Taking Risk Series Read online

  “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 distillery more than you, Amberlyn. I’m not doing this to trap ya. I love ya and will give it all up,” I say, and she looks down, sucking in a deep breath. “Tell me something. Have I treated you like what you are accusing me of? What is this about? Are ya nervous? Cold feet? What? Tell me. What do I have to do here? I’m not gonna be my da; I’m gonna be me. The man ya love. And I’m gonna make ya happy.”

  Shaking her head, she looks back at me, her eyes full of tears. Pushing away from me, she goes to the window, crossing her arms over her body. “No, I want to marry you because I love you with every fiber of my body, but I guess I’m scared. I don’t want you to change me.”

  “I’m not going to. Have I yet?”

  “No, but all I can think is that my mom was a good judge of character. She loved with all her heart, and if she could love your mom, she had to be a person worth my mom’s time. But now, I don’t even like being around your mom. And I could be friends with a rock, Declan! It scares me!”

  Taking a cautious step toward her, I bend my head to look her in her eyes. “Love, I’m not my da, and yous aren’t my ma.”

  She sucks in a deep breath and shakes her head. “I wonder if your dad said the same thing.”

  Pulling in a breath through my nose, I stand back and put my hands on my hips. She obviously needs time to think. Nothing I say is gonna change her mind. I could talk until I’m blue in the face and she isn’t gonna listen to me. She’ll have to do it on her own. Trust that I love her and I would never hurt her. I don’t want her to leave, but if that’s what she wants, then I’ll do it.

  “Fine, get ya bag packed. I’ll take ya.”

  She looks up. “What?”

  I look at her, confused. “Don’t ya want to leave?”

  She nods slowly, but I can see in her eyes she doesn’t. She’s scared. That’s all there is to it, and maybe Fiona can help with that. I wish it were me, and I feel it should be me, but apparently not. I hope though that she says no.

  But, unfortunately, she doesn’t. “Yes.”

  My heart sinks as I nod. “Fine, then I’ll take ya,” I say, my own voice breaking. “But don’t come back unless you want to marry me and you trust that I won’t be my da.”

  Reaching for the door, I stop at the sound of her voice. “Are you mad?”

  I look back at her from the where I’m holding the door handle. “Furious, but that don’t mean I don’t love ya and can let this go the second you get your head out of your arse. But till then, I’m gonna do as ya ask. Ya want to leave, let’s go.”