Laugh Like You've Never Cried (Summer Lake 5)

by McCoy, SJ

  Mrs. Slater was laughing now. “Go on. Out with you. Stop disturbing my library. You're no better than you were twenty five-years ago!”

  Megan caught hold of Ethan's hand and of Michael's and they made their way outside. His mom caught up with them in the parking lot.

  “Can I borrow Ethan for a while?” She winked at him. “We've got something secret to work on.”

  She certainly knew how to work him. He grinned. “Yeah, is it okay if I go with Grandma?”

  Megan smiled as Michael rubbed his chin, pretending to think about it.

  “Please, Dad?” Grandma makes the best secrets. “You can have Meggie to yourself for a while till I get back.”

  Michael grinned. “Well, in that case. Okay then.” When they'd gone. Michael turned to her. “What do you reckon, Meggie. Is it time to go home?”

  She smiled. “What are we going to do when we get there, Doctor Morgan?”

  He waggled his eyebrows. “I thought maybe we could practice making babies?”

  She laughed. “I'd like that. I would like that a lot.”

  “Will, Meggie. Not would.”

  ***

  Michael smiled around at everyone. It had been a great evening. If a short one. Both he and Megan had wanted to share their news, but after arranging to meet everyone at seven they hadn't made it out till almost eight. They'd been practicing baby making. He was looking forward to the day they could start trying for real, but hell practicing was wonderful. Not only was she sweet and caring and great with his son, she was hotter than hell and amazing in bed too. She was everything. Everything he'd ever dreamed of and everything he hadn't known he'd wanted until the day he met her. And she was all his. That surge of possessiveness rushed through him and he tightened his arm around her shoulders.

  Laura was examining Meggie's ring. “This is exquisite. I'll let you off for not coming me, if you tell me where on earth you found it?”

  Michael smiled at her. “It's a family heirloom. My mom had always said I could have it when I got married. Kay heard the story about it and she wanted it. When we got engaged, Mom said she couldn't find it any more.” He smiled down at Meggie. “It was only after we divorced that Mom admitted she just didn't want Kay to have it.”

  He hadn't known whether he should mention Kay at all. The look on Meggie's face made him glad he had. She was thrilled. He knew how much she wanted to belong, to be part of a family. He smiled at her. She fit right in with his family and he was looking forward to getting started on adding to their own family. At least practicing some more tonight.

  Ben laughed at him. “You look like you're ready to head off home again.”

  He grinned. “I am. Aren't we, Meggie?”

  She laughed. “I believe so, Doctor Morgan.”

  “Well, make sure you have huge fun,” said Missy with a laugh. That had Meggie blushing and the other girls smirking at him for some reason.

  “No worries, there ladies.” That had them all laughing. He shrugged as Meggie grinned up at him.

  “I'd quit while you're ahead,” said Pete with a smile. “You know what these girls are like once they start.”

  Michael nodded. For once he didn't want to stick around and keep the fun going. He wanted to go get his boy, go get Ollie, and go home to make a start on their new life.

  Meggie stood up first. “Thanks so much for coming everyone, but we need to go and collect Ethan before it gets too late.”

  There were hugs and slaps on the back as they left. Michael was so glad he'd come back to the lake. These people were real friends, they had been all his life. Now they were Meggie's friends too. Ethan had Scot. Meggie had the girls. He had a feeling that he and Jack would soon be facing the challenges of new fatherhood together—and Pete wouldn't be far behind. He smiled. Life didn't get any better than this.

  ***

  Megan sat up in bed, startled by the thunder. Lightning streaked across the sky, briefly highlighting Michael's face as he slept on by her side. She placed a little kiss on his forehead. She loved him so much, he made her so happy.

  She slid out of bed and padded down the hallway to Ethan's room. She could hear Ollie whining and Ethan murmuring. She knocked softly and peeked her head around the door.

  Ethan looked up at her with big, round, scared eyes. “We're okay. I think Ollie's a bit scared though.”

  She smiled and went in to join them. She climbed onto the bed and put her arms around them both. “He does get scared of thunderstorms.”

  “Why?”

  “I don't know. I don't what happened to him before I found him, but my guess is that something scared him badly while there was a thunderstorm going on.”

  Ethan nodded. “That's what happened to me.”

  She looked at him. Not knowing whether she should ask what he meant.

  He snuggled against her and Ollie licked his cheek, making him smile. “I don't want to talk about it because to talk about it you have to remember it. You know?”

  Megan nodded. “I do know, Ethan. I have things I don't want to remember.”

  “Are they things that make you cry?”

  She shook her head. “Not any more, but sometimes I get scared of things that aren't really scary.”

  “Like me with thunderstorms?”

  She smiled at him. “Yes.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face against her. “Tomorrow we'll laugh again Meggie. That's what Dad always says when I get sad in the night. We can cry when we need to, but when it's time to laugh again we'll laugh.”

  “Laugh like you've never cried.”

  She looked up to see Michael standing in the doorway. He had tears in his eyes as he came over and joined them on the bed. He wrapped them both in his arms and Ollie piled on top, licking any face he could get to.

  Meggie nestled against Michael, loving him and their two boys with all her heart.

  He planted a kiss on top of Ethan's head and then another on her lips. “I think we've all done our fair share of crying. It's time to get this family laughing.”

  She reached up and kissed his lips. He was such wonderful man. “I think you're right.”

  The mischief was shining in his eyes. “I know I'm right, little one! Aren't I monkey?”

  Ethan nodded with a big grin on his face....and they both started to tickle her.

  The End

  A note from SJ

  I hope you enjoyed Michael and Meggie's story and visiting Summer Lake and its residents. If you did, please consider letting your friends know about the book if you feel they might like it, too. If you'd like to leave me a review, I'd very much appreciate it :0)

  If this is the first Summer Lake book you've read, be sure to check out:

  Emma and Jack in Love Like You've Never Been Hurt

  Holly and Pete in Work Like You Don't Need the Money

  Missy and Dan in Dance Like Nobody's Watching

  Smoke and Laura in Fly Like You've Never Been Grounded

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  I hope our paths will cross again soon. Until then, take care, and thanks for your support—you are the reason I write!

  Love

  SJ

  About the Author

  Hi, I'm SJ, a coffee addict, lover of chocolate and drinker of good red wines. I'm a lost soul and a hopeless romantic. Reading and writing are necessary parts of who I am. Though perhaps not as necessary as coffee! I can drink coffee without writing, but I can't write without coffee.

  I grew up lov
ing romance novels, my first boyfriends were book boyfriends, but life intervened, as it tends to do, and I wandered down the paths of non fiction for many years. My life changed completely a couple of years ago and I returned to Romance to find my escape.

  I write 'Sweet N Steamy' stories because to me there is enough angst and darkness in real life. My favorite romances are happy escapes with a focus on fun, friendships and happily-ever-afters, just like the ones I write.

  These days I live in beautiful Montana, the last best place. If I'm not reading or writing you'll find me just down the road in the park - Yellowstone. I have deer, eagles and the occasional bear for company, and I like it that way :0)

  Read more at SJ McCoy’s site.