by Force, Marie
“I need to get him down before they arrive, or he’ll never go to bed,” Laura said.
Holden had spent the afternoon with Uncle Shane and Aunt Katie and was rubbing at his eyes with tight little fists.
“I’ll take him in.” Any day now, she would have to stop picking up Holden until after the babies were born. Owen settled him in the crib with his blanket, which Holden immediately kicked off. Laughing, Owen covered him again, and Holden kicked it off. “Mommy, someone is misbehaving.”
“Holden, is Daddy being naughty?”
“Gagagaga Dadada.”
“I knew it.” Laura resettled him, turned on the mobile that took his attention off the blanket and swept her fingers through the baby’s downy hair one more time before leaving him to sleep.
“Mommy is good at that,” Owen whispered outside the bedroom door.
“Daddy is good at winding him up at bedtime, which won’t be quite so funny when there’re three of them.”
Owen waggled his brows at her. “Daddy loves when Mommy chastises him.”
Smiling up at him, Laura cupped his cheek and caressed him with her thumb. “You seem good.”
“I feel good, ready to get this over with and start packing for the trip.”
“I’ll be right there with you if it gets hard.”
“That’s the only thing that’s gotten me through this latest crisis.” He dropped his forehead to rest against hers. “You’ve got to be so tired of my family issues by now.”
“Not at all. It’s a small price to pay to get to be married to you.”
“Thank you, baby.”
A soft knock on the door indicated their guests had arrived.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Let’s do it.” He went to admit his mom, Charlie, Katie and Shane, who spoke in whispers because they knew Holden had just gone to bed and would put up a fuss if he heard them. They stayed quiet through dinner, after which Laura checked on Holden and said it was safe to speak normally.
“Thank you for the lovely dinner,” Sarah said, refilling her wineglass. She had a serenity about her these days that was hard to miss, and Owen couldn’t wait to let her know that she’d soon be free to marry the man she loved.
“You’re welcome.” He glanced at Laura, who reached for his hand and gave it a subtle squeeze under the table, fortifying him to take the next step. “So there was a reason other than dinner that I wanted to get together tonight.”
“Well,” Katie said, “we know you’re not going to tell us you’re pregnant.”
Their laughter diffused the last of Owen’s nerves. “Very funny. Actually, I wanted to tell you I heard from Dad.”
Stunned silence greeted his statement. Owen went on to tell them about the remarkable conversation he’d had with Mark. As he spoke, Sarah raised her hand to her heart, and Charlie put his arm around her. Katie stared bleakly at the far wall while Shane moved his chair closer to hers. Such was the Mark Lawry effect on his family members.
“He’s full of shit,” Katie said fiercely. “He realized he’s all alone in the world, and this is what he’s doing about it.”
“I don’t think so, sis,” Owen said, knowing his opinion would matter to her and the others. “I think it’s the truth. If you could’ve heard him… He was different than he’s ever been with me. Still gruff and domineering, but contrite, too. And what he said about me and the boys getting help if we ever feel that way toward our wives and children… It felt like genuine parental concern to me.”
Katie crossed her arms, her face set in a mulish expression that told Owen she might not come around right away. That was okay. It had taken him a couple of days to wrap his mind around it. He turned his attention to his mother, who seemed as stunned as Owen had felt upon hearing his father’s story.
“I always wondered,” Sarah said softly, “how a boy grows up to be that kind of man. He never spoke of his childhood. After the funeral, we never spoke of his father again.”
“He said that was the first time he hit you,” Owen said.
Her hand covered her left cheek. “Yes. I said something about feeling sorry for his father dying the way he had, and he slapped me across the face, saying his father was exactly where he belonged, in hell with the devil, and I was never to mention that son of a bitch’s name again. I never did.”
Next to her, Owen noticed Charlie wrestling with his emotions. It was hard for him to hear about the abuse she’d withstood at the hands of her husband.
