by Force, Marie
As the ferry broached the breakwater in South Harbor, Alex said, “After spending years stressing out about this day, it was almost too easy.” They stood at the rail and watched the town of Gansett come into view.
“I suppose it was easy because it was time.”
“Maybe.”
“Hopefully, Lizzie will get her health care facility off the ground, and we can move her back to the island,” Alex said.
“Mom might be better off to stay where she is if she’s gotten used to it.”
After a long pause, Alex said, “Dad would understand why we had to do this, wouldn’t he?”
“Yeah, he would.” Paul said what Alex wanted to hear, but he was no more certain of what their father would have to say about this than his brother was. As they’d made preparations for the move, Paul had tried not to think about what their father would think about it. He could only hope that George Martinez somehow knew that they’d done everything humanly possible to postpone the inevitable for as long as they could. Paul would never admit to anyone that he felt oddly relieved to have the weight of the responsibility for his mother’s care off his shoulders and Alex’s. Once again, he felt like shit for even having the thought.
“We did the best we could for a long time,” Alex said.
“We certainly did. Longer than most people would have.”
“And one of us will see her every week.” They planned to take turns going to the mainland, and Marion’s friends, including Daisy, had also promised to visit as often as they could. “Do you feel like shit for being relieved that it’s not up to us anymore?”
“Total shit.”
With Marion’s move complete, Hope told Ethan that they’d be leaving Gansett after the wedding to move back to the mainland. Ethan didn’t take the news well, lashing out at his mother, Paul, Alex and anyone who would listen to how unfair it was that he had to leave the best place he’d ever lived. Paul’s heart broke all over again at realizing how devastated Ethan was to be leaving.
From his post on the back porch later that night, he could hear Hope arguing with Ethan, who was refusing to take a shower. Though it wasn’t his place or his business, Paul got up from the step, crossed the yard and went up the stairs to the cabin, knocking on the door.
Looking frazzled, Hope came to the door. “Paul.”
He gestured to the interior of the cabin. “May I?”
Wearily, she opened the door to admit him. He took a chance and put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. It was the first time he’d touched her in days, and it took everything he had to let his hands drop from her shoulders when all he wanted was to touch her everywhere. “Take a break. I got this.”
Walking around the boxes she’d begun to pack, Paul went into Ethan’s room, where the little guy was sitting on his bed, his arms crossed and his face set with fury. Paul’s father would’ve said he was “bull-necking.”
“What’re you doing here?” Ethan asked sullenly.
“I heard the way you were talking to your mom, and I thought, that’s not the way my buddy Ethan talks to his mom. My buddy Ethan is respectful and does what he’s told.”
“I’m not your buddy anymore. We’re leaving.”
“I know, and that totally sucks.”
“Sucks is a bad word.”
“How’s stinks?” Paul asked as he sat at the foot of Ethan’s bed, taking note of the Avengers comforter. “Is that better?”
His big eyes filled with tears as he shook his head. “I’m so mad at her.”
“You’re not being fair, Ethan. We hired her to take care of Mrs. Marion, and her illness got a lot worse, so she can’t live here with us anymore.”
“Why not?” he asked, his voice breaking. “Is my mom not a good enough nurse?”
“She’s a great nurse, but there’s only so much she or anyone can do to help Mrs. Marion.”
“She doesn’t remember things.”
“No, she doesn’t. Soon she’s going to forget how to eat and breathe, which is going to be really, really scary. That’s why she needs to live somewhere else, so they can help her when that happens.”
“Is-is she going to die like Kyle and Jackson’s mom did?”
“Eventually.”
Ethan threw himself at Paul. “I don’t want her to die.”
Paul held him close. “Aww, buddy, I don’t want that either. But everyone dies someday, and it’s going to be better for Mrs. Marion to have more care than we can provide here, even with your mom doing her very, very best.”
“Are you sad that your mom is leaving?”
“I’m so sad, and I’m sad that you and your mom are leaving, too.”
“I don’t want to go.”
“I don’t want you to go, but the good news is you can come back to visit any time you want.”
“Won’t be the same as living here.”
“No, it won’t, but I’ll call you, and we’ll see each other. I promise.” Paul held Ethan while he cried out his frustrations. “Will you do something for me?”
Ethan nodded.
“Will you please mind your mom and do what she asks? This is hard for her, too, and arguing with you doesn’t make it better for her. You don’t want to make her sadder, do you?”
“No. She’s so sad. Like she was when my dad got in trouble.”
Paul felt like he’d been gut-punched. Good God, had it really come to that? “Everything is going to be okay. Now how about you take that shower your mom wants you to have?”
“Okay,” Ethan said glumly.
Paul released him and waited until the bathroom door clicked shut behind Ethan before he got up to leave the room.
Hope was standing in the hallway, wiping away tears.
Drawn to her as powerfully as he’d ever been, he put his arms around her.
She rested her hands on his hips and her head on his shoulder.
