by Marie Force
“I won’t say a word. I promise.”
“You can tell Dad as long as you swear him to secrecy.”
“I’ll make sure no one hears it from us.”
“I’m so happy, Mom. I don’t know what to do with it all. I’m like a hormonal bundle of joy these days.”
“No one deserves that more than you do, Hannah. No one.”
“Do you . . . Do you think Caleb knows?”
“I’m sure he does. He’s watching over you.”
“I think of him every day, no matter what I’m doing.”
“You always will, and that’s okay. It doesn’t take anything away from what you have now with Nolan.”
“Nolan is just . . .” She sighed deeply. “He’s the best, even when he’s furious with me because I’m worried about Fred.”
“Fred has been spotted, so go on home to your handsome husband, sweetheart.”
“I wonder if Nolan is home yet. He said he wasn’t staying up on the mountain because he didn’t want me home alone.”
“I’m sure he’s there waiting for you.” Molly hugged her again and got out of the car, waving as Hannah backed out of the driveway. It was thrilling to see her oldest daughter so happy once again after so many years of grief and despair following the death of her first husband.
Molly went inside where she was greeted by their yellow labs, George and Ringo. She let them out in the yard and went to put a kettle on the stove, hoping a cup of tea would soothe the anger that simmered inside her after what she’d overheard her sister say to Charley.
It had taken tremendous self-control not to get into it right then and there with Hannah, but she’d chosen the high road and kept her mouth shut so as not to ruin the evening for Megan and the others. She banged around the kitchen, taking her frustration out on the cabinets and countertop.
How dare she say such things to Charley, right when Charley was on the verge of possibly taking a real chance with a man for the first time in her life—as far as Molly knew, anyway. Charley had always been private about her romantic life, and though she dated a lot, she hadn’t had a true boyfriend. Until now. Until Tyler came along and inserted himself into Charley’s life, refusing to take no for an answer from her stubborn, willful, wonderful daughter.
“Ugh,” she said out loud as the dogs came bounding into the kitchen ahead of her husband.
“What’s that about?” Linc asked as he put his arms around her from behind to nuzzle her neck. He smelled of wood smoke and beer.
“I’m furious.”
“Uh-oh. What did I do this time?”
“Not you. Hannah.”
“Our Hannah?” he said, astounded.
“No, my Hannah. I heard her talking to Charley tonight, spewing her bitter shit about men to my daughter when she’s on the verge of finally taking a chance on a man, or so it seems. I wanted to drag Hannah out of there by her hair and punch her lights out.”
Linc rocked with silent laughter.
“Stop! It’s not funny. I’m so pissed.”
“You know how I love it when you get feisty over something.”
“This is way more than feisty. This is flat-out furious. I’m stunned that she would have the nerve to say such things to Charley. I’ve watched Charley with Tyler. This is different. She feels something for him, even if she doesn’t want to admit it. And now Hannah has filled her head with doubts.”
Linc turned her around to face him. “Tomorrow you’ll talk to Charley and you’ll tell her she shouldn’t listen to Hannah on this subject. She’s still bitter about what Mike did all these years later, and with good reason. You’ll tell our lovely daughter that the only one she needs to listen to is herself and her own heart. You’ll take care of it.”
“Yes, I will.” Molly released a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
“You feel better?”
“I’ll only feel better after I talk to Charley.”
“You should call her tonight then. Right now.”
“You really think I should?”
“From what I’ve observed, this relationship with Tyler is tenuous at best. It might be better not to let her sleep on a pile of bitterness tonight.”
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” Molly kissed his cheek, stepped out of his embrace and went to the phone, finding Tyler’s business card and key on the desk where she’d put them after he gave them to her. She dialed the number, hoping Charley was still up.
“Hi there,” Charley said. “Did you forget something?”
Relieved by the sound of her daughter’s voice, Molly said, “I forgot something really important.”
“What’s that?”
“I heard what your aunt said to you in the kitchen, and I’m so furious about it your father told me I needed to call you tonight before you could sleep on the pile of shit she fed you.”
“Mom!”
“What?”
“You don’t swear.”
“I’m spitting mad right now, Charlotte, and I want you to hear me when I say you should not listen to a word she says about men or relationships or marriage or commitment or fidelity or loyalty. She has very good reasons for feeling the way she does, but it’s wrong of her to inflict that crap on you. Especially not right now.”
“Why not now?” Charley asked softly.
“Because! I can see how torn you are about what’s happening with Tyler, and you don’t need a woman whose husband left her alone to finish raising eight children to tell you all the ways that men suck when you have clearly found a good one in Tyler. He’s no Mike Coleman, and I say that without a hint of reservation.” Pausing to breathe, Molly said in a calmer tone, “I don’t presume to know what’s happening between the two of you, but don’t you dare make decisions about him based on what your aunt said to you tonight. That would be the biggest mistake you could make.”
