Light After Dark: Gansett Island Series, Book 16

by Marie Force

  He couldn’t say yet if this was a permanent move or even a “career” he wished to pursue long-term. For now, he’d committed to staying long enough to get the facility up and running. He’d wanted to keep his options open, and Lizzie had wanted him badly enough for the job that she’d been willing to agree to conditional employment.

  So for now, he was happily settled on his spacious, comfortable boat with his beloved dog, the incredible views of the pond and the stars and the bustling activity on the waterfront. The day he met Mallory had been one of his first attempts at running on the prosthetic, and he’d since become much more comfortable and was adding to his mileage with each passing week. He was giving himself another month or so before he started taking Brutus with him.

  His life was back under control, for the most part, which made tonight’s events that much more intriguing. Now that he had the rest of his crap sorted, for the time being anyway, perhaps there was room for something more. With he and Mallory both in this weird state of transition, maybe this was the worst possible time to be thinking such thoughts. But after the delightful evening they’d spent together, she seemed to be all he could think about.

  *

  “I don’t know about that guy,” Mac said to Maddie as he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it toward the hamper, missing by a foot.

  She bent to retrieve it and threw it back to him. “Try again, Ace.”

  Mac balled up the shirt and made a perfect shot. “Swish.”

  “What guy are you talking about?”

  “The one Mallory was with.”

  “Quinn James?”

  “Yeah, him. What do we know about him anyway?”

  “We know he’s Jared’s brother, and that Jared is a good guy who’s done a lot for our community since he moved here.”

  “That doesn’t mean his brother is a good guy.”

  “He’s a veteran.”

  “And I appreciate his service, but even that doesn’t mean he’s good for my sister.”

  “You’ve worked with him for months. You know him by now.”

  “That’s the thing. I don’t feel like I know him any better now than I did at the beginning.”

  “Mallory seems to like him. That ought to count for something.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  Maddie washed the makeup off her face and put toothpaste on her toothbrush. “Mac… What’re you not saying?”

  “Nothing.” He couldn’t say why, exactly, he wasn’t sure about Mallory seeing Quinn, but he vowed to keep a closer eye on the guy now that he knew his sister was interested. “I’m going to check on the kids.”

  “Do not, under any circumstances, do anything to wake them up, or I will kill you, and I’ll make it hurt.”

  “Yes, dear,” he said with a chuckle. God, he loved her even when she was threatening to kill him. After even a couple of hours away from them, he needed to lay eyes on his babies, even though Maddie had already checked on them.

  He went first into Thomas’s room where his soon-to-be-five-year-old son was sleeping with his arms thrown over his head and his covers kicked off. Mac covered him and kissed his forehead. “Love you, buddy,” he whispered. The sleeping child never stirred.

  In Hailey’s room, he found his daughter sleeping with her bum in the air, per usual, and fixed the blanket that had become tangled around her tiny body. He kissed his fingertips and reached over the crib rails to sweep sweaty blonde hair off her forehead.

  As his fingers coasted over her skin, her eyes popped open.

  Mac bit his lip to keep from gasping and stayed perfectly still, hoping she didn’t see him there. If she did, she’d want to get up to play with Dada, and Maddie would, in fact, kill him.

  Thankfully, she let out a deep sigh, and her eyes closed once again.

  Mac crept from the room, thanking his lucky stars that she hadn’t woken up. When he returned to their room, Maddie was already in bed and rubbing lotion into her arms. Something about that nightly ritual was so incredibly sexy to him. “Everyone is good.”

  “Which I already knew and so did you, because I checked on them and told you they were fine.”

  “I can’t help that I need to see them with my own eyes.”

  “You’re a very good daddy.” She held out a hand to him. “Now come over here and give Mommy some love.”

  Mac didn’t have to be told twice. He crawled up the bed and came down right next to her. “How’s my other baby?” he asked, placing his hand over the prominent bump in her abdomen.

  “Jumping around like a fool. I fear this one is going to take after his daddy.”

  “He should be so lucky.”

  Mac pushed up her nightgown to kiss the baby bump and was rewarded with a solid kick to the face that made them laugh.

  “See what I mean? He’s going to be a holy terror like you.”

  “Aww, I love when you’re so sweet to me.”

  Smiling, she combed her fingers through his hair as he continued to kiss her belly.

  “He’s so strong,” Mac said, marveling at the waves of movement under her skin. “Hailey wasn’t this active.”

  She met his gaze, her golden eyes conveying the depth of her love for him. “He’s very strong, but I’m still scared.”

  “I know. I am, too. I won’t feel like we’re out of the woods until he’s actually here. I think about Connor all the time and what he’d be doing by now and which one of us he’d look like.” Mac knew that the baby they’d lost last year was never far from her mind either.

  “Remember what your dad told you when we lost him?”

  “He told me a lot of things.”

  “When the same thing happened to them, they grieved so deeply, but then they had you and realized that if the first baby had lived, they never would’ve had you, and they couldn’t imagine life without you.”

  “Yeah, he did say that.”

