Chapter 10

Shea~

I stood with my parents as they pretended this was all normal, smiling and chatting it up with Sean and Riona Murphy, and all I wanted to do was throw up. The rings on my finger felt like an albatross around my neck, and if Noah foregoing the customary ceremony kiss that's supposed to seal the deal wasn't a sign of what kind of marriage that this was going to be, then I didn't know what was.

"Oh, honey, won't you do me a grand favor and bring Noah to me?" Mrs. Murphy cooed, and while it was on the tip of my tongue to say no, it was easy to see how hard she was trying. She was doing her best, and it wasn't her fault that my parents had gotten themselves in trouble.

"Of course," I replied softly before turning to go hunt her son down.

After everyone had said their goodbyes to the priest, Noah had stayed inside the gazebo as the rest of us had gathered around the decking where all the rest of the festivities had been set up. Not for nothing, Mrs. Murphy or whoever had done their best to decorate the backyard for the occasion, and they'd done a good job. When I had first arrived with my parents, I'd been too anxious to really take in the property, but after a while, it'd been easy to see what a lovely home it was. For some reason, I had pictured Noah's parents living in a huge Mob-type mansion, but they didn't. They lived in a nice two-story modern-day home with a huge backyard and a security system that was obvious and expensive.

As I made my way through the living room, I saw Declan O'Brien coming my way, so I asked, "Have you seen Noah? His mother is looking for him?"

"He's on the deck," he answered evenly, no expression on his face.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, lass," he replied before passing me to go do whatever it was that mobsters did.

When I walked through the mudroom to reach the east end of the deck, Declan must not have shut the door all the way, because I could hear Noah's voice loud and clear as he spoke to the other men that had attended the wedding.

"If neither of you suit her, then I'll look for someone else," he said. "It's not that complicated."

"There's no one better than us," one guy said. "If she doesn't pick, I say you pick for her."

"Speaking of picking," a second guy said. "I'm surprised that she's not blonde. Everyone knows that you prefer blondes with big tits, so I'm surprised that you chose her to marry."

"I didn't choose her," Noah said. "Declan did."

"Well, that explains it," a third guy said. "I couldn't imagine you tying yourself to a brunette for life."

"That just leaves more blondes for the rest of us," the second guy joked.

"You would think," Noah murmured, making my stomach tighten.

"Yeah, it's not like marriage makes it impossible for your dick to get hard for other women," the first guy quipped. "It's just a piece of paper and a piece of jewelry that slides off your finger just as easily as it slides back on."

"Blonde or not, she's my wife now, so I'll expect you guys to act accordingly when she's around," Noah ordered, and I couldn't help but feel sick with regret.

My hands shook with how I remembered his comment about there not being much to me, and if he was used to blondes with large breasts, then it made sense why Declan would pick me for him. Being the complete opposite of what Noah preferred in a female, there'd never be any danger of him ever falling in love with me, possibly distracting him from the dedication that he reserved for his family and the O'Brien crime organization. I was to be a functional wife only, no danger of anything deeper ever developing between us.

"Oh, I have no problem providing you with an alibi when you're getting your dick sucked at the strip bars," the second guy laughed. "If anyone knows how to act accordingly around wives, it's me."

Suddenly, a muffled cough had everyone shutting up, and when the three other men finally noticed me standing inside the doorway, they quickly looked away, except for Noah. Not caring that I'd heard every word, he stared at me, daring me to say something.

However, after a few tense seconds, he finally asked, "What do you want, Shea?"

Praying that my voice wouldn't betray me, I said, "Your mother asked me to come get you. She'd like to speak to you."

He gave me a small nod in acknowledgement. "I'll be there shortly."

I shut the door all the way before turning around, then began searching for the only person that could give me the answers that I needed.

‘Everyone knows that you prefer blondes with big tits.'

As soon as I spotted Declan O'Brien speaking with Sean Murphy, I walked up to them, saying, "Sorry for interrupting, but may I please speak with you, Mr. O'Brien?"

Declan's blue gaze narrowed a bit. "You may call me Declan, lass."

"I'd rather not," I replied honestly.

After a brief second, he said, "Fair enough."

"Is everything okay, lass?" Mr. Murphy asked, and I hated how kind he seemed.

I nodded. "I just need to speak with Mr. O'Brien about something."

"Of course," he replied. "I'll just leave you to it."

As soon as we had some privacy, Declan asked, "What can I help you with, lass?"

"Why did you pick me?" I asked. "Why didn't you choose someone that would better fit Mr. Murphy's particular…preferences?"

For a second, it looked like he wasn't going to answer me, but then he said, "While the debt with your parents has been wiped clean, they're contracted to pay me twenty-percent of their monthly profits off the top, and if they should ever need financial assistance again, for every thousand that's loan, they are contracted to transfer me one percent of the business."

"Until you own it all," I finished, my chest feeling tight, my world crashing down around me for a second time in one week. Even though Noah had suggested that it'd been a business decision, I'd been under the impression that my sacrifice would put my parents in the clear, but they weren't.

They'd never be.

I quickly ran the numbers through my head, and the twenty percent that automatically went to Declan each month wasn't going to leave my parents any wiggle room. When you factored in taxes, building maintenance, insurance, defaulted loans, and their own personal expenses, they were barely going to be able to hold their heads above water, and all it was going to take was one hiccup to make it all come crashing back down.

"Until I own it all," Declan echoed, denying nothing.

I placed my hand on my chest, willing my lungs to work again. I had just married the enemy, tying myself to a family that wanted to destroy everything that my parents had built. Sure, they were partly responsible, but I'd honestly believed that marriage to Noah was going to fix everything, but that wasn't the case. Like a poisonous fish camouflaged by the ocean's floor, the O'Briens were just waiting until their prey got close enough to feast on.

"Shea-"

"Thank you for being honest about what this is," I rushed out, wanting to get away from him as soon as possible. "I…I understand."

"I don't think that you do, lass," he replied, his voice firm.

Ignoring that, I said, "I…I know that I answer to Mr. Murphy now, but…but I'd like permission to go have dinner with my parents, just us."

Declan arched a brow, and just like that, he'd gone from being Noah's cousin to The O'Brien. "Need some time to form a getaway plan, lass?"

I shook my head almost violently. "No," I answered honestly. "I just really need to remember why I agreed to this, and dinner with my parents will help with that. For one night, I just want to pretend that we're still a normal family with normal lives."

After a few intense seconds, he finally said, "If Noah doesn't have a problem with it, then neither do I."

My shoulders sagged with his answer. "Yes, of course."

When Declan left to go speak with Noah, I stayed where I was. While I wanted to scream, I didn't. While I wanted to take my parents and run, I knew that I couldn't. Declan O'Brien would kill all three of us, and it made no sense to save my parents, then turn around and put their heads back on the chopping block. Plus, I wasn't even sure if they'd run with me. After all, if they'd been willing to, then we wouldn't be here to begin with.

I wasn't sure how long I'd been standing lost in my own thoughts, but when I felt a hand on my arm, I jumped, turning to see my dad's face. "We heard that you wanted to take us to dinner."

I almost started crying.

Instead, I said, "You heard right. I think…I think dinner with just us would be nice."

His entire face softened as he said, "Yes, it would, honey."