Amberlyn

“Beautiful.”

I look over my shoulder as Fiona enters the room, and I smile at her. She looks stunning in the light pink dress that gathers under her breasts before flowing down her body. Her hair is in a braid that comes down her shoulder, big white blossoms in it, complementing the dress perfectly. Her makeup is done softly and beautifully, and as she stands beside me, I think we look magnificent. The perfect balance of color.

“Do you think so?” I ask as I take myself in. The dress fits me perfectly, flowing down, and the blue looks amazing on my skin. I love the dress more now than I did when I first picked it out. My hair is up in a loose bun, tendrils falling down in my face around the ribbon that is wrapped around my head. A huge blue blossom is at the side of my head with my birdcage veil covering my face. “Do you think Declan will love it?”

“He’ll be knocked on his arse for sure,” she tells me, and I wrap my arms around her waist, pressing my forehead to her temple.

Closing my eyes, I swallow back my tears for how much I love this woman I hold. Unable to keep it in, I say, “I honestly don’t know how I would have made it this far without you, Fiona.”

She starts to laugh, and when I open my eyes, she is waving her hand in front of my face. “Don’t do that to me, Amberlyn. I’m an emotional mess! I want to make it down the damn aisle with my makeup on!”

I smile as I wrap my arms around her, kissing her cheek. Looking deeply into my eyes, she goes, “But I will say, yer ma and da are looking down on us right now, and they are both saying that you are gorgeous, Amberlyn. Stunning. Really.”

Tears gather in my eyes as I nod, and then I’m the one waving my hand in front of my face, hoping to keep my tears in. “Talk about making someone cry!”

Laughing like little girls, we lean against each other as we stare at ourselves in the mirror.

“So much is changing,” she whispers and I nod. “It changed when ya came—I got a sister—but now, we are starting our lives. With two men who would give us the world.”

“It’s going to be good. We will be happy,” I whisper back. “It won’t be easy.”

“When is love ever easy?” she asks and I smile. “But we’ll have each other?”

“Always,” I answer as I hug her tightly. Then the door opens and my aunt Shelia comes in, fussing and blubbering all over me and Fiona. When Mrs. O’Callaghan comes in, I smile at her as her mouth falls open.

“Perfection, yes?”

Shelia nods her head quickly as she wipes her face. “That’s what I said. Just truly gorgeous.”

Coming toward me, Mrs. O’Callaghan kisses my forehead, holding my gaze. “Ya look every bit like yer ma. To a tee, I think.”

“Yeah, she does,” my aunt says, wiping her face again. “They would be so proud.”

“They are,” Mrs. O’Callaghan says, moving a tendril behind my ear. “We all are.”

“Thank you.”

She waves me off. “Declan looks dashing.”

I smile. “Is there any other way that man looks?” I ask and she laughs.

“I don’t seem to think so. It’s time. Are ya ready?”

Sucking in a deep breath, I smile as I let it out. “I’ve been ready since the moment he asked.”

And those words could not ring any truer in my soul. As we head out of the living room of what was my home for a bit, I can’t believe this day is finally here. For the last week and a half, Declan and I have fallen into a routine we’ll have for the rest of our lives. We are apart throughout the day, but when he is home, we are together, and it’s honestly magical. We are so happy and my soul is joyful.

Don’t get me wrong, I miss my mom and dad so much. But after going back to the States with Declan, listening to him promise them that he will love me until our dying day, it really helped me. It was like tons of bricks fell off my chest, and I knew I was starting a life with the man who was made for me. Our love story isn’t perfect. We’ve had people try to kill us, break us apart, and even had fear rear its ugly head, but we made it through.

We didn’t give up. We fought.

Because we love each other too much to be apart.

And now I’m about to make him my husband.

It’s a little bit of a walk to the spot where everyone is gathered to watch Declan and me get married, and I’m bouncing on my heels, ready to do this. This morning when I woke up, Declan had a package waiting for me with a two hundred and ten roses, one for each day he’s loved me. It was a beautiful thing to see, but when I opened the gift with two Mickey Mouse-ear hats and two shirts, one that said Mr. and the other saying Mrs., I about lost my shit. I was screaming so loudly as I read the note that told me he was taking me to Disney World for our honeymoon. And then when I saw that we’d stop to see my mom and dad, I cried for good little bit.

It was insanely sweet, and I’ve been waiting hours to see him.

To thank him for constantly surprising me.

Coming out the door, Mrs. O’Callaghan stops me. “Ready for your surprise?”

I look around, confused. “Now?”

She nods as Mr. O’Callaghan comes up, leading Cathmor with him. “Surprise! You’re gonna ride in on the horse.”

My grin grows as I hug her tightly. “Declan will love it.”

“He will.”