“The divorce papers should be landing on Dan Torrington’s desk any day now,” Owen said, sharing the good news now that the harder part was out of the way.
“What?” Sarah asked, wide-eyed.
“He told me if I took his call, he’d give you the divorce. He promised he’d sign the divorce papers and mail them the day I talked to him, which means you should get them soon.”
“Oh, Owen,” Sarah said as she put it all together. “He convinced you to take his call by telling you he’d sign the papers if you did?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does! How can you say that doesn’t matter?”
“Because it doesn’t. Not anymore. You’re getting what you wanted, and we’ll all have some closure.”
“At what cost to you?” his mother asked tearfully.
“I’m okay, Mom. I swear. I’m fine. Ask Laura.”
His wife nodded in agreement. “He was thrown for a loop at first and anxious about telling the rest of you, but he’s good now.”
Sarah sat back in her chair, seeming stunned by the turn of events. “He signed the papers.”
Owen smiled at her. “He signed the papers.”
Sarah began to laugh and cry at the same time.
Charlie hauled her into his arms, kissing her square on the mouth right in front of her children and their partners.
Even Katie smiled at Charlie’s rare loss of control. She leaned on Shane, her expression softer now that she’d had a few minutes to process what she’d heard.
“We can get married,” Charlie said in a gruff whisper.
“We can get married,” Sarah replied, staring into his steel-blue eyes.
Owen glanced at Laura, who dabbed at her eyes. They shared a smile, full of love and relief and optimism for the future now that the past was where it belonged once and for all.
Chapter 27
Sunday night, Big Mac McCarthy called his family together for a meeting to go over the final plans for their trip to Anguilla in the morning. He’d taken great pleasure in planning every detail of the trip on behalf of his kids, their families, his brothers, niece and nephews. How often would an opportunity like this come along now that all the kids were grown and had families and lives of their own? Big Mac wanted it to be perfect for them, especially Evan, who’d arrived at the powwow without his fiancée.
“Where’s Grace?” Big Mac asked his son, who’d been smiling from ear to ear for the last week as they counted down to his big day.
“She’s running late at work, but she’ll be here. Today’s her last day at the pharmacy for a while, and she’s turning everything over to Fiona.”
“You two have so much to look forward to,” Big Mac said, embracing his fourth son.
Evan returned the hug. “Yes, we do.”
“Love you, son. I’m so proud of you and Grace, and I can’t wait to see you two tie the knot.”
“I can’t wait either, and thank you for all you did to get everyone there.”
“It was a pleasure.”
Linda came over to greet Evan with a hug, a kiss and a beer that he gratefully accepted.
“Thanks, Mom.”
She patted his face. “One last time—mother of the groom. I can’t wait.”
“Me either. I’m so ready.”
“That’s because you got it just right.”
“I certainly did.”
“We can’t wait to officially welcome Grace to our family.”
Evan blew out a deep
breath as he battled his emotions. “I can’t believe we’re leaving tomorrow. Been a long time coming.”
The others began to arrive in waves—Joe, Janey and PJ, Mac, Maddie, Thomas and Hailey, Stephanie and Grant, Ned and Francine, Tiffany, Blaine and Ashleigh, Kevin and Chelsea, who’d decided to accept Kevin’s invitation, Riley, Finn, Shane and Katie, Owen, Laura and Holden, Mallory, Frank and Betsy, and finally, Adam and Abby, who were still tanned from the honeymoon cruise Adam had surprised her with.
“Now that the gang’s all here,” Big Mac said, calling the meeting to order the way he did town council meetings, “let’s go over the itinerary.”
“Where’s Grace?” Stephanie asked as she and the others devoured the pizza he’d bought for them at Mario’s.
“She’ll be here,” Evan said, eyeing the front door. “Any minute now.”
“Joseph,” Big Mac said to his son-in-law, “you’ve got the ferry tickets.”
“Yes, sir.” Joe made a production of handing out tickets to everyone.
