by Marie Force
“No problem. We’ll get you feeling much better soon. I’ll be back to check on you in a few minutes.”
“Shots and pelvic exams and IVs… Not what I expected today.”
Owen winced. “You got the full deal, huh?”
“They’re nothing if not thorough around here.”
“I’m glad you got checked out before we left and that you’re getting something for the nausea. I don’t know how much more of that I could’ve handled, so I can’t imagine how you must feel.”
“Life with me has been a real thrill ride, nothing but nonstop puking, breeding and breastfeeding.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said with a chuckle as he kissed her. “I couldn’t bear to see you go through that, and PS, life with you is indeed a thrill ride. Every single day.”
“Sure it is.”
“Are you for real right now? Do you have any idea how thrilling it is for me to be able to look at that gorgeous face every day? To know this incredibly strong and resilient woman loves me enough to go through this to give me not just one baby but three? It’s a thrill ride, all right. The best ride I’ve ever been on in my life.”
Once again, she blinked furiously but couldn’t stop the tears.
He laughed as he brushed them away and then kissed her, consumed as always by the sweet taste of her lips. “Do you want me to call your dad and Shane?”
“No need for them to worry when you’re here with me.”
“I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere without you. Evan’s here, too, along with some extremely interesting family news that you’ll want to hear. Want me to get him?”
“Um, yeah. And hurry up about it.”
Cheered by her saucy reply, Owen left her to go get Evan. As long as she was okay, he was, too.
Chapter 24
All day, as Janey took care of the baby and tended to a few chores around the house, she’d waited for him. During dinner with Joe, she’d expected to hear the doorbell followed by his booming voice calling her name. He would come. If she was certain of anything in her life, she knew he would come.
“You should call him,” Joe said quietly after they’d bathed P.J. and put him down for the night.
“I don’t have to.”
“You’re the one who left, Janey.”
“It doesn’t matter. He’ll come to me. I know he will.”
As she washed a few dishes, Joe put his arm around her. “I can do that. Why don’t you get off your feet?”
“I’m fine. It helps to keep busy.”
“You’re not fine. You don’t have to pretend with me.”
“What difference does it make if I admit I’m upset? Will that change anything? Will it make my dad less disappointed in me than he already is?”
“I’m sure he’s not disappointed. He’s probably worried, but never disappointed.”
“I acted like a twelve-year-old having a snit because her daddy gave someone else attention he should’ve been giving her.”
“You were shocked. He’s going to understand that. Don’t you think he’s shocked, too?”
A light tap on the door was followed by her dad’s loud whisper. “Princess?”
Janey choked up at the sound of the familiar nickname. He’d called her that all her life until she turned nineteen and begged him to come up with something else.
“Go ahead, honey,” Joe said as he kissed her forehead. “Go make things right with him.”
Janey nodded, dried her hands and went to the foyer, where her dad stood with unusual awkwardness, as if trying to gauge whether or not he was welcome here.
Her menagerie of special-needs dogs and cats surrounded her father, who gave each of them one of the treats he kept in his truck for them. Then Joe whistled and opened the back door, which had them scurrying toward the fenced-in yard.
Janey walked straight into her father’s outstretched arms, where the familiar scent of the aftershave he’d worn all her life nearly broke her. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I shouldn’t have left, and I should’ve called and… I’m sorry.”
“Shhh. No apologies necessary.”
“I acted like a jerk.”
“No, you didn’t. I sprang something extremely unexpected on you, and you weren’t prepared to deal with it in that moment. Doesn’t mean you never will be.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to share you with another daughter. That might be too much to ask of me.”
“Janey, sweetheart… There’ll never be another daughter for me like the daughter I’ve had for the last thirty years. Through no fault of Mallory’s or mine, I was never able to hold her as a baby or feed her or change her diapers or brush her hair into pigtails or take her to dance class or watch her grow up and graduate from high school and college and walk her down the aisle or see her become an incredible wife and mother. I’ll never get to do all of that with any other daughter but you.”
“You’re going to make me cry if you don’t stop it.”
“I’ll never stop it. You know how I am.”
Janey laughed even though a huge lump settled in her throat. “I acted badly today. I should’ve been more supportive of you.”
“Today’s a memory. You’ll have other opportunities to meet Mallory, and I know she’d love to meet you. Your brothers seemed to like her well enough. Truly, there’s nothing not to like about her. She’s a nice person.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else. She is your daughter, after all. Nice is in your DNA, but not mine, apparently.”
“That’s not true, Princess. You’re one of the nicest people I know. Who was bringing home injured squirrels to nurse them back to health from the time she was the tiniest little thing? Who rescued a motley brood of pets that no one else wanted because they weren’t perfect? Who’s been taking care of her older brothers all their lives without them even knowing she was doing it?”
Despite her best efforts to control her emotions, a tear rolled down her cheek. She swiped it away.