“I already came to that conclusion on my own. I was so shocked to hear her talk about Uncle Mike in the first place that I just sort of nodded in all the right places at what she said. But I know she’s not the best person to take advice from in this situation.”
“Good,” Molly said, filled with relief. “I’m so glad to hear you say that.”
“She loves me, and she doesn’t want me or any of us to get hurt. I get that.”
“She does love you, and her heart is in the right place, but the only heart you need to follow is your own.” Molly glanced at Linc, who was leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his broad chest as he listened to her side of the conversation. “If you’re looking for an example of a relationship that works, look at your father and me. Not at her and Mike.”
“We all look to you two as an example of what works, Mom. You’ve set the bar very high.”
“Don’t worry about our bar. Set your own bar. And though it’s absolutely none of my business, I want to say how much I like Tyler and the way he takes care of you. Not to mention, his pulled pork is to die for.”
Charley laughed. “Yes, it is. Thanks for calling, Mom.”
“Thanks for listening. I was about to explode after I heard what she said to you.”
“No need for exploding. It’s all good. Love you.”
“Love you, too, sweetheart. Sleep tight.”
“You, too.”
Molly put down the phone and turned to her husband, who watched her with a smile on his handsome face. He pushed himself off the counter and crossed the room to her, eating her up with his eyes. She loved when he looked at her like that, as if she were all he needed in the world.
“What?”
“You. I love the way you still mother our kids.”
“They still need mothering.”
“They still need you. And so do I.”
Molly put her arms around him and rested her head on his chest.
“I liked what you said about looking to us as an example of what works.”
She held him a little tighter, as grateful today as she’d been nearly forty years ago when he chose her over an Oxford scholarship. “What works better than we do?”
“Not one goddamned thing that I can think of.”
“I didn’t ask how Hunter’s party was.”
“Lots of fun, but I was glad to leave the young fools to their cold-weather camping. Those days are over for me.”
“I’m glad you came home. How’d you get here?”
“Tyler brought me, Hunter, Nolan and Will.”
“I guess you’re not the only one who’s put those days behind him.”
“My boys are smart men. Why would they want to sleep in the cold when they’ve got a warm woman at home in their bed?”
“Good for them. It’s nice to see them domesticated.”
“They’re thoroughly domesticated. All Hunter could talk about tonight was how Saturday can’t get here soon enough for him. He can’t wait to marry Megan.”
“I’m so happy for him. For all of them.”
“Me, too.”
“You and my dad do good work,” she said of Linc and Elmer’s matchmaking efforts.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t. I have news . . .”
“Are you going to tell me?”
“Only if you swear on a stack of Bibles not to tell another living soul or to let on to anyone that you have a scoop of any kind.”
Groaning, he said, “That’s a very tall order.”
“I know it’ll be hard for you, but you have to sit on this one.”
Linc took a deep breath and expelled it. “Okay, I promise. Lay it on me.”
“Swear to God, hope to die, stick a needle in your eye?”
“Yes!” He laughed. “Yes, to all of it, except for the needle in my eye.”
“You’ll have my fist in your chops if I hear you telling anyone. You’re a terrible gossip.”
“I’ve been well and duly warned. Now spill it.”
“Hannah’s having a girl.”
“Oh,” he said on another long exhale. “Oh wow. That’s . . . A girl. Well, that’s big news indeed, and I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
She reached up to kiss him. “Thank you. I’m so excited about all these babies.”
“All? There’re two that I know of.”
“Cameron and Will, too.”
“Really?”
“I’m not one hundred percent sure, but my radar is picking up some signals.”
“I’d trust those signals with my life. If anyone knows pregnant, my love, it’s you.”
“And whose fault is that?”
Laughing, he flipped off the lights in the kitchen and directed her to the stairs with his hands on her hips. George and Ringo followed behind.
After the last of their kids left home, they’d taken down a couple of walls and made a huge master suite for themselves, complete with a fireplace, sitting area and adjoining bathroom that had a bathtub big enough for two. They referred to the room as their reward for surviving the teenage years ten times. The dogs crashed in their beds by the window where they could keep a watchful eye on their best friend Lincoln.
Molly went into the bathroom to get ready for bed, and when she came out, she saw that Linc had lit the fireplace and turned down the bed. She loved that fireplace and the cozy glow it cast over the room. Snuggling up to her husband, she knew a moment of pure gratitude for the life she’d had with him, especially when she thought of what her sister’s husband had done.
She and Linc had had their ups and downs, their struggles, their sorrows, especially after losing their beloved son-in-law in Iraq. But through it all, they’d remained steadfast in their commitment to each other, their marriage and their big family.
There was nowhere else Molly would rather be at the end of a long day than wrapped up in his arms.
“Big weekend coming up around here,” Linc said.
