Page 23 of On The Rocks

Liam sat forward, elbows to knees, with his hands dangling between them. His eyes bored into mine, and he bit out one word, “Honor.”

My forehead creased.

“You know, four men have approached my da for Maeve’s hand,” he informed me.

My lungs twisted.

“He didn’t want them for her. Each one begged Da for Maeve, but he turned every one of them down.”

Despite the stab of unease in my chest, I asked, “Why?”

Liam grinned. “Because Da promised her father he’d look after her. You can say a lot about Patrick Doyle, but he keeps his promises. Pop’s well aware that every one of those men wanted to marry Maeve for the wrong reasons, and once they got her, they’d let her swing. This life is tough, and becoming the top guy’s son-in-law would give them instant respect. Every one of the men who asked for Maeve did it as a career move, a way to get into the inner circle.”

“I agreed to marry her as a career move, too,” I pointed out.

“You never approached Da,” Liam objected. “We approached you.”

I cocked my head. “We?”

He gave me a tight-lipped smile. “You were picked for Maeve the day she turned sixteen. Your da and mine arranged it then. The loan and the bar gave Da the opportunity to put the arrangement in place, but mark my words, it would’ve happened regardless.” Liam leaned forward, his eyes on the blonde dancer, and continued, “You call this a marriage of convenience, but really, it’s an arranged marriage. Your da sold you off to mine years ago, and they agreed then you’d be Maeve’s husband one day.”

I blinked.

My da used to always talk to me about Maeve. Whenever we visited New York, he’d try to push us together somehow, but I wouldn’t hear of it. He never hid the fact that he would’ve liked her for me.

I’d always resisted because I knew Maeve wasn’t like the girls I usually ran with. She was smart to the point of almost being intimidating, and no man wanted to feel like the dumbest asshole in the room, especially an asshole with an ego as inflated as mine. Plus, I liked my freedom and getting to know Maeve would herald the end of it, especially as my mam would’ve gotten involved and railroaded me the same way she did in my office when she walked in on me and Donovan arguing.

Jesus, my brother was right; I’d been manipulated by my own father, a man I’d loved and trusted, a man who should’ve had my back and not forced his agenda on me, especially when it came to picking a wife.

Now, I had to marry a woman I didn’t love or want, a woman who I wasn’t even attracted to, all because my father deemed it so. He’d taken the things that meant the most to me and twisted them into something ugly.

My respect for him.

And my bar.

A sick feeling washed through me, and my jaw clenched.

Fuck that.

“What’s the dancer’s name?” I demanded, lip curling.

Liam’s neck twisted. “Huh?”

I nodded toward the blonde. “What’s her name?”

His eyes narrowed at the same time as he growled, “Jade.”

My mouth hitched. “Maybe I do need a woman to help me say adios to my days as a single man, and it seems it’s Jade’s lucky night. Why don’t you make yourself useful and go set that up for me.”

Liam’s face paled. “You bastard.”

I cocked my head to one side. “That’s no way to speak to your future brother-in-law. Tomorrow, I’m gonna marry Maeve, but if you think I’ll roll over and let your dad have everything his own way, you don’t know me very well. I may not have a choice in this, but there are some things I can still control, including who I fuck.”

“It’s not Maeve’s fault,” he protested.

“Not mine either,” I threw back. “I’ll speak to my fiancée and tell her the score. We’ve both been forced into this shitshow, but we can still lead the lives we want when the wedding’s done and dusted.”

Liam shook his head disbelievingly. “I thought better of you.”

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