by Marie Force
“We’re all so happy for you guys,” Adam said.
“Thank you. I know it means a lot to David to have your family’s support.”
It seemed like a long time now since David’s relationship with Janey had ended with him cheating on her. David had changed a lot in the last few years and had earned the McCarthy family’s undying respect when he delivered both Hailey and P.J. under difficult—and dangerous—conditions.
“How did he ask you?” Abby asked.
“It was very romantic and sweet,” Daisy said, blushing lightly as she conveyed the details of the proposal. “After we spent Christmas Day with his family, we came home to our place. He said he had one more gift he’d forgotten to give me earlier. I almost passed out when I realized what was happening.”
Abby laughed at the comical expression on Daisy’s face.
“It was perfect,” Daisy declared.
Abby hugged her. “I’m so happy for you. No one deserves to be swept off her feet more than you do.”
Adam wanted to tell his bride that she deserved it, too, but rather than tell her, he intended to show her. Later.
He and Abby had said to hell with superstition and had spent their wedding day together. In truth, he was still slightly afraid to let her out of his sight. Since their intense conversation on the night of his parents’ anniversary party, she’d been more resigned to her diagnosis. She’d been an enthusiastic if quieter-than-usual participant in the planning of their wedding. However, he still sensed an underlying fragility to her newfound strength, which was why they’d spent every day this week together.
He’d taken the week off from work and had given her his undivided attention. With her store closed down for the winter as of Christmas Eve, they focused on resting and relaxing in the days before their wedding. Adam couldn’t wait to give her the surprise he had for her later.
She’d suggested that the week in Anguilla for Evan’s wedding could count as their honeymoon, but Adam didn’t want to wait three weeks to celebrate their marriage. They were leaving tomorrow for a weeklong cruise to the Bahamas, and he was excited to have his new wife completely to himself for a whole week.
Hell, he was excited about everything where she was concerned—the good, the bad, the sickness, the health and everything in between. After his last relationship ended in spectacular fashion, he’d been resigned to spending the rest of his life alone rather than ending up with the wrong person.
At the lowest moment in his life, he’d come home to Gansett and found true love with his brother’s ex-girlfriend. He hadn’t seen it coming, but that was what made it so great. They’d been right under each other’s noses for years without realizing they were destined to be together.
As Abby chatted with Daisy about the flower delivery that would arrive from the florist, Adam squeezed her hand.
She replied with the genuine smile he hadn’t seen much of since her diagnosis, but it gave him hope that she would bounce back in due time. That she also looked excited about the wedding helped to soothe his battered nerves.
The rest of the day flew by with last-minute details and other preparations. With darkness descending as it did so early in the winter, Adam spent his last few minutes as a single man in the hotel salon with his brothers as well as Joe and Owen, all of whom were serving as his groomsmen. His nephew, Thomas, was the ring bearer. Owen was doing double duty and would provide music for the ceremony. Adam’s Uncle Frank would preside.
Abby had asked Grace to be her maid of honor with Janey, Maddie, Laura and Stephanie as her attendants. They hadn’t had time to come up with the usual matching outfits, so all the girls were wearing black cocktail dresses, and the guys were in dark suits. Abby had found a dress she loved at Tiffany’s store a couple of months ago, and Adam couldn’t wait to see it.
It had been rather easy to throw together an elegant last-minute wedding that would also serve as a New Year’s Eve party.
“Are you ready, bro?” Mac asked, clasping Adam’s shoulder.
“So ready.”
His brother Grant shook his hand. “Take good care of Abby. She deserves the very best.”
“She’ll never get anything less than that from me.”
Grant nodded soberly. Adam was thankful that there’d never been any ill will from his brother when he started seeing Abby. Grant knew he’d screwed up with her, and he’d told Adam that his experience with Abby had prepared him to do better with Stephanie. Everyone had ended up where they belonged, but it was still a relief not to have trouble with Grant. That would’ve forced Adam to make some awful decisions.
Evan approached him with a white rose, a huge pin and a demonic look in his eyes.
“Don’t even think about it, idiot.”
“I only thought about it. I wasn’t actually going to do it.” Evan, the best man, pinned the rose onto Adam’s lapel and then took a measuring perusal of Adam’s appearance. “You won’t ruin the pictures.”
Adam laughed. He expected nothing less from Evan. The two of them had spent their childhood beating the crap out of each other every chance they got, and were still known to wrestle on occasion. In fact, they’d gotten in trouble for wrestling too close to their mother’s tree on Christmas Day. Good times.
Despite the fighting—or maybe because of it—he and Evan were close, and there was no one else he’d rather have stand up for him today. He hoped Evan would resist the urge to headlock him during the ceremony.
Adam checked his watch. Ten minutes until six. Ten minutes until he married the love of his life. He couldn’t wait.
Clutching the arm of her father and following her attendants, Abby made her way downstairs to the salon, where she and Adam would exchange vows. The beautiful old hotel was awash in candlelight that created a soft, romantic vibe. She’d been skeptical that they could pull off a decent wedding with only eleven days to prepare, but as usual, Adam had shown her that anything was possible if you wanted it badly enough.
