by Marie Force
“I don’t know yet.”
“Has he said he wants to see you again?”
“You could say that,” Erin said, laughing. “The first day he was home on Gansett, he asked me to come back to Florida with him for the rest of the winter.”
“Are you going?”
“I don’t know yet. I’d love to spend more time with him, but I made a commitment to the town and the lighthouse. I’m building a new life on Gansett, and I love it there.”
“I’m so glad you’ve found a place you love, Erin, but Gansett will still be there if you take some time away.”
“I know. I’m thinking about it.”
“Do you love him?”
Leave it to Mom to ask the hard questions. “I think I might, but it’s been so long since I’ve loved a guy that I don’t remember how to do it.”
“Sure, you do. I’ve spent the last week with you two. If you’re not in love with him—and vice versa—then I know nothing about love. I’ve never seen any man look at you the way he does, as if you personally hung the moon.”
“He’s very special.”
“I hope you’ll give him an honest, genuine chance to make you happy. I haven’t seen you smile or laugh as much as you do with him in a very long time. Last night, Dad said you light up around him. I completely agree, and I’ve thought so since I first saw you with him last fall. I told Dad then that this guy was going to be something special to you.”
From the first night she met him, she’d had the same feeling.
“You know what the most beautiful thing is about being an adult?” Mary Beth asked.
“What’s that?”
“You can do anything you want—or not do anything you want. It’s entirely up to you.”
“That’s sort of the problem. I’m paralyzed with indecision. It would be different, I think, if he lived where I do and we could date like normal people, but for most of the year, he’s elsewhere. Being with him would require me to change my whole life, and I’m not sure I’m prepared to do that again. I’ve already done it too many times.”
Mary Beth leaned back against the wall. “That’s true, you have, and I can see why the thought of doing it again doesn’t appeal, especially when you’ve found a place that makes you so happy and have started to put down roots. But think of it this way—you’ve never had a better reason to turn your life upside down.”
Her mother made a good point.
They were interrupted by the hospital employee who was working with Mary Beth to get Tom a spot in a rehabilitation facility close to their home.
Erin listened to what they were saying and participated in the conversation, but she kept thinking about what her mother had said. She was thinking about it when Slim texted to let her know he was safely back on Gansett and already missing her. She thought about it during the afternoon she spent with her dad while her mom went home to shower and change. She thought about it on the ride back to her parents’ home later and when she took her own shower.
She was still thinking about it when she got into bed in the final minutes of the year, desperately wishing she was at the wedding with Slim and could kiss him at midnight.
And when her phone rang exactly at midnight, a smile stretched across her face because she knew it had to be him.
* * *
Slim had left the revelry of Adam’s wedding to find a quiet corner at midnight. It hadn’t even been twelve hours since he’d last seen her, and he was already dying for her. If he’d needed proof of how bad he had it for her, today had been an excellent wake-up call.
“Happy New Year,” she said when she answered.
The sound of her voice quieted the agitation he’d been carrying around since he left her. “Happy New Year, beautiful.”
“How was the wedding?”
“Amazing. They’re so perfect for each other, which is kind of funny when you consider the fact that she dated his brother for ten years.”
“Abby dated one of Adam’s brothers? Which one?”
“Grant. They lived together in LA for the last five years they were together, but that’s been over for a long time.”
“I had no idea! I can’t imagine Grant with anyone but Stephanie or Abby with anyone but Adam.”
“I keep forgetting you’re new to these parts. I have to do a better job of keeping you up to speed on island gossip.”
“Yes, you do.”
“How’s your dad?”
“He had a good day. They’re talking about trying to get him up tomorrow. Lots of tests of his functionality, but they seem very optimistic he’ll make a full recovery. It just won’t happen overnight.”
“Optimistic is good news.”
“Yes, we’re very thankful.”
“I wish you were here.”
“I was just thinking that very same thing.”
“Were you now?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I also wish I didn’t have to go back to Florida tomorrow. This has been the nicest vacation I’ve had in years.”
“Me, too. Eleven days never went by so fast.”
“I know you’ve got a lot going on there with your dad, but the invite to Evan’s wedding and Florida after still stands.”
“Thank you. We’ll see how the next few weeks go.”
“You’re making me feel cautiously optimistic about more than just your dad’s recovery.”
The sound of her laughter made him happier than he’d been since he left her. “You’re always a charmer. I’ll give you that.”
“I don’t want to charm anyone but you, Erin. I hope you know that.”
“You’re doing a pretty good job so far.”
“Only pretty good? Now I know what my New Year’s resolution will be.”
“Just call me once in a while, and I’ll be happy.”
“That I can do.” That—and so much more. Eleven days with her had been nowhere near enough. He wanted every day with her, and was determined to make sure she knew that. “Did you do anything special for New Year’s Eve?”
“My mom and I went out to dinner and came home to watch the goings-on in New York City, which is a mob scene, as usual.”
