by Force, Marie
Sitting at a table with his son Riley, Riley’s fiancée, Nikki, and Kevin’s younger son, Finn, and his girlfriend, Chloe, Kevin had to marvel at the notion of starting over as a father twenty-seven years after Finn was born. A couple of years ago, he would’ve scoffed if someone had told him he’d be expecting his third child in his fifties. But that would’ve been before his wife left him, forcing him to find a new life—and a new love, who hadn’t yet had the chance to be a mother.
He’d been shocked when Chelsea told him she wanted a child. For a few days, he’d pondered the very real possibility of ending his relationship with her. But his brothers and sons had helped him see that a baby would be someone new to love, and he would be a great dad in his fifties. Besides, he’d gotten to the point where living without Chelsea had become unimaginable.
She nudged his hand with hers. “What’s up over there?”
“Huh?”
“You’re a million miles away.”
Chelsea had her feet up on a chair that Nikki, general manager of the Wayfarer, had gotten for her to take the pressure off her swollen ankles. Her belly seemed to get larger by the day, and the baby was active almost all the time.
“Just thinking about the plans for tomorrow. It’s going to be an early morning with the car on the eight o’clock boat.”
Chelsea groaned. She still suffered from queasiness in the mornings.
“Sorry, hon. I tried to get a later time, but they were sold out.”
“Isn’t your nephew-in-law the owner of the ferry company?”
Kevin flashed a grin at her. “Yes, but he can’t bump other people who actually pay him.”
Her sour look told him what she thought of that.
“Who’s gonna take care of us while you’re on the mainland?” Riley asked.
The others laughed.
“They do require significant adult supervision,” Nikki said.
“From my experience,” Chelsea said, “all McCarthy men require significant supervision.”
Kevin scoffed at that. “On behalf of my sons, brothers and nephews, I’m offended.”
“It’s kinda true, Dad,” Finn said, smiling. “We’re a handful.”
Chloe leaned into him. “Yes, you are.”
“Ew.” Riley made a disgusted face at her. “You’d better not be talking about his package.”
Finn puffed his chest out. “You know she is, bro.”
Chloe elbowed him, causing Finn to choke out the extra air in his lungs. “Don’t be disgusting.”
“There’s nothing disgusting about it. Last night, you said—”
Her hand covered his mouth just in time to thankfully stop whatever outrageous thing his son had planned to say.
Chelsea laughed helplessly until an odd look came over her face as she clutched her belly and looked down at the floor.
“What?” The word came out of Kevin in a frantic shout that put his sons and the girls on full alert.
Chelsea looked over at him, her eyes big with shock. “I think my water just broke.”
“No, it didn’t.” Kevin wasn’t having it. Their baby was not being born on this goddamned island. That wasn’t happening. Uh-uh, no way. Joe would get them on the boat tonight, and they’d drive to Providence, where they’d have the baby at the top neonatal hospital in the area, and that would be that.
“Dad.”
Kevin looked up at Riley, who stood with his brother on either side of Chelsea.
“Chelsea needs you.”
Riley’s words permeated the panic and denial.
“Call for the rescue.”
“I don’t need the rescue, Kev.” Chelsea reached for him. “I just need you.”
“I’m here.” She didn’t need to know that he was panicking on the inside. She’d never know that. “Let’s get you to the clinic. Finn, can you please let Victoria know that we’re going to need her and David?”
“I’ll get them there.”
David and Victoria worked with Katie and had been partying all day. Had they been drinking? Would they be able to help Chelsea? What if they couldn’t? For a brief, paralyzing moment, he feared he might pass out, until Riley grasped his arm, gave him a little shake and a look that had him getting his shit together.
Kevin bent to lift Chelsea out of her chair. “Hold on to me. Everything will be okay.”
“I’m scared, Kev.”
“We’ve got this.” He was an MD, for Christ’s sake. If it came to it, he could deliver the baby himself. As he carried her from the wedding reception, past the curious gazes of the happy couple and their guests, Kevin could only hope it wouldn’t come to that.
Chapter 3
“What do you suppose is happening?” Katie asked her husband.
Shane was her husband. She had a husband!
He kissed her forehead. “Let me find out.”
While Katie waited for him to return, she stood on the side of the dance floor, trying to find Julia in the crowd. She still wanted to know why her twin sister and maid of honor had left during her wedding. Katie didn’t want to be bothered by it, but she couldn’t help feeling hurt that Julia had taken off that way.
Katie refused to let it ruin an otherwise perfect day for her, but she wanted to know what was going on with Julia. Katie made her way over to where her mother and Charlie were seated, heads together, discussing something. She hated to interrupt them, but hey, it was her big day.
“What’s going on?” she asked her mom.
“We think Chelsea just went into labor.”
“Oh my God! They were going to the mainland tomorrow.”
“Seems like the baby might have other plans,” Charlie said in his usual gruff style.
