Blackout After Dark: Gansett Island Series, Book 23

by Marie Force

  “When I’m not with you, I’m counting the minutes until I can see you again. When I’m with you, there’s nothing else I want or need. And you know how much it means to me to be your shell, to protect you from anything that can ever hurt you. I was hoping that maybe you might, you know, agree to marry me.”

  He held up the square-cut diamond ring he’d chosen with Blaine and Tiffany’s input and held his breath waiting to hear what she would say.

  Tears spilled down her cheeks as she stared at the ring for the longest time before shifting her gaze to his face.

  “If you don’t like it, we can get—”

  She kissed him. “I love it. I love you, and yes to marrying you. One thousand percent yes.”

  “That’s a whole lot of yes,” he said, weak with relief.

  She smoothed the wet hair back from his forehead. “You weren’t really worried about what I’d say, were you?”

  “Not that so much as getting the ring right. I was a bit obsessed with that, actually. Tiffany assured me you’d love it.”

  “She was right. I do. But I loved what you said even more than I love the ring. That’s the stuff that really matters to me. You know that.”

  “I do know, and I promise to always keep you safe, my sweet Julia, and to do my very best to make you happy every day.”

  “You couldn’t offer me anything that would mean more to me than that, but you could put that sparkly ring on my finger any time now.” She held up her hand and waggled her fingers.

  Smiling, Deacon took it out of the box, slid it on her left hand and then sat back to admire the way it looked on her. “Perfection.”

  “Just like us.”

  He hugged her tightly. “Just like us.”

  Chapter 32

  After talking it over with Dara, Oliver decided to accept Big Mac’s invitation to join him and the other guys for an afternoon of fishing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed anything more than those hours on the water with his new friends. The guys were fun, funny and obviously close to each other.

  Big Mac’s son Evan texted while they were out to let his dad know that he and his wife, Grace, were back on the island. Watching the older man’s joy at hearing his son was back in town tugged at the grief that had become such a big part of who Oliver was after losing his son. It made him ache for things that would never be.

  “Aw, shit,” Big Mac said. “I’m sorry, Oliver. I shouldn’t have gone on about my son that way.”

  “Oh, please,” Oliver said. “Don’t do that. You’re rightfully excited to see your son.”

  “Still… I could’ve been less over the top about it.”

  “Yer over the top ’bout everythin’,” Ned said dryly, breaking the tension by making everyone laugh.

  “I don’t want you guys to worry about what you say in front of me. I’ve got to get back to some semblance of normalcy.”

  “You’re not on any timeline,” Frank said. “Took me years to take a deep breath after my wife died of cancer, leaving me as a single dad to my kids, who were seven and nine.”

  “I’m sorry you lost her.”

  “And I’m sorry you lost your son.”

  “Thanks. It’s been a bitch, to say the least. Since nothing else was helping, my wife and I are here looking for a fresh start.”

  “You’ve come to the right place,” Kevin said. “Gansett is great for resets.”

  “He oughta know,” Ned said. “Came here fresh off a split with his wife o’ thirty years and ended up remarried with a new baby girl.”

  “True story,” Kevin said with a grin. “And I couldn’t be happier. That’s not to compare my situation to yours. There’s no comparing. I just mean that being in this beautiful place with these fools turned out to be just what I needed.”

  “I can see how that might be the case,” Oliver said.

  “You’re welcome with us any time, every day, whatever you want,” Frank said. “If you need a band of brothers, you’ve got one, my friend.”

  Moved nearly to tears by the kind words, Oliver could only nod.

  “And if you need someone to talk to about it all, Kev’s your guy,” Big Mac said. “He’s an outstanding therapist, and we’re lucky to have him practicing right here in our little neck of the woods.”

  “No pressure,” Kevin said. “If you need me, I’m here. Either way, we’ll be fishing and coffee buddies.”

