Declan

I want to stab myself in the eye with one of the many forks that lay before me.

“You’re twenty-two, Declan. It’s time.”

I roll my eyes as I lean back in my chair, picking at the greens on my plate. I know that it can be said that twenty-two isn’t old at all, and that may be right, but to my da, I’m ancient. He was married to my mother by nineteen, my grandda married my grandma by eighteen, and so on and so on. I’m the oldest out of my family who is not married; even my sister, at only seventeen, has the prospects of a husband once she turns eighteen. This may very well be the twentieth century, but to the O’Callaghan family, you get married, you run the whiskey distillery, and you have kids. I’m not against any of this. Not at all, but if I’m to get married, I want it to be because I’m mad about her. Not for the reason my da wants.

Letting out a long breath, I say, “I know, but what will you have me do? Marry the first girl who gives me the eye?”

My da sits up in his chair as he shakes his head. He has aged a lot in the last couple of years. My ma says I favor him. If that is what I will look like when I’m older, please someone do me off. He just looks so angry. Wrinkles line his face, and his brow is set in such an apoplectic way. We may have the same blue eyes and blond hair, but that’s it. I don’t even think I act like him, but my sister informs me that sometimes I do, which I need to change. “That is not what I’m saying.”

“Yes it is,” I admonish him. “You want me to pick the first lady I see and not worry a bit if I actually fancy her. The thing is, Da, that I want to be mad about her if I’m going to marry her.”

“That’s what we want for you, Declan, but you haven’t even dated,” my ma says, which is not entirely true at all. I’ve been with my fair share of women, but none of them has given me what I need or want. They are just there, wanting me for my money.

I let my head fall back as my kid sister, Lena, giggles beside me. She favors my ma, long, blond hair, shining blue eyes, always the center of attention when it comes to other blokes. She got into some trouble a couple years back, and it basically ruined the family. Slowly but surely, we are coming back from it. We are close, but not as close as we should be. When she quickly stops laughing, it’s probably because my da has set her with a look. The same look he is probably glaring at me with, not that I care. “I have dated, Ma, just nothing worth my time.”

“Keeva was delightful, a real gem,” Ma informs me, but I disagree.

Making a face of pure disgust, I say, “She was a bucket of snots, inside and out. She only wanted me for my money.”

“Everyone will want you for your money, lad. That’s what we are, what you are—deal with it.”

I shake my head. “I will not. I want a girl who loves me for me, not because I am the Whiskey Prince of Ireland.”

“But you are,” Da stresses, and while he is right, I don’t care. “And with that title comes responsibilities, and you know what they are. Get married and own the business. I know you want that.”

“Of course I do, but I’m not going to settle for anything less than I deserve. How could you want me to anyway?”

Da shakes his head as his mouth sets in a straight line. “I’m done with this conversation. You are an O’Callaghan, Declan, act like one. Get married. You have only six months to do so before you are skipped in line, and we give it to Lena’s soon-to-be husband.”

That gets my blood boiling as my sister gasps besides me. No way in fucking hell is her boyfriend, who couldn’t even tell a pot still from a whiskey barrel, going to own my business. I look to my ma, but she is as stone-faced as he is. Fuck! She agrees. “Da! That is insane! I can run the business and not be married.”

“No, you can’t. Dear, you have to be married. Not only have your grandda and father decided on this since apparently an O’Callaghan man has always been married before his twenties, but because it’s been that way since your great-great-great-great-great-grandda started the distillery. He believed that a man in love had the compassion to run a great company, and because of that, only a married man can own the family company.” Ma says that like I haven’t heard this a billion times since I was old enough to be interested in owning the distillery. I know the expectations of my family. I may not agree with them, and I may think that they are downright stupid, but I know them nonetheless. I just wish I had some leeway here and maybe even some more time. Six months? Before they pass it to my sister’s soon-to-be husband? I can’t even keep a girl more than a night because I get bored with her or because she’s out for my money. I want more than that. I want to have it all. I want what my parents have, what every O’Callaghan man has had.

I throw my hands up in frustration. “Yes, in love! I have to love them for that to be true! Don’t you see that I want it to happen, I just haven’t found her yet?”