“Who was the first to welcome Maddie into our family when people who should’ve been much wiser than you were still wondering if she was worthy of Mac? Who gave up her dreams to allow the man she loved to follow his?”
Laughing, Janey held up her hands. “Waving the white flag. I’m no match for you.”
“I hope you see what I see when you look at yourself.”
“I’ve made this all about me, and I’m sorry for that, too.” She took him by the hand and led him to a sofa in the living room. “How about you? You must be reeling.”
“A little bit. It’s a shock for sure, but that’s life. Shit happens, and we have to play the hand we’re dealt. That’s all we can do. I’m already blessed beyond all measure by the family I have, and now, to think… There could be more. That’s how I’m choosing to look at it, and I hope maybe you can, too.”
“I’ll reach out to her. I’ll do that for you. I’d do anything for you.”
“I know, sweetheart, and I appreciate that.”
“So you forgive me?”
“Nothing to forgive.”
“What did you tell her about me?”
“That you have a new baby at home and couldn’t make it this morning.”
“Which was more than I deserved.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve had a lot going on. I don’t blame you for being overwhelmed by one more thing. So don’t blame yourself.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
“We’re good?”
“We’re always good. Now, where’s my grandson?”
“Sleeping like the angel he is.”
“Can I see him?”
“Sure you can. Come on.”
Taking his hand, she led him upstairs to the baby’s room. They tiptoed inside to look down upon the sleeping baby. His bum was in the air under the blanket.
Big Mac raised a hand, silently asking if he could touch him.
Janey nodde
d.
Big Mac ran his hand over the baby’s head and then smiled at her before they left the room. “That,” he said in a whisper that was too loud to count as a whisper, “right there, made my day.”
“He has that effect on people.”
“Thank you for him, Princess.” Her dad kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Absolutely.”
He went downstairs, and she heard him talking to Joe on the way out. Then Joe whistled for the dogs, who came in from the backyard and headed straight upstairs to their beds. Janey took the time to give each of them some attention as they went into the room they all shared.
Joe brought up the rear. “Everything all right?”
“It’s better now.”
“What’d your dad have to say?”
“All the right things. As always.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve got a sister, Joe.”
“So I’ve heard. What do you think of that?”
“I haven’t the first clue what to think of that. He said my brothers liked her. That counts for something.”
“Sure does. Maybe you will, too. Have you considered that possibility?”
“It’s beginning to occur to me.”
“How about you sleep on it and see how you feel tomorrow?”
She closed the small distance between them and put her arms around him. “Do I get to sleep just like this? With your arms around me?”
He hugged her tightly. “Every night for the rest of your life.”
The baby monitor crackled to life as P.J. let out a wail. “Duty calls.”
He kissed her. “I’ll get him and change him.”
“I’ll be waiting for you.” She took advantage of the opportunity to change into a nightgown and prepare the bassinette for the baby. They were slowly introducing the crib for naps, but he still slept close to them at night. For the first month, he’d had wicked day-night confusion that had him up all night and wanting to sleep all day.
Thank goodness that stage was over, and they were sleeping at least part of the night, even with at least one middle-of-the-night feeding. Joe was always willing to help with anything he could do. By the time he delivered the baby to her a few minutes later, P.J. had worked himself into a full-on rage that immediately subsided when she guided him to her breast.
“Mommy has magic boobies, buddy. I’ve been telling her that for years now.”
Janey laughed, which dislodged the baby from her nipple. “Don’t make me laugh. It makes him mad.”
Joe ran a finger over the baby’s cheek. “Imagine having a child out there in the world that you didn’t even know existed.”
“I can’t. My dad has to be so spun up inside over everything he missed.”
“Yet he still made time to come here and make things right with you.”
“That’s because he’s the best daddy ever.”
“And he always will be. That’s one thing you can count on in this world.”
“That’s not the only thing.” She nodded at him, asking him to come closer so she could kiss him.
“Oh no?”
“I can count on you, too, to keep me sane when I’m losing my mind over something ridiculous.”
“This wasn’t ridiculous.”
“In the grand scheme of things, it was pretty ridiculous. After everything that happened when P.J. was born, I prefer to focus on my many blessings rather than obsessing about things that don’t really matter.”
“That’s a nice goal, but you’re still human, Janey, and something like this is going to throw you no matter how badly you’d like to think otherwise.”
“I love you, Joseph. Thanks for always having my back.”
“I love you, too, Jane Elizabeth. And your back is my favorite back in the whole world.”
Wrapped in her husband’s arms with her baby at her breast, Janey was at peace.
A somber group gathered at the ferry landing the next morning for the trip to the mainland. Laura’s mind raced with all the details involved with leaving the hotel for a week or more. Shane had assured her she had nothing to worry about. Even though his construction season was short, he was taking a week off from the affordable-housing project to oversee the hotel in their absence. Stephanie and Abby would be helping, as would the eager group of young summer staffers.
