Taking Risk Series Read online

  “Okay?”

  “Yeah, I want to come home to ya, darlin’. I want to hold you in my arms and kiss ya to sleep,” he says, moving his hand through my hair. “I don’t know if you wanted to wait till we were married, but I don’t want to wait any longer. We never have a free moment together, and that could change if ya come live with me.”

  I blink a few times as he holds my gaze. I was pretty direct when I said I didn’t want to live with his family. “Come live with you…and your family?”

  He eyes me but then nods slowly. “I showed ya my room; it’s huge. We wouldn’t see my family unless we go to them.”

  “So why did your mom walk in on us?”

  He sits back, letting my face go as he watches me. “Because she’s insane. Hell, I don’t know, but it won’t happen again.”

  Wringing my fingers together, I look down and clear my throat. “I don’t want to live with your family. I want to live with you.”

  “I swear, it will be like they’re not even there.”

  “It just doesn’t seem right to me. I want it to be us,” I say, and when he goes to say something, I stop him. “Yeah, I get that it’s a big house and they won’t see us, but I don’t want to live there. I want our own home.”

  “But my whole family has always lived there. No one has lived anywhere else but there. They are born there and die there.”

  I can see that this is about to go badly. His face is changing from turned on to annoyed. Smiling, I shrug as I say, “I mean, when you are ready to die, I’ll take you back over there.”

  He glares as he takes the wheel into his hand. “It’s tradition, Amberlyn. It’s how my family works.”

  I look over at him and I’m about to tell him that’s not the way I work, but then I remember what Fiona said. Give a little on some things. Maybe this is something I need to give a little on. I got my dress, the location, and no telling what else I am going to want. I can see that this is something he really wants, something that means something to him, but can I live like that? Always worried that his mom is going to walk in on us?

  “The door stays locked.”

  “Always,” he agrees with a nod.

  I look out the window and take in a deep breath. “And if it doesn’t work out, then we have to look at other options.”

  He doesn’t answer me, so I glance over at him, and he holds my gaze. “Yeah, but I’m sure it will.”

  “That’s fine, but in case it doesn’t, you promise we’ll look into getting a place of our own.”

  He doesn’t nod right away, and I know that he doesn’t want to agree, but then he nods slowly. “Okay, yeah.”

  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.

  Chapter 12

  Declan

  “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 w