“I heard people wear adult diapers because there’re no bathrooms in Times Square.”
“That is the grossest thing I’ve ever heard!”
“Really? I’ve heard grosser stuff than that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you want an example?”
“I want an example.”
“I’m going to think about that and get back to you.”
“Just remember, you have to do better than peeing yourself in frigid temperatures and then walking around with a stinking twenty-pound diaper in your pants in a crowd of a million or more people.”
“It’s a tall order. I’ll give you that, but I’m up to the task.”
“I’ll await your example.”
Smiling like a giddy fool from the entertaining conversation, he said, “I should probably get back to the wedding.”
“Yes, you should. Enjoy the time with your friends, and thanks for calling. You made my day—and my New Year.”
“That’s nice to hear. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Erin, I…” What he wanted to say couldn’t and shouldn’t be said for the first time over the phone. “I really miss you.”
“I miss you, too. Good night.”
“Night, sweetheart.”
With his face flushed from dancing and a smile stretching from one side of his face to the other, Adam McCarthy came into the lobby, stopping when he saw Slim sitting in one of the chairs. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, sure, just had to make a phone call.”
“Right at midnight?” Adam asked, brows raised. “Must’ve been Erin.”
“If you must know, yes, it was her.”
“How’s her dad doing?”
“Better every day.”
“That’s a relief.”
“S
ure is. She and her family have been through enough. They were due a break.”
“You like this one, huh?” Adam asked.
“Says the happy newlywed who wants everyone to be as happy as he is tonight?”
“Guilty,” Adam said with a laugh. “But you didn’t answer the question.”
“I like her.”
“This is big news.”
“Could I ask you something?”
Adam sat in the chair next to Slim’s. “Anything.”
“How’d you know Abby was the one for you?”
Adam thought about that for a minute before he began to speak. “We’d been hanging out for a while when I got called back to New York to deal with my business. I was stuck there seeing to the details for a couple of weeks, and the whole time, I was dying to get back to her. That was all I could think about when I wasn’t working. Her. Just her. I need her like I need oxygen, you know?”
Slim nodded because he was beginning to understand all too well. Leaving Erin had been excruciating.
“So is she it for you?” Adam asked.
“I’m starting to think she might be.”
“Oh damn! Never thought I’d see the day!”
“Do me a favor? Don’t tell anyone? We’re a long way from being ready to make declarations.”
“I gotcha. It’s cool, and I won’t say anything, except I’m happy for you.”
Slim shook his friend’s outstretched hand. “Thanks and likewise. What a great night this has been.”
“Indeed it has. I gotta hit the head and get back to my wife before she gets a better offer.”
“She’s never going to get a better offer, and she’s smart enough to know that.”
Adam smiled. “I got really lucky. I hope you do, too.” He took off toward the men’s room, leaving Slim alone to think about his next move.
Chapter 22
Owen had brought Laura home from Adam’s wedding at ten o’clock. She’d wanted to stick it out until midnight, but he could see that she was exhausted and had talked her into coming home to bed.
While she slept in his arms, their busy babies played a soccer game in her belly.
Owen smiled in the dark each time a little foot or elbow connected with his body and wondered how she could be sleeping through the party they were having. She’d been incredibly tired as the third trimester got under way, which was why they’d been arguing over the Christmas gift she’d given him—tickets to Anguilla for Evan and Grace’s wedding.
Laura had cleared the travel with Victoria and David, and insisted they had to be there when his best friend and her cousin got married.
Owen disagreed, preferring to stay home where they’d be close to her doctor and midwife in the event of any problem.
They were at a standoff, with Laura insisting they were going and he insisting they weren’t. The rare disagreement was working on his already frazzled nerves as he waited to see if his father would call again. It had been more than ten days since the last call, and Owen wondered if he’d missed the opportunity by ignoring the first two calls.
They’d spent a lot of time with his mom and Charlie over the holidays, and seeing how happy they were together made Owen determined to do what he could to win her freedom from her nightmare of a marriage.
But the bastard had yet to call again. Why didn’t he call? It wasn’t like Owen could call him in prison. No, he was forced to wait for Mark to make the next move, which only added to his anxiety.
Between the ongoing argument with Laura and the stress of waiting to see if his father would call, Owen knew there was no chance he’d sleep tonight. He disentangled from Laura, who’d reached for him in her sleep out of habit, and settled her on the pillow next to his. Sweeping her hair back from her face, he kissed her cheek and stared down at her for a long moment, wishing he could make her see his side of their debate.
After what’d happened to Maddie when she had Hailey and then Janey with PJ, he was terrified of something going wrong for Laura and the babies. The last place they ought to be eight weeks before her due date was in the Caribbean for a wedding, but she was determined to go, to have a last hurrah before the babies came and upended their peaceful existence.
