A Chesapeake Shores Christmas

by Sherryl Woods

  “I think I should go looking for them,” he said for probably the tenth time since Connor had stormed off and Megan had gone after him.

  “No!” Nell said emphatically. She and Abby had taken turns talking him out of doing anything rash.

  “Mom needs to deal with Connor,” Abby repeated. “If she’s smart, she’s probably somewhere in town feeding him a steak about now.”

  Mick paused. “You think they went to dinner? I could drive around, look for his car. Make sure no blood has been shed.”

  “No!” Abby said, regarding him with impatience. “Dad, you can’t fix this. It’s up to Mom.”

  “Some of what happened was my fault,” he argued.

  “A lot of it was,” Nell agreed, “but that’s not the point. This is between your son and his mother. You can sort out your issues with him later.”

  “Well, I can’t just sit around here,” he grumbled. “I’ve never been any good at sitting on the sidelines and waiting.”

  “But this time that’s exactly what you’ll do,” Nell said firmly. “Now grab a dish towel and dry some of those pots and pans.”

  Mick sighed and took a towel from Abby, who promptly announced she was going to get Trace and her girls and head for home. She nodded silently toward Nell and mouthed to him, “Talk to her.”

  Mick got the message. After Abby had gone, he put the last of the pans back in the cabinet and turned to his mother. “Ma, sit down.”

  She regarded him with a narrowed gaze. “Why?”

  “Because you’re the one person who hasn’t said how you feel about Megan and me getting married again.”

  She looked him directly in the eye and said, “I’m happy for both of you. This has been in the wind for a long time now. I’ve had time to get used to the idea.”

  Though her words and tone were meant to be convincing, Mick didn’t buy it. “You do know that our marriage isn’t going to displace you, right? This has been your home for a long time now, and Megan and I both want you to stay right here.”

  She gave him a defiant look. “What if I want to go back to my own cottage and get on with the life you two disrupted when you split up?”

  Startled, Mick stared at her. “Is that what you want?”

  She sighed softly. “I can’t say for sure, but it holds a certain appeal. It’s not as if I’d be at the ends of the earth. The cottage is within walking distance. And it’s mine. I fixed it up exactly the way I wanted it when you built it. It’s warm and cozy, which would be a nice change from rattling around in this big old place now that all your children are grown and have moved out.”

  Mick felt a deep sense of loss at the thought of his mother going off to live on her own. Still, he said, “It’s your decision, Ma, as long as you know you’re welcome here if you want to stay. This became your home the day you moved in here to help me with the kids. I dumped most of that responsibility on your shoulders because I couldn’t cope. I’ll owe you till the day I die.”

  “You don’t owe me a thing. I did what was necessary,” she insisted. “And I’m thinking you and Megan should have a fresh start without me underfoot. She probably has her own ideas about how she’d like the household to run.”

  “She’ll more than likely be working, Ma. The house would continue to be your domain.”

  “Like some glorified housekeeper,” she said with asperity, then held up a hand. “I didn’t mean that to sound so harsh. I do know you both want me here, and I appreciate that. We have a couple of months to think about it. Maybe I’ll go over to the cottage tomorrow and see how it’s holding up. It could probably use a fresh coat of paint and airing out. No matter the care I’ve taken of it, a house suffers when it’s not lived in.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Mick offered. “Anything you want done, I’ll take care of it. And if you change your mind and decide to stay here, that’s fine, too.”

  Her expression suddenly brightened, and a twinkle lit her eyes. “It might be nice to have my own place if I should have a gentleman caller.”

  Mick stared at her. “Excuse me?”

  “You never know, young man. I’m old, but I’m not in my grave yet.”

  “Far from it,” Mick said, shaking his head. He wondered if Nell O’Brien would ever stop surprising him. He had a hunch if she had her way, there might be a few more shocks in store.

  * * *

  Even though they’d managed to get through dinner, Megan wasn’t deluding herself that anything between her and Connor was truly settled. Once again, he’d resorted to the kind of civility that had fooled all of them into believing he’d weathered the divorce without scars. Now that she knew otherwise, she’d be more attuned to the hostility that seethed just beneath the surface. One dinner without fireworks wasn’t going to change that.

  By the time Connor dropped her off at the house, she was emotionally wrung out. Finding Mick pacing impatiently in the foyer did nothing to soothe her.

  “It’s about time,” he muttered when she walked inside. “Where’s Connor?”

  “On his way back to Baltimore,” she said wearily.

  “Why didn’t he come inside?”

  She lifted a brow. “So you could badger him?”

  He frowned at her. “I wasn’t going to badger him, just tell him a few facts of life.”

  “Well, he doesn’t need to hear anything more from either one of us at the moment. He needs time to process what’s happening. Once again, we’ve turned his view of the world upside down.”

  “This isn’t about him,” Mick grumbled.

  “Of course it is,” Megan said. “What I did years ago had an impact on each one of our children. So did the way you chose to handle it—by running off to one job site after another. What I thought of as consideration for their feelings in letting them stay here in their home with you, they interpreted as me not caring at all. There were bound to be repercussions.”

