by Marie Force
“Just like your mom, you had to change your plans.”
“Yep, but unlike her, I’m still looking for the reason for what happened to me. I loved being a cop. It was my ‘calling,’ if you believe in such things. Since I left the force, I’ve been kind of floundering.”
“I know what that’s like.” At times, Julia felt like she’d been floundering her entire life. Unlike most of her siblings, she’d never found a profession that particularly interested her, so she’d used her organizational skills to fashion a career as an office manager. That, too, had turned to shit when a new boss had arrived to make her life a living hell. “If I file a report, would I get the money back?”
“Maybe, maybe not. It’s hard to say. Depends on whether he still has it.”
“It’s probably long gone.”
“Possibly, but you’d give him some serious heartburn if you filed charges, and you’d put him on notice that he can’t treat people this way and get away with it.”
“Would he get arrested?”
Deacon’s sinfully sexy lips curved into a smile, and his golden-brown eyes glittered with delight. “Yep, and searched, fingerprinted, booked, charged, possibly held overnight and then arraigned. The whole nine yards.”
Julia had to admit that the idea of Mike being arrested and charged for what he’d done brought her a perverse kind of pleasure.
“What do you say? You want me to help you get him in some trouble?”
“Yes, please.”
He cracked up. “So polite.”
“Well, you’re offering to do me a favor. The least I can do is be polite.”
“I’ll trade you a favor for a favor.”
Disappointment flooded her. Of course he was just like the others.
“Not that kind of favor,” he said, laughing again. “Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m talking about the kind of favor where you have dinner with me in exchange for my professional services. I don’t have many friends here, so it’s kind of lonely.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I’ll have dinner with you, but only if it’s not a date.”
Deacon considered that, rubbed at the stubble on his chin and gave her a calculating look. “No deal. I want a real date.”
She shook her head. “I told you I’m done with all that.”
“Forever?”
“Maybe.”
“If you take that stance, then he wins, Julia. If you deny yourself the chance to be happy with someone else, he wins. Are you going to let him win?”
“It’s not just him. It’s all of them.”
He cocked his head adorably. “You want them all to win?”
“No, I don’t want that, but I also don’t want to date anyone. Can’t we just go as friends?”
“Hmmm, I’ll have to think about that.”
“Hey, Julia!” Her sister Cindy’s voice had Julia turning toward the party. “It’s time for more toasts, and Katie is looking for you.”
“I’m coming.” To Deacon, she said, “I’ll see you later?”
“Save another dance for me.”
Now that she knew he was interested in dating her, she didn’t want to dance with him anymore. He was too tempting, and she was determined to stick with her man diet for the foreseeable future.
Chapter 4
She’s coming around, Deacon thought as he watched Julia walk inside to tend to her sister. She’d gone from not wanting to talk to him at all to telling him her problems, dancing with him and agreeing to let him help her. He fucking hated bullies and men who preyed on women and children. He’d seen far too much of it as a member of the domestic assault intervention unit while on the job.
The depraved shit that people did to the ones they supposedly loved never ceased to amaze and disgust him. He had no patience for that kind of crap. That’s why he’d ended up in a bar fight, defending a woman who’d been nothing more than a casual hookup to him.
What gave a man the right to raise his fists toward a woman? Nothing gave him that right, but too many felt entitled to take whatever they wanted. The guy who’d stolen from Julia would live to regret it. Deacon couldn’t wait to help her put together the facts and file a report. He’d help her regardless of whether she ever agreed to go out with him.
Deacon stayed off to the side and out of the wedding fray, but close enough to the action that he could watch Julia do her maid-of-honor speech.
His gaze traveled around the room, settling on his brother Blaine, who was beaming at his pretty wife. She looked at him like Blaine had hung the moon. Next to them were Mac McCarthy and his wife, Maddie, who was Tiffany’s sister, and Mac’s sister Janey and her husband, Joe Cantrell.
Deacon had kept up with island gossip thanks to his mom, who passed along the latest news during their weekly phone calls. Deacon hadn’t had the heart to tell her he didn’t care who married who on Gansett. But it gave them something to talk about, so he’d let her tell him. Now he was glad he knew the basics—and he was glad his parents were traveling in Europe this summer and wouldn’t be up in his business while he was home.
Big Mac McCarthy hadn’t changed a bit since the days when he’d led their Boy Scout troop, and his wife, Linda, was as youthful as ever. You’d never know the two of them had raised a bunch of kids and run several businesses for decades. Deacon had always looked up to Mr. McCarthy and hoped he’d get the chance to say hello before the day was out.
Julia looked adorably uncertain as she stepped into the spotlight. “Katie, you and I go way back.”
Seated at the head table, Katie laughed while Shane kept a protective arm around her.
“I can’t imagine life without my twin sister, my best friend from the minute we were born. You’re one of the best people I know, and no one deserves more than you do to be happy.”
Deacon wanted to stop her and tell her she deserved to be happy, too, but he kept his mouth shut so he wouldn’t cause a scene at her sister’s wedding.