Da stands quickly, his seat falling behind him as his fist comes down on the table, making my ma and sister jump in surprise. I don’t even flinch. He doesn’t scare me. Nothing does. “So fall in love! Do what I say, Declan, or you will not own the business.”

Pushing my seat back, I stand, mirroring my da in height at nearly 6’2 as I hold his vexed gaze. I want him to see in my eyes that I want these things, that I don’t want to lose my chance to make our whiskey better than before, but I know all he sees is that I’m not what he was at my age. My ma stands too, her hands out in a pleading way as she says, “Enough. Sit down. Let’s finish our dinner.”

“I’m not hungry,” I say before turning and walking away, despite them calling my name, demanding that I come back. Ignoring them, I walk through the many halls of the O’Callaghan estate. With over sixty rooms, one would think I would get lost, but I’ve had the same room my whole life. I was born in this room, which is bigger than most suites in a five-star hotel. It’s the room that I’ll bring my bride to, and more than likely, my child will be born in here too. That’s the way the O’Callaghans do things.

As much as I would like to say that I don’t want these things, that I want to do something completely different, I don’t. I want the same traditions, this way of life. I want my children to grow the way I have and then their children to do the same. I love what my family stands for. I love our brand, our whiskey, and I will do anything for the things I love.

But do I give up my need to have what I desire, what I’ve dreamed about, to have the traditions and life that have been mapped in the stars before my birth? Or do I stand strong and look for what I want? What I deserve? Looking around my empty room, which is filled with furniture older than my grandfather, I decide that I am not going to find any answers here, so I turn and head for the front of the house.

On my way, I pass by our housekeepers, and unlike my sister, I do not say a thing, only give a curt nod as I head to the place that brings me peace. When the fresh air hits my face once I am outside, I let out a breath and then take in a deep one, filling my chest with the air of my homeland. Ignoring my car, I make my way to the stables to where my Irish Draught, Cathmor, awaits me. When I enter, my stable hand, Mitch, is putting the saddle on my friend as I run my hand along his white chest, which is speckled with black. He snorts loudly, greeting me with his furry lips on my face.

“Howya, Cathmor, good lad?”

He snorts again as Mitch says, “He’s ready. Good day, sir.”

“Thanks, Mitch,” I reply before mounting Cathmor. When Mitch backs away, I kick Cathmor to go, and like a bullet, he is off. I always love to ride to the distillery rather than drive. There is something about the air hitting me in the face and the speed of the beast beneath me that pulls all the stress from my body. It’s relaxing and soothing as he runs through the fields of my home. The trees are in full bloom, the grass so green, and the sky blue. I can feel the lake on my skin from the wind, and I can’t wait to get down there to fish or take my boat on the water. Summer is my favorite time because of the beauty my land provides me with. Well, my da’s land. In six months’ time, I could have nothing.

Depressing, I know.

Kicking Cathmor’s side so he will go faster, I leave that thought in the dust as he takes a sharp turn around the lake that separates our land from that of the Maclasters’ Bed and Breakfast. I’ve never been there, but my best friend, Kane, enjoys going to the pub that is a part of their establishment. He tries to get off with the owner’s daughter, Fiona Maclaster. I haven’t seen her yet, but from what Kane says, she is easy on the eyes.

When the large, stone building that holds my family’s dynasty comes into view, I kick into Cathmor again to get there. Not only would being around the smoky and spicy aroma of the whiskey calm me, but I could use a glass too. Stopping before another worker, I dismount Cathmor and run my hand down his beautiful mane, saying, “Good ride, lad, thank you.”

To the worker, I say, “Please give him plenty of water. He ran the whole way.” The worker, whose name I notice is Cal from his name tag, nods as I hand him the reins and make my way inside.

As soon as the aroma of whiskey hits me, I take in a deep breath, savoring it as I look around the room. With large windows letting in the sun, the room is like its outside, stone, with a dark, dungeon feel. Some people may fear the O’Callaghan distillery, but I love it. Have loved it since I was a little boy. Heading to the back distilling room, I shut the door behind me to give myself privacy before heading to where my bottle of whiskey is hidden. Passing by the pot stills, I run my fingers along the copper base, lightly, making sure not to burn my fingers. My great-great-great-great-great-grandda learned how to make whiskey from a Scottish pal, and because of this, we use pot stills to this day. I’ve always loved the look of them and enjoy this room the best because it reminds me of my history.

