by Marie Force
“I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“I wouldn’t feel right.”
“I’m inviting you to be my guest, but if you’d rather not stay, I understand. I would like your phone number, though.”
She seemed to be engaged in an argument with herself as she weighed what he’d said. “I’ll stay for tonight.”
“Good,” he said with a smile. “See that house up there on the hill? The white one?”
“Yes.”
“That’s my place. Come for dinner tonight.”
“You can’t just invite me without talking to your wife first.”
“Funny, you’ve never met my wife and yet you seem to already have her figured out.”
“I’m a woman, Mr. McCarthy. It doesn’t take a degree in rocket science to predict that this news might take her by surprise.” She withdrew a card from her purse and handed it to him. “My cell number is on there. Call me later after you talk to her, and you won’t hurt my feelings if you tell me I’m not welcome there.”
“Don’t call me Mr. McCarthy. At the very least, call me Big Mac. That’s what everyone calls me.”
“Big Mac,” she said, trying it on for size. “I will. Thank you. You’ve been really nice about all of this, when I wouldn’t have blamed you if you told me to take a hike.”
“I’m not going to do that. I wonder, though, if I could borrow that letter from your mom. I’d like to show it to my wife.”
She pulled the letter from her pocket and handed it to him. “You’ll understand that it’s precious to me—”
“I’ll make sure you get it back.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll call you.”
“Okay.” The smile she left him with reminded him, in a way, of his mother. And then he remembered the photo of his mother that he kept in a frame in his study and realized Mallory was the image of her as a younger woman. After she walked away, he watched her until she was past the table full of men, who eyed her with curiosity. She didn’t stop to speak with them but rather kept walking toward the hotel. Big Mac’s mind raced with thoughts and memories and fear over what this news might do to his family—and his marriage.
As Mac and Frank approached him, clearly looking for information about what’d just happened, Big Mac knew he couldn’t tell anyone about Mallory until he’d told Linda. With that in mind, he walked purposely toward the parking lot.
As he approached his son and brother, Mac tried to stop him. “Dad?”
“Hold down the fort. I’ll be back.”
“Is everything all right?” Frank asked.
“Yeah. Nothing to worry about.” As he said the words, Big Mac hoped and prayed they were true.
Chapter 13
At the first sounds of chatter from the crib in the next room, Owen was up and out of bed, hoping Laura would sleep for a while longer. He changed the baby’s heavy overnight diaper, washed him up and left him in only a new diaper to feed him his cereal and applesauce for breakfast, knowing he’d probably need a full bath after he ate.
Holden was getting better all the time at eating from a spoon, but mealtime was messy nonetheless. After he’d devoured the runny cereal and a jar of applesauce, Owen rewarded him with a scattering of Cheerios on the table of his high chair. Watching the baby’s fat fingers pick up the Cheerios and get them to his mouth was one of Owen’s favorite things. With every new day, Holden learned how to do something else, and being part of that was nothing short of miraculous.
At times like this, when he got to spend time alone with Holden, he felt a little sorry for Laura’s ex-husband, who’d never know how much he was missing with the son he saw only sporadically, whenever he could manage a day trip to the island. Laura had been married to Justin for a couple of months when she discovered he’d never disabled his online dating profile and was still arranging meetings with other women.
Imagine being married to a woman as amazing as Laura and not being satisfied. Owen couldn’t conceive of such a thing, because being with her—and her son—was the greatest honor of his life. Since Justin had agreed to sign the divorce papers shortly after Holden was born, Owen bore the guy no ill will. He’d done the right thing and set her free. He wouldn’t be entirely satisfied until her divorce was officially final, though, and worrying about when that would happen had him placing a call to Dan Torrington.
“Morning,” Dan said in a mumble that had Owen checking the clock and then wincing.
“Sorry. I had no idea it was still so early. We’re on baby time over here.”
“No problem. What’s up?”
“Laura’s divorce is what’s up. What’re you hearing?”
“Should have the final decree any day now.”
“Will it be in time for the wedding?”
“You’ve got plenty of time, Owen. Try not to worry. I’m keeping a close eye on it, and we’ll get it done.”
“Okay,” Owen said, even though Dan’s assurances didn’t completely address his anxiety, which was all over the place lately.
“How you holding up?”
Owen grunted out a laugh. “Fantastic. Never been better.”
“I don’t want to fill you with platitudes, but it’ll all be over soon, and you can move on.”
“That’s what everyone is telling me.”