“We’ve been through almost everything together, good and bad. Watching you get married feels like the end of an era in a way. It’s the end of our era and the start of your life with Shane.”
His heart broke for her. She was trying so hard to be strong about her twin moving on without her, but he felt her sadness as if it were his own.
Julia cleared her throat and sent a teary-eyed smile in the direction of her sister and new brother-in-law. “Please join me in raising your glasses to Katie and Shane. May you enjoy a long and happy life together.”
“My kids have been through so much.”
Deacon hadn’t seen Julia’s mother approach him, so her softly spoken comment took him by surprise.
“This is terribly difficult for Julia, seeing Owen and Katie settling down. The three of them… They were always a team, and now she must be feeling like she’s been left behind.”
Deacon didn’t say anything, because he wanted her to keep talking and providing insight into what made Julia tick. Why he cared about what made her tick was something he could try to figure out later.
“She’s struggled to find her way.”
He already knew that much just from the short time he’d known her.
Her mom looked up at Deacon. “You must be wondering why I’m telling you these things.”
“Maybe a little.”
“I asked around about you. I found out you’re Blaine’s brother.”
“That’s right.”
“He’s one of the finest men I’ve ever met.”
Deacon had to force himself not to roll his eyes. “That’s nice to hear.”
“He was there for me during the lowest moment of my life. He’ll always have a special place in my heart.” She placed her hand on Deacon’s arm. “If you’re anything like him, you could be so good for my Julia.”
Whoa…
“I’m sorry. I know it’s wildly inappropriate for me to intervene like this, but I figured you wouldn’t mind after you kidnapped her and then danced with her.”
“It doesn’t count as a kidnapping if the alleged victim goes willingly with her captor.”
She laughed. “I take it you’re a police officer, too?”
“Former. Now I’m a harbor master.”
“I don’t mean to be a pushy matchmaking mother, and if you knew me at all, you’d know how out of character it is for me to be having this conversation with you. But Julia… I worry so much about her. She tries to show the world how tough she is, but on the inside... Inside, she hurts.”
Deacon had already figured out that much for himself. “She’s a beautiful woman.” Her mother was, too. She was an older version of Katie and their other sister, whose name he didn’t know yet. Julia must look like her father.
“She is, and that’s actually been a problem for her. People see her beautiful exterior and think they know what kind of person she is. They have no idea how she’s struggled or what she’s been through.”
Listening to her mother talk made Deacon want to know everything there was to know about Julia—the good, the bad, the ugly. He could honestly say he’d never wanted to know everything about any other woman before. That level of involvement had never interested him. Only a few days ago, he’d been telling Blaine how the idea of being committed to one woman forever was not for him.
If that one woman was someone like Julia, however… She was the kind of woman a man changed his plans for.
“I’m sorry,” Sarah said with a nervous laugh. “Weddings make me sappy, and clearly, champagne makes me chatty. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“You haven’t. Not at all.”
She glanced at Julia at the head table and then at him. “Deacon, I’d like to invite you to the brunch we’re having tomorrow at the Sand & Surf at ten in the morning, if you’re available.”
“I’d love to come. Thank you.” Julia probably wouldn’t want him there, which was all the more reason to go.
Her mother patted his arm. “I’m so glad we had a chance to talk.”
“I am, too. It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Please, call me Sarah.”
“Thank you, Sarah.” He felt like she’d trusted him with something precious, and he was determined to treat it with the respect it deserved.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Sarah said as she left him.
“See you then.”
Julia had touched him with her sweetness, her sadness, her vulnerability and her beauty. He could only hope she’d give him the chance to show her that not all men were assholes. Some of them could be trusted. He could be trusted. It should’ve terrified him that he was having such thoughts only hours after meeting her. But after hearing what she’d been through, he wanted to show her something better.
She looked over at him, and when her gaze connected with his, she offered a small smile that filled him with an unreasonable feeling of hope.
With her around to keep things interesting, spending the summer on Gansett Island didn’t seem quite so dreadful.
* * *
Kevin was losing his mind one vicious contraction at a time. He’d been through this twice before, but that was nearly thirty years ago. He didn’t remember it being this difficult for his former wife.
Chelsea was truly suffering and had resisted Victoria’s suggestion that she have an epidural before it was too late. She was determined to have a completely natural birth, but the longer this went on, the more convinced Kevin was that she needed to do something to take the edge off the pain.
“Sweetheart,” he said between contractions as he bathed her face with a cool cloth. “Let them give you something.”
She shook her head. “Not good for the baby.”
“Chels… They wouldn’t give you anything that would harm the baby. And I’d never suggest you try it if I wasn’t totally sure it was safe.”
Tears rolled down cheeks that were red from exertion. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. Everything will be fine, and you’ll be so much more comfortable.”
“Okay.”