Katie adored him. He was the father she wished she’d had growing up. She’d never forget the way he’d wiped away a tear when she asked him to dance earlier during the father-daughter and mother-son dance. Shane had reduced his aunt Linda to tears when he’d asked her to fill in for his late mother. They’d talked about skipping that dance but had decided to honor the people who’d stepped up to fill those roles for them. It had been an amazing moment, and Katie was glad they’d done it.
Charlie stood. “How about a drink, ladies? More champagne?”
“Sounds good to me,” Katie said.
Her mom nodded in agreement. “Me, too. Thanks.”
“You got it.”
Charlie went off to get their drinks, and Katie stole his seat, grateful for a moment alone with her mom.
Katie watched Charlie stop to talk to people as he made his way toward the bar. “He’s so great.”
“He really is. You made a mess of him when you asked him to dance.”
“I really love him, and more than anything, I love the way he loves you.”
“He loves you, too. He’s like a dream. I keep thinking it can’t possibly be this way forever, but I’m starting to believe that maybe it will be.”
“You’ve earned every second of happiness you’ve found with him, Mom.”
“We’ve all earned the right to be happy.” Sarah leaned in a little closer to Katie. “Can I bring you in on a secret?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“At the brunch tomorrow, while everyone is still here, Charlie and I are going to get married.”
“Oh my God! That’s amazing! Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I didn’t want to take anything away from your wedding by tossing mine in. But it’s so rare to have all my kids in one place at one time, and Stephanie’s back for the season.” Charlie’s stepdaughter, Stephanie McCarthy, had waged a fourteen-year battle to get her beloved stepfather out of prison after he was wrongly accused of abusing her.
“I couldn’t be happier for you and Charlie and for us to be getting him as our stepfather.”
Sarah dabbed at the tears that suddenly flooded her eyes. “I’m sorry to steal a piece of your big weekend.”
“You can’t steal something that’s given willingly.” Katie hugged her mom, hold
ing on tight to the woman who’d been their anchor in the storm of their childhood. It had taken far longer than her children would’ve preferred for Sarah to finally leave her abusive husband, but now she had only good times and happiness ahead with Charlie.
He returned with drinks for all three of them that he placed carefully on the table.
Katie stood to hug him.
“Oh, hey, what’d I do to deserve this?”
“You’ve made my mom so incredibly happy.”
He flashed a grin. “Ah, so she told you our plans, huh?”
“She did, and I’m thrilled.”
“We were hoping you wouldn’t care if we did it this weekend while everyone is here. I don’t want to wait any longer to make Sarah my wife.”
Katie stepped back from him and fanned her face. “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”
From behind her, Shane slid an arm around Katie’s waist and drew her into his embrace, kissing her bare shoulder.
“How’s Chelsea?” Katie asked, leaning against him.
“On her way to the clinic. She seemed fine, but Kev is a mess.”
“I can understand that. He was adamant about her delivering on the mainland. Victoria and David will take good care of her.” She looked over her shoulder at him. “In the meantime, I have some big news from my family.”
“What’s that?”
“Mom and Charlie are getting married tomorrow at brunch.”
“Oh, damn! That’s awesome news.”
Sarah’s face flushed with happiness. “We figured while all the kids were here…”
“It’s the perfect time, for sure.”
“We should keep it a secret from everyone else,” Katie said. “Let’s surprise them.”
“That’d be fun.” Sarah beamed at Charlie before her gaze shifted to Julia, who was on the other side of the dance floor, standing by herself, looking pensive and unsettled. “What do you suppose is going on with your sister?”
Katie had wondered the same thing. “I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”
Julia wanted to enjoy her sister’s wedding, but the longer the festivities dragged on, the more depressed she became. Watching happy couples slow-dance made her yearn for someone of her own to dance with, someone she could count on, who didn’t lie, cheat or steal. Was that too much to ask for? Apparently so, if her track record was any indication of what was out there.
She recognized Evan McCarthy, who’d become a bit of a star in recent years, standing with a group of people he had to be related to. The men shared a similar look, with dark hair and distinctive blue eyes. Julia wondered if any of them was still single and then chastised herself for even having the thought.
“What do I care if they’re single?”
“Talking to yourself, darlin’?”
Deacon had snuck up on her, startling her when he spoke. He was close enough that she felt his breath skim over her neck, resulting in an outbreak of goose bumps that irritated her. She didn’t want him giving her goose bumps or anything else.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s not polite to sneak up on people?”
“She probably did, but she told me so many things I did were wrong that I started to ignore her after a while.”
“I’m sure you missed all the important stuff.”
He laughed, and she tried not to notice the way laughter made him even hotter than he already was thanks to the damned dimple that appeared only when he was truly amused.
“You want to dance?”
“With you?”
“Well, yeah, I guess. Unless you have a better offer on the table.”
“I don’t.”
“So yes? You want to dance?”
“Not really.”
He nudged her. “Come on. It’s your sister’s wedding. You should have some fun. If not for your sake, then for hers.”