With every step she took toward her groom, Abby thought about the long journey she had traveled to arrive at this moment. More than ten years with Grant had led to heartache in the end, followed by another failed relationship with Cal—and a broken engagement.
She’d officially given up on men and love, which was exactly when her path had collided with Adam’s on a ferry ride home to Gansett that changed both their lives forever.
Even though her relationship with Adam was totally different from anything she’d known before, she’d still expected something to go wrong—because in her experience, something always went wrong. The devastating diagnosis last week had nearly derailed them, but he hadn’t let it. He hadn’t let her withdraw into herself. He’d fought for her and for them the way he always had and, she now knew, the way he always would.
She’d chosen an off-white silk dress with a deep V neckline that showed off the cleavage Adam loved. It fell to her ankles and included a slit on the right side. The dress was sexier than she’d normally have chosen for herself, but if her body was going to change dramatically due to her disorder, she wanted Adam to have the memory of a sexy, beautiful bride to cherish.
Abby had left her hair down because that was how he liked it best, and had worn the lightest possible amount of makeup. Marrying him was a dream come true, and she didn’t want to be unrecognizable to him. She and her dad turned the last corner before they entered the room where the ceremony would be held, and Abby took a deep breath, preparing herself for him.
She squeezed her dad’s arm, and they rounded the corner. Accompanied by the gentle tone of Owen’s guitar, Abby locked eyes with Adam, who appeared to brush a tear from his cheek. He was so beautiful and so sexy and all hers forever. In those final steps as a single woman, she let go of her painful past and her worries about the future. For right now, there was only Adam and her and the vows they would make to each other.
Adam shook hands with her dad and tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, squeezing it once in reassurance. “Stu
nning,” he whispered.
“Likewise,” she replied, smiling up at him.
“We’ve come together tonight to celebrate the marriage of my wonderful nephew Adam with his beautiful Abby.” Frank led them through the traditional recitation of vows and the exchange of rings that they’d ordered online and paid top dollar to have shipped to them in time for the wedding. “In addition to the vows they’ve already taken, Adam and Abby have written their own vows. Adam?”
As he took a deep breath, his eyes shone with unshed tears. “My whole life began the day I found you on that ferry ride home to Gansett,” he said gruffly, bringing tears to her eyes, too. “We were both at the lowest point in our lives and in no way prepared for what was about to happen to us. Since that momentous day, you have taken me places I never expected to go, including the tattoo parlor.”
Abby laughed, as did everyone else.
Adam touched his lips to the new tattoo of their wedding date on her inner wrist. He had the same one in the same place.
Releasing one of her hands, he cupped her face as he gazed into her eyes. “No matter what challenges may come our way, I’ve always got your back, and I know you’ve got mine, too. I love every single thing about you, and I always will.”
He used his thumbs to brush away her tears.
“I have never been more myself than I am with you,” Abby said. “I’ve never felt as completely accepted as I am with you. And I’ll never love anyone the way I love you. From those first moments on the ferry, you’ve taken care of me and protected me and encouraged me to go for what I want, even if it might seem out of reach. You’ve shown me that nothing is out of reach when you have the right person holding your hand through life’s challenges. The day I found you on the ferry was the best day of my life, until today.”
Before Frank could tell him it was time, Adam kissed her, and Frank declared them husband and wife.
“I’d tell you to kiss your bride, Adam,” Frank said, “but you’ve got that covered.”
Adam kissed her for a long time—so long that Abby began to burn with embarrassment as their family and friends laughed. She was about to break the kiss when he withdrew slowly, smiling brightly at her.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Frank said, “I present to you Adam and Abby McCarthy.”
As their guests cheered, Adam raised their joined hands to his lips and kissed the back of hers.
Finally, Abby thought. Finally, she’d gotten her happily ever after, and the best part was she got to spend the rest of her life with him.
Epilogue
“Four down, two to go,” Big Mac said to Linda as the clock headed for midnight and the party raged on around them. Jackets and heels had come off, ties were strewn over backs of chairs, and the champagne continued to flow.
The bride and groom were right in the middle of it all, dancing with their siblings and friends and having a generally fantastic time from what he could see. Tonight there had been no sign of the troubling diagnosis that had thrown them for a loop. Tonight had been all about celebration.
“It was a beautiful wedding,” Linda said.
“They’re a beautiful couple.”
“Look at them all. They’re incredible. Every single one of them—the ones we gave birth to and the ones we’ve picked up along the way.”
“They certainly are.” He took advantage of the opportunity to kiss her. “I can’t wait to see what the next forty years brings.”
“Neither can I.”
With his arms around her, Big Mac drew her into his embrace, looking forward to everything still to come with his own bride.
I hope you enjoyed Celebration After Dark and the look back at how Mac and Linda came to be. If you wondered where the McCarthy boys came by their formidable charm, you probably aren’t wondering anymore. I loved writing Mac and Linda’s story and looking back to before the marina and the hotel were successful businesses. Everyone starts somewhere, and they were no different. To chat about the story with spoilers allowed, join the Celebration After Dark Reader Group. If you’re not one of the nearly 10,000 members of the McCarthy Series Reader Group, get on over to our online Tiki Bar and join the fun here!
