Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 1-16

by Force, Marie

  “As Mac and Linda’s oldest and wisest son,” Mac said to jeers from his brothers, “it’s my pleasure to welcome you to their fortieth anniversary celebration. When I first had the idea for this party last summer,” he said to more moans and groans as he spoke now directly to them, “we tried to think of how we could do justice to the example you set for us, the life you’ve led together, your lifelong love affair.” He made a choking sound. “That was Janey’s contribution, and for the record, I voted to leave that part out.”

  Their guests were crippled with laughter while Mac and Linda just shook their heads at his usual irreverence. From the day he was born, Malcolm John McCarthy Junior had been a character, to say the least.

  “After many conversations,” Mac said, “we decided that all we really needed to do was bring together your family and closest friends. We knew that’s all you’d need to be happy—because that’s all you’ve ever needed.”

  Aww jeez, Big Mac thought. He’s going to make me cry in front of all these people.

  “Mom, we like to call you Voodoo Mama, because you’ve always been wise to whatever we were up to. I’d be shocked, in fact, if we actually managed to surprise you tonight.”

  Linda made a zip-her-lips-and-throw-away-the-key gesture that fooled none of her five children. They knew her far too well.

  “Despite your voodoo ways, we’ve always known that you had our backs no matter what. We appreciate the way you’ve made our spouses and significant others part of our family, and we all agree that you’re a world-class grandmother.”

  As Linda dabbed at her eyes, Mac put his arm around her.

  “You’re the one who makes it all happen. You made the White House a home not only to us but also to our friends and now the families we’re creating. And everyone knows you’re the brains behind the hotel—and the marina.”

  “Now wait just a minute,” Big Mac said, smiling at his son.

  “You can’t deny it, Dad.”

  “I wouldn’t even try.”

  “And you, Dad,” Mac continued, “are the emotional heart of our family, the one we run to—to this day—whenever the slightest little thing goes wrong, because we know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you’ll know just what to say to make us feel better. When we were kids, we used to be embarrassed by how much you loved us. Now, we’re thankful.”

  Holy moly. Linda handed him a tissue that he gratefully accepted.

  “You also taught us how to have fun, because no one—and I do mean no one—knows how to have fun quite like you do. Whether it’s a Wiffle ball game on the dock, a bonfire on the beach, coffee-and-donut hour at the marina or a fishing trip for all the guys you love best, you bring the fun no matter where you go. One of my earliest memories is catching crabs with you on the docks, and now that’ll be one of my son’s earliest memories, too. Not only did you and Mom teach us how to be married, you also taught us how to live life to the fullest by showing us when to work and when to play.”

  Mac raised his glass of champagne. “Please join me, my sisters Janey and Mallory, and my brothers Grant, Adam and Evan, in saluting our parents on their fortieth anniversary.”

  After shouts of “hear, hear” and the insistent tinkle of silver on crystal as the guests called on Big Mac to kiss his bride, which he was more than happy to do, Mac directed their attention to the huge flat-screen TV at the other end of the room. “Take a look back with us, thanks to Adam’s video wizardry. Enjoy.”

  The lights dimmed, and the TV came to life along with the song “Time of My Life.” They giggled at the photos of themselves as a young couple, including one taken the day they met at Frank’s house, up through their wedding.

  “Hey!” Linda said. “No wonder I couldn’t find my wedding album today!”

  “I’ll have it back to you in the morning, Mom,” Adam said.

  The video included photos of each of their children as babies, scenes from the early days at the marina when Linda had run the restaurant while he oversaw the docks, a picture of them holding the keys to the hotel—which they bought three years after the marina—and images of early Christmases at the White House with toddlers underfoot.

  A ripple of laughter went through the room when a photo of four pajama-clad little boys precariously balancing their newborn sister appeared on the screen.

  “Should’ve dropped her when we had the chance,” Evan said.

  “I could’ve beat you up even then,” Janey said.