“If there’s anything I can do for you or your mother, you only have to ask.”
“Thanks, Dan. It makes us both feel better that you’ll be with us in Virginia.”
“I’m glad to be going. The greatest satisfaction I get out of my career is seeing justice done—no matter what form it takes.”
“I just hope we get justice.”
“You have a good case. Is it a slam dunk? No, but I think it’ll go your way in the end.”
Dan’s assurances helped address some of Owen’s greatest fears. “I’ll see you Tuesday morning.”
“I’ll be there.”
After he ended the call with Owen, Dan returned the phone to the bedside table. He’d tried to get up when the phone woke him out of a sound sleep, but Kara’s arm around him had kept him in bed while he talked to Owen.
“Sorry about that,” he said as he turned toward her.
“It’s okay.” By now she was certainly used to the phone calls he received at every hour of the day and night. While working on his memoir about his quest to free wrongfully convicted people, Dan continued to oversee the team of lawyers who worked on his innocence projects. They worked out of his Los Angeles office while he was on the other side of the country becoming more entwined every day in his life on a tiny island that had begun to feel like home, especially since he met and fell in love with Kara.
“Go back to sleep for a while,” he said as he kissed her shoulder. “It’s early yet.”
“Mmm.” Her smooth leg slid between his, coming to rest just below his groin.
Dan’s hand, which had been caressing her back, moved down to cup her bottom, bringing her in even closer to him.
“Looks like one of us is wide awake.”
“He can’t help himself when you’re all naked and soft and warm.”
Her hand on his stomach did nothing to help the growing problem below.
“Today is going to be a very long day,” she said with a sigh. Her parents had come to visit so they could meet him and had insisted on throwing them an engagement party so they could meet the rest of Kara’s friends. Dan knew she’d rather skip the entire thing but was humoring her parents, with whom she’d had a difficult relationship over the last couple of years.
“At least they didn’t put up a fuss when you told them we want to get married here.” They’d booked The Chesterfield for the following June.
“They know better than to put up any kind of fuss where I’m concerned. They’re probably relieved that I’m engaged so they can stop feeling guilty for supporting my sister when she made off with my boyfriend.”
“Ex-boyfriend.”
Her soft g
iggle made him smile. “Extremely ex. So ex he barely warrants a mention.”
“That’s right, and don’t forget it. Your fiancé is the jealous type who doesn’t want you pining after old loves.”
“My fiancé has nothing to worry about, and he knows it. I was never really in love until I met him.”
“Kara…” He held her even closer, if that was possible. “You don’t know what it does to me when you say stuff like that. How anyone could ever be stupid enough to let you go is beyond me.”
“You’d better never let me go.”
“No worries there, babe.” He kissed the top of her head and breathed in the arresting scent of her hair. “You going to be okay at this party today?”
“Of course I am. My parents want to celebrate our engagement. I’m all for that. It’s just hard sometimes to forget the way they acted when Kelly and Matt got together. It was like they forgot all about me, and now that I’m marrying Mr. Famous Celebrity Lawyer, suddenly they’re all excited about me again. It feels sort of… I don’t know…”
“Hypocritical.”
“Yeah.”
“I hate the way they hurt you, baby. I never want you to feel that way again.”
“I love you for that. I really do, and for putting up with this party idea of theirs when I’m sure you have a few things you’d like to say to them.”
“I’d never do that to you. They probably know how we both feel, and this is their way of trying to bridge the gap.”
“Maybe. I thought they’d flip out when I told them I don’t want to get married in Bar Harbor, but they didn’t say a word.”
“They knew better. You might not see it, but you’ve changed a lot since you’ve been here. You’re much more assertive than you used to be.”
“I’ve had to become more assertive dealing with you,” she said dryly.
“Exactly, and that’s carried over into all areas of your life. No doubt they see it, too.”
“Thank you for that,” she said, propping her chin on his chest. “I needed to learn how to stand up for myself, and you showed me how.”
He gathered her long hair into a ponytail that he let slide through his fingers in silky waves. “Nah. You had it all along. I just helped you find it.”
She left a trail of kisses from his chest to his chin and moved along his jaw until her teeth found his earlobe. The painful clamp sent a jolt of heat all the way through him, which only made him harder. He loved playful, lighthearted Kara so much. It had taken him months to find her underneath the wounded veneer she’d hidden behind when he first knew her.
Over time, though, she’d begun to recover from the awful betrayal at the hands of her sister and ex-boyfriend. The showdown she’d had with Kelly earlier in the summer had gone a long way toward helping Kara put the past to bed once and for all.