The Gansett Island Series continues in 2016 with Desire After Dark, Slim and Erin’s story. Watch for more information coming soon! To be kept informed of new books, make sure you’re on my email newsletter list. You can join at marieforce.com on the left-hand side, where it asks for your name and email address. This is the best way to ensure you never miss a new book, a giveaway or a possible appearance in your area.
Thanks as always to my amazing team: Julie Cupp, CMP, Lisa Cafferty, CPA, Holly Sullivan, Isabel Sullivan, Nikki Colquhoun, Cheryl Serra, Ashley Lopez and Courtney Lopes. Linda Ingmanson, copy editor on all my self-published books—thank you so much for always squeezing me in when I need you. Thank you Anne Woodall, Kara Conrad and Ronlyn Howe for being my beta readers, and to Holly, who is always my FIRST reader. Thank you, Holly!
To the Gansett Island faithful who make it SO FUN to continue writing this series after seven years, you have my eternal gratitude. I never thought I’d be saying the words Book 15 with no end in sight. This series has made my career, and that couldn’t have happened without all of you.
xoxo
Marie
Coming in 2016! Desire After Dark, Slim and Erin’s story…
Tobias “Slim” Jackson has the perfect life as a pilot on Gansett Island in the summer and in Florida in the winter. He’s happiest when he’s in the air, or at least that was the case before last summer when he met Erin Barton, Gansett Island’s newest lighthouse keeper. Now he can’t seem to find his usual enthusiasm for flying, winter in the sunny South or anything that doesn’t include her.
Erin has been stuck on pause since she lost her twin brother. She’ll tell you herself that her life has been a hot mess since Toby died. After dropping out of law school, she’s flitted from one pointless job to another, existing rather than truly living. Then she comes to Gansett Island to take over as the new lighthouse keeper and meets Slim, who happens to share her beloved brother’s first name. That small coincidence is enough to convince Erin that she needs to spend more time with the dashing pilot—except for the fact that he’s spending the winter more than a thousand miles from her.
Now Slim’s come home to Gansett for the holidays and to hopefully pick up where he left off with Erin. He’s got twelve days before he’s due back in Florida to finish out the remainder of his winter obligations. A lot can happen in twelve days, but will it be enough to convince Erin that it’s time to start truly living again? Read Slim and Erin’s story and catch up with the rest of the Gansett Island cast in Desire After Dark, coming in 2016! Join my mailing list at marieforce.com to be notified when the preorder is available.
Other Books by Marie Force
Download a FREE Sample of Marie’s Books
Love Always Boxed Set, First Books in Four of Marie’s Bestselling Series
Contemporary Romances Available from Marie Force
The Gansett Island Series
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 1-3
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 4-6
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 7-9
Book 1: Maid for Love
Book 2: Fool for Love
Book 3: Ready for Love
Book 4: Falling for Love
Book 5: Hoping for Love
Book 6: Season for Love
Book 7: Longing for Love
Book 8: Waiting for Love
Book 9: Time for Love
Book 10: Meant for Love
Book 10.5: Chance for Love A Gansett Island Novella
Book 11: Gansett After Dark
Book 12: Kisses After Dark
Book 13: Love After Dark
Book 14: Celebration After Dark
Book 15: Desire After Dark
The Green Mountain Series
Book 1: All You Need Is Love
Book 2: I Want to Hold Your Ha
nd
Book 3: I Saw Her Standing There
Book 4: And I Love Her
Novella: You’ll Be Mine
Book 5: It’s Only Love
Book 6: Ain’t She Sweet
The Treading Water Series
10th Anniversary Treading Water Boxed Set
Book 1: Treading Water
Book 2: Marking Time
Book 3: Starting Over
Book 4: Coming Home
Single Titles
The Single Titles Boxed Set
Georgia on My Mind
True North
The Fall
Everyone Loves a Hero
Love at First Flight
Line of Scrimmage
Books from M. S. Force
The Erotic Quantum Series
Book 1: Virtuous
Book 2: Valorous
Book 3: Victorious
Book 4: Rapturous
Romantic Suspense Novels Available from Marie Force
The Fatal Series
One Night With You, A Fatal Series Prequel Novella
Book 1: Fatal Affair
Book 2: Fatal Justice
Book 3: Fatal Consequences
Book 3.5: Fatal Destiny The Wedding Novella
Book 4: Fatal Flaw
Book 5: Fatal Deception
Book 6: Fatal Mistake
Book 7: Fatal Jeopardy
Book 8: Fatal Scandal
Book 9: Fatal Frenzy
Single Title
The Wreck
About the Author
Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, including the Gansett Island Series, which has sold more than 2.2 million books, and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books, which has sold more than 1 million books. In addition, she is the author of the Green Mountain Series from Berkley Publishing as well as the new erotic romance Quantum Series, written under the slightly modified name of M.S. Force.