  “She could’ve,” Grant said.

  “Children, stop bickering,” Linda said. “I’m watching my video.”

  “Adam’s going to be her favorite now,” Mac said.

  “He already was,” Linda said, setting off a furor at the “kid table.”

  Summers with Laura and Shane, proud new drivers, proms, graduations, weddings and grandchildren. It had gone by far too quickly. Big Mac was particularly touched by the photo toward the end of the video of Mallory with him and Linda as well as one with her and the five siblings she hadn’t known she had, both of which had been taken at Grant’s wedding this past Labor Day.

  The video told the story of a beautiful life from the very beginning and ended with a photo of him kissing Linda in what he’d thought was a private moment at Jenny and Alex’s wedding in October. It had been captured for all the world to see and touched him more than almost anything else in the video. Their story, his story, began and ended with her.

  As the video finished, the room erupted into applause. Big Mac kissed Linda, lingering longer than he normally would in public, and then leaning his forehead against hers. “What a story,” he whispered.

  “What a story, indeed.”

  “Extremely well done, Adam,” he said.

  “Thank you,” Adam said. “It was fun.”

  “Mom and Dad,” Mac said, “Evan was put in charge of the music for tonight, and first up is your wedding song, ‘You’re The First, The Last, My Everything,’ by none other than Barry White. And let me apologize in advance to our guests for all the disco you’ll be hearing tonight, but that was their groove way back then. Dad, how about you dance with your bride?”

  Mac took Linda’s hand to guide her to the dance floor in the middle of the big room. As he took her into his arms, it felt like yesterday since he’d done the same thing in a ballroom at the Biltmore. God, they’d been so young and so in love and so determined to make a life on the island.

  And against many odds, they’d done it.

  “What’s wrong?” Grace nudged Abby’s shoulder, which was when Abby realized she’d zoned out of the party.

  “Nothing.”

  “Something’s up. You’ve been super-quiet since we met at the airport. What were you guys doing on the mainland, anyway?”

  “Last-minute Christmas shopping in Providence.”

  “Did you have a fight with Adam?”

  “No.”

  “Abby! Come on! This is me. I know you too well. What’s going on?”

  To her horror and mortification, Abby’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Oh my God. What?”

  She couldn’t say it. Saying the words out loud, to someone other than Adam, who’d been with her when she first heard the news, would make it real. Her throat closed up, and the tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “Abby.” Grace put an arm around her. “Whatever is wrong, we can fix it.”

  Abby shook her head. If only it were that simple. She wiped her face with a napkin, determined not to ruin Big Mac and Linda’s night by having an emotional breakdown. “Adam and I have been trying to have a baby for a long time.” She wiped away more tears. “We found out this week why it’s not happening. Why it may never happen. I have something called polycystic ovary syndrome.”

  “Oh. Oh, Abby. I’m so sorry.”

  “You know what it is?”

  Grace nodded. “I’ve heard of it and read about the treatments in my journals.”

  “Then you know it’s more than just fertility challenges.” />
  “Yes, but I also know it can be managed.”

  “That’s what my doctor said, too. I know there are worse things they could’ve diagnosed me with, but the stuff online—”

  “Stay off the Internet, Abby. Trust me on that. You might read about thirty different things that can happen, but only two of them will happen to you. Do you really need to worry about all of them?”

  Grace made a good point.

  “I’m so scared, Grace. I’ve wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember, and the possibility that it won’t happen is devastating.”

  “It may not happen naturally, but there’re lots of ways to become a mother that don’t require you to carry a child, Abby. You know that.”

  “I do know, but still…”

  “It’s devastating to hear you might not be able to get pregnant.”

  Abby nodded and wiped away more tears.

  “I’m sure the doctors told you there’s lots they can try.”

  “They did.”

  “What did Adam say?”

  “All the right things, of course. Right down to scheduling our wedding for New Year’s Eve so I can’t escape.”