My dynasty.

Reaching for my bottle, I sit on a stool as I pour only a little in the bottom of a glass. Bringing it to my nose, I take in a deep inhale, the smells of vanilla and caramel overloading my senses before I take a small sip, moving it around in my mouth, savoring the smooth flavor before swallowing it. It has a kick, but it’s one I enjoy. This is my bottle, the one I plan to name Cathmor once I have my chance to own the name. My da isn’t adventurous with his whiskey, keeps it to the books. But me, I like mixing and trying new flavors, and I feel that Cathmor will blow people away. It has taken me five years to find the right flavor, and I want my chance to share it with the world, which means one thing…

I need a wife.

When the door opens suddenly, I pause with my glass at my lips as my best friend walks in and shuts the door. With a grin on his face, Kane says, “Saw you sneak in here, thought I’d join you.”

I nod as I place my glass down, picking up one for him before filling and passing it off. Taking it, he holds it against mine before saying, “Sláinte.” We both take a good sip, savoring the flavor as we sit in silence.

“It’s not good to drink alone, Dec.”

“Da pissed me off.”

“When does he not?” Kane scoffs. “What did he do this time?”

I take another sip before shaking my head slowly. “Pressuring me into marrying off.”

“Again?” Kane asks, even though we both know that Da won’t stop pressuring me until I do what he wants.

“Yes. I told him I want to marry for love, and he said fall in love then! Says I have six months to get it done, or I lose my chance at the name.”

A shocked look comes over my mate’s face as he exclaims, “Well, you best do it!”

“Come off it! I’m trying.”

“You do no such thing. You don’t go out and meet anyone.”

“I do too,” I insist. “I go to the pub and meet women all the time.”

“Fucking shite, ya do! You go to the pub that your da’s mates drink at—not somewhere that would produce a wife.”

I let out a sigh; Kane is delusional. “I’ve met plenty of women there.”

“Sure, but have they stuck? No, they are slappers, out for your money. You need to meet a good woman, someone who will stick. Someone to be mad about.”

He’s right, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that. “Fine, what do you suggest then?”

“Come out with me. We’ll find you someone.”

That gives me the shakes. The places that he goes make me nervous. The kind of places that are full of people I don’t know, but they know who I am because of the news or magazines. Because of that, they treat me differently than they do Kane. Then again, Kane is easy to get to know. He is fun and charming. Me, I’m off, as he says. I don’t know how to act normal when people I don’t know stare at me or talk to me. My shyness, as Kane has so nicely informed me, is probably the only thing that makes me not like my name, the title I have. It isn’t easy being the Whiskey Prince. Not only does it draw attention to me, but it seems like everyone wants something from me. Sometimes I come off a little abrasive because of it. Even being my best mate, I can’t tell this to Kane. He wouldn’t understand. His life is easy, ladies flock to him, and no one wants anything but his company. With me, it’s different, and I hate the way it makes me feel.

“Fine. Soon, I’ll go.”

He lets out a long breath. “Fucking hell, lying like that to your best pal? I can see it in your eyes, your mannerisms. Leaving the O’Callaghan land gives you the willies, but I’m telling ya, it’s for the best. You don’t want to lose your precious land, do ya?” I shake my head as he says, “I know you don’t, so come on, let’s find you a wife.”

“Fine, I’m going to have to be ossified,” I say as I take a hearty sip of my whiskey, needing the liquid courage.

Kane lets out a long laugh as he shakes his head. “Not tonight, my friend. You need time to adjust to the idea, savor it, but when you’re ready, I am.”

I nod because I know that Kane would do just about anything for me, as I would for him. That’s what twenty years of friendship gives you, and I’m thankful for that. But the question is—when will I be ready? As I look around the place that I know I can’t live without, I figure I need to get ready pretty quickly.

Because I can’t lose this.