  “That’s good to know on both counts,” Oliver said. “My wife and I… It’s been a struggle to get through the days since we lost Lewis.”

  “I can’t even imagine,” Kevin said. “My heart goes out to you both.”

  “Anyway,” Oliver said, “I didn’t mean to bring down the mood.”

  “You didn’t,” Big Mac said. “Don’t worry about us. We’re here for you in any way that you need while you’re part of our community and even after you’ve moved on. Unfortunately for you, my friend, once you’re stuck with us, you’re stuck with us forever.”

  “I can attest ta that,” Ned said. “They stick like glue.”

  “You like being stuck with us,” Big Mac said to his best pal.

  “Yer right about that.”

  “Actually, that’s rather comforting,” Oliver said. “We’ve been surrounded by well-intentioned people who want to help but only make things harder for us by adding their grief to ours. It’s a relief to make some new friends.”

  “We’ll see if yer still saying that in a few weeks,” Ned joked.

  Oliver smiled. He’d done a lot of that since he’d joined them for coffee that morning. “I’m sure I will be.”

  Linda talked Dara into coming with her when she went to help out with Mac and Maddie’s kids so Mac could get some work done at the office. Everyone had been pitching in to help them since Maddie had been put on bed rest. Kelsey had been such a godsend, but Sundays were her day off. Francine took the morning shift on Sundays, and Linda relieved her after lunch.

  “How long have you all been doing this?” Dara asked as they rode the short distance to Mac’s house in Linda’s yellow VW Bug.

  “Since May,” Linda said.

  “That’s quite a commitment.”

  “With three kids six and under, they need the help.”

  “Wow, and now she’s having twins.”

  “The last three pregnancies weren’t exactly planned. That includes the child they lost. We were so happy to hear she was expecting again after that, and then the twin girls were a huge shock. She’s been telling my son for months that he’s getting the snip before he comes near her again.”

  Dara laughed, and the sound of her own laughter took her by surprise. It’d been a very long time since she’d laughed at anything. “That’s funny.”

  “She’s dead serious. Five kids is her limit.”

  “Can’t say I blame her. That’s a lot.”

  “It was a lot for us, but ours were spaced out a little more than theirs. It’s going to be a wild couple of years for them. We also heard that our son Adam and his wife, Abby, who’ve had fertility challenges, are expecting quads.”

  “Whoa. Did they do IVF?”

  “That’s the interesting part. They didn’t. They adopted a little boy last winter, and a few months later, boom, she’s pregnant. They just found out about the quads this week.”

  “What a shock.”

  “For sure, but they’re trying to see it as a miracle.”

  “No other way to see it. Your family sure is interesting.”

  “Aw, thanks. We love them. In other news, Mac’s daughter is getting married on Tuesday. Mallory and her husband-to-be are both turning forty-one that day and decided to celebrate by getting married.”

  “That’s cool. Mallory is Mac’s daughter?”

  “Right. He ended a brief relationship shortly before we met and found out almost forty years later that he’d fathered a child with her. Now that was a shock.”

  “Holy cow. What did he say? What did you say?”

  “My
husband has the biggest heart of anyone you’ve ever met. As soon as he met her, he put his arm around her and made her part of our family. I followed his lead, and not for nothing, Mallory made it easy. She’s a delightful, accomplished woman. She fits right in with us, as if she’s always been around. We see her as one more person to love.”

  “That’s an amazing story. You have two other sons, right?”

  “That’s right. Evan is a musician, and he’s married to Grace. They’ve just come back from touring with Buddy Longstreet.”

  “Seriously? The Buddy Longstreet?”

  “The one and only. Have you heard the song ‘My Amazing Grace’?”

  “Evan McCarthy. He’s your son?”

  “Sure is. And Grant McCarthy, who wrote the movie Song of Solomon is our son as well.”

  “No way. I loved that movie. It’s one of my all-time favorites.”

