Taking Risk Series

by Toni Aleo

When we all walk out of the courtroom four hours later, we are elated.

  Not sure what the jury was doing, eating cake or what, but they were unanimous.

  Casey Burke was guilty.

  The show he put on as they took him out of the courtroom was almost comical. He thrashed around, screaming and crying. For someone who loved my sister, he never looked at her or begged her for forgiveness like a normal human, but we all know he’s a liar.

  Riding in the car, we are all smiles except for Lena and Micah. I don’t know what happened, but during the break while we waited for the jury, they went off together. When they came back, he sat behind us while she sat beside Ma. I don’t see them fight much, but they usually make up quickly, and I hope that’s the case this time. He can be an idiot, but he’s a good guy.

  Once we get back to the house, we gather in the sitting room for drinks and dessert. My ma, Mrs. Maclaster, Amberlyn, and Fiona are sitting by the window, talking animatedly while my da, Mr. Maclaster, Kane, and I sip whiskey and talk more about the trial. I believe that if it wasn’t for the prosecution picking up those small details, Casey might have gotten off. I wanted to kiss the guy, but instead I shook his hand, promising him the biggest bottle of whiskey before he walked away to do the interviews that were waiting for him.

  “My son tells me that we need ya here in the distillery,” my da says, and Mr. Maclaster laughs.

  “I told Declan it isn’t going to happen. I don’t have time.”

  “Maybe part-time, then?” I ask relentlessly.

  A wide grin brightens his face as he shakes his head. “Let me talk to my wife, yeah?”

  “Better than no, I say,” my da informs me. “I heard Cathmor is almost done with beta testing. All is well.”

  “It’s a damn good whiskey. I feel it will sell well,” Mr. Maclaster says, and I’m stunned to silence.

  “I agree. He’s gonna do great things,” my da says, sending me a confident grin.

  “Yeah, he will,” Kane adds, toasting his drink. We all meet our cups to each other’s and I nod thanks before we swig, but I pause when I hear my ma say something that catches my attention.

  “Not anytime soon,” Amberlyn says with a laugh. “We want to live a bit, just us.”

  My ma laughs as she waves Amberlyn off. “Ivor and I married, and two months later, I was pregnant with Declan. We have babies quickly around here.”

  With my brows pulled in, I step over to where they are, placing my hand on Amberlyn’s shoulder as she says, “Well, we are gonna wait. I want to finish school first.”

  “Uni? You’re going to the uni?”

  “Ma, let it be,” I say, not wanting to have this conversation with everyone here, not that it is any of her business anyway. “We are gonna wait a bit, like she says. We want to enjoy each other.”

  “Well, how long?” she asks, her face full of disappointment. I hate that look, but I shrug.

  “Not sure. When we are ready. We aren’t ready yet.”

  “Maybe you will be by the time the wedding comes.”

  Amberlyn laughs. “That’s in a month and a half. I doubt it. I want to finish school first.”

  My ma glances at me and I hold my palms up. “Those are her wishes and I’m good with them. I want to be able to give my kid attention. Let us find our place in the world before we bring our kids into it.”

  “Well, then,” she says, shaking her head, and when she gets up, I squeeze Amberlyn’s shoulder, causing her to look up at me.

  “I think I made your mom mad again,” she whispers and I laugh.

  “Won’t be the last time, yeah?”

  I lean down to kiss her just as someone takes my hand. Tearing my mouth away from hers, I turn to see that Lena is there, tears in her eyes. She shakes her head quickly, stopping my next sentence before she nods her head to the left, indicating the library.

  “Excuse me, love,” I say, kissing Amberlyn once more before following Lena out of the room. Once the door shuts, she turns and the tears start to rush down her face. “Lena, what’s wrong?” I ask, taking ahold of her arms. “Are you hurt?”

  “No, that’s the problem.”

  “What?”

  “I broke it off with Micah.”

  Stunned, I shake my head before asking, “Excuse me?”

  “I told him to leave, that I wasn’t gonna marry him.”

  Swallowing the lump in my throat, I squeeze her arms. “Why? Please don’t say ya still love that wanker and you’re going to wait for him?”