He wanted to beg and plead with her. He wanted to remind her of how incredible they’d been together. But he didn’t do any of those things. Rather, he only held her until the shower turned off. Though it was the hardest thing he’d ever done, he let her go.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Sure.” He left her with a small smile and got the hell out of there while he still could. Every part of him ached at the thought of losing them. For the first time, he began to give serious thought to leaving the business, his home, his brother, his life on Gansett to go wherever they were. “Motherfucker,” he muttered to the dark house.
“What’s that about?” Alex asked, flipping on a light.
The sudden light as well as the sound of his brother’s voice startled Paul. “Nothing.”
“Gotta be something to have you swearing like that.”
“Nothing to be concerned about.”
“Paul. Come on…”
“She’s leaving. They’re leaving, and I don’t want them to.”
“Assume you’ve said as much?”
“Yeah. For all the good it did.”
“What exactly did you say?”
“I told her I wanted her and Ethan to stay, that I’d take care of them, that we’d figure it out. She said she has to work, that she’s still in the hole from the shit her ex pulled.”
“Hmm.” Alex rubbed the scruff on his jaw that he’d grown in deference to Jenny’s wishes for stubble at the wedding. Their father would’ve told him to shave his damned face.
“What does that mean? Hmm?”
“Did you happen to mention among those reasons you gave her to stay that you love her?”
“I… I… No, I didn’t. I thought it was too soon.”
Alex laughed. “She’s over there packing to leave. Soon enough it’s going to be too late.”
Alex’s words sent panic shooting directly to Paul’s heart.
“I’m not telling you what to do, but if she’s what you want—and I think she is—put it all out there, Paul.”
He was right. Alex was one hundred percent right. “She said sh
e’d never get married again.”
“That was before she fell in love with you.”
Hearing Alex say, in such a matter-of-fact way, that Hope was in love with him made him feel elated, until he remembered the many obstacles still standing in their way. “What if I ask her and she says no?”
“Then at least you won’t have to spend the rest of your life wondering what might’ve happened if you went for it.” Alex held up a finger. “Wait here.”
Alex was gone long enough for Paul to break into a cold sweat. Was he really going to propose to her? And what if she did say no? What then? Alex’s return interrupted his panic attack.
“Hold out your hand.” Alex took Paul’s hand and dropped the ring their father had given their mother for their twentieth anniversary into his palm. Then he closed Paul’s hand around the ring and held it for a long moment. “Since Mom can’t wear it anymore, she’d want you to have it.”
It had become too big for her finger, and rather than take the chance that she might lose it, they’d convinced her to put it away for safekeeping—and told her that every time she asked about the ring.
“It doesn’t feel right to give away something that belongs to Mom.”
“Our mom, the one who loved and cared for us our entire lives, would want you to give that ring to the woman you love. Remember how much she hated waste of any kind? She can’t have valuables where she is now, and she’d say it was wasteful to let it sit in a drawer somewhere waiting for her to die so it can go to you anyway.”
Paul studied the gorgeous ring that had a two-carat diamond solitaire surrounded by smaller diamonds on either side of it. “Remember how much she loved this ring?”
“I remember how much she loved that he pulled off such a great surprise without her knowing a thing about it. She loved that even more than she loved the ring itself.”
Paul smiled at the memory of the parents who’d been so hopelessly devoted to each other. He wanted that. He wanted what they’d had, what Alex and Jenny had. And he wanted it with Hope. “You’re sure you don’t mind if the ring goes to me? You’re the oldest. It should be yours.”
Alex swept away Paul’s concerns with the wave of his hand. “I’m all set for rings, and besides, Mom has other jewelry that can go to Jenny someday. That ring is for Hope. It’s what Mom would want. I know it.”
“Thanks for this, for giving me the push I needed.”
“Any time. I came over to get Jenny’s phone charger, and I’m glad I came when I did. I hate to think of having to deal with you if you let those two get away.”
Paul hated to think of that, too. “I’m going to wait until after the wedding and then I’ll do it.”
“I hope you get everything you want and deserve, Paul.”
“Thank you—and thank you for coming home when I needed you.”
Alex smiled and winked on his way to the door. “Turned out to be the best thing I ever did.”
Long after Alex was gone to the new home he shared with Jenny, Paul stared at the ring in his hand, thinking about what he would say to Hope and hoping he could convince her to stay and make a life with him.
Jenny and Alex scored an absolutely glorious early October day for their long-awaited wedding. Over the last few days, Jenny’s family had arrived from North Carolina and Toby’s family had come from Pennsylvania. Meeting them had been among the more emotional moments for Alex, as he was well aware that their son’s death had made his happily ever after possible. A gruesome thought to be certain.
However, he took his lead from them, and they’d chosen to focus on Jenny and her happiness rather than the sadness of the past. They were such happy, positive people, and Alex admired them greatly for having the fortitude to go on after their unimaginable loss. He also appreciated that they were genuinely thrilled for him and Jenny, and he could see that their acceptance of him and their marriage had filled her with joy.