  “Mine, too. He and his wife, Stephanie, are expecting a baby, and so are Evan and Grace. Evan surprised Grace with a new home on the island, and we’re all going there tomorrow night for a party for Mallory and Quinn, but also so we can see the new place.”

  “I really love your family.”

  “We do, too.” Linda glanced over at her. “Mac and I started with the ultimate heartache and then went on to have five wonderful children, plus the bonus of Mallory much later. I’ve always been thankful we were able to push through our grief to discover that we had a lot of living and loving left to do. The children we had after we lost our first helped to soothe our broken hearts.”

  “It’s good to know that can happen. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever feel happiness or joy again.”

  “You will.”

  “Maybe,” Dara said. “It’s so hard to find joy in anything anymore.”

  “Perhaps you need to create your own joy.”

  “I hear what you’re saying, and you make very valid points.”

  “I don’t want to overstep.”

  “Please don’t worry about that. You and Mac have been a breath of fresh air for Oliver and me. He texted to tell me how much fun the fishing has been.”

  “Those guys always have fun. They’ll be good for him. And my girls and I will try to be good for you.”

  “So far, so good.”

  “That’s nice to hear. Come along and meet my lovely daughter-in-law and grandchildren.”

  Linda led the way up the stairs to the deck and let herself in through the sliding door. A boy and a girl came rushing toward her and wrapped themselves around her legs.

  “Thank God you’re here,” an older woman said.

  Dara assumed she was Maddie’s mother, Francine. She had red hair and greenish eyes that twinkled as she looked down at the baby she was holding.

  “Rough morning at the ranch?” Linda asked.

  “Busy morning. And Maddie’s not feeling well. She’s upstairs in bed.”

  “Do we need to call Vic?”

  “She says not to. She’s nauseated.”

  “Poor thing.” Linda bent to kiss the little boy and picked up his sister. “This is my new friend, Dara. Dara, meet my partner in crime, Francine, my grandsons, Thomas and Mac the Third, and this little princess is our Hailey.”

  “So nice to meet you all,” Dara said.

  “What’s for lunch, Grammy?” Thomas asked as he ran off to play with his trucks without waiting for an answer.

  “Francine, you’re off duty. Dara and I are on the job.”

  “Praise the Lord. These little people have run me ragged this morning.”

  “What’re we gonna do when there’re two more of them?” Linda asked, kissing Hailey’s neck until she giggled.

  “We’re going to need to hire some additional grandmothers,” Francine said in her typical blunt style. She went upstairs to check on Maddie and came back downstairs to report that she was asleep. After kissing her grandchildren, Francine told Linda she’d check in with her tomorrow to see what was needed and then headed out the slider to the deck.

  Linda put Hailey down and got busy making lunch for the kids, which she served on paper plates at the kitchen table just as Mac began crying for his bottle.

  “I can do it,” Dara said after Linda had changed his diaper.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  Dara took the baby and settled into a chair.

  He looked up at her with inquisitive blue eyes. From the photos she’d seen at Linda and Mac’s, he looked just like his father.

  Linda brought her the bottle. “If it’s too much for you, please just say so.”

  “I’m okay, but thank you.”

  “No, thank you. This granny only has two hands.”

  “I’m happy to help.” A million memories overwhelmed her as she fed the baby. How many times had she done this with her own son? He’d stubbornly refused to breastfeed, having had a mind of his own from the very beginning.

  While Linda colored with the other kids at the table, Dara tended to the baby, entertaining him until he began to rub his eyes and whimper, signs she recognized as a baby who needed a nap.

  “I’ll take him up,” Linda said, “and check on Maddie. Will you keep an eye on the monkeys?”

  “Sure thing.” Dara sat with Thomas and Hailey at the table and got to work on the picture Linda had been working on.

  “What’s your favorite color?” Thomas asked.

  “Orange. How about you?”

  “I like orange, too. Hailey likes black. She colors everything black. Who does that?”