“You’ll note the time on that ticket is zero eight hundred,” Big Mac said sternly.
“Freaking butt crack of dawn on a vacation day,” Mac said.
“And you’d better get your butt crack to that dock on time or else,” Big Mac said.
“When did Dad turn into a drill sergeant?” Mac asked, his mouth full of pizza.
“You be quiet for once and listen,” Big Mac said, drawing howls of laughter from the others and a scowl from his eldest son.
“We’ll be met at the ferry landing in Point Judith by a bus that’ll take us to Logan Airport in Boston, where you’ll be given your plane tickets,” Big Mac continued.
“He don’t trust us with ’em,” Ned commented to snorts of laughter.
“You got that right,” Big Mac said. “From Boston, we’ll connect through Charlotte and San Juan before arriving in Anguilla at six o’clock local time. We’ll be met by shuttles from the resort and then shown to our beachfront accommodations.”
“OhmyGod,” Tiffany said. “I can’t freaking wait.”
“Freaking is a bad word, Mommy,” Ashleigh said.
“I know, baby, but in this case, it’s allowed.”
“Your mom wants to play naked boy-naked girl with Blaine,” Mac said, earning a glare from his brother-in-law.
“Yes, I do,” Tiffany replied, sending the others into hysterics.
“I thought we weren’t allowed to play that game anymore,” Ashleigh said, setting off another round of laughter.
“You’re not,” Tiffany told her adorable look-alike daughter. “But mommies and daddies are allowed to.”
“My mommy and daddy play that game a lot,” Thomas said. “I seen it.”
Maddie’s eyes got very big and very round as she covered her son’s mouth with her hand while Mac lost his shit laughing. “Oh. My. Sweet. Hell.”
The meeting descended into chaos after that, but Big Mac didn’t mind. He’d told them what they needed to know, and everything was in place to ensure a smooth trip from one island to another.
His wife slipped her arm around his waist. “Well done, my love. You missed your calling as a travel agent.”
“Aw, thanks, but it was only fun because it was for this crew of lunatics.”
“It’s going to be the best time ever.”
He couldn’t agree more. The only thing he was worried about now was the weather. You could plan anything but that.
* * *
Evan noticed Owen go into the kitchen and not come back, so while the others razzed Maddie about Thomas’s hilarious comment, Evan went to see what was up with his best friend.
Owen stared out the window at the darkness, his arms braced on either side of the sink.
“What’s up, O?” Evan helped himself to two of his father’s beers. He opened one for himself and the other for his friend.
“Thanks.” Owen took the beer from Evan and tipped back half of it in one swallow, which was unusual for him.
“Something wrong?”
“Nah, it’s all good. How are you? Ready for this?”
“I’ve been ready for a year. Thought it would never get here.”
“It’s gonna be a blast.”
“I know I’ve told you this a hundred times already, but I’m so, so, so glad you’re coming. Wouldn’t have been the same without you guys.”
“Yeah.” Owen looked down at the floor, his broad shoulders curving inward, the stance reminding Evan of the dreadful weeks leading up to the trial of Owen’s father.
“What’s on your mind? And don’t say it’s nothing. I know you better than that.”
Seeming surprised by Evan’s blunt statement, Owen looked up at him before glancing into the other room, where Laura chatted with Stephanie and Abby. “She shouldn’t be going. It’s too close to her due date, but she won’t hear me when I tell her we should stay home.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, last thing I wanted to do was inflict my worries on your good time. That’s why I didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Dude, come on, aren’t we past that? Your worries are my worries. That’s how we roll.”
“Sometimes I think…”
“What?”
“That I never would’ve survived the nightmare of my family without the refuge of yours.”
Evan put his hand over his heart. “My family is your family, and we’ll watch out for you and Laura and those babies. Mallory and Katie will be with us, both of them experienced nurses. If there’s any problem, they’ll be right there.”