“You’re awfully frisky this morning, my love,” Dan said as he arranged her on top of him, aligning his hardness with her heat. “Have I also succeeded in turning you into a morning person?”
She snorted with laughter. “That’s one thing I’ll never be.” As she came down on him, taking him into her tight heat, she said, “Consider this a very rare exception.”
“I’m considering this the perfect start to a day that’ll already be perfect because I get to spend just about every minute of it with you.”
Her smile made her golden-brown eyes twinkle. “All that money your mother spent on charm school was a very worthwhile investment.” She swiveled her hips and made him groan.
“No charm school, babe. It’s all in the wiring.”
“It’s good wiring. Really good wiring.”
He grasped her hips, intending to turn her over and take control.
“Don’t even think about it. This one’s all mine.”
“I love when you get bossy with me.”
“I can tell,” she said, gritting her teeth as she accommodated his expanding length.
Dan laughed and drew her down to him so he could kiss her. The taste of her lips and the press of her breasts against his chest were nearly enough to finish him off. “I can’t believe we get to do this any time we want to for the rest of our lives.”
Her mane of light brown hair came down around him like a silky curtain that closed them off from the rest of the world. “Not any time.”
He squeezed her bottom with both hands. “Just about any time.”
“I’ll give you that—and this.” She moved in sexy, teasing circles on top of him.
“I see, so you’re looking for a quickie, then.”
She smiled and kissed him, lingering for a full minute before she sat up and got really serious about finishing him off.
After seeing Laura through another round of grueling morning sickness, Owen left her to sleep and took Holden with him when he drove out to Evan’s studio. He hadn’t been there in a while and was surprised to see the driveway had been landscaped. In the foyer, he made use of a window into the studios to make sure no one was recording before continuing inside with Holden in his arms.
“Ev? Are you here?”
“Back here,” Evan called out. “In the office.”
Owen walked through the studio space to Evan’s office in the back of the cavernous building. “Not recording today?”
“This afternoon,” Evan said. “Sunday mornings are for paperwork. I like to get it out of the way so I can enjoy the rest of the week.” He held out his arms for Holden. “Come see Uncle Evan, big guy.”
Holden squealed with delight when Owen transferred him to Evan’s arms. The baby loved to listen to the two of them play their guitars.
“God, he’s bigger than he was when I saw him last week.”
“I know. It’s crazy.” Owen removed a stack of mail off one of the chairs and took a seat, handing the envelopes over to Evan.
“It never ends,” Evan said with a scowl as he tossed the envelopes into the pile on his desk. “I wasn’t meant to sit at a desk.”
“I suppose the upside of too much paperwork is that you’re busy.”
“True.” Evan gave Holden a light-up pen to play with. Like everything else he came into contact with, the pen went right into the baby’s mouth.
“Is that clean?” Owen asked.
“It’s not filthy.”
“Don’t tell Laura I let him play with it.”
“I won’t if you won’t.”
“Deal.”
“What brings you out this morning?”
“I heard you’re planning to come to Virginia.”
“What about it?”
“I wish you wouldn’t. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the sentiment or the gesture.”
“It’s not a gesture, O. If I were looking to make a gesture, I could pat you on the back and tell you I’m pulling for you and your mom as I send you on your way.”
“I know you mean well and that you care, but there’s really no need for you to leave your work and your home and Grace. I’ll have lots of people with me—”
“So it shouldn’t be that big of a deal to have one more.”
“Evan, please… You don’t understand.”
“Then make me.”
“It’s embarrassing that the people I care about are going to hear the dirty details of how I grew up. I’d rather you didn’t know.”
“I already know. You’ve told me.” He handed a ball of rubber bands to Holden when he’d tired of the pen.
“You don’t know the half of it, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“What would you do if I was about to go through something like this?”
“Luckily, that’s a rhetorical question because you’ll never have to go through something like this.”
“Humor me. Put the shoe on the other foot. I have to go through something awful and difficult and embarrassing and terribly upsetting. Where would you be if that was happening to me?”
Because Owen couldn’t argue with Evan’s point, he didn’t try. He wished everyone would try to un
derstand that he wanted to spare them. Laura’s words from the night before were a reminder that he didn’t have to protect those he loved, but that was a hard habit to break.
“You’d be there for me, O. Don’t ask me to do less for you than what you’d do for me. You asked me to stand up for you at your wedding, and that’s such an honor, you know?”
“