Starting Over (Treading Water Trilogy)

by Force, Marie

  He put down the paintbrush. “What’s gotten into you?” he asked, kissing her cheek.

  “You won’t believe it!” Her eyes sparkled with tears of joy.

  “Believe what?”

  “Aidan and Clare are back together, and they’re engaged!”

  “No way! What happened?”

  She tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and led him to the new porch swing. “This place looks wonderful, love.”

  “Forget about that. Tell me what happened.”

  “Well, Clare’s youngest daughter, Maggie, the thirteen-year-old, had a terrible accident yesterday. She fell backward off the ladder to the attic at her father’s house and broke both her arms and a rib. It’s so awful. She’s such a love. We had the best time with her at Aidan’s birthday in Boston.”

  “How did he hear about it?”

  “Clare’s oldest daughter, Jill, called him while they were waiting for Maggie to wake up. She has a severe concussion, too, so it was touch and go yesterday. Anyway, Jill thought Aidan would want to know, so she called him.”

  “Is Maggie okay now?”

  “Yes, she’s conscious and out of the woods. Of course, she’s got a long road ahead of her with the broken arms.”

  “Well, that’s a relief. So Aidan went to Rhode Island?”

  She nodded. “He drove for hours not knowing if the little girl would be alive when he got there, and he said he had a bit of an epiphany during that long ride.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “He realized he’s already a father—a stepfather, but a father nonetheless—and he was terrified they would lose their dear, sweet Maggie. He told Clare he’d been a fool to let her go, and if she wants more kids it’s fine with him.” Colleen wiped a tear from her cheek. “I’m so happy you were here. Da’s playing golf, and I needed to tell someone. After everything he’s been through, no one deserves this more than Aidan.”

  “I couldn’t agree with you more,” Brandon said sincerely as he hugged his mother. “I’m thrilled for him. He was so heartbroken over losing her.”

  “He told me Clare’s middle daughter, Kate, the one who lives in Nashville, has the number one song on the country music charts this week. Can you believe that?”

  “Sounds like he’s marrying into quite a family.”

  “Three boys engaged,” Colleen marveled. “My friends have been teasing me mercilessly about two. This’ll send them into a tizzy.”

  “What do you think they’ll say about four?”

  Colleen’s mouth dropped open in shock.

  He howled with laughter. “I’ve finally found a way to render you speechless. Wait ’til I tell the boys about this!”

  When Colleen recovered, she managed to say, “Have you asked her?”

  “Not yet but soon.”

  “Da told me about what’s going on with Mike’s grandparents. Don’t you let them get their hands on that child, Brandon.”

  “They’d have to kill me first.”

  Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder. “That would kill me, so don’t let it happen.”

  “Don’t worry, Mum. We’re handling it.”

  They enjoyed the gentle sway of the swing and the warm spring breeze for several quiet minutes.

  “You know I love all my children, right?”

  “Yes, and we all know Aidan’s your favorite.”

  She smacked him. “Hush. That’s not true. He was my first. You should understand now that you have your Mike.”

  “Hmm, I hadn’t thought about that, but you’re right. Even if I have five more, there’ll never be another quite like her.”

  “Exactly. Now, what I was going to say…” she said with exasperation that made him smile, “is that nothing has ever made me prouder than watching you reclaim your life over these last few months. I’m so very, very proud of you, Brandon.”

  “Thanks, Mum,” was all he could say.

  “You and Daphne make such a beautiful couple. You should see yourselves together. You’re breathtaking, both of you.”

  “Now you’re embarrassing me.”

  “The two of you are going to make me some very pretty grandbabies.”

  “I think it’s safe to say there’s about to be a huge baby boom in this family.”

  “Six grandchildren and holding—for now.”

  Realizing her count included Mike, Brandon’s heart swelled to overflowing. “Love you, Mum.”

  “I love you more.”

  Alan called the next day with an update. “There’s good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”

  “Bad,” Brandon said, bracing himself.

  “I just heard from my friend in Nebraska. A virtual army has descended upon his town looking for Daphne and Mike. They even got into his office somehow and tossed the place upside down.”

  “Jesus,” Brandon muttered.

  “He also got a certified letter from Monroe, demanding we produce the child immediately and stating their plans to sue for full custody.”

  Brandon swallowed hard. “What’s the good news?”

  “If they’re tearing up a town in Nebraska, they have no idea where she is.”

  “That’s true.”

  “I also got a call from Scott,” Alan said, referring to the private investigator. “He’s on to something, and he hopes to get back to me soon with an update.”

  “Call me when you hear anything.”