  Grace stared at her, agape. “Do you want to escape?”

  “Of course that's not what I want, but it’s not fair to him to be saddled with this.”

  “Abby, how can you say that? He loves you. He’s crazy about you.”

  “I know he is! And I love him, but he didn’t sign on for this. I could go bald and get chest hair and never be able to have a baby and… Are you laughing?”

  “I don’t mean to laugh, because it’s honestly not funny, but you’re focused on the worst-case scenario before you even have all the information. It’s very possible that none of that will happen to you, but you’re willing to sacrifice the love of your life for something that might happen?”

  “It’s not what I want, but it might be what’s fair.”

  “Can I be really blunt with you right now?”

  “When are you anything but blunt?” Abby asked with a ghost of a smile.

  “You've just received very upsetting news that has you understandably reeling. There’re a lot of things you don’t know yet and may not know for some time. The worst thing you could do while you’re in crisis mode is to make major decisions that affect you and Adam. That wouldn’t be fair to either of you.”

  “You’re right. I know you are.”

  “He’s been watching us the whole time we’ve been talking.”

  Abby looked over to the nearby table where Adam was sitting with Mac and Maddie. His niece, Hailey, was asleep in his arms, and sure enough, he was keeping a close eye on her while he talked to his brother. Seeing him holding the baby drew a sob from deep inside Abby. He would be the best father ever, and the thought of that not happening cut her to the quick.

  Grace hugged her. “You and Adam will get through this. We’ll all be there for you, and we’re going to put together one hell of a New Year’s Eve wedding for you guys.”

  “I feel like we’re stepping on your toes by sneaking our wedding in ahead of yours.”

  “Don’t be silly. Yours will be weeks before ours, and if you wanted to do it the same damned day, I wouldn’t care. I get to marry Evan, and that’s all that matters.”

  Abby rested her head on Grace’s shoulder, thankful for the love and support of such a good friend who would soon be her sister-in-law, too.

  Chapter 11

  “Is Abby okay?” Mac asked Adam. “She looks like she’s crying over there with Grace.”

  Adam’s throat tightened, making it impossible to speak. He dropped his head to press a kiss to Hailey’s head, her soft hair brushing against his lips.

  “Bro, what’s wrong? You guys haven’t been yourselves tonight.”

  With Maddie engaged in conversation with her sister and mother, Adam was tempted to unload on Mac. “If I tell you, you can’t tell anyone else. I mean it, Mac. Top secret.”

  “Of course. I’m not always a mouthy buffoon.”

  Adam raised a brow, appreciating his brother’s attempt at levity.

  “Okay, most of the time I am, but I can be serious when I need to be. Talk to me.”

  “We’ve been trying to have a baby for a while now, and when it didn’t work the old-fashioned way, we went to see a specialist in Providence.” He cleared his throat, determined to get through this without breaking down. “Yesterday we found out she has something called polycystic ovary syndrome.”

  “What the hell is that?”

  “Long story short—it’s going to make having a baby very challenging, if not impossible, but that’s the least of it. Higher risk of all sorts of diseases including cancer and diabetes, among other things.”

  “Damn,” Mac said, exhaling. “I’m so sorry, Adam.”

  “The worst part isn’t even the medical issue. It’s that she thinks she needs to let me go so I can be with someone who can give me what I want.”

  “She actually said that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Shit.”

  “No kidding, right? As if I’d run for the hills at the first sign of trouble. I have to be honest… She really hurt me by saying that.”

  “I can only imagine. What did you say?”

  “I told her we’re getting married on New Year’s Eve, and I wouldn’t hear any more talk of her running away or thinking she isn’t what I want and need. Does she honestly think that I wouldn’t want her if she can’t have kids? Like that’s all she’s good for? Making babies?”

  Mac rested a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “You have to see this from her point of view, Adam. She was freaking out and probably said things she shouldn’t have. She’s scared and worried that you might reject her because of this.”

