by Marie Force
“Courtney, right?” She hadn’t met Courtney because Shane’s marriage had been over before she and Mac got together.
Mac nodded. “Today we heard she died, possibly of an overdose.”
“Oh God, Mac…” She began to cry again. “Is Shane okay?”
“I talked to him a little while ago, and I checked with Laura, too. Katie is with him, and he’s coping as well as can be expected.”
“And here I am sobbing over another baby when you’d think I’d learned my lesson after we lost Connor. I said I would never overreact to being pregnant again after that. You see why I’m not liking myself very much lately?”
Mac leaned in to kiss her. “It’s a good thing I like you enough for both of us. I wanted to tell you about Courtney to remind us both that we need to count our blessings, all the time, even when we’re overwhelmed. As long as we have each other, there’s nothing we can’t handle, even four kids.”
“You make me believe that.”
“You can believe it. We’ll get some help, so you don’t have to do it all yourself during the day when I’m at work.”
“I hate to say I might need that.”
“I’ll get you whatever you need, and we’ll continue to count our blessings, because we are so very, very lucky.”
“I know that. I honestly do. I don’t want you to think I’m not grateful.”
“I know you are, babe. Anyone would be overwhelmed by this news.”
“Let’s not tell anyone for a while, okay? By the time they find out, it won’t be like we literally got pregnant one second after Mac was born.”
“You got it,” Mac said, laughing as he gathered her into his embrace. “Whatever you want.”
“I’m never having sex with you and your super sperm again.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Never again.”
“You know how much I love a good challenge.” Cupping her cheek, he said, “Kiss me.”
“No, that’s probably enough to get me pregnant again.”
“The good news is that can’t happen for the next eight months or so. We can have all the fun we want in the meantime.”
“After that, no more.”
“Kiss me.”
“Mac…”
“Hmm?” He was busy kissing her neck and working his way to her lips.
“Do you promise you’ll love me even if I never again look the way I did when we met?”
He raised his head and looked down to find her caramel eyes gazing up at him with wild vulnerability. “I promise I will love you no matter what. I like you better with some curves. You were too thin when we met, too worried about everything and not properly taking care of yourself because you were too busy caring for Thomas. I love every inch of you. I love every curve, every valley, every hollow and every bit of smooth, silky skin. There will never come a time when I don’t love you or want to make love to you more than I want anything else in my entire life.”
Maddie sighed and wrapped her arms around him as he settled on top of her. “I’m sorry to be this way. It’s the old insecurities coming back to haunt me.”
“You can be insecure any time you need to be, and I’ll be happy to put your mind at ease.”
“Even after all this time, sometimes I still can’t believe…”
His lips skimmed over hers in the lightest possible caress. “What can’t you believe?”
“That you picked me.”
“You crashed into me. You didn’t give me much choice.”
She smiled at his familiar reply, as he’d hoped she would. “You crashed into me.”
“Semantics,” he said, pushing her nightgown up and pressing his cock against the heat between her legs. They had the who-crashed-into-whom “argument” frequently, and it never got old to think about the day they met. “And if you’ll recall, I loved you when you were bruised and bloody and scabby.”
“Yes, you did.” She ran her fingers through his hair, making him tremble with need.
“I’ve loved you and wanted you and needed you every day since. I always will, Madeline. No matter what.” He pushed into her, desperate to show her how much he loved her in every way he possibly could. Though he understood where the insecurities came from, it pained him to know she still suffered from them. If he could, he would use the power of his love for her to wipe away everything that had ever hurt her and replace those memories with the joy she had brought to his life.
She clung to him and met his every deep thrust with a welcoming lift of her hips.
“I can still remember every detail of our first week together,” he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear and making her shiver. “Right down to the bar that poked me in the back on that awful pull-out sofa bed. I remember feeding orange sweet potatoes to Thomas and our first kiss when you were dreaming and the first time we made love and how I had to get Janey to buy us more condoms.”
Maddie laughed and then gasped when he drove into her again.
“That was the best week of my entire life, and every week since then has been even better. And it’s all because of you.”
“I love you, Mac. So much. I never want you to think—”
He kissed her with deep, coaxing strokes of his tongue. “I know exactly why this happens every now and then. I get it, babe. Any time you need to be reminded of how I feel about you, you just let me know. I’m always happy to tell you.”
With her hands on his face, she compelled him to meet her gaze. “I remember everything about that week, too. From the first second you forced your way into my life to the way you took care of me and Thomas and covered my shifts at the hotel and made me feel safe for the first time in my life.”
Her words took his desire for her from slow burn to open flame. He reached down to where they were joined to caress her until she exploded, her inner muscles clamping down on his cock, taking him with her until they were gasping and clinging to each other in the aftermath.
“So much for keeping my distance from you and your super sperm,” she said dryly.
“Don’t do that. Don’t ever do that.”
“As if I could.”
“Today was a huge shock to both of us, but it’s going to be okay. Tell me you know that.”