Owen retrieved his cell phone from Laura’s bedside table, took his guitar and went downstairs to the sitting room off the lobby where he wouldn’t bother anyone by playing at two in the morning. Closing the door behind him, he lit a fire and settled into the armless chair that was his favorite place to practice.
Thank God for the music that had always been there for him, transporting him to another world where troubles didn’t exist. He’d taught himself to play at twelve on a flea market guitar with bad strings. That guitar had opened up a whole new world to him, one that he still ran to whenever life got to be too much for him.
He was lost in the music when Laura slid her arms around him from behind. Owen wasn’t surprised to realize he’d been there for ninety minutes by then.
“I woke up and you weren’t there,” she said. “I was worried.”
“Sorry. Couldn’t sleep and didn’t want to bother you.”
She kissed the back of his neck. “What’s keeping you awake?”
“Lots of stuff.”
“The trip?”
“For one thing.”
“Can I say something about that?”
“Something you haven’t already said?”
Smiling, she came around to sit on the footstool in front of him, which was when he noticed the baby monitor she held in her hand so they could hear Holden if he woke up. “We’ve had such a crazy year, O, between Holden’s birth, renovating the hotel, your dad’s trial, the wedding and the twins on the way. I want us to have a wonderful time away from it all before the babies come. Your mom and Charlie are thrilled to have Holden for a week, and we know he’ll be in very good hands with them. Please. I just want out of here for a week, and I really want to go to my cousin’s wedding—and I want you to be there, too. Evan is your best friend. He can’t get married without you. And,” she added, waggling her brows, “a whole week alone in Anguilla.”
“Alone with your whole family and all our friends.”
“With our own room to flee to any time we want.”
“I’m worried something will happen while we’re away.”
“If it does, we’ll deal with it. I’m not being frivolous with my safety or that of the babies, Owen. I have clearance from my doctor and midwife. We are still within the range where it’s safe to travel. I really, really want to go, but not if it’s going to keep you awake at night with anxiety.”
He put down the guitar and reached for her, bringing her onto his lap. “That’s not the only thing keeping me awake.”
“Your father and that freaking phone call, too.”
“Yeah.”
“I hate him for doing this to you.”
“I hate him for a lot of reasons, and then I feel guilty for hating my own father.”
“He’s given you plenty of reasons to feel that way.”
“Still…”
“I know.”
“So a whole week alone in the Caribbean, huh?” Owen asked, desperate to talk about anything other than his father.
“That’s what I’m offering.”
“It would take a stronger man than I am to turn down an offer like that from you.”
“Yes?” she asked, her face alight with giddy excitement that made him smile. If she was happy, he was, too.
“We can go, but you’d better not let anything happen to you or our babies.”
“I won’t. I promise.” She kissed his lips and then his neck again. “Come upstairs. I’ve got another offer you won’t be able to refuse.”
Owen laughed as his body reacted to her blatant come-on. “I don’t know what I ever did without you, Laura Lawry. I was in a funk when I came down here, and then you showed up and made everything better.”
“I seem to recall you doing the same for me once upon a time.” She
got up and held out her hand to him.
Owen took her hand and brought his guitar with him when he followed her upstairs to their apartment. They looked in on Holden, who was sleeping with his arms thrown over his head and his covers kicked off as usual. Laura covered him while Owen stashed his guitar on the stand in the corner of the living room.
They met in the bedroom, where Laura treated him to the pleasure of watching her remove her nightgown, revealing a rounded belly and breasts made large by pregnancy. He thought she was, quite simply, the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
“Don’t look too close,” she said, suddenly shy after revealing herself to him.
Owen pulled off his T-shirt and went to her, running his hands over her abundant curves. “Don’t ever tell me not to look at what’s mine. And there will never be a time when I don’t think you’re perfect.”
“You’re blinded by love.”
“Maybe so,” he said, resting his hand over the babies, “but I hope you know I mean it. I look at you, and I just see everything.”
“Me, too,” she whispered, drawing him down to her for a kiss.
Owen wrapped his arms around her and fell into the kiss, drowning in the sweet comfort he always found with her. He was so fully engaged with her that he almost missed the sound of his phone ringing in the pocket of his pajama pants. Withdrawing from the kiss, Owen kept one arm around her as he retrieved the phone. A quick glance showed a Virginia number on the screen.
“Give me the phone, Owen. I’ve got this.”
“Thank you, honey, but I’ll do it.” Her love had given him the strength to face anything, even his monster of a father.
He took the call and accepted the collect charges. Owen sat on the bed, and Laura put her nightgown back on and sat next to him. He held the phone so she could hear, too.
“Finally,” Mark Lawry said in a low growl that immediately put Owen on guard. Nothing good had ever followed that particular tone of voice.
“What do you want?” Owen asked.
“I wanted you to pick up the goddamned phone when I called you.”
“Why would you think I have anything at all to say to you?”
“Maybe it’s time you did some listening rather than talking. There are things you don’t know.”
