!” she yells, turning to head for the bedroom. “One thing at a time, and I’ll let it go ’cause I love you, and soon I’ll be unhappy and miserable!”

  Following her, I am completely fed up. This is pointless and the stupidest thing in the world to be fighting about. “The hell ya will! I’ll make sure you’re always happy!”

  “Oh, by throwing shiny things in my face or giving me things I ask for, but all while plotting to run my life. Why did you start the library thing? Just so you can shove it in my face when I ask to move? So I wouldn’t leave this damn house?”

  Completely taken aback by that, I glare. “I mean, fuck Amberlyn, what do ya think of me? Do ya really think I’d do that to ya? Manipulate ya like that?”

  She glares back at me. “I don’t know. I don’t want to think that, but I’m just so mad! Your mom is sitting there, telling me she is just warning me because she doesn’t want me to go through what she did.”

  “So because my ma doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut, I’m being yelled at?”

  Whipping her head toward me, her brow furrows more. “So a woman needs to just shut her mouth and do what a man says? Is that what you mean by that?”

  Looking up at the ceiling, I let out frustrated yell. When I open my eyes, she’s got a bag and is stuffing clothes in it.

  “Where do ya think you’re going?”

  “Why? You going to tell me I can’t go?”

  I glare, my blood boilin’ inside me. I don’t know how this escalated so quickly, but it’s just ridiculous. Still, I really don’t even know what I did wrong.

  “Really, Amberlyn?”

  “I’m gonna go to Fiona’s. We need to have some time apart,” she says as a tear rolls down her cheek. “Maybe we rushed into this.”

  “Really?” I snap.

  “Yeah, so you wouldn’t lose your precious distillery.”

  I feel as if she’s slapped me. Taking ahold of her arms, I turn her to look at me. “Do ya think I care about that fucking distillery more than you? Is that it?”

  “No, but your mom thinks that’s the reason you’re doing everything to make me happy. So that I don’t leave. After that, you’ll run my life.”

  I am going to fucking kill my ma. I’ve never ever said something like that before, but this is insane. Holding her gaze, I practically plead with my eyes as I say, “I don’t care about that dist