  Sure enough, Hailey was going to town on a picture of a flower with a black crayon. Her concentration level was admirable.

  “Everyone likes different things,” Dara told him. His inquisitiveness reminded her of Lewis, whom they had called the question factory. The memory made her smile rather than cry, which was a welcome relief, since she couldn’t allow herself to break down in front of these precious children. “Are you excited about your baby sisters?”

  “Ugh, no,” Thomas said, wrinkling his cute little sunburned nose. “One sister is more than enough.”

  Hailey stuck out her tongue at him.

  “See what I mean?”

  “I see, but at least you’ll have Mac.”

  “He’s just a baby. He can’t do nothing.”

  “That’s temporary. You’ll be chasing him around in no time.”

  “But there will still be three of them and two of us. Mommy says no more babies.”

  Dara had to force herself not to crack up laughing.

  “Daddy says it’s my job as the big brother to take care of them all.”

  “He’s right about that.”

  “Do you have babies?”

  Dara held back a gasp at the shot to the heart. “No, I don’t.” There was no way she could explain Lewis or what’d happened to him to this child, so she didn’t try.

  “You’d be a nice mommy.”

  “You think so?”

  He smiled and nodded.

  “That’s nice of you to say.”

  “When can we watch TV again?” Thomas asked, bored with the coloring.

  “As soon as the electricity comes back on.”

  “It’s lame without TV.”

  “Sure is.”

  Linda came back downstairs. “Thomas, are you talking Dara’s ear off?”

  “How can I talk her ear off? Ears don’t come off.”

  “He’s in a literal stage,” Linda said to Dara. “It’s an expression, sweetheart. A figure of speech.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means it’s something people say, but it can’t really happen,” Dara said. “When your Grammy asks if you’re talking my ears off, she means are you talking a lot.”

  “He talks a lot,” Hailey said.

  “Be quiet,” Thomas said.

  “You be quiet.”

  “None of that,” Linda said, “or we’ll all have quiet time in our rooms.”

  Thomas shot Hailey a foul look, full of
sibling disgust.

  “Business as usual around here,” Linda said. “Feel free to take my car if you want to escape. I wouldn’t blame you.”

  “Nah, I’m fine. It’s good to have something fun to do. Maybe you guys can come over to play at my lighthouse sometime.”

  “You have your own lighthouse?” Thomas asked, eyes gone wide.

  “For the next year, it seems I do.”

  “That’s awesome. Can we go, Grammy?”

  “We’d love to do that,” Linda said to Dara.

  “Great, it’s a plan, then.” It was nice to have something to look forward to, Dara thought, thankful to her new friend for taking her in and giving her hope.

  So far, Gansett was proving to be good for her shattered soul.

  Chapter 33

  On Monday evening, the entire clan gathered at Evan and Grace’s new home for a combined bachelor and bachelorette party for Mallory and Quinn. After another day without power, everyone was starting to get cranky, but they put their best foot forward for the bride and groom.

  Mallory appreciated that her family went all out for her, despite the blackout, and she was eager to see Evan and Grace’s new home.

  “Holy shit,” Quinn said when they pulled up to the huge house with the three-car garage, gorgeous landscaping and a to-die-for view of the ocean. “I need to get busy writing and recording music.”

  Mallory laughed. Things had been so hectic at the senior center as they grappled with the blackout that he hadn’t seen his younger brother Cooper, who’d arrived a couple of days ago. “Aren’t you busy enough, Dr. James?”

  “I’m plenty busy, but I’m doing something wrong if this is the house your brother bought with music money.”

  “You’re doing everything right, and we can buy ourselves a nice house when we’re ready.”

  “We can’t afford this.”

  “We don’t need this.”

  He looked her way. “I do have the money Jared gave me when he first struck it rich. I’ve never touched it because it felt kinda weird to take money from my little brother, but he wanted to share his largess with us. So we have that if we want something really fabulous.”