  “The same will be true for us.” She rested her hand on the baby bump. “Whoever this person is will soon be one of the three most important people in the world to us. He won’t make us miss Connor any less than we do, but maybe it won’t hurt quite so much once he’s here.”

  “Maybe so. Are we in agreement on his name?”

  “We don’t even know for sure that he is a he.”

  “I don’t know why that I’m so sure he’s a boy.”

  “Will you be disappointed if he’s a she?” Maddie asked.

  “Hell no. Another Hailey to worship at the altar of Daddy when no one else will? I’d be totally fine with that.”

  “You’re pathetic. You realize that, right?”

  “You tell me that so often, how could I not know?”

  Maddie laughed at the face he made at her. “Good thing I love you no matter how pathetic you are.”

  He urged her to come closer to him, arranging her so they faced each other. “That’s a very good thing, seeing as how I couldn’t live without you.” Running his fingers through her hair, he gazed at her adorable face. “Now what am I going to do about my sister and this doctor guy no one knows anything about?”

  “Nothing. You’re going to do absolutely nothing. Your sister is thirty-nine years old and certainly knows how to take care of herself by now.”

  “That doesn’t mean she should have to. She has a family now. Brothers who want to look out for her.”

  Maddie raised a brow that signaled her intention to call him on his bullshit. “Brothers? Plural? Or just one?”

  “I’m sure Grant and Adam felt the same way I did tonight, and Evan would have if he’d been there.”

  “You’re sure about this, are you?”

  “Pretty sure.”

  “Mac, you really can’t go there. Please tell me you know this.”

  He diverted his gaze. “If you say so.”

  “Mac…”

  “I hear you.”

  “I know you care about her, and I love you for that. I’m sure she would, too. But trust me when I tell you she would not welcom
e your interference in her personal life. I hate to say this, but she’s not Janey. She didn’t grow up having to put up with you and your brothers. You’re all still new to her.”

  “There’s something about that guy. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something. He’s so secretive.”

  “There’s a difference between being secretive and being private. Not everyone feels the need to share their every thought the way you do.”

  “I don’t do that.”

  Her damned brow challenged that statement, too. “If there’s something to be concerned about, she’ll figure that out on her own. Tell me you know that.”

  “Yes, I get it. I hear you. I’ll behave.”

  She gave him her wary look that let him know she didn’t entirely believe him. “Tread carefully, Mac. She’s still figuring out her place in this family, and she seemed really happy tonight.”

  “I know. I saw that, too.”

  “Do I need to come up with other ways to keep you occupied so you resist the urge to meddle in your sister’s life?”

  “What other ways do you have in mind?”

  Rising to one elbow, she leaned in to kiss him. “Something like that. And maybe some of this.” She ran her tongue over his bottom lip.

  “I like this topic so much better than the last one.”

  Maddie laughed, as he’d known she would. He loved to hear her laugh and to make her laugh. “I figured you would.”

  “But I hate that all we can do is kiss.” Out of an abundance of caution, they’d agreed to forgo having sex until after the baby arrived. Victoria had told them it was perfectly safe, but they were taking absolutely no chances.

  “Only a few more months. We can do it.”

  “I may expire from wanting you too much.”

  “Please don’t do that. I need you to help me raise these three children of ours.”

  “I’m not going anywhere except wherever you are, but I’m not going to forget that you bet against me tonight.”

  As Maddie laughed, he worked his leg between hers and kissed her again, letting every other thought and worry fade away as he lost himself in her.

  Chapter 11

  Mallory told herself that the timing of her run the next morning had nothing at all to do with the time she’d previously met up with Quinn on a run. As she pounded the pavement on the way toward the island’s northernmost point, she tried to pretend she wasn’t looking for him around every bend in the road.

  The gorgeous late-spring day was the sort that gave Rhode Islanders hope that summer might actually show up after weeks of teasing. Everything was in bloom. The warm sun beat down upon her from a cloudless sky, and the breeze off the water was warm rather than chilly for the first time.

  Sunday was the only day their AA group didn’t meet, because Nina went to the mainland to see her grandchildren. Group members were encouraged to reach out to each other if needed. It was nice to have a full day free from any commitments. Mallory knew those days would be few and far between once she started working for Mason and the summer season kicked into high gear on the island.

  Her efforts were rewarded ten minutes later when she saw Quinn coming from the opposite direction. She noticed the slight limp and marveled that he could run as well and as fast as he did with a prosthesis.

  He slowed to a stop, a smile unfolding across his face.

  Mallory had to remind herself to breathe. She’d been attracted to good-looking men before. Hell, she’d been married to one, but never before had the sight of a man made her go stupid in the head like she did around Quinn.

  “Fancy meeting you all the way out here.”

  She knew she was required to say something, but she was still working on that breathing thing, so she nodded.

  “Winded?”

  “Little bit.”

  “Mind if I join you?”

  “I was just about to head back.”

  “That’s fine with me.”

  “Okay, then.”

  They set off toward town at a slower pace than they’d been keeping on their own.

  “Tell me the truth,” he said after a long silence. “Did you run out there hoping to see me?”