“Wait till you see the rehearsal dinner spot they chose.” Molly had gone with Hunter and Megan to make the arrangements and had thrilled in their excitement. “It’s unique. Not what you’d expect for him at all.”
“I’m sure it’ll all be great. He’s smiled more in the last few months than he has in his whole life. She’s perfect for him.”
“And vice versa. I had my doubts where she was concerned, but she’s overcome them all.”
“Your dad is crazy about her.”
“Apparently, the feeling is mutual. Did you hear she asked him to give her away in addition to presiding over the ceremony?”
“No! Oh wow. He must be delighted.”
“He is. She’s a special girl.”
“Indeed she is.”
“Hunter is getting married,” Molly said with a sigh. “Our little boy is all grown up.”
Linc chuckled. “So I’ve heard.”
“They’re dropping like flies all of a sudden.”
“It happens.”
“Especially with you and Dad running interference.” She ran her hand over his chest and the belly that was still flat when other men his age had gone soft. Not her man. “We should have another one.”
He stopped breathing.
Molly laughed at his reaction. “Just kidding.”
“Jesus, woman! Don’t scare me like that. Whenever you said those words to me in the past, I was holding a new baby a few months later.”
Molly couldn’t stop laughing.
He turned over so he was on top of her, pinning her down with the weight of his body and his playful scowl. “Only grandbabies for you, Mrs. Abbott.”
“Awww, you’re no fun at all. Remember all the hard work that went into making babies?”
“I remember.”
“Nothing says we can’t still do the work . . .”
“I do love the way you think, Molly Stillman Abbott.”
Smiling up at him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down to her, wanting him as much today as she had the sweltering hot summer day she met him. And she was still hot for him all these years later.
CHAPTER 20
Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.
—Denis Waitley
Charley was wiping down the counters and putting away the last of the dishes when Tyler came in through the garage, the door banging behind him and startling her. She was still getting used to the noises of this house.
He came into the kitchen and stopped in the doorway when he saw her holding a dishrag. “What’re you doing? I would’ve done that.”
“No need. It’s all set. Thank you for letting us borrow your home, and your pulled pork was a huge hit. My cousin Izzy wants to marry you.”
Crossing the big room to where she stood by the sink, he kissed her cheek and tossed his keys and cell phone on the counter, bringing the scent of wood smoke with him. “Tell her I’m not available.”
“You will be soon enough,” she said in a teasing tone.
His deep sigh spoke volumes for him, and Charley wished she could take back the comment.
He cupped her ass and drew her in closer to him. “I’m not available right now. I have a girlfriend until the end of the year, and she’s the jealous type.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings by saying that.”
“You didn’t. Good to know your cousin is interested. I’m expecting a lonely January.”
An emotion she didn’t recognize started in her gut and flooded her chest at the thought of him with the gorgeous, vivacious Izzy or any other woman for that matter. What the hell? Was she jealous? No, she couldn’t be. Charley Abbott didn’t do jealousy. What right d
id she have to feel that way? It wasn’t like he belonged to her or anything like that.
“What’re you freaking out about?” he asked, his voice a low murmur next to her ear.
“I’m not freaking out about anything.”
“Tell me.”
She pushed at his chest, needing some space and distance from the overwhelming things he made her feel.
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop it. I’m not going near your cousin, or anyone else for that matter. You know you have nothing to worry about, and if you don’t know that by now, I’m not sure what I can do to convince you.”
Aware of his arousal pressing against her belly, Charley relaxed slightly into his embrace. So what if the thought of him with other women made her jealous? She was sleeping with the guy, after all, so she had the right to feel a little possessive. That didn’t mean she wanted to marry him or anything.
“I would give every dime I have to know what goes on inside that head of yours,” he said in the low, intimate tone that made her bones turn to jelly.
“It’s probably better if you don’t know.”
His low chuckle was as sexy as the gruff words. “I’d probably be crazier than I already am over you if I knew what you were thinking.”
“Probably.”
“Let’s go to bed, the one place where nothing between us is complicated.”
Since she could hardly argue that point, she nodded. And when he picked her up to carry her to bed, Charley snuggled up against him, determined to enjoy every minute with him before their time together ran out.
—
On Friday night, the Abbott family gathered with Megan’s family and other friends for the rehearsal dinner at the Pig’s Belly Tavern. Charley hadn’t known what to expect when she heard the name of the place where the dinner would be held, but Hunter and Megan had assured them that they would love the food and the atmosphere.
In addition to immediate family, Cameron’s dad, Patrick Murphy, had been invited as had Lucy’s dad, Ray Mulvaney, as well as Emma and Simone, who were all now unofficial members of the Abbott family. A few of Hunter’s college friends were there as well as the Sultans, the group of Caleb Guthrie’s closest friends, which included Hunter, Will and Nolan.