Though she knew her brother was more than capable, Laura was still nervous about leaving the hotel in the midst of the busy summer season. However, she was determined to put those worries aside so she could focus exclusively on Owen, who seemed to be focused exclusively on her.
“How do you feel?”
“Fantastic,” she said truthfully. Though neither of them had slept well the night before, she’d woken for the first time in months without the nausea and with more energy than she’d had in ages. “I feel like a new woman.”
“I’m so glad.” He eyed the open water outside the breakwater with trepidation. “Looks a little choppy out there. I hope you don’t get sick.”
“I won’t,” she said with more conviction than she actually felt. She’d been a victim of seasickness on nearly every crossing to the island for as long as she could remember. But the sickness had always been worth the payoff of seeing her beloved aunt, uncle and cousins. “Maybe the stuff Victoria gave me works for seasickness, too.”
“Let’s hope so.”
“What’s this? I thought you found puking women attractive?”
“Only one puking woman is attractive to me, and I think she’s had enough with the puking for now.”
“Yes, she has.”
David arrived with Daisy, who had come to drop him off at the ferry. She approached Sarah and gave her a hug. “I’ll be hoping and praying for a successful outcome,” Daisy said.
“Thank you, honey,” Sarah said.
The two women had bonded over their unfortunate histories with violent men.
“I wish I could come to support you,” Daisy said. “But we’re so crazy busy at work right now.”
“Not to worry. I’ll be well taken care of with this group.”
Daisy hugged Sarah again and whispered something in her ear that made the older woman tear up as she nodded. Then Daisy hugged and kissed David and left them with a wave.
Frank handed ferry tickets to Laura and Owen, Sarah and Charlie, Blaine, David, Dan, Evan and Slim.
“Before we go,” Sarah said, “I just want to thank you all for putting your lives on hold to help us. It means a lot to me and to Owen that we have such amazing friends and family to rely on.”
Charlie put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. Seeing them together filled Laura with happiness for her future mother-in-law.
“We’re happy to do it, Sarah,” Blaine said. “I think I speak for all of us when I say we want the bastard thrown in jail.”
“You definitely speak for me,” Owen said.
“Who’s covering for you this week?” Laura asked David as they walked onto the boat behind Owen, who pushed Holden in the stroller.
“One of my former colleagues from Boston came out for the week. He sees it as a vacation. We’ll see what he says after a week at the clinic.”
Holden kept everyone entertained on the ferry, and the conversation flowed among the group as if they were going somewhere fun rather than to a trial for a man who’d beaten his wife and children.
“How you feeling, hon?” Owen asked as the ferry dipped and rolled.
“Remarkably fine. It’s so weird to not feel nauseated.”
“We probably should’ve done this a long time ago.”
“Probably,” she said with a sigh. “I just hate to take anything when I’m pregnant. You never know if you’ll have a bad reaction or, God forbid, the babies do.”
“So far, so good. I hope it continues to work. I’ve hated watching you suffer.”
“Right back atcha. How’re you doing?”
“Good. Better now that we’re on the way. The thinking about it has been brutal the last fe
w weeks. I just want to get it over with, and it feels like we’re doing that now.”
“What happens once we get there?”
“My mom and I have a meeting with the prosecutors at two o’clock today. Dan and your dad are going to come with us. It’s just procedural stuff, so no need for you to be there.”
“Your father won’t be there, will he?”
“No.” His tight-lipped expression told her a lot about how much he was dreading the inevitable confrontation with his father.
Curling her hands around his arm, she rested her head on his shoulder and watched his mother and Charlie play with Holden on the bench across from theirs. Holden laughed at everything Charlie did, which made Laura smile. He was going to be an incredible grandfather to their children.
“For what it’s worth,” Laura said, “I have a good feeling about all of this.”
“I’m glad you do.”
“My dad brought me up to believe that while our justice system is flawed, most of the time it works exactly the way it’s supposed to. You and your mom have a strong case and a good team backing you. It’s going to be okay.”
“Keep telling me that, will you?”
“Any time you need to hear it.”
Chapter 25
At one thirty that afternoon, Owen, Sarah, Frank and Dan took a cab from the hotel to the downtown Richmond office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney. Tom Corcoran, the assistant commonwealth attorney who was prosecuting the case, met them in the reception area and welcomed them into a conference room.
Here we go, Owen thought, girding himself for battle.
Tom’s warm personality and helpful attitude had been a source of comfort to Owen and his mother over the last year as they prepared for this day. They introduced him to Frank and Dan, and took seats around a big table.
Sitting at the head of the table next to a stack of file folders, Tom asked about their trip and made a big deal out of meeting Dan Torrington, whose reputation preceded him.
“A few developments since the last time we spoke,” Tom told them after all the pleasantries had been dispensed with. “Chief among them is General Lawry’s willingness to entertain a plea deal.”