“So you don’t think I’m taking a foolish risk by letting my seven-months-pregnant wife go on a trip like this?”
“Of course I don’t think that, and no one else will either. Besides, we all know Laura does exactly what she wants, and no one, even her devoted husband, can talk her out of something once she sets her mind to it.”
Owen laughed. “Yeah, that about nails her.”
“I go way back with her,” Evan said with a grin.
“Like all the way back.”
“Yep. I know without a doubt there’s no way she’d ever endanger herself or those babies. David said she could go. Victoria said she could go. And how great is it that she feels well enough to travel after being so bloody sick for months at the beginning?”
“It is pretty great,” Owen said, his expression softening as he watched his wife talk and laugh with the other women. “So where’s your bride-to-be tonight?”
“That’s a good question.” As Evan withdrew his phone, intending to call her, the front door opened in a gust of cold air as Grace arrived. He’d made sure to save her some pizza and the glass of chardonnay she would need after a long day at work. The minute she came through the door, however, he could see something was wrong. He knew her so well, better than he’d ever known anyone, and her distress was palpable.
“What’s the matter?”
As he took her coat, she looked up at him, blinking rapidly as if trying not to cry. Though he had no doubt that she was every bit as committed to him as he was to her, his heart stopped at the possibility that she might be having cold feet. “I… Um… My parents. They’re not coming.”
“What?”
“Th-they said the trip was too much for them, that they’d been trying to find a way to tell me…” She broke down into heartbroken sobs that made Evan want to kill the people who would soon be his in-laws. They’d done nothing but hurt his beloved Grace in big and small ways since he’d known her, and he’d had about enough.
He wrapped his arms around her and guided her into the formal living room his mother kept for “guests,” out of the view of the others. “I’m so sorry, honey. I hate that they would do this to you, especially so late in the game.”
“It’s what they do,” she said, sobs hiccupping through her. “Any time I’m really happy, they find a way to ruin it.”
“After this, they’ll be seeing and hearing very little from you and us. I won’t let them hur
t you anymore.”
“Wh-who will give me away if my dad isn’t there?”
Evan’s heart, the heart that belonged completely to her, split right down the middle. “My dad will. You know he’d love to.”
“H-he’s nicer t-to me than m-my own f-father has ever b-been.”
“He loves you. We all do. We’re your family now. Us and your brothers and all your friends. You’re surrounded by people who’d do anything for you. Your brothers would give you away, wouldn’t they?”
“P-probably, but they’d be aw-awkward and uncomfortable. I think I might rather have your dad.”
“You can have anyone you want, and my dad would be delighted to do it.”
Because he was holding her so close, he felt her backbone stiffen and her usual fortitude return. “I’m sorry to show up in this condition when everyone’s excited.”
“Don’t apologize. Not to me or anyone else. Of course you’re upset, and with good reason, but we can’t let them ruin this amazing week that we’ve been looking forward to for so long.”
“I won’t let them ruin this for me. No way.”
“That’s my girl. Your brothers will still be there, right?”
“Oh yes, they wouldn’t miss it, but this is it for me with my parents. I can’t keep letting them do this to me.”
“No, you can’t, and I’m glad to hear you say that.”
“Because you’ve wanted me to cut things off with them for a while now?” she asked with the hint of a smile ghosting her lips.
“Something like that, but I never would’ve said it. You had to get there on your own.”
“Well, consider me there.”
Evan cupped her face in his hands and kissed her cheeks, brushing away her tears, before turning his attention to her sweet lips. “Focus on me. I’m your family, and I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again.”
“I’d be lost without you, Evan. You have no idea how much I need you.”
“Yes, I do, because I need you just as much.” He kissed her again, more intently this time, before the clearing of a throat interrupted them.
“Sorry to interrupt the early honeymoon,” Big Mac said. “I was just making sure you two are okay. Someone said Grace seemed upset.” He zeroed in on her tearstained face, his brows furrowing with dismay.