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“Well, Cormac is here,” he said. “I hope it’s not going to be a problem.”
I heard him before I saw him. “Evie Young,” he called out over the crowd.
“Fuck.”
“Watch it, Eve,” Patrick said. “He’s your fiancé now.”
“No thanks to you.”
“Evie Young. Where are you, babe?”
He was drunk and slurring his words as he made his way to the bar. “Evie, come here, babe.”
“Go see what he wants,” Patrick said. “I’ll take over here.”
I felt Keir’s eyes on me as I walked from around the bar to where Cormac stood. “There you are,” he said, swaying on his feet.
“What’s going on?” I asked. His blond hair was messily tousled across his forehead, and his pale blue eyes were watery and glazed over. He was more than drunk. He appeared to be on drugs.
“I want to make it official.”
“Not here.”
He slumped down on one knee. “Yes, here. In front of our friends and your family.”
“Cormac, please,” I begged. “You’re causing a scene.”
People were beginning to stare, and the band had stopped playing.
“Evie Young,” he said, pulling a small box from his pocket. “Will you be my wife?”
Time stopped, and I felt the blood drain from my face. The man in front of me was cruel. He had my brother beaten when I refused him the first time. His family was involved in illegal activities. If I said yes, I would be committing myself to a life of misery and fear, but if I said no, he would continue to hurt the ones I loved.
I looked back at Patrick, and he gave me a nod. He used to be my protector.
Now he was no better than the man in front of me.
My hand shook as I brushed it over the box, and tears formed behind my eyes. I had five million dollars in the bank, but it would do me no good. There was only one way out of this situation. “Yes,” I finally said. The bar erupted in applause, and cheers of congratulations were shouted out.
Cormac opened the lid of the box and took out a garish diamond ring. “Take that piece of shit off,” he barked at me, pointing to my Claddagh ring. “You won’t be wearing it any longer.”
Keir had put it on my ring finger the morning after we were married, changing the direction of the heart to reflect our union. It made it worse that he was here witnessing this debacle. I pulled the ring off my finger and put it in my pocket.
Cormac grabbed my hand and slid his ring on. “That makes you mine. Don’t forget it.”
He slapped my bottom and said, “Now go get me a drink.”
A low growl emanated throughout the room. I glanced back at Keir. His eyes glowed red, reminding me of a demon. I blinked several times, but it must have been the light playing a trick because when I looked again, they were as black as a storm. His mouth was drawn into a tight thin line, and every muscle in his body was clenched.
I returned to behind the bar and poured Cormac a beer setting it on the counter. It was going on ten, and my nerves were frayed. “If you and Paul can handle it, I think I want to go home,” I told Patrick.
He nodded. “I’ll get you an Uber.”
“I’ll get it. You’ve done enough for me,” I said sarcastically.
“Eve, it will all work out. I promise.”
“Either way, I’ll get my own Uber.”
