“And you have a whole family to look to who’ve found happiness being married to people they love,” Mick replied.
Connor looked unconvinced. “Abby, Bree and Kevin?” he scoffed. “They haven’t been married long enough to be good examples. Now, you and Mom? You set the bar. Close to twenty years together and five kids, and it still fell apart.”
“Not because we didn’t love each other,” Mick insisted. “Because I made mistakes.”
“So did Mom. Have you forgotten the man she was seeing while you were out of town?”
“I haven’t forgotten it, but I understand it and I’ve forgiven her. Since you and your brother talk, you must know there was no affair to forgive. I’ve told him that repeatedly.”
“What about the fact that she turned to another man in the first place? Isn’t that as bad as having an affair?”
Truthfully, it had put a huge dent in Mick’s ego and his heart. In the end, though, his heart had weathered it, and his ego had realized that what happened was in many ways his own fault. Megan had sought attention from someone else because he wasn’t around. She’d tried to tell him a thousand different ways how she was feeling, but he’d been too busy to really listen.
“Son, there are mistakes in all marriages. The test is how you handle them. Maybe if I’d understood then what I do now about why Megan had been seeing someone else, I could have fixed things before she took that final step and left me.”
He met Connor’s gaze and saw that his son didn’t really buy anything he was saying. “Look, don’t pattern your life or your relationships on mine. That’s a sure way to wind up losing what you really want.” He gave Connor a hard look. “You do want Heather and your son in your life, don’t you?”
“Heather understood the rules from the moment we started dating,” Connor said defensively, avoiding the question. “She knew all along how I felt about marriage. It’s nothing but a piece of paper with no more power to control someone’s behavior than a contract that someone doesn’t want to honor. The only difference is it doesn’t have all the loopholes spelled out in the fine print.”
Connor’s cynicism was deeply disturbing, especially since Mick felt at least partially responsible for it. Whatever lessons he and Megan had taught him by divorcing had been reinforced by his chosen career.
He gave Connor a knowing look. “Think about this a minute and then tell me the truth. Are you feeling any less pain today over Heather’s leaving than you would if the two of you had been married?”
Connor remained silent too long, which was answer enough.
“I thought so,” Mick said. “It’s not the piece of paper that’s important, son. It’s what’s in your heart. Those divorce papers I signed didn’t change anything, either. No matter how hurt and angry I was, I knew I’d love your mother till the day I died. Now I have a chance to have her back in my life, and I’m not going to blow it.” He gave Connor a pointed look. “I won’t let anyone else blow this chance for us, either.”
Connor frowned at the warning, but said nothing.
Mick persisted. “I know your sister got on your case about this the other night. Did she get through to you?”
“She tried,” Connor admitted. “I said I’d try to keep a more open mind.”
Mick sighed. It was probably the best he could hope for.
Kevin returned just then with a take-out tray of large coffees and a bag filled with still-warm croissants from Sally’s. He eyed the two of them hopefully.
“Looks as if no blood’s been shed,” he commented as he hopped easily on board, then handed out the coffee and pastries. “I was a little concerned I’d come back and find a body stowed belowdeck.”
“Not until we get these dang lights untangled,” Mick said. “And you’re selling us short. We’re both smart enough not to leave a body on board. Either one of us would have taken the boat out to sea and dumped the body overboard.”
Connor chuckled for the first time since Mick’s arrival. “Nice to know just how devious your mind is, Dad.”
“He’s probably been plotting a way to get even with Uncle Thomas for years,” Kevin guessed. “I’ll have to warn him about going out to sea with Dad.”
“I’m not going to do away with your uncle,” Mick retorted indignantly, wondering what his sons would think if he admitted to having a heart-to-heart with Thomas just days ago. “If I were, I wouldn’t have waited all these years to do it. You weren’t even a glimmer in my eye when he betrayed me. I’ve had plenty of time to get even, if I were going to.”
“No, instead he’s just frozen him out,” Connor said. “That’s so much better. Up until today, I figured that was going to be my fate, too.”
“Which is precisely why I interceded,” Kevin said. “This kind of nonsense in our family has gone on long enough. Have the two of you settled anything?”
Mick shrugged. “Connor’s the one who’s being stubborn.”
Connor stared at him incredulously. “Pot calling the kettle black.”
Kevin laughed. “I think we can agree, this family is full of stubborn men. A few mule-headed women, too, for that matter. The point is, we are a family. Let’s not forget that.”
“Fair enough,” Mick agreed, regarding Connor hopefully. “Son?”
“I can bury the hatchet,” Connor said eventually. “Since my son seems to be here for the foreseeable future, I don’t really have a choice.”
“You could take him back to Baltimore, then find his mother and marry her,” Mick suggested.
Connor scowled at the suggestion. “Maybe we should make a pact,” Connor said. “You stay out of my relationship and I’ll try to stay out of yours.”
Mick laughed at the thought of any O’Brien minding his own business for long. “It’s a fool’s pact, but why not?”
Kevin beamed at them. “Now kiss and make up,” he ordered, his voice laced with humor.
“Careful, bro, or you’ll be the one who’s tossed overboard,” Connor warned.
