Page 16 of Mine
I had a choice to make. Sign up to a lifetime of misery, a life that would never be my own, or take matters into my own hands.
I chose the latter. And given the way she ran out on Kavanagh, so did she.
‘Very appropriate.’ I guide her out of the library, past my office. I don’t show her inside. Frankly, the weapons hanging on my wall would probably terrify her, and she’s just starting to relax a little. I point out the door beside it though. ‘That’s a panic room. Not that you’ll ever need it.’
Her forehead creases with little lines of worry. ‘Why do you have it then?’
‘Just in case.’ I motion for her to move on, but she stares at it for another few seconds. ‘I told you I’ll protect you and I will.’
Her eyes meet mine then. Finally she nods.
We pass through the hall and up the wide sweeping staircase to my bedroom—our bedroom. I hover outside the door, placing a hand on the handle. ‘This is our room.’
It’s not ideal, but there’s no other choice. It’s going to be hard enough to convince my family our relationship is real when they finally find out who she was betrothed to. I can’t have the staff, especially Sheila, my housekeeper, in any doubt that Aoife and I are the real deal. It’s literally a case of life and death, given Frankie’s outdated rule.
When Ciaran said, ‘It’s your funeral,’ he wasn’t referring to Kavanagh coming after me. He was referring to our uncle.
Her eyes narrow. ‘Why can’t I take a guest room?’
‘I told you, my family have to truly believe you’re one of us. That our marriage is real. And that means looking like a couple. Acting like a couple. Behaving like a couple. If my Uncle Frankie finds out what I’ve done, there will be war. And I can’t fight him and Kavanagh and his crew at the same time.’
‘Is Frankie going to check the bedsheets too?’ she blurts,horror hanging on her every word. ‘How will he, or anyone else, know if we don’t sleep in the same bed?’
‘They’ll know, trust me. Sheila might be my housekeeper, but she’s Mama K’s best friend.’
She frowns. ‘Why do you all call her Mama K? I assume sheisyour mother?’
‘Technically, she’s my aunt, but everyone calls her Mama K. She raised us all after my mam passed.’ My molars slam together. Pass is too gentle a world to describe what the previous syndicate did to my mother, but I’ll spare my new fiancée the gory details.
Empathy touches her eyes for a split second before they dart back to the bedroom door. I push it open and motion for her to go in. Floor to ceiling windows overlook the grounds and the Wicklow Mountains in the distance. Double doors open onto a large terrace punctuated with outdoor seats and a gas firepit.
Aoife gasps as she drinks in the plush four-poster bed, the ice white sheets covered with a mountain of pillows. Her eyes linger on the large leather couch pushed against the far wall.
‘I’ll take it, don’t worry.’
‘No, I will.’ Her throat works as she swallows. ‘You can’t give up your bed for me.’
‘You’ve just given up a year of your life for me.’ I snort. ‘I think it’s only fair.’
She looks down at her dress like she’s only just realising she doesn’t have anything but the clothes on her back.
‘Help yourself to a shower or a bath. Whatever you want. There’s a robe on the back of the bathroom door.’ I point to one of the two wide set doors beside each other. ‘That’s the ensuite. The walk-in wardrobe is beside it. You can put your stuff in there.’
‘I don’t have any stuff,’ she waves a hand in front of herself.
‘Sheila’s gone to pick up some clothes for you.’ I back away from her, towards the doorway, and rest a hand on the thick wooden frame.
‘Do you have many staff?’ She tugs her dress higher in a feeble attempt to cover her generous cleavage. I tear my eyes away, but not before the image sears itself to my brain.
‘Lots, between the businesses, but in the house there’s Sheila, several cleaners, and a cook. There’s also a groundskeeper, and six security staff stationed around the edge of the property.’
‘What if one of them lets it slip that I’m here? Tells Rory?’ Her throat works as she swallows. ‘That’s a lot of prying eyes.’
‘It is, but they’re loyal to my family.’ I fold my arms across my chest.
She walks towards the window, pressing her fingertips to the glass. She needs some space to process. And so do I. Getting engaged wasn’t on today’s agenda, but I’m not one to kick a gift horse when it bursts into my bar.
‘Dinner will be ready at six.’ I tap my hand off the doorframe. ‘See you in the dining room.’ It’s not a request. ‘If we’re going to put on a convincing show, we’re going to have to get comfortable in each other’s company.’
