by Force, Marie
When their order was ready, he took it back upstairs and encountered Julia’s mother and her new husband coming down the stairs as he went up.
“Hi, Deacon. How was your boat ride?”
“Eventful.” He told them about rescuing the puppy and their trip to the clinic.
Sarah did a double take when she noticed the blood on his shirt that’d been partially hidden by the takeout bag. “Are you all right? Is Julia?”
“We’re both fine, and so is the puppy. Your daughter was amazing. She dove right off the boat to get to him.”
“That sounds like her. She always wanted a pet growing up, but her father said we had enough mouths to feed. I thought she’d get a dog or a cat as soon as she had her own place, but Katie has allergies, so she never did.”
“I hope she gets to keep this one.”
“I do, too.”
“I’d better get this soup to her. We’re still trying to get her warmed up.”
“Thank you for taking care of her, Deacon.”
“It’s my pleasure. Thank you again for inviting me to your wedding brunch. I enjoyed it very much.”
“We’re glad you could join us.”
“Enjoy your first day as Mr. and Mrs.”
The two of them beamed with happiness. “That’s the plan,” Sarah said. “We’ll see you later.”
When they parted company, Deacon continued to the third floor. He walked into Julia’s room, where she was still where he’d left her. The one thing he immediately noticed was that her lips had lost the luster of blue, which was a welcome development.
He served up the soup and sandwich for her and sat on the other bed to eat his.
Julia took tentative sips of the soup and a few bites of the sandwich at first, as if she wasn’t sure the food would be welcome by her stomach.
“Taste okay?”
“It’s really good. Thank you.”
After they ate in silence for a few more minutes, Deacon said, “Let’s talk about the guy that stole from you and how we’re going to get your money back.”
“I like him for Julia,” Sarah said as she and Charlie emerged into warm sunshine on the hotel’s front porch. They’d spent time with each of her children before they were due to take the ferry back to their real lives and had the rest of the day free to spend together.
“He seems like a very nice young man.”
“If he’s anything like his brother, she’d be very lucky to have him in her life.”
Charlie put his arm around her and brought her in close to him, where she fit perfectly in the shelter of his muscular body. “Do I need to be concerned about this crush you seem to have on Blaine Taylor?”
Sarah giggled like a girl. She did that a lot around him. “Don’t be silly. I’m old enough to be his mother.”
“That doesn’t mean anything in this day and age.”
“Blaine was a very good friend to me when I desperately needed one, and he’ll always have a special place in my heart. But as you know, most of my heart belongs only to you.”
“I know, babe.”
“Today was so great, wasn’t it?”
“One of the best days of my life. If you’d asked me a couple years ago if I’d ever get married again, I would’ve said no freaking way.”
“Me, too. Last thing I thought I’d ever want to do again.” Her first marriage had been a complete nightmare from start to finish, except for the seven beautiful children who had come from it. Thank God for them.
“But along came my sweet, sexy Sarah, and suddenly, the only thing I wanted was a ring on my finger and promises of forever with you.”
He made her feel things she never had before. “I want everyone we love to be as happy as we are.”
“I do, too, but today, on our day, I think we need to focus on our happiness.” As he spoke, he directed them toward his truck, which was parked in the lot behind the hotel.
“And how would you like to do that?”
He held the passenger door for her and waited for her to get settled. “First of all, I’d like to go home for a while to be alone with my wife.”
“Your wife would like that very much.”
“After that? We can do whatever we want. Anything at all. Every day. Forever.”
“I can’t think of anything better than that.”
He leaned in to kiss her. “Neither can I.”
Kevin had forgotten how all-consuming caring for a new infant could be. In truth, he’d never really known how all-consuming it was the first time around because his wife had done most of the heavy lifting. Everything was different now. He was older, wiser and well aware of how precious this time was with his baby daughter.
He had a daughter.
The thrill of saying that word continued the day after Summer’s early arrival. Chelsea had wanted to come home as soon as possible, and when David declared mother and daughter good to go, Kevin had brought them home first thing that morning. Victoria would be by to check on them later, but otherwise, they were on their own with their little bundle of joy.
Chelsea was still wiped out from the delivery, and other than waking up to breastfeed the baby, she’d been sleeping a lot. Which meant Kevin was on duty with his little angel, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. His brothers had been by the clinic to visit earlier and had promised to check on them later.
Kevin had received a text from Katie asking him to please fit her sister Julia into his schedule as soon as possible. He planned to reach out to Julia when Chelsea was awake again. There was no way Katie would’ve asked for his assistance right now unless it was badly needed.
The screen door opened with a telltale squeak that had Kevin turning to see who was there. He smiled at Finn and Chloe as they tiptoed into the house.
“We weren’t sure if it was okay to come by,” Finn whispered, gazing at the baby sleeping in his father’s arms.
“Of course it is.” Kevin carefully transferred the baby to her brother, who took her into his arms with a look of pure awe.