  “I will.”

  “You know, the fact they’re all over that town in Nebraska also means they aren’t going away. Everything I’ve been reading says Tucker’s going with Monroe for vice president. I was hoping that would pull his attention away from Mike, but they’re not letting it go, are they?”

  “It doesn’t look that way,” Alan said. “Just stay calm, and let’s see what Scott can find out.”

  “Okay.”

  “On another note, we’ve got a guy at Laurel Lake who reminds me a lot of you when you first arrived. A real tough case. I was wondering if you might come with me one afternoon this week to have a chat with him.”

  “You really think I’m ready for step twelve?” Brandon asked.

  “Your story is exactly what this guy needs to hear.”

  “Sure, I’d be happy to try if you think it’ll help.”

  “Great, thanks. I’ll be in touch.”

  When he hung up with Alan, Brandon went home to update Daphne.

  After he told her the latest she paced back and forth across the living room with her glasses perched on the end of her nose and a pencil shot through her ponytail.

  “What are you thinking, babe?” he asked when he couldn’t bear the silence any longer.

  “I hope the PI you’re paying all that money to comes through with something we can use to blackmail Monroe—and soon.”

  “Alan said he’s getting close.” Brandon put his arms around her. “We just have to be patient for a little while longer.”

  “My stomach hurts all the time,” she confessed.

  “Since when?” he asked, alarmed.

  “The last week or so. I’m wondering if I’ve finally worked myself into an ulcer.”

  “Let’s get you to a doctor. That’s nothing to mess around with.”

  “I’ll call this afternoon.”

  “Promise?” He ran his thumbs over her fragile jaw, noticing for the first time the dark circles under her eyes. The stress was getting to her.

  “I promise.”

  He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to their bedroom.

  “What’re you doing?”

  “Putting my baby down for a nap.” He removed her glasses and the pencil from her hair. “You’re going take a break from worrying and have a nice long rest. I’m picking up Mike today since I’m now officially on the list.”

  She smiled. “You’re so proud of that, aren’t you?”

  “You bet your ass I am.”

  “Just bring her home.”

  “No way. We have plans. We’r
e going out to lunch, and then she’s coming over to do some painting for me this afternoon. You, my love, have the afternoon off. No work, no Mike, no worrying, no nothing, you hear me?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Oh, I like that,” he said with a satisfied grin as he leaned in for a kiss. “Say it again.”

  “Never. It was a one-time lapse.”

  He discovered right then that laughing and kissing make for an interesting combination. “When you get up I want you to take the longest, bubble bath ever and then get dressed up. I’m taking my girls out to dinner tonight.”

  She sighed with contentment.

  He kissed her eyes closed. “Sleep, baby. I’ll take care of everything.”

  “Love you,” she whispered as she nodded off.

  Brandon watched her sleep for a long time before he left to pick up Mike.

  Brandon and Mike arrived at home just before five to find Daphne still asleep. He sent Mike to wash up and sat on the bed to trail kisses up and down Daphne’s neck.

  Still half asleep, she put her arms around him and pulled him down with her.

  Brandon could have stayed there all night, but he knew Mike would be back in a few minutes. “Wake up,” he said, kissing her neck again.

  “Don’t want to.”

  “Have you been asleep all this time?”

  “Uh-huh.” She yawned. “What time is it?”

  “Almost five.”

  Her eyes flew open. “For real?”

  He studied her. “What’s going on, hon? Maybe we should get you to a doctor tonight.”

  “I’m okay.” She started to get up but sat right back down.

  “Daph, you’re scaring me.”

  “I got up too fast, that’s all. I thought we were going out tonight.”

  “Why don’t we just stay in?”

  “Would you be terribly disappointed if we did?”

  He brushed the hair off her face. “Of course not. Mike and I will cook. I want you to take it easy.”

  “You and Mike are going to cook?” she asked with an eyebrow raised in amusement. “That ought to be interesting.”

  “We have many skills you don’t know about. Go soak in the tub and relax.” He kissed her and sent her on her way, but all he could think about was how pale she was. Reaching for the bedside phone, he called Erin.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  He told her about Daphne not feeling well and asked for the name of a doctor. “She thinks this whole thing with Mike might be giving her an ulcer.”

  “I can’t believe she hasn’t had one for years. I know just the guy. She’ll love him.”

  Brandon called the doctor and made an appointment for nine o’clock the next morning. He also made a mental note to ask Lorraine in the office about getting Daphne and Mike added to his health insurance. Daphne was soaking in the big tub when he went into the bathroom. “I got you in with Erin’s doctor at nine in the morning.”