“I do know it. Thank you for always doing what you do to talk me off the cliff.”
“I need you right here with me, not out on a cliff worrying yourself sick.”
“Love you, Mac.”
“Love you more, Madeline. Close your eyes and get some sleep. I’m right here, and I’m never letting go.”
Chapter 12
Riley introduced Nikki to most of his family. Everyone was there except for Mac, Maddie, Grant, Stephanie, Shane and Katie and Evan and Grace, the latter two traveling on tour in Europe with Buddy Longstreet as Evan’s musical career continued to exceed his wildest expectations.
“Your cousin is touring with Buddy Longstreet?” Nikki asked, incredulous.
“Yep,” Riley said. “He’s been pursuing the dream for years, and when his song ‘My Amazing Grace’ topped the charts, Buddy asked him to tour.”
“Wait, that song… Evan McCarthy! I had no idea he was your cousin! I love that song.”
“When he’s home, we treat him like he’s no big deal so he won’t get too big for his britches,” Adam said.
“Truth,” Janey said. “He’s already unmanageable. Thank God for his wife, Grace. She keeps him in line.”
“And Grant is an Academy Award-winning screenwriter,” Riley said. “Did you see ‘Song of Solomon’ by any chance?”
Nikki stared at Riley. “No way.”
“Yes way. He’s working on a new film now that tells the story of his wife Stephanie’s efforts to get her stepfather out of prison,” Riley said.
“He was unjustly incarcerated,” Adam said. “She fought it for fourteen years.”
“Grant’s friend Dan Torrington got involved,” Janey said.
“The Dan Torrington?” Nikki asked. “Even
I’ve heard of him.”
“The one and only. Stephanie’s stepfather, Charlie, is out. He lives here on the island and is engaged to Owen and Katie’s mom, Sarah. They’re so happy together.”
“When will the movie be out?” Nikki asked. “I want to see it.”
“Another year or so,” Adam said. “It’s in production now.”
“What about you?” Abby asked. “Tell us your story.”
“My story is boring compared to everyone else’s,” Nikki said.
“There’s a lot to be said for boring,” Abby said.
Janey hooted with laughter. “Is she calling you boring, bro?” she asked Adam.
“Not at all,” Abby said with a pointed look for her sister-in-law. “Nothing about him is boring. In fact—”
Janey held up a hand to stop her. “Say no more.”
Nikki laughed at their antics. “I got what you meant. Believe me, I appreciate boredom after suffering through the insanity of the last few months with my sister.”
“Is she really back with him?” Abby asked with a kind but pained smile.
“Sad to say she is,” Nikki said. “And no, I don’t get it either. On the list of deal breakers, you’d think publishing a sex tape of your wife without her knowledge or consent would be right at the top, but apparently not for her.”
Riley took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze.
“That must’ve been difficult for you,” Janey said.
“It was awful—and it was my deal breaker. I quit my job as her assistant and got the hell out of there. As much as I love her, I just couldn’t do it anymore.”
“She’ll wise up,” Janey said, perching on the arm of the love seat Nikki shared with Riley. “Eventually.”
“I don’t know,” Nikki said, the old anxiety resurfacing when she allowed her thoughts to stray in her sister’s direction. “He has this weird hold on her that I don’t understand.”
“Things like that tend to burn out sooner rather than later,” Adam said.
“Usually,” Nikki said. “But this has been a couple of years of madness. I thought it was over when he released the tape. I realized she’d never stopped communicating with him, so I wasn’t entirely surprised when she went back to him, but it was devastating nonetheless.”
“I’m really sorry,” Janey said. “It’s hard to watch people you love make bad decisions.”
“It really is. My grandmother has always said that the only thing we control is ourselves and our own actions, so I got myself the heck out of there. I’ve spent enough time managing her life. It’s time to focus on my own for a change.”
“Good for you,” Abby said. “What do you think you want to do?”
“I have no idea! I’m hoping to figure that out while I’m here.”
“She’s going to oversee some renovations to her grandmother’s home, for one thing,” Riley said.
“Oh, that’s cool!” Abby said. “You should talk to Syd. She’s got a decorating business on the island. They would’ve been here, but their baby Lily conked out early.” Abby snapped her fingers. “And Lizzie James. They just did an amazing renovation of the kitchen and living spaces at the Chesterfield. They operate it as a wedding venue, but the renovations are beautiful. She gave us a tour the other day.”
“I’d love to see it,” Nikki said.
“Give me your number, and I’ll set something up,” Abby replied.
“Stick with us,” Janey said, squeezing Nikki’s shoulder. “We’ll help you figure it out.”
Sitting among Riley’s cousins and their significant others, Nikki believed these strong, dynamic people could take over the world if they set their minds to it.
The party broke up a short time later. On the way out, Riley told Finn about the call from their old boss in Connecticut.
“What’d he want?” Finn asked.
“Us. Back to work.”
Finn winced. “Not the best timing with the Wayfarer and everything.”