  “I suppose,” he said grudgingly. “I just hope Connor didn’t try to talk you out of marrying me.”

  “Of course he did,” she said, then touched Mick’s cheek. “There’s nothing he could say, though, that would change my mind, Mick. We might have to adjust the timetable a bit to allow time to bring him around, but in the end, we will get married.”

  He stopped pacing and stared. “Adjust the timetable? What the devil are you suggesting?”

  “That New Year’s Eve may be rushing things. I want everyone in the family not only to attend the ceremony, but to be happy for us, Mick. It won’t feel right if they’re not.”

  He faced her stubbornly. “We’re getting married New Year’s Eve, and that’s that.”

  She frowned. “And there’s no room for compromise, even if it’s important to me?”

  Apparently he heard the warning note in her voice, because he backed down at once. “I didn’t say that.”

  “No, you just said it’s your way, period. This isn’t going to work, Mick, not if we can’t work through things like this together.”

  He scowled unhappily, but eventually nodded. “Okay, fine, we’ll talk about it. You want a drink?”

  “Just some tea, I think.”

  “I’ll fix it,” he offered, then headed for the kitchen.

  There was no one in this Irish household who couldn’t brew a proper cup of tea. Mick placed a steaming pot before her within minutes, then sat down.

  “Were you able to talk with Nell?” she asked, hoping to avoid another argument over Connor.

  He nodded. “She thinks she might want to move to the cottage.”

  “Oh, dear,” Megan said. “That’s exactly what I was hoping to avoid.”

  “Don’t fret too much. She seems to think it will improve her social life,” Mick said, clearly disgruntled. “She said something about having privacy for her gentlemen ca
llers. Since when does my mother have gentlemen callers, I’d like to know?”

  Megan chuckled. “Maybe that’s the point,” she suggested. “She doesn’t want you to know about them and meddle the way you have in your children’s lives.”

  He shuddered. “She’s probably right. Knowing my mother is getting involved with some old codger is probably more information than I need to have.”

  “I think it would be sweet for her to have someone special in her life,” Megan said thoughtfully. “Look at all the years she’s sacrificed her own needs to take care of our family. It’s her turn to find whatever happiness she can.”

  “I suppose. Now let’s stop talking about my mother and Connor, and focus on us. How soon are you going to quit your job and move down here? Two weeks’ notice ought to be enough, don’t you think?”

  “Not with a major show coming up at the gallery,” she said. “Besides, if I want Phillip to consider opening an extension of his gallery here, then I have to handle this with care.”

  “You don’t need his backing,” Mick argued. “I’ll bankroll your gallery.”

  “It’s very generous of you to want to do that,” Megan said, “but I just finished telling Connor that I wasn’t marrying you for your money. How will it look to him if you pour thousands of dollars into my new business? No, Mick. I have to make this come together on my own.”

  “How?” he asked, his skepticism plain...and highly annoying.

  “That’s my problem now, isn’t it?”

  “Is this the way it’s going to be from here on out?” he demanded. “You refusing to accept any kind of help from me? I want to do things for you, Megan. It makes me happy.”

  “Then buy me a bouquet of flowers from time to time, or take me out for a romantic dinner. I don’t need lavish gestures for you to prove how much you love me.”

  Mick shook his head. “You are the most contrary woman I’ve ever known. What kind of person turns down help from someone who loves them?”

  “One who needs to maintain some independence,” she responded candidly.

  “Why, so you can turn right around and leave me again?”

  “No, so there will never be a question in your mind that I’m with you because I love you, not because of what you can do for me.”

  “That’s Connor talking,” he said. “I won’t have him meddling in our relationship or making you question the way every little thing we do might look to him.”

  “It’s not about Connor,” she insisted. “It’s about me, Mick. I’ve learned to stand on my own two feet. I’m not the naive, dependent girl who expected you to dance attendance and make my life complete. If it’s going to work between us, we have to be equals.”

  “So if I decide on impulse to give you a car, you have to turn right around and buy something for me?” he asked.

  “That might be exaggerating just a bit,” she said dryly.

  “Well, I should hope so, because it sounds ridiculous. If I’m your husband and I decide on a whim to give you something, what happened to accepting it graciously?”

  “Mick, this isn’t about cars or jewelry or impulsive gestures.”

  “Then explain it to me.”

  Megan wasn’t sure she could. She just knew that gifts per se weren’t the problem. It was all the strings implied. And if she wasn’t careful, those strings were going to bind them together for all the wrong reasons.

  And their marriage wouldn’t stand a chance.

  * * *

  Mick had been thoroughly frustrated by his conversation with Megan the night before. He was still stewing over it on Monday morning after he’d driven her to Baltimore to the airport. He knew Connor was behind her attitude, no matter how much she’d tried to deny it. He also knew he needed to settle a thing or two with his younger son.

  He pulled out his cell phone and called Connor at the office. “Take a break,” he ordered without preamble. “I’ll meet you at the coffee shop on the corner in ten minutes.”

  “I can’t. I have an appointment with a new client in an hour.”