She didn’t want to dance. She especially didn’t want to dance with another handsome charmer. Been there, done that, had the empty bank account to prove it. But she also didn’t want to be a drag at her sister’s wedding. “Fine.”
He took her hand and gave a gentle tug toward the dance floor. “The excitement and enthusiasm are overwhelming.”
“I’m not going to be good for your ego.”
“Thanks for letting me know so I can prepare my fragile ego for the hits he’s going to take from you.”
“I’m sure he’s not used to difficult women.”
Of course, the DJ chose that moment to slow things down. When the opening notes of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” played, Julia wanted to groan.
Deacon took her into his arms and held her with a respectful distance between them that she appreciated. Most guys would’ve used that opportunity to demonstrate the size of their attributes. “My ego is used to nice, easy, pliable women who tell him how awesome he is every minute or so,” he said, picking up the thread of their conversation.
Julia didn’t want to laugh, but the sound gurgled out of her anyway.
“Now we’re talking.” He grinned down at her, looking far too pleased with himself.
“Where’d you learn to dance?”
“My mom taught us. She danced in high school and college and was on her way to a career as a dancer when she tore her ACL.”
“That’s so sad. She worked all those years…” Julia swallowed the lump in her throat that appeared out of nowhere and blinked back tears. What the hell was wrong with her that she was trying not to cry for a woman she’d never met?
“Her physical therapist was my dad.”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh. She says all the time that injuring her knee was the best thing to ever happen to her because she met him and found her true calling being a wife, a mother and a business owner.”
“What was her business?”
“She taught dance on the island for twenty years until she sold her business. It later went defunct. Blaine’s wife, Tiffany, started a new studio years later, although she’s not teaching very much these days.”
“It’s really cool that she’s able to see how getting hurt turned out to be a good thing.”
“She’s a big believer in things happening for a reason. Sometimes it takes a while to see the reason, she says, but it’s always there.”
“What do you think she’d say the reason is for men taking advantage of me?”
“She’d probably tell you the nonsense is leading you to the one you’re meant to be with, and you’ll recognize him as a truly good guy because you’ve seen the worst of mankind.”
“How will I recognize him?”
Deacon seemed to give that significant thought. “You’ll know when you meet someone who treats you right, who respects you and doesn’t ask you for money or other things he has no business asking for.”
The song ended, and the DJ played “Love Shack.” Later on, Owen would perform a set with Evan McCarthy. Julia was looking forward to seeing her brother play. Some of her fondest memories involved Owen and his guitar.
While people flooded back onto the dance floor, Deacon took Julia by the hand and led her outside to the patio that overlooked the beach. He was turning out to be surprisingly good company.
“The thing is,” he said, “you have to be willing to put yourself out there if you’re going to meet that good guy.”
“That might be a problem in light of recent events.”
“Have you reported him to the authorities?”
“What? No, I haven’t reported him.”
“Why not? Are you just going to let him get away with stealing fifteen grand from you?”
“The cops aren’t going to do anything.”
“How do you know that if you haven’t filed a report?”
Julia shook her head. She’d grown up watching people in authority turn a blind eye to what was happening in their home and had lost faith in justice. She was still half-waiting for her father’s guilty plea to be overturned on a technicality that would
set him free. “I’d rather not go that route.” The thought of reporting it made her anxiety spike.
“That’s what he’s counting on. You know that, don’t you?”
“Know what?”
“He thinks he knows you so well. Julia would never report me to the cops. She’s not that kind of girl, which makes her the perfect girl to steal from.”
When he put it that way, Julia couldn’t deny the truth of it. “I wouldn’t know the first thing about how to go about reporting him.”
“I know how to do it, and I’d be happy to help you.”
Julia bit her bottom lip and tried to organize her thoughts. “What would it entail?”
“First of all, you’d want to review his social media to prove his mother isn’t sick. Take screenshots of everything he posted around the time he was telling you his mother was desperately ill. Next step would be to document the baby, the house, the setup with the other woman. How did you give him the money?”
“Venmo.”
“That’s awesome. There’s a digital footprint. That helps tremendously—you can prove you gave him the money. Do you have text messages or anything that shows him talking about his mom being sick?”
“I think we talked by text about her having had cancer before, which I now know isn’t true.” It burned her ass that she’d believed him, but he’d been so sincere with her, so caring and considerate. Now she knew he’d been setting her up for a scam.
“You’ve got a solid case against him, Julia. You just need to put it together and pull the trigger. Your local police would probably act on something like this. I know I would have if this had come across my desk when I was on the job. It’s a clear-cut case of fraud.”
“You were a cop?”
“Uh-huh. Ten years in Boston.”
“Oh.” She crossed her arms. “How come you aren’t a cop anymore?”
“I got injured.”
“Did you get shot?”
“Nah, nothing that dramatic. I tore my ACL chasing a perp, and after I had surgery, I didn’t regain full range of motion, so they medically retired me. When you’re a cop on the beat, you have to be able to run fast and climb and jump over stuff. I can’t do that anymore.”