“Are you sure I should be holding her?” Finn asked. “She’s so little. I’m afraid I’ll break her.”
“She won’t break,” Kevin assured him, amused by Finn’s reaction to her.
Finn sat on the sofa, and Chloe perched next to him, both of them completely focused on the baby.
“How’s Chelsea?” Chloe asked.
“Tired, but she’s doing great.”
“And you?” Finn glanced at Kevin. “How’re you holding up?”
“I’m tired, too, but it’s the best kind of tired. She’s a doll.”
“I can’t believe I have a sister. It’s so cool.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Of course I do. She’s awesome. Riley and I are going to spoil her rotten. We’ve already got a puppy picked out for her.”
“No puppies until she’s at least three, you hear me?”
“We’ll see about that.”
“What’re you two up to today?”
“Going to the official grand opening of the Wayfarer,” Finn said. “From what Riley told me, things are crazy over there. Nikki worked all night to get ready.”
“I’m sure she’ll be glad to get the grand opening behind them,” Kevin said.
Finn nodded in agreement. “They both will. She’s been so insanely busy that poor Riley is feeling neglected.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Poor Riley. Whatever. Nikki is a master multitasker. I’m sure he’s not suffering too badly.”
“Do you guys mind if I grab a quick shower while you’re here?” Kevin asked.
Finn’s eyes bugged. “You mean leave her alone with us?”
Kevin laughed. “Just for a minute. I promise.”
“We got it,” Chloe said. “Go ahead, Kev.”
“I ain’t got it,” Finn said. “Not even kinda.”
“You will,” Kevin assured his son. “Before long, it’ll be routine to have a little one around. It’ll be good training for when
you have kids of your own.” With both his “boys” settling into committed relationships in recent months, Kevin knew it probably wouldn’t be long before he added grandfather to his list of titles.
As he took a quick shower and shaved the scruff off his face, he marveled at how his whole life had changed in the last couple of years. Had he expected to be newly married with a new baby at nearly fifty-three? Hell no, but the joy Chelsea and now Summer brought to his life was immeasurable.
After he was dressed, he took a minute to text Katie’s sister Julia, asking when she might be available to get together. He’d planned to take a few weeks off from work to be with Chelsea and the baby, but he would squeeze Julia in, even if she had to come to the house.
When he rejoined Finn and Chloe in the living room, he found that Chloe was holding the baby while Finn watched over them. Finn was madly in love with Chloe and had recently moved into her place. He expected to hear they were engaged any time now.
Riley and Nikki were already engaged and planning a fall wedding at the Chesterfield.
Things had fallen into place for all of them since he and his sons came to Gansett Island for Kevin’s niece Laura’s wedding two summers ago and decided to stay for a while. Spending time on the island had helped to heal the wounds from the unexpected end of Kevin’s marriage and had led him to a new, unexpected love with Chelsea.
And now they had a daughter, and his sons had a sister.
If a heart could overflow with love, Kevin’s was at the tipping point.
“Why’s he looking at us like that?” Finn asked Chloe.
“I suspect he’s overwhelmed by everything that’s happened in the last few days.”
“You suspect correctly,” Kevin said, sitting across from them.
“She sure is beautiful,” Chloe said.
Kevin thought Summer was the most beautiful baby girl he’d ever seen. “Thank you. We think so, too.”
Chloe got up and carefully transferred the sleeping baby back to Kevin’s arms. “I’m going to need to see her again very soon.”
“Any time you want. We’re here, and the company is always welcome.”
Chloe kissed his cheek. “Congrats again, Kev. She’s a stunner.”
“Thankfully, she looks just like her mother.”
Finn smiled as he bent to kiss the baby’s forehead. “I see you in her, too, Dad. We’ll be back soon.”
“Tell Nikki that Chelsea and I said good luck today.”
“We will.”
After they left, Kevin went into the bedroom to check on Chelsea, who was just stirring from a long nap. She opened her eyes and looked at him, her smile lighting up her face.
“There’re my two favorite people. How is she?”
“She’s delightful. She just had a nice visit with her brother Finn and Chloe. They’re absolutely smitten.”
“Of course they are. Who wouldn’t be?” She sat up and grimaced as she tried to find a comfortable position. Then she reached for the baby.
Seeing the two of them together, Kevin realized that even though he was sleep-deprived and loopy, he was also happier than he’d been in a very long time. Since meeting Chelsea, he’d come to realize how much he’d missed out on by staying in a bad marriage for far too long. Now he understood there was a huge difference between existing and truly living.
“Can I get you anything?” he asked Chelsea.
She looked up at him, eyes brimming with emotion and unshed tears. “You’ve already given me everything I ever wanted and then some.”
Kevin leaned in to kiss her and then leaned his forehead against hers as they gazed down at the wonder they’d created together.
Chapter 12
“Start from the beginning.” Deacon opened a notebook he’d found on Julia’s desk and used a Sand & Surf Hotel pen to take notes. “I need his full name, address, date of birth and anything else you can give me that’ll help the local police track him down.”