“That’s what I told him. I have a feeling if we don’t go back now, we aren’t going to be welcome back later.”
His words struck a note of panic in Nikki. Not that she had any standing in his life after a few nights together and a couple of heated kisses, but the last thing she wanted to hear was that he was leaving any time soon.
“How’d you leave it with him?” Finn asked.
“That I’d talk to you and get back to him.”
Finn ran his fingers through his hair, something Riley did, too, when he was thinking. “I suppose we can at least take the weekend.”
“I guess so.”
“Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.”
After thanking Janey and Joe for having them, Riley and Nikki followed Finn into the frigid night.
As Riley drove them back to Eastward Look, Nikki’s anxiety began to kick in. She’d loved kissing him earlier, had thought about it throughout the evening they’d spent with his fun and funny family, but now she wondered what would happen when they were alone again.
He reached over and took her hand, linking his fingers with hers. “Are you okay?”
“Uh-huh,” she said, although his question made her wonder if she was putting out anxiety vibes that he was picking up. “I liked your family.”
“They liked you, too. That was somewhat of a skeleton crew. You should see what it’s like when everyone is here in the summer. It’s utter madness.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It is.”
“You seem to really like being around your family.”
“I do. I always have. And now we’re into this business together at the Wayfarer, which is cool. Everyone contributed whatever they could, so we all have a stake.”
“That’s really cool. You’re lucky to have such an amazing family.”
“And I know it. Believe me. My dad and his brothers have always been exceptionally close, which meant all the cousins were, too. It was a nice way to grow up.”
“Sounds like it.”
“Finn and I are the youngest. They called us ‘The Babies’ until we were in high school, or at least that’s how it seemed, and we begged them to stop.”
“That’s funny.”
“Wasn’t funny at the time, but it is now.”
“What’re you going to do about the ex-boss in Connecticut?”
“I don’t know,” he said, sounding torn. “He’s such a good guy. He gave me my first real job right out of college, and when Finn graduated the following year, he hired him, too. He taught me so much and was always so fair. Finn and I have a ton of respect for him.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to upend your current life for him, does it?”
“No, but he sounded pretty desperate.” Riley took the right-hand turn into the driveway that led to Eastward Look and brought the truck to a stop.
“You want to come in?”
“Only if you want me to.”
“I want you to.”
“Okay, then.” He released her hand and shut off the truck, plunging them into darkness.
Nikki got out of the truck and hustled through the freezing air to get into the warm house. “I want hot chocolate with a shot of Baileys. Any interest?”
“I’ll have the hot chocolate, but hold the Baileys. I’ve got to drive.”
“Coming right up.”
* * *
As he followed Nikki into the kitchen, Riley sensed her nervousness, which was confirmed as he watched her go through the steps of making their drinks. Her hands had the slightest tremor, and she could barely look at him.
Two steps forward, one step backward… That was how it seemed to him anyway, which, in light of what she’d shared earlier, was more than understandable. He didn’t want to do anything to make her uncomfortable or, God forbid, frightened. Riley wanted more of her sweet, sexy kisses, but only if she wanted more, too.
One thing he knew for certain, he’d never met any woman who interested him th
e way Nikki did, with her intriguing mix of loyalty, vulnerability, anxiousness, sexiness, charm and humor. She was easy to talk to and to be with and flat-out fucking beautiful, and the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted her.
“Hey, Nik.” He’d said the nickname before he consciously decided to call her that, but he liked the way it felt as he said it.
She looked up from the pot she was stirring on an old gas stove. “Yeah?”
“Has there been anyone else?” He hoped she knew what he meant.
Shaking her head, she said, “I’ve tried. A couple of times. But I couldn’t go through with it.”
His heart ached for her.
“Don’t pity me. I don’t need that.”
“I don’t pity you, but I’m very sorry it happened to you.”
“So am I.” She glanced at him, and he saw the vulnerability she tried so hard to keep hidden. “I wish it wasn’t an issue for me, but it always is.”
“It’s part of what made you who you are, and I happen to like who you are. A lot.”
“I told you I’m kind of a mess, Riley,” she said softly. “I quit my job, I’m somewhat homeless, I have no idea where I’m headed or which end is up. I’m scared of sex, I have awful anxiety, and…”
He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pushing her hair out of the way so he could kiss her neck. “Quit trying to scare me off. It’s not going to work.”
At first, she went tense, but then she relaxed against him, and he felt elated by the trust she had granted him by allowing him to hold her in such a familiar way.
“You might be leaving…”
“As long as you are here, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Your former boss—”
“Can kiss my ass. He’s got nothing on you.” Reaching around her to kill the flame under the pot, he turned her to face him. Tipping her chin up, he kissed her as gently as he possibly could. “This, with you… I want this.”
She rested her hands on his chest and looked up at him. “I want it, too. But you’re going to have to be patient with me. I’m no good at it.”
“I believe we’ve demonstrated that’s not true.”