Soon they are helping me up on Cathmor. They tried to make me sit like a lady, but that wasn’t happening. I was scared I was gonna fall, and finally, they gave up, letting me be. I know I look insane with my legs open and my dress falling like a cape on the gorgeous horse, but oh well, it’s me.

“Good luck, sweetheart, and congratulations,” Mrs. O’Callaghan says, patting my legs.

“Yes, we are very lucky to have ya in our family,” Mr. O’Callaghan says with a boasting grin. “Declan is going to hit the ground at the sight of ya. Yer gorgeous, ya are.”

“Thank you,” I say before they wave and then they are gone.

I’m supposed to wait for the signal to go, and as I sit here, I’m surprised that I’m not the least bit nervous. I’m excited. Ready to start my life with the man I love. I can’t wait to see what our future holds, and while I do miss my family, I have people here who love me and a man who would give up everything just to have me. The man who was made by the hands of God just for me.

Slowly I close my eyes, my fingers tangling in Cathmor’s mane as I send a little prayer up to my mom and dad. For some reason, I can feel them around me. I know they are watching, probably crying in heaven from being so happy for me. I’m living the life they wanted for me. One where I plan on taking more risks than I already have. Where I plan to do something drastic just to drive Declan mad and to make me happy. And one where I will continue to fall in love with the love of my life every single day of my existence. What more could they want?

When Tom, one of the stable hands, whistles, I open my eyes to see that he is waving me on. I kick lightly into Cathmor, and he starts a slow trot as I head toward the field where the person with whom I’m going to start the rest of my life is waiting. The ride isn’t long, and soon all I see are rows and rows of people. They have put up a huge, gauzy-type tent that will shield us some from the sun, but it also just gives a certain elegance to the spot. I know that my mom is probably grinning from the mere perfection of it all. There are fields of white blossoms, so big they look like clouds all over the place. They even are hanging from the gauzy curtains on the tent. It’s gorgeous.

Fiona starts walking down the aisle, looking like a beautiful pink flower floating along the way, but that isn’t who I see first.

No. It’s my groom.

Standing all dashing and commanding the attention of everyone around him is my forever. Clad in a very chic and tailored black suit, I almost bust a gut when I see a black beanie on his head. When he sees me, his face lights up, and there is no way I’m going to make it down the aisle with my makeup in place. His eyes are locked with mine, and I’m not looking anywhere else as our whole love story plays on rewind in my head. I can still remember the first time I saw him, how I hated that damn beanie. But now, I love it and can’t wait to pull it off so I can run my fingers through his spectacular curls. I can still feel his lips against mine the first time we kissed. I remember the first time he touched me and recall the burn of the bullet when I was ready to give up my own life for him. I can still feel him as he laid me down in the field and every time after that. Every stolen glance, every sweet touch, everything, and it was all just so damn perfect.

But now, I’m starting the rest of my life, and it’s bound to be even better.

When Cathmor comes to where I am supposed to get down, gracefully, mind you, I see that he is coming toward me and I’m confused.

“I was supposed to walk down by myself,” I call to him as he reaches up to get me.

He shakes his head as he helps me down. Coming down on my feet, I look up at him, scowling since he was supposed to wait for me. But soon he is cupping my face, grinning at me, and, of course, his grin gets me every time. Clearing his throat, he says, “No, yer never gonna be alone again, mo stór, not while I’m breathing.”

My God! Really? Swallowing back my tears, I shake my head as I reach up, pulling the beanie off and throwing it over my shoulder.

“Declan, you’re a dream,” I breathe, and he flashes me a saucy grin.

“Not even close. You’re the dream, my love, simply gorgeous. Ya got me choking up,” he says before kissing my forehead softly. Pulling back, he looks deep into my eyes, and I can see the tears gathering in his own eyes. It hits me straight in the gut, and I honestly don’t know how I am not crying right now.

Probably because I am unbelievably happy.

“Plus, I want to walk with ya into our forever. It’s more for me than you,” he says with a wink as I take his arm, looking up into his beautiful face. As the music starts with something soft and sweet, we head down the long aisle with all eyes on us, but we aren’t looking anywhere but into each other’s eyes.

When a grin pulls at his lips, I squeeze his arm. “What?”

Shaking his head, he says, “Ya came on a horse?”

I smile back. “I did.”

He laughs. “Of course ya would, yer my princess.”

“I am,” I agree, leaning into him. “Because didn’t you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“I’m becoming the Whiskey Princess today.”

“No, the queen, my love, and don’t ya forget it,” he says with a wink.

And as we hold each other’s gaze, love pouring out of us in waves, I don’t even know how I could forget that I’m going to be tethered to him for the rest of my life. Because the Whiskey Prince is no longer just a person, no, he is the one and only love of my life.

And what a love I picked.