“At least he’ll go knowing the two of us are cooperating on something,” Mick added. He held up a hand and Connor slapped it. It was a rare moment of solidarity with his son and, as ridiculous as it was, it gave him hope.
* * *
The lighted boat parade, first launched two years after Chesapeake Shores had been fully developed, was one of Megan’s favorite community events. Back then, she and Mick hadn’t had a boat, but many in the community had them, everything from rowboats and kayaks to fancy speedboats and huge yachts.
The competition among the town’s home owners to outdo each other with outdoor holiday decorations had extended to their boats. Standing onshore to watch as these lighted vessels floated by on the bay had always brought out the holiday spirit in her. She and Mick would bundle up the kids and sit in the yard with the smallest ones in their laps as the boats paraded upstream and then back down.
When the kids were older, they’d gone down to the marina after the parade. Harbor Lights always hosted a party that offered gallons of hot chocolate for the kids and stiffer drinks for the adults. A wide variety of hors d’oeuvres was available for purchase from various restaurants to benefit the town’s Christmas fund to buy toys for needy families in the region. Next to the tree-lighting ceremony, it was Chesapeake Shores’ most popular holiday event.
For the second time, Kevin had entered his research boat in the parade. Megan could hardly wait to see it. Last year Phillip’s gallery had had an opening on the same night, and she hadn’t been able to get away from New York to come home for the boat parade.
“Daddy Kevin’s is the best boat in the whole parade,” Henry assured her excitedly as the family gathered at the shoreline waiting for the parade to start. “Next year me and Davy get to ride on it. Mom said it was too cold tonight for us to be on the water.”
“And
she was absolutely right,” Megan told him, securing a wool scarf more tightly around his neck. “It must be below freezing out here.” She checked to see that Davy was bundled up warmly enough, then saw that Abby was doing the same with Carrie and Caitlyn.
“I swear next year I’m going to insist they do this in October,” Abby said, shivering despite her fur-lined, hooded parka.
“Which is the obvious time to do a Christmas parade,” Trace commented. “Do you think you’ll get a lot of support?”
Abby scowled at him. “Okay, you get to deal with the twins when they both come down with colds this week,” she said.
Trace grinned. “Hey, I’m the stay-at-home dad. I deal with them whenever they get anything. You don’t scare me.”
“Nobody’s going to get sick,” Mick declared, as if it were something he could control. He turned to Nell. “Ma, are you warm enough?”
Before she could reply, Davy yelled, “There he is! There’s my dad. He’s leading the whole parade ’cause he’s the best.”
“I don’t know why he insisted on having Thomas on board with him,” Mick grumbled under his breath.
“Maybe because Kevin’s given the boat to your brother’s research team, so it’s technically not his anymore,” Megan suggested, amused. “I’m sure you could have joined them. I know perfectly well he invited you.”
“And I’d have been listening to some lecture from Thomas from the time we left the dock until we returned. All the man talks about is how development’s ruining the bay.”
“Not this development,” Megan said. “You built Chesapeake Shores in compliance with his very stringent rules.”
Mick grimaced. “And fought with him over every darn thing,” he recalled. “What did he do when he lost an argument? He turned me in to the authorities.”
“But in the end, you both got what you wanted,” Megan reminded him. “You developed a community that’s won awards for being environmentally friendly, and Thomas protected these waters from more pollution.”
She glanced around. “Where’s Connor?”
“He said it was too cold for little Mick,” Abby said. “He’s up at the house with Bree and Jake. I left Connor with the box of ornaments for the tree we’re going to decorate after the parade’s over. He’s supposed to be tossing out the broken ones and dusting the rest. I still don’t know how things can possibly get broken just sitting in a box in the attic most of the year.”
Megan looked directly at Mick. “Because some people are careless when they put the boxes away or bring them downstairs,” she said pointedly.
Mick rolled his eyes at the familiar complaint. “Well, all I can say is better him than me. He’s probably conned Jake into taking over by now.”
Megan laughed and linked her arm through Mick’s. “You know you wouldn’t be happy if you couldn’t grumble about the tangled lights and all the boxes of ornaments that have to be hauled downstairs. The year I bought all brand-new ones to avoid aggravating you, you complained that it was a waste of money when the others were perfectly fine.”
“Dad is nothing if not inconsistent,” Abby said.
“Okay, enough bickering,” Nell declared. “You all are missing all the beautiful boats. I believe I like the ones with the multicolored lights the best. That’s the way we all decorated years ago. It’s only recently that everyone’s started using the clear lights for everything.”
“I agree with you, Nell,” Megan said. “The colored lights are much more festive. They feel old-fashioned, too, like the images you see in storybooks.”
“But the clear ones make it look like a fairyland,” Carrie argued.
“Who wants to go to a dumb old fairyland?” Davy taunted.
“Princesses do,” Caitlyn said with a touch of disdain.
“You’re not a princess,” Davy told her.
“That’s what you think, squirt,” Caitlyn retorted. “Careful or I’ll use my magical powers to turn you into a frog.”
Davy turned tear-filled eyes up to Megan. “She can’t do that, can she?”