He wanted her to be happy today. They’d both waited a long time to find each other, but after everything she’d been through, he wanted it to be particularly perfect for her. The only thing that wasn’t perfect for him was that his beloved parents wouldn’t be there. He liked to think his father was always watching over him and had no doubt that George would wholeheartedly approve of Jenny for him, and in her rare moments of lucidity over the last year, Alex hoped his mom had come to know how much he loved Jenny.
Alex waited with Paul and Evan McCarthy in the room provided for the groom’s party at the Chesterfield. Paul was messing with his bow tie, so Alex went to offer his assistance. “Let me.” He adjusted and straightened the tie and picked a spot of lint off the black tux. “There.”
“Thanks.”
“Why are you more nervous than I am?”
“You know why.”
“So it’s on for after?”
As his cheek pulsed with tension, Paul nodded.
“You know what you’re gonna say?”
“Yeah.”
“I hope it goes exactly the way you want it to.”
“Me, too.”
“Don’t leave anything left unsaid, Paul. Put it all on the table.”
“That’s the plan.”
Lizzie arrived with a white rose for Alex’s lapel and burgundy roses for Paul and Evan. Thankfully, she took mercy on them and pinned them on, too.
“How’s Jenny?” Alex asked.
“She’s radiant.”
That was exactly what he wanted to hear.
“Jared heard from his brother,” Lizzie said. “He’s agreed to come take a look at our fair island. No promises. Yet.”
“That’s great, Lizzie.”
“I’m sorry we couldn’t get it done in time to make a difference for your family. But maybe down the road…”
“Maybe so. No matter how the timing works out, it’s a great thing you’re doing. It’s something we need here.”
“Fingers crossed. Patience is not my forte, but Jared says if we ease Quinn into the idea, he’s apt to bite.”
“And if he doesn’t, then I’m sure you’ll find someone else.”
Lizzie touched her earpiece and then smiled at Alex. “Show time.”
Chapter 27
Surely this day has to be a dream, Jenny thought as she exchanged vows with Alex on the wide veranda behind the Chesterfield. Because nothing could ever be this perfect and still be real. Even though this ceremony was a mere formality, that didn’t stop a tight knot of emotion from forming in her throat as Alex whispered, “Told ya so, it’s all good” as promised and once again pledged to love and cherish her forever. She would never get tired of hearing those words or of the way his fierce brown eyes went soft with love when he said them. They lit the third candle for Toby, sharing a meaningful private smile as they paid tribute to the man she’d loved and lost, which only made her love Alex more than she already did.
Her family, Toby’s family, Alex’s friends and their Gansett Island family were all there to watch this time, which somehow made it that much more official.
With Sydney and Erin standing by her side, this wedding bore little resemblance to the one she’d planned so long ago. Then, her sisters would have been her attendants, but life and years had changed the dynamic between the three of them, and when it came time to choose attendants this time, there’d been no doubt about who she wanted standing with her today.
Sydney had been the first to reach out to her when she arrived on Gansett hoping for a fresh start. They had bonded initially over their shared experience with tragedy and loss, but their relationship had become a friendship Jenny treasured. They’d moved past that early common ground, with both of them finding a second chance at happily ever after while continuing to honor the ones they’d loved and lost.
And Erin… In the years since Toby’s death, Erin had become a sister of Jenny’s heart. She was thrilled to have Erin here on Gansett, especially today.
Having Toby’s parents here had also made the day extra special. Knowing they were happy fo
r her and that she had their love and support meant the world to her.
As the day unfolded with military precision thanks to Lizzie’s unwavering attention to detail, Jenny thought of the secret she and Alex had decided to keep to themselves for the time being, until they were through the critical first trimester. But knowing their baby was part of the wedding made the day that much sweeter.
And when Alex gathered her into his arms to dance to the song they’d chosen to summarize their love, Jenny knew a moment of pure bliss as she danced to “At Last” with her gorgeous new husband.
“Happy?” he asked.
“That’s not a big enough word to describe how I feel today. You?”
“Same. There are no words.”
“I’m sorry your mom couldn’t be here.”
“I am, too, but it’s for the best. She’s getting what she needs, and we’ll see her tomorrow.” They were spending tonight in the honeymoon suite at the Beachcomber before heading for the mainland to see Marion on their way to a honeymoon in Hawaii.
He had, at some point in the last few days, come around to accepting the fact that it truly was in Marion’s best interest to move her into the facility where she could receive more intense care. It pained them, however, that Marion’s move had put Hope out of a job. They’d come to care for her and Ethan tremendously, and it would be hard to say good-bye to them when they left the island.
“I feel so sad for Hope,” Jenny said, her gaze finding their new friend sitting at a table full of friends but seeming so painfully alone.
“Don’t feel too sad,” Alex said. “Paul’s going to pop the question tonight.”
“Oh my God! He is? Really?”
“Yep.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“It’s just… What she said that day… How she’d never get married again. He heard her say that, right?”
“Yeah, he did, but he’s going to ask her anyway.”
“Why do I suddenly feel insanely nervous for him?”
“He’s nervous enough for all of us.”
“What if she says no?”
“Then we’ll prop him up as best we can and get him through it.”