  “No,” she said, snorting with indignation.

  “That’s too bad, because I ran that way hoping to find you.”

  “Now I feel like an ass, because that’s exactly why I went that way.”

  Her comment was rewarded with a true, genuine laugh that made every part of her tingle with awareness of him.

  “I knew it,” he said.

  “Don’t get too full of yourself.”

  “Too late for that.”

  Mallory loved that he admitted to looking for her, that he’d hoped to see her again, and that he’d laughed, something she already knew he didn’t do very often.

  “What’re you up to today?” he asked.

  “Nothing much until later. We’re having a welcome-home party for Evan and Grace.”

  “That sounds fun.”

  “After being here for six weeks last summer, I already know there’s always something going on in my family. It keeps things interesting, that’s for sure.”

  “What were you doing here last summer?”

  “I took some vacation time to assist in caring for a terminally ill island resident. Shane’s fiancée, Katie, was involved, and when she told me about the young single mom with lung cancer, I knew I had to help if I could. Plus, it gave me a chance to get to know my new family a little better.”

  “Wow, that’s so nice of you to put your own life on hold for someone you didn’t even know.”

  “I came to know her quite well. I was awed by her courage. We all were.”

  “What happened to her kids?”

  “They’ve been taken in by Seamus and Carolina O’Grady. Carolina is my brother-in-law Joe’s mom, and her husband, Seamus, helps Joe run the ferry company.”

  “And they’re doing okay?”

  “From what I’ve heard, they’re all adjusting. The boys are really young, so there’s a blessing in that, but it’s sad that they won’t remember much about their mom.”

  “That’s so sad.”

  “It is, but kids are resilient, and they’ve got great champions in Seamus and Carolina. They’ll be okay. Eventually.”

  They ran in companionable silence for a while, the steady rhythm of their feet on the pavement the only sound other than seagulls squawking overhead.

  “How do you feel about sailing?” Quinn asked as they got closer to town.

  “In general or as something I might want to do?”

  “Both.”

  “In general, it looks like fun, but I’ve never actually done it.”

  He stopped running so suddenly, they nearly collided. “You’ve never sailed? As in never?”

  “As in never.”

  “Well, that won’t do. We need to fix that. I’m taking you sailing. Today.” He glanced at her. “Unless you have other plans.”

  “I don’t have other plans until later.”

  “So we’ll go sailing, then?”

  “We’ll go sailing.”

  “Excellent,” he said with one of his rare full smiles that were becoming less rare the more time they spent together.

  “What can I bring?”

  “Just a sweatshirt. It can get chilly out there this time of year. Leave everything else to me.”

  “Where’re we getting the boat for this excursion?”

  “I live on my boat.”

  This time, Mallory stopped short. “You live on a boat?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Where is it?”

  “On a mooring in the Salt Pond.”

  “What did you do in the winter?”

  “Stayed in a suite at the Chesterfield that my brother and Lizzie made available to me. That was nice, but I like the boat better.”

  With each new discovery, Mallory’s perception of him evolved. War veteran, trauma surgeon, amputee, middle child, dog owner, boa
t dweller, sexy devil. The combination of all these qualities made for an interesting man to spend time with.

  They took the final turn before Mallory’s house and jogged up to the gate in the white picket fence that surrounded the small yard. Janey had told her she put in the fence to protect her menagerie of special-needs pets.

  “Do you mind if I bring Brutus?”

  “Doesn’t he live with you?”

  “Yeah, but I can take him to Jared’s for the day if overly enthusiastic puppies who don’t realize they’re too heavy to sit in your lap at fifty pounds aren’t your thing.”

  Mallory laughed at his description of the dog. “He sounds charming.”

  “I think he is, but I kind of have to. I’m under no illusions that everyone will find my baby charming.”

  That he referred to Brutus as his “baby” was swoon-worthy and made him even more attractive than he already was to her. “I’m looking forward to meeting him, and I’m fine with having him on the boat.”

  “Great,” he said. “I’ll pick you up in an hour.” He turned and jogged off toward the Salt Pond he called home.

  Mallory rushed through a shower, shaved her legs and dried her hair before putting it up in a ponytail. She debated shorts or jeans, settling on the jeans and throwing a pair of shorts in her bag in case it was too warm for the jeans later. Wanting to contribute something to their day, she packed up a bunch of grapes along with sliced cheddar and crackers.

  With ten minutes until Quinn was due to arrive, she went back to her room for a sweatshirt, sunscreen and a Red Sox ball cap to protect her face from the sun.

  Then she began to feel insecure about bringing too much stuff.

  “Stop,” she told herself. “You’re only taking things you might need, and he won’t care.” Her gaze landed on the photo of her and Ryan from the wedding. She picked up the frame and took a good look at the man who’d been her husband. The more time that passed, the harder it was to remember the little details that had made up their life together. Like the sound of his voice, for example. About five years ago, she realized she couldn’t remember what he sounded like and had only their wedding video to refresh her memory. That had scared the hell out of her. How could she forget such an important thing?