“No, she most certainly cannot,” Megan said, shooting a warning look at her granddaughter. “Now, who wants hot chocolate?”
She asked in the interest of keeping peace, and a chorus of approving shouts greeted the question.
“Okay, then,” she said, ready to herd the little ones up to the house.
“Want me to come with you?” Mick asked.
“I’ll go,” Abby offered. “You stay out here with Gram.”
Megan cast a last, regretful look over her shoulder at the boats still on the water, then led the way back to the house. Though she’d wanted to enjoy the rest of the parade, she had to admit it felt good to be indoors. At least it did until she caught a glimpse of Connor snatching up his son and leaving the kitchen. The angry scowl on his face said he could hardly wait to get away from her. She had a feeling she knew what it was about, too: her decision to take the baby to see Heather. She sighed heavily.
“Ignore him, Mom. He’s just being impossible. If he keeps it up, kick him out.”
“After I criticized your father for doing exactly that? I don’t think so,” Megan said. “Having the two of us under this roof is the only way we’re going to settle anything.”
“But his rudeness is wrong,” Abby protested. “He’s old enough to know better.”
“Oh, sweetie, he knows better,” Megan said, resigned to accepting whatever punishment he doled out. “He wants me to suffer the way he did.”
“But you have suffered. We all made you pay for leaving. We practically cut you out of our lives back then, no matter how hard you tried to make things right. Now that we’re grown, I think we all understand more clearly why you did what you did.”
“All of you except Connor. I think he’s taking some satisfaction in being the last holdout. He didn’t have any power over what happened back then. Now he does. Besides, I don’t really think his attitude tonight is about any of that.”
Abby regarded her curiously. “Well, I don’t care what it’s about. It needs to stop. I thought Jess had gotten him to shape up. I guess it’s up to me after all.”
Megan regarded her with alarm. “No, leave it alone, Abby. I won’t have this cause a rift between you two.”
“You can’t order me not to talk to him,” Abby said stubbornly.
Megan smiled at the determined lift of her chin. “No,” she said quietly. “But I can ask you not to, as a favor to me.”
Abby gave her a disgruntled look. “Not fair,” she accused.
Megan smiled. “No, but effective. Don’t worry, sweetie. This will all work out.”
“Don’t count on it,” Connor said, walking back into the kitchen with a scowl on his face. He’d apparently put the baby to bed.
“Connor,” Abby protested.
“Don’t start on me, sis. Are you aware that our mother has been sneaking off with my child to visit Heather?”
Megan flinched. “I can explain.”
“Oh, I’m sure you can,” Connor said. “But I don’t want to hear it. All I know is that once again, when push came to shove, you chose somebody else over your own family.”
“I most certainly did not,” Megan protested. “Someone needed to know where Heather is. She seemed to trust me. And she needed to see her son.”
“I would have been more than happy to take Mick to see her,” Connor said angrily. “You didn’t allow me the opportunity.”
Megan sighed. “Believe me, I tried to get her to come here. I tried to convince her to see you. She’s not ready. What was I supposed to do—deny her the right to see her baby?”
“Yes,” Connor snapped.
“Oh, Connor, you don’t mean that,” Abby said.
Connor whirled on her. “Do not get in the middle of this
, sis, not the way Mom has thrown herself into the middle of my situation with Heather.” He gave Megan a weary look. “Count your blessings that you have Heather’s trust these days, because you’ve lost mine.” He turned to Abby. “As for that little family investment scheme you put together to finance Mom’s business, I hope you all don’t lose every red cent.”
And then he walked out of the kitchen, leaving Megan feeling totally devastated in too many ways to count. She turned to her daughter.
“Abby, what did he mean? What kind of family investment scheme? I thought you said you put that group together with clients you had at work.” She should have known it had come together too easily.
“I did,” Abby said defensively, a telltale flush in her cheeks. “Everyone involved has other funds invested with me.”
“But your father, you and the others, you’re my backers?”
Abby nodded. “Even Gram chipped in.”
On some level, Megan couldn’t help but be grateful for the support they were all demonstrating, but on another, she felt totally betrayed. “Oh, Abby, how could you?”
“Because it’s a solid investment, and I didn’t want you to lose the chance to have the business you want.”
“No, what you really want is for me to go ahead with marrying your father.”
“So what?” Abby said defiantly. “Is it wrong to want to see the two of you happy again?”
Megan regarded her sorrowfully. “Not this way, sweetie. Not this way. I can’t accept that money.”
“You already have. It’s in the bank, in your name.”
“I’ll never touch a dime of it,” Megan told her. If there was no other way to finance the gallery, so be it.
As for Connor and his declaration that she’d lost his trust, she’d have to find some way to live with that, too. She knew that given the same situation, she would betray his trust again if it meant bringing Heather and her baby together.
13
Mick walked into the kitchen on the morning after the boat parade to find the baby bundled up in his snowsuit and Connor carrying all of his son’s accumulated paraphernalia out to the car. Mick poured himself a cup of coffee and watched for a couple of minutes. When Connor returned for the third time, Mick closed the kitchen door.
A Chesapeake Shores Christmas Page 16