Julia had bought the notebook to start a new journal, but hadn’t written anything in it yet, so it was safe for him to use. While he was stretched out on the other bed, she lay on her side so she could see him, still bundled under the blanket.
She recited the man’s full name, address and date of birth from memory. “I met Michael, who goes by Mike, through a friend from work. He saw my picture on one of her Facebook posts and asked her about me. She fixed us up.”
“How did she know him?”
“He was in a softball league with her husband.”
“How long have they known him?”
“A couple of years, but only through softball. They didn’t hang out with him other than that.”
“So they fixed you up with someone they don’t really know all that well.”
“They were upfront with me about that. They said they knew him through softball, but not too much beyond that.”
“How did you connect with him?”
“At first, we messaged through Facebook, which evolved into talking on the phone and then FaceTime. We had great conversations about our families, our work and lives. He told me about how his mom battled cancer on and off since he was a kid and how that affected him. I shared some things about my life that I rarely talk about. I felt like we’d made a real connection before we ever met in person.”
“How long had you known him before you met in person?”
“About four weeks. I took it slowly because I have a bad habit of jumping into things with men and getting in too deep before I realize they’re no good. I wanted to do better.”
“Where and when did you meet him?”
“We went to a Tex-Mex restaurant because we’d learned that we both loved that kind of food best. It was a Saturday night about five months ago. I can look up the exact date.”
“That’d be good to have.”
Julia consulted the calendar on her cell phone and gave him the date from late December.
“Did he pick you up, or did you meet him there?”
“I met him.”
“What happened that night?” Deacon asked without looking up from the notebook where he was recording the details.
“We had a really good time. The conversation flowed easily with no awkward silences, and I thought he was even more attractive in person.” Julia could still remember the hopeful feeling that’d come from meeting someone special, or so she’d thought.
“Do you have photos?”
Julia shook her head. “Not anymore. I deleted them all.”
“Does your phone back up to the cloud?”
“Yes…”
“Then you still have them. I need them to show that you thought you were in a genuine relationship with him.”
“I’ll get them.” The thought of seeing his face again made her stomach turn, but she’d do whatever she had to if there was a chance of making him pay for what he’d done to her.
“What happened after dinner?”
“We went to the bar in the restaurant where they had live music and had a drink.”
“How did the evening end?”
“He walked me to my car and kissed me good night. I liked that he didn’t get aggressive with me the way so many guys tend to do. He was a perfect gentleman.” Talking about something she’d much rather forget was beyond painful, but Deacon had convinced her it was worth the effort. If they could recoup the money she’d given Mike, that would mean everything to her.
“When did you see him again?”
“Two days later. He texted me the next day to say what a great time he’d had and how he couldn’t wait to see me again. We met for dinner after work that Tuesday night and then again on Thursday. On Saturday, he took me on a picnic by a lake, and when we came back to my place that night, I asked him if he wanted to come in.”
Julia swallowed hard as emotion threatened to get the better of her. She’d been so certain that she’d finally found a good man who wanted her for the right reasons.
“I know it’s hard to talk about, darli
n’, but every detail you can give me will help to build the case against him.”
What did it say about her and her dick diet that her heart skipped a beat when he called her that? “It is hard to talk about. How do I ever trust my own instincts again after this?”
“You will. When the time and the situation are right, you’ll know.”
She shook her head. “I’ll never know for certain.”
“Yes, you will.” The fierce look he gave her did weird things to her insides, making her feel safe and protected and—
Stop.
You don’t need him or any man to make you feel safe or protected. He’s doing you a favor. That’s all this is.
“He spent the night, and it was great. After that, we were pretty much together all the time. My friend who fixed us up was so excited that she’d introduced me to someone I really liked. I’d had a rough year after Katie moved here when she met Shane at Owen’s wedding. After I met Mike, I felt like things were finally getting back on track.”
“The thing I don’t get is how did he have someone else on the side if you guys were together most of the time?”
“I wondered that, too, after it all came to light. I figured out that she worked nights as a nurse, so she had no idea he was with me when she was at work.”
“Does she know now?”
“I don’t think she has any idea that I ever existed.”
“That’ll change as soon as there’re charges filed against him.”
“You really think they’ll charge him?”
“They’ll have no choice but to charge him if we hand them an airtight case.” He shifted to find a more comfortable position, the movement stretching the fabric of his shirt over well-defined muscles.
Julia didn’t want to notice his well-defined muscles, but she couldn’t help but stare anyway. Deacon was a finely built man and had turned into a rather good friend over the last two days.
“Tell me about how he ended up asking you for the money.”
“We’d been together a few weeks, and it was still really good between us. He was always bringing me little presents and buying me dinner. Once, he sent flowers to me at work, just because he was thinking of me.” After receiving those flowers, she’d told the coworker who introduced them that she was falling in love with him. Julia blinked back tears when she thought of that day and how excited she’d been.