  “This won’t take long,” Mick said grimly. “I’ll talk and you can listen.”

  Of course, that was an optimistic outlook. Connor had never once suffered a lecture in silence. Those strong opinions of his were bound to surface. Still, Mick wanted to clear the air and make a few things plain. His son might be a grown man, but Mick still ran the family. He was due a little respect of his own.

  Connor was already waiting at a table with two cups of coffee by the time Mick had found a parking place and walked the two blocks to the crowded little café. “Parking in this city is a nuisance,” he grumbled as he sat.

  “Is that why you wanted to see me,” Connor inquired, “to complain about the parking in downtown Baltimore?”

  Mick frowned at the sarcasm. “You know perfectly well it’s not. We need to discuss the wedding.”

  Connor looked as if he was ready to launch into another diatribe, so Mick cut him off before he could get started.

  “You will not interfere,” Mick told him flatly. “You don’t have to approve of it. You don’t have to like it. But you will stay out of it.” He leveled a hard look into his son’s eyes. “And you will show up for the ceremony with a smile on your face. Is that understood?”

  Connor gave him a knowing look. “Mom’s talking about postponing, isn’t she?”

  “That’s not an option,” Mick said forcefully.

  “But I got to her yesterday and now she’s having second thoughts,” Connor said with a triumphant note. “Good for her.”

  Mick regarded him with sorrow. “Do you care nothing for my feelings?”

  Connor looked shocked by the question. “Of course I do! Dad, can’t you see that I’m trying to protect you? You’ve gotten all caught up in sentiment. You’re not thinking clearly.”

  Mick was none too pleased by his son’s determination to interfere, to say nothing of his confidence that only he knew what was best for his parents. “Connor, I’m a grown man. I don’t need looking after, no matter how well-intentioned it might be. I love your mother. I always have. God’s seen fit to give me a second chance with her, and I won’t let you or anyone else take that away from us.”

  “She’ll break your heart again,” Connor predicted.

  “I don’t believe that, but if it happens, so be it.”

  “You can’t mean that. The last time she left, it almost destroyed you. It almost ruined our entire family.”

  “I thought Bree was the one in the family with a flair for drama,” Mick chided. “What happened was devastating for all of us, no question about it. But look at Abby, Bree and Kevin today. They’re all happily married. Jess has a thriving business she loves. And even you have found your life’s work. We’re more tight-knit as a family than we have been in years.”

  “All of that’s in spite of Mom, not because of her.”

  “Maybe so, but we can hardly claim that what she did ruined our lives. It shaped us, to be sure. It changed her, as well—for the better, I think. She’s stronger and more independent.”

  “You almost sound as if you approve of that,” Connor said.

  “Well, of course I do. I made your mother very unhappy. I wasn’t the partner she needed. I think we’re a better match today than we were back then.”

  “Just how long do you think it will take before this independent streak of hers gets on your nerves?” Connor asked.

  Mick chuckled. “It already has. More than once, in fact. That doesn’t mean it’s not for the best. None of this is your worry, son. All we need from you is your blessing, even if you disagree with the choice we’re making.”

  Looking genuinely distressed, Connor shook his head. “I can’t do it, Dad. Not when this marriage has disaster written all over it. I’ve already told
Mom I’m going to draw up a prenuptial agreement.”

  “You did what?” Mick was aghast. “You most certainly will not. I don’t believe in starting a marriage trying to figure out how it will end.”

  “It’s commonplace for someone in your position,” Connor insisted.

  “No!” Mick said, slamming his fist on the table.

  Connor didn’t bend. “Dad, I’ll do whatever I can to protect you, whether you want me to or not.”

  Mick bristled at his unrelenting attitude. “Then you’ll stay away,” he ordered. “From this moment on, you’ll stay away.”

  “Stay away?” Connor repeated, his expression incredulous.

  “From Chesapeake Shores, from our house,” Mick said, his gaze unyielding.

  “I’m not welcome in my own home?” Connor said, looking shaken.

  “Not until you can see your way clear to treat your mother with the respect she deserves and can accept our marriage.”

  Connor’s expression hardened. “Then I guess it will be a cold day in hell before I set foot in Chesapeake Shores again.”

  Even as he spoke, he stood up. He cast one last bleak look at Mick, then, his back stiff with pride, he walked away, never once looking back.

  As he went, Mick felt his heart break. He also knew that when Megan learned of this—and she no doubt would—she might never forgive him for causing a possibly irreparable rift with their son.

  3

  For the next week Mick left the house before dawn and didn’t return until well after dusk. If he’d been able to think of a reason to leave town for business, he’d have been on the first flight out of Baltimore, but lately his out-of-state projects were all running smoothly under the direction of his second-in-command, Jaime Alvarez. Mick wouldn’t undermine Jaime by showing up unannounced. Besides, he had plenty of work nearby with his Habitat for Humanity projects to send him home exhausted at the end of the day.

  He’d been avoiding Megan’s calls, as well. He knew that sooner or later she was going to catch up with him and he’d have to tell her about Connor, but he wasn’t quite ready for that conversation.