Becoming the Whiskey Princess Read online

  “I’ll do everything to make her happy,” I say, a little more sharply than I intended, but I feel under attack. Something I don’t care for one bit. “I understand you perfectly, truly, but I love her. So much, and she loves me. I know we are young, I know this is rushed, but I promise you, she won’t ever be unhappy. And if the moment comes when she is, I’ll fix it. I’ll make her happy; I’ll give her the world. If, after all, she decides she doesn’t want to be with me, then I’ll let her go. I’ll lose it all for her. As long as she is happy.”

  Silence falls in the room, the only sound the breeze from the window, the curtains smacking against the wall. The TV is on mute, and my heart is pounding in my ears. I swallow hard as Mr. Maclaster clears his throat, looking deep into my eyes.

  “That’s the thing, she won’t let you go. She’s a fixer, a caring, sweet soul. She’ll be unhappy before she allows anyone to hurt. And that’s what worries me. Is she marrying you to save your distillery, or because she actually loves you?”

  I nod. “I couldn’t agree more, Mr. Maclaster, but if she didn’t love me, then why did she almost die for me?”

  His eyes darken as he nods slowly, looking away and falling into his seat. Mrs. Maclaster doesn’t move, her eyes still trained on mine as she asks, “Can you not see if you can get more time? A year maybe?”

  “I can,” I agreed. “I planned to anyway, but I’d still like your blessing.”

  Mrs. Maclaster looks over at her husband, and they share a long look. I feel like it’s a private moment, so I look away as I fight for breath. If they say no, what will I do? Can I marry Amberlyn without their consent?

  Yeah. I can.

  I know that is horrible, but I can’t live without her. I just can’t.

  “Declan, you are a good man. We know you’ll take good care of her. We’d like for ya to wait a little bit, but if that can’t happen, then yes, you have our blessing,” she says as she comes toward me. Placing her hands on my arms, she smiles. “Thank you for giving us this chance to talk to you.”

  “I should have done it before.”

  “Yes, but I am thankful you did now.”

  I nod and she cups my cheek as she searches my eyes. Clearing her throat, she says, “I think my brother would have liked you. I know that my sister-in-law would have. You remind me a lot of my Tomas, God rest his soul. He was a driven man, to himself, until Ciara came along. She bewitched him from the start, and I know that Amberlyn has done the same for ya.”

  “She has,” I agree, holding her gaze. “And to honor her parents, I’ll love Amberlyn enough for them and myself.”

  Mrs. Maclaster smiles, her eyes filling with tears as she nods. “Yes, well, on with ya then. You have our blessing.”

  I don’t even remember driving to the offices of the distillery.

  When I get there, I park the car beside my da’s and lock it as I head inside. It’s been two weeks since I’ve set foot near these offices or even the distillery I am fighting to keep, but thankfully, nothing looks out of sorts. Things have been running without a glitch from what Kane has said.

  I greet my da’s assistant before pushing his door open without her consent. If he doesn’t want to see me, that’s just too damn bad. We have things to discuss. Thankfully, he is alone and looks up from his desk, obviously surprised to see me.

  “Everything all right?”

  I nod as I drop down into the chair in front of his desk. “Yes, Amberlyn is home sleeping.”

  “Grand, I’m glad she is recovering.”

  “Me too,” I agree. “Have I missed much?”

  My fingers tap nervously on the arms of the chair as I wait for his answer.

  “Not really. Although, Mindy has notes for ya from the last two meetings. Everyone understood your absence. Your ma has done well, keeping it pretty cut-and-dried for the media. The extra security around the hospital helped too. I am just glad that she is okay.”

  “Me too. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

  “She saved my son; I owe her more than what I’ve done.”

  This is a different side to my da and I’m still not used to it, but thankful, nonetheless. Things haven’t been as strained between us. We have actually been getting along all right.

  Clearing my throat, I sit at the edge of the chair and meet his gaze. “Since we are on the topic of Amberlyn, I want to talk to you about something.”

  “Sure, what is it?” he asks, his eyebrows coming up before he shuts his laptop.

  “I asked her to marry me,” I say, and a small smile graces my da’s usually stern face.

  “I may have thought differently before, but after the way she has conducted herself, I can’t help but respect the girl. You were right, she is something, and I look forward to getting to know her.”

  “She is amazing,” I boast, my heart soaring for her. “But she is young, Da, only twenty. I know I have a deadline that will be up in three months, but surely you can give me some more time. Let us have a long engagement.”

  The smile drops so quickly, I almost don’t believe it was ever on his face. Shaking his head, he says, “No, Declan, I can’t do that. You have till October seventeenth to marry the girl or you’ll lose the distillery, and that’s final, son.”

  “But Da, I’m her first boyfriend. What if it doesn’t work out?”

  “Then you end it now,” he says with an annoyed look. “You have three months. Either marry her or let her go.”

  “I won’t let her go,” I say with a vengeance. “I love her.”

  “I guess we have a wedding to plan, then?” he says simply, looking down at his calendar. “October seventeenth a good day? It’s a Saturday. Be a nice enough time for a wedding, I guess.”

  Tears burn my eyes as I look at my legs. “Da, please, a year. Give me a year. Just to make sure she wants to marry me.”

  “If you aren’t sure yet, Declan, let her go. You are wasting your time. You need a wife.”

  “We’ve only dated two months, Da!” I protest, but he isn’t budging.

  “Do ya love her?”

  “I do, you know that! That’s why I want to give her more time to make sure she loves me and wants to be with me for the rest of her life.”

  “No, you either know or you don’t. Your ma and I met young, Declan, and look at us. I love her more now than I did then.”

  “But Da—”

  “No. Should we start planning a wedding or not?”

  Shaking my head, I know that if I tell him no then Amberlyn will have my arse. She wants this, but it worries me that she won’t ten years down the road. But what am I to do? I won’t let her go, and I know she won’t allow me to give up the distillery, nor do I want to. As much as I don’t want to rush her, I feel we have no other choice in the matter.

  Looking up at my father, I nod. “Yes, we will need to plan one.”

  I’m cold.

  Why am I cold?

  Blinking awake, I look to the right to see that Declan isn’t there like he is supposed to be. Like he was when I fell into blissful sleep. That was by far the best nap I’ve ever had. Not sure if it was the drugs or if it was falling asleep with Declan close to me, but it was damn well needed. But where is he now?

  “He went to talk to Ma and Da and then left. Hasn’t been back yet.”

  I look across the room to find Fiona sitting with her computer in her lap. She smiles at me as she closes the laptop and says, “Good morning, by the way.”

  I glance at the window and see that the sun is shining bright.

  “Jeez, what time is it?”

  “Nine. You were knocked out. Do you need anything?”

  I shake my head. “Damn. No, I’m fine.” I get up slowly, my chest sore as I push back the covers. Cringing a bit, I sit up and meet Fiona’s gaze. “I wonder why he left. Wait, what did he have to talk to your dad and mom for?”

  “Ask for your hand in marriage,” she says simply, leaning on her knees.

  “What for? I already said yes.