  She laughs as she shakes her head. “Hell no!”

  “Oh, thank God, then why?”

  “I don’t love Micah.”

  Confused, I ask, “What? Really?”

  “No, I don’t even think I ever did. He was just an easy out, and now, I don’t want the out. I want to live the life I want. I want the love you have with Amberlyn. The one I would die for. I don’t want to marry someone because it’s convenient for me.”

  “That’s never a good reason,” I agree, but I have to ask. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then I support ya,” I promise and she smiles.

  “Ma is gonna flip.”

  “Oh yeah,” I say with a laugh. “She’s gonna try to talk you out of it.”

  “He already left.”

  “Wow, okay, but be ready for the wrath of Noreen O’Callaghan.”

  She bites her lip as she nods. “But I’m doing the right thing, yeah?”

  I hug her tightly and kiss her forehead. “Yes, if ya don’t love him, don’t marry him.”

  Unsure, she looks up at me. “But I could maybe, one day.”

  “Do ya really believe that?”

  “No,” she says automatically, causing me to grin and hug her tighter.

  “Then you’re doin’ right, love. Don’t worry, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  As I hold her in my arms, I can’t help but think of all the shite she’s been through and how I thought that Micah was the one to bring her back from it. Maybe he was supposed to play a part, but Lena was to do the rest. She will be okay though. She is a strong lass; she’ll be just fine.

  Especially since that gobshite is going to be in jail for the next fourteen years.

  Chapter 26

  Amberlyn

  To say that Mr. and Mrs. O’Callaghan freaked out when Lena told them that she and Micah had decided to part ways would be an understatement.

  It was if they went through the five stages of grief.

  First was the denial. They didn’t believe her; Mrs. O’Callaghan went looking for him, calling him constantly. It was rather insane. Second was anger. They ripped Lena apart, telling her she had made the biggest mistake of her life. Micah came from old money, would be a great husband, blah, blah, blah. Then they decided to hit the third stage, bargaining. Mrs. O’Callaghan thought up every situation that would bring Micah back, while Mr. O’Callaghan tried to talk her into loving him. No matter what, they weren’t listening. Mrs. O’Callaghan hit the fourth stage, where she blubbered all over Lena and begged her to take Micah back.

  Declan decided he finally had to step in because they were not listening to Lena. Bless her heart, she was crying so much, snot coming down from her nose as she begged them to listen to her. That she didn’t love Micah. I held her, my heart breaking for the girl as Declan took the authoritative role and told them this was the way it was going to be. She wasn’t going to be with Micah, and that was final.

  Which led to the final stage, acceptance. Well, at least Mr. O’Callaghan accepted it. I’m pretty sure Mrs. O’Callaghan is still trying to figure out a way to fix Lena. Crazy. It’s been three weeks since it happened, and things are still so tense in the house. Lena doesn’t come out of her room much and neither does Mrs. O’Callaghan. Except, of course, to barge in on Declan and me. I’m pretty sure my future mother-in-law is not supposed to walk in on me taking it from behind. It’s driving me crazy, but I’m counting down to our wedding. After that, I’m out
of this mad house.

  Between Mrs. O’Callaghan walking in on us and driving me insane with this wedding, I’m pretty convinced I can’t live a decent life with her here trying to dictate it. Like she does with Lena, she’s tried it on me. How I dress, how I act, what I do, and even when I’m gonna have kids. Sorry, but I’m not sorry, I’m not dealing with this. Like today, I’m standing here, looking down at the clothes she has picked out for me, and I want to just cry. I am so tired of these ugly, plain tea dresses, the damn shoes that hurt my feet, and just being so proper all the time. I don’t even want to go to tea, but I’m trying to make my life easier.

  A happy Mrs. O’Callaghan means she doesn’t bitch at Declan.

  “You don’t have to go,” Declan calls from bed. He’s gloriously naked, only the sheet covering his naughty parts, from where we just caught the bed on fire with our lovemaking. While I was a beginner before, I’m catching on and can make his body sing with my touches. Smiling at him, I shake my head.