  “I would never reject her.”

  “You and I know that, and she should, too, but she’s reeling. You’ve got to give her a pass on anything she said in the last couple of days. It’s coming from the panic, not from her. She loves you. We all know that.”

  “I thought I knew it, too, but she was so detached, I guess you could say, and she’s never like that with me.”

  “Give her a few days to get her head around this thing, and try not to go to worst-case scenario. When she’s had a chance to accept her diagnosis and recover her footing, she’ll be okay.”

  Adam wanted to believe that Mac was right, but he had a bad feeling that things could get a whole lot worse before they got better.

  As the evening began to wind down, Laura McCarthy Lawry worked her way through the room, handing out key cards to family members. Her gift to her aunt and uncle was having their entire family spend the night under the same roof. The hotel staff had delivered everyone’s bags, including the one Janey had packed for her parents, to their rooms during the party.

  “The key to the honeymoon suite,” Laura said, presenting the key card to her Uncle Mac.

  His low chuckle made her smile. “We’re a long way from the honeymoon suite, sweetheart, but we’re looking forward to the sleepover with the kids.” He kissed her forehead. “Thank you for arranging it.”

  “My pleasure. It’ll be fun to have everyone here for the night.”

  “We’re glad no one has to drive in the snow after partying.”

  “That was my thought, too.”

  “It’s a lot for you, though. Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m feeling great for someone who’s bigger than a whale.” She rested a hand on her hugely pregnant belly. “I’ll be glad to see these two linebackers born.”

  “I’ll bet.” He put his arm around her. “I was thinking about the day I met your Aunt Linda today, which means I was also thinking about your mom. She’d be so proud of you and Shane.”

  Unprepared for the sweet sentiment, Laura worked through a surge of emotion. The pain of losing her mother to cancer when she was just nine could still hit at the strangest of times, even all these years later. “Thank you for saying so. That means a lot to m
e.”

  “Your old man sure is happy these days, huh?” They looked toward the dance floor, where Frank was dancing with his girlfriend, Betsy Jacobson.

  “He waited a long time for Betsy to come along. I couldn’t be happier for him.”

  “Me too. I wondered at times if he’d ever get over losing Jo. Those two were quite a pair from the very beginning. Joined at the hip.”

  “I actually remember that. They were always dancing in the living room, laughing, whispering, kissing.”

  “I’m glad you remember them that way.” Big Mac gave her another squeeze and kissed the top of her head. “Life goes on even when you think it won’t. Your dad is living proof of that.”

  “Yes, he is. And then there’s Kevin.”

  “Ahhh, Kevin. Gotta say, didn’t see that one coming.”

  Her uncle Kevin was wrapped up in Chelsea, the bartender from the Beachcomber, slow dancing to a fast song.

  “He’s crazy about her,” Big Mac said.

  “It looks as if the feeling is mutual.”

  “Yes, it does. Good for him after what happened with Deb.”

  Owen came up behind her and slid his arm around her waist. “You promised you wouldn’t be on your feet all night, and you’re on your feet.”

  “Oh, busted by my keeper.”

  “He’s right,” Big Mac said. “You need to be taking it easy, not inviting your entire family to sleep at the hotel.”

  “I hired some people to help with that,” Laura said with a wink. “Don’t worry.”

  “Thanks again for inviting us to stay and for arranging babysitters for the kids and everything else you did to make tonight special for us,” Big Mac said.

  “Are you kidding? You and Auntie Linda saved my childhood. There’s nothing Shane and I wouldn’t do for you.” She went up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek and hug him. “Love you.”

  “Love you, too, sweetheart.”

  Laura let Owen lead her toward a seat next to the final person she needed to see about the key cards, her new cousin Mallory. “Just the woman I was looking for,” Laura said. “Here’s the key to your room for the night.”

  “This is so nice of you, Laura. Thank you for including me.”