  “I told you I would call,” she said, her brows furrowed with unusual annoyance.

  He bent to kiss away her scowl. “I’m worried about you. You’re pale as a ghost and sleeping half the day. That’s not like you.”

  “I’m sorry.” She seemed startled when her eyes flooded with tears. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately.”

  “Then let’s find out, okay?”

  She nodded.

  After a dinner of spaghetti and salad that Daphne had to admit was surprisingly good, they snuggled on the sofa with Mike to watch The Lion King.

  “How many times have you seen this, squirt?” he asked.

  “I think like a hundred,” she said, fixated on Simba.

  “It’s got to be more like two hundred,” Brandon said. “Even I know the words to the songs, and that’s saying something.”

  Daphne giggled and squeezed his hand.

  Brandon couldn’t remember ever being more content, with Daphne resting her head on his shoulder and Mike using his leg for a pillow. “Do you think we could pause the movie for a minute?” he asked once he had the lump in his throat under control.

  Mike sat up and reached for the remote.

  “I’ll be right back.” He got up, went into the bedroom, and came back with a big bag.

  “What is that?” Mike asked.

  “It’s a present for you and your mom.”

  Mike’s eyes lit up. “Is it for my birthday?”

  “Nope. This is for something different.” Brandon sat between them. “In my family, we have a tradition. You’ve seen my green coat with the O’Malley & Sons company name on it, right?”

  Mike nodded. “It has all the yellow shamrocks, and it says ‘Brandon O’Malley.’”

  “That’s the one. Well, every member of our family has one. Because there are O’Malleys and Maloneys, we have our full names on them. And since you guys are my family now…” He pulled a small green jacket out of the bag and handed it to Mike. “This one’s for you, and this one’s for your mom.”

  “Mine says Mike O’Malley on it,” she said, looking at Brandon with confusion.

  “Yes, it does.”

  Daphne had tears in her eyes as she skimmed her fingers over the gold embroidery that spelled Daphne O’Malley.

  “I don’t get it,” Mike said.

  “I do,” Daphne whispered, kissing Brandon’s cheek.

  “Try it on, squirt,” he said, making an effort to stay focused on Mike.

  Still looking perplexed, Mike stood up and slid it on.

  “Does it fit?”

  “Yep.”

  He adjusted the coat and zipped it up.

  She put her hands in the pockets. “What’s this?” she asked, pulling out a small box wrapped in gold paper.

  “Why don’t you open it and find out?”

  Mike tore the paper off the box and found a velvet jeweler’s box. Inside was a diamond solitaire on a delicate gold chain. She gasped. “Is that real?”

  “Yes, it’s real,” Brandon said, grinning at her reaction. He took the necklace from the box and put it on her. “I love you, Mike. I want to adopt you and give you my name. How does Mike O’Malley sound?”

  “Do you mean it?”

  He nodded. “Will you be my daughter?”

  Her golden eyes sparkled with tears. “I’d like that, Brandon.”

  “Good.” He hugged her. “I was thinking we could use Monroe as your middle name so your first daddy would always be with you, too. Would that be okay?”

  “What do you think, Mom?”

  Dealing with her own flood of tears, Daphne nodded. “That’d be perfect, Pooh.”

  He settled Mike on his lap. “Mommy’s turn,” he said, reaching for the box in the pocket of Daphne’s jacket.

  Her hands trembled as she removed the gold paper. When she stopped to wipe away tears, Brandon took the box from her.

  “All my brothers are getting married.” His face twisted into a pout that made Daphne laugh even as new tears spilled from her eyes. “I don’t want to be left out.”

  “We can’t have that,” she said, caressing away his pout.

  “I never imagined I’d have a home and a family of my own. The two of you have given me that and so many other things I didn’t even know I wanted. I love you—both of you—with everything I have, everything I’ll ever have. Will you ladies marry me?”

  Daphne glanced at Mike. “Yes,” they said in unison.

  Brandon hugged them for a long time.

  “What did you get for Mom?” Mike asked, toying with her new necklace.

  “Ah, yes, how could I forget that?” He opened the box. A cushion-cut diamond was surrounded by topaz.

  “Oh, I love it!” Daphne said. “Topaz is my favorite. How did you know?”

  “I didn’t. The color reminded me of your eyes and Mike’s. Calling them brown doesn’t do them justice, so when I saw a topaz in the window of Chatham Jewelers, I said, ‘That’s it, that’s the color.’” He put the ring on her finger, hooked his free
arm around her neck, and kissed her.