He leaned over the bed rail to kiss her. “I’ll get Victoria.” Kevin moved quickly so he wouldn’t have to leave Chelsea alone any longer than necessary. He found Victoria at the desk in the hallway. “Chelsea would like to have the epidural.”
“We’ll be right in.”
“Thank you.”
“Take a breath, Kevin. She’s doing great. Most of our first-time moms take a long time to get through transition.”
Her assurances helped to settle him somewhat, but he wouldn’t breathe normally until their baby had arrived and both mom and baby were safe.
Riley and Finn joined him in the hallway.
“How’s it going, Dad?” Riley asked.
“She’s having a tough time, but Vic says it’s normal.”
“Totally normal,” Victoria said as she went by them on her way to Chelsea’s room.
“Anything we can do for you guys?” Finn asked.
“Not that I can think of. You don’t have to stick around.”
“Of course we’re sticking around,” Riley said. “Where else would we be when our baby brother or sister is about to be born?”
Their support had Kevin blinking back tears. “Thank you.” He hugged each of his sons before returning to Chelsea’s room.
Victoria and David had her sitting up for the epidural.
Chelsea looked up at him, her eyes wild with panic.
“I’m here, love.” He took her hands and sat next to her bed, careful not to jostle her. “Hold on to me.”
“A little pinch,” Victoria said.
Chelsea winced and grasped his hands tightly.
“All done,” David said a minute later. “You should start to feel much better almost right away.”
They helped to get her settled back in bed and adjusted the monitor that was wrapped around her belly.
“You’ll be ready to push before too much longer,” Vic said. “Try to get some rest while you can.”
When they were alone, Kevin kissed the back of Chelsea’s hand. “I wish I could do this for you, sweetheart.”
Her soft laughter had him looking up at her. “If men had the babies, the population would be extinct.”
He was relieved she was able to joke again, even if it was at his expense. “Very true.”
“It’ll be worth all the pain when the baby is here. I can’t wait to meet him—or her.”
“Neither can I.”
“Thank you for this, Kev. I know it’s not what you had planned for this next chapter of your life.”
“Plans change. I’m as excited as you are to welcome our little one. And the boys are, too. They’re both here. They said they wouldn’t be anywhere else when their baby sibling was about to be born.”
“That’s so sweet of them.”
“They’re going to be awesome big brothers. They’ll want to spoil him or her rotten.”
“And we’ll let them.”
“Of course we will.”
Chelsea’s eyes closed, and while she napped, Kevin kept a close watch on the monitor that recorded each contraction as it happened. He noticed when they started coming closer together. It’d been decades since his OB/GYN rotation in med school, but he remembered enough to know that meant it was almost time to push.
Victoria came in and checked Chelsea again before declaring it go time. She went to get David, and the two of them hustled around the room, making preparations for the delivery.
Kevin focused on staying calm so he could help keep Chelsea relaxed and in the zone for the final stage of labor. The next hour passed in a blur of pushing, resting, tears, excitement, anxiety, hope and finally, at the end of Chelsea’s heroic effort, a seven-pound, five-ounce baby girl.
They had a daughter.
Kevin couldn’t contain his tears at the first sight of her adorable little face, her tightly fisted hands and long legs that immediately had him thinking of Chelsea’s long legs. He crawled onto the bed with Chels
ea, who held the baby against her chest as she gazed up at Kevin.
“We did it.”
“You did it. You were incredible. She’s absolutely beautiful, just like her mother.”
“She’s got your blue eyes.”
“For now. Sometimes they change.”
“They’re the same shape as yours.”
“Should I go get the boys?”
“Yes, please do.”
Kevin kissed her and the top of the baby’s head. “I’ll be right back.” He went out to the waiting room. “Riley, Finn… Would you like to meet your baby sister?”
They jumped up and came over to hug him.
“Congratulations, Dad,” Finn said.
“We have a sister,” Riley said. “Holy crap.”
“Come meet her.” Kevin led them back to the room, where they stood on either side of Chelsea’s bed.
“What’s her name?” Finn asked as he gently caressed the baby’s light dusting of blonde hair.
Kevin looked to Chelsea to share the name they’d chosen.
“Meet Summer Rose McCarthy.”
“Summer,” Riley said. “I love that. It’s the best time of year.”
“That’s what we thought, too.” Kevin had loved the name from the first time Chelsea suggested it to him. It conjured up days at the beach, warm ocean breezes and long nights under a star-filled sky.
Surrounded by the four people he loved the most in the world, Kevin could finally exhale. Everything was all right. The baby was here, she was beautiful, and Chelsea… He’d always known she was a goddess, but after watching her give birth to their daughter, he loved her even more than he had before.
Chapter 5
Julia slept fitfully, infuriated by strange dreams about Deacon Taylor, of all people. Why in the hell was she dreaming about a man she’d known for all of one day? Granted, it had been a rather awesome day, which she hadn’t expected when she’d arrived for Katie’s wedding. She’d anticipated another difficult, sad, emotional day, like Owen’s wedding had been for her. Yesterday had been all those things until Deacon showed up.