  “If I don’t go, she’ll flip her shit,” I say, crossing my arms over my stomach, trying to decide which dress I want to torture myself with.

  “This is true, but I don’t care. You obviously don’t want to go.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Don’t, then,” he says, sitting up and pulling me down on top of him. Grabbing my butt, he presses himself into me, a grin growing on his face. “Stay in bed with me.”

  I laugh as I glance at the time while he nibbles on my neck. “For what, ten minutes? You have a meeting this morning.”

  He groans into my neck, biting softly before pulling back to look at me. “Fine. I’ll go to the meeting, and when I come back, I want you in this bed, naked.”

  I scoff. “So you want me to lie in bed, naked, all day, waiting for you?”

  His grin grows. “Now that’s a vision to keep me warm all day, yeah?”

  He rolls me over, getting on top of me before kissing me hard against my lips. Pulling back, he kisses the side of my mouth before looking down into my eyes. “Ya happy, my love?”

  I grin up at him. His eyes are shining, his face flushed, and I can’t believe how much I love him. It’s all-consuming. Life-altering. Wow, that last thought is truer than I realized. Cupping his face, I know I can’t lie to him. “I am when it’s me and you.”

  He leans into my hand, his lashes kissing his cheeks as he rests in my hand. “They still driving you mad?”

  “I don’t like that while I’m having sex with you, I worry about your mom walking in on us.”

  “Yeah, I tried talking to her about that, but she doesn’t think it’s her fault. It’s ours for not waiting till we are married. Apparently when we’re married, she won’t be coming up here.”

  “I don’t believe that,” I say quickly and he smiles.

  “Didn’t think ya would,” he says, kissing my palm before looking back down at me. “I really don’t want to move out of this house.”

  “I know,” I say, biting my lip. “But I don’t think I can stay.”

  “That’s a problem.”

  “It is.”

  “So you still want to move out?”

  “I do. Buy our own furniture and make a house a home.”

  He pulls in a deep breath through his nose before rolling out of bed. He reaches for a towel, throwing it over his shoulder. He looks down at me, and I smile as I drink him in. I kinda feel bad for asking this of him, but am I wrong? I’ll have to talk to Fiona. We are going to pick out her bridesmaid dress tomorrow. I didn’t want her to have a traditional one; I wanted her to have one she could wear later to a ball or something. We’ve both been busy with registering for school and then starting that, so this is the first day we can do it.

  Three weeks before the wedding.

  “I gotta get in the shower, but we’ll talk more later?”

  I go to nod but before I can, a knock comes to the door and then it opens, Mrs. O’Callaghan poking her head in. Covering myself with the blanket, Declan glares as she laughs, saying, “Declan, my goodness, son, put some clothes on.”

  “Ma! I don’t know if ya realize, but this is my room, our room. We’re gonna be naked. Knock on that damn door and wait!”

  She keeps laughing as she waves him off. A part of me is starting to think she likes catching us. “Ah, you’re fine. I’ve seen ya naked before.”

  “For fuck’s sake,” he mutters as he ties the towel around his waist. “What do ya need?”

  “Checking to see when Amberlyn will be down for tea,” she says, looking at me.

  I go to answer, but Declan beats me to it. “She isn’t going. She’s tired, Ma, working and going to school plus planning the wedding is taking its toll. She’s gonna sleep a bit more this morning.”

  I want to kiss him even more than I usually do.

  “Oh, that’s disappointing,” she says and her lip actually juts out, looking at me as if I am going to do the opposite of what he says.

  I’m not.

  “Yeah, too bad. Now please leave.”

  “Declan!” she scolds, but he shakes his head.

  “I’m naked, my fiancée is barely dressed. Let us be, Ma. Start knocking.”

  “Well, lock the door if ya don’t want people coming in,” she says before shutting the door. To make a point I guess, he goes over and locks the door before turning to look at me.

  “When I’m about to take ya to bed, remind me to lock the damn door!”

  I laugh as he heads for the bathroom, but before he reaches it, I call out, “Or we could move. At least then we can have sex on every surface and no one can say anything.”

  “Ah, knowing my ma, she’d come all the way there just to walk in on us.”

  The door shuts and I roll my eyes. He’s probably right, but I’m sure it wouldn’t happen that much. When the door opens again, he looks over at me and says, “But I’ll think on it, okay?”

  I smile. “Thank you.”

  His mouth pulls up at the side and then the door shuts. As I lie there, I’m a little torn. A part of me wants to leave so that I can be with Declan with no interruptions, but the other part of me wants him to be happy too.

  * * *

  I did sleep some, but when I wake up, I can’t just stay in bed naked. I check my online schooling and text Fiona, but she doesn’t answer me back. I know I can’t bother Declan. He has meetings all day, and I think my uncle is supposed to come to the distillery today too. Declan was really excited for that. After getting dressed, I decide to head to the library, explore the house a little bit. Since I have come to live here, I’ve seen one room and that’s Declan’s. Time to check this place out.

  Maybe I can find a room no one knows about so that I can have sex with my fiancé in peace.

  I’m just kidding.

  Kinda.

  After spending two hours in the library, I find a whole stack of books that I want to reread. Putting them in a basket that is by the door, I walk out to head upstairs, but before I can go, someone stops me.

  “Ms. Reilly, I’ll take those to your room.”

  She reaches for the basket, but I hold on to it. “Oh no, you’re fine. I’ll do it.”

  “It’s really no trouble,” she informs me. “It’s part of my job.”

  Her name is Annabelle and is almost my staff, I guess. She is the one who was assigned to me, and it’s really weird to have someone who wants to wait on you hand and foot. She’s sweet and I enjoy her company, but I really don’t think I need someone to do things for me.

  Plus, I truly don’t understand why she chose this as a job. Couldn’t she do something more? Go to school? Anything other than work for a family that is fully capable of taking care of themselves. But then, who am I to judge her? Declan told me once that the staff here are paid very well with full benefits. So she could be very happy, and I’m over here judging her. How very wrong of me.

  Giving the basket to her, my grin grows. “Yes, of course. Thank you.”

  “You are very welcome
. Have a good day, ya hear? Let me know if ya need anything.”

  “I will, thank you,” I say as she turns to head upstairs. I want to say that made me feel good, that I enjoyed that, but I didn’t. I hate it. Crossing my arms, I hold myself as I walk through the house, discovering each room and wandering around. The estate is very big, and every room is filled with all kinds of neat things to look at. Be it a book, a gorgeous painting, or beautiful pictures of Declan and his family, I find that I am fully entertained for a few hours.

  That is, until I reach the sitting room on Mr. and Mrs. O’Callaghan’s floor.

  Entering it, it seems just like Mrs. O’Callaghan, a very expensive and floral perfume. I figure this is her room to sit and get away from it all. There are books scattered everywhere, even a little spot for knitting. There is a desk with a computer and mounds of wedding books. This must be where she has been planning my wedding. Going to her desk, I look at each of the books and smile at all the Post-it notes and little notes on her desk about who to call. I wonder why she is doing this herself. Why doesn’t she just hire someone to do it all?

  Sitting in the chair behind the desk, I reach for one of the books but pause when something catches my eyes.

  It’s a picture.

  A picture of my mom.

  Reaching for it, I blink a few times, trying to figure out if I am really seeing what I am seeing. But it is. My mom in all her young glory. She couldn’t be over the age of sixteen, so fresh-faced and happy. Her arms are wrapped around a girl I know to be her best friend, Marla. She had died when my mom was twenty-one in a car accident, and I can still remember all the stories of trouble they had gotten into. I had even seen this picture. It was on the table by her chair where she knitted.

  Why in the world does Mrs. O’Callaghan have it?

  “Amberlyn?”

  Looking up, I look across the room at Mrs. O’Callaghan through the tears that have gathered in my eyes.

  Turning the picture, I stand and ask, “Why do you have a picture of my mom?”

  She looks at the picture and then at me before running her hands down the front of her skirt. In the short time I’ve known her, I know that it’s a nervous tic of hers, but I’m not worried if she is nervous. I want to know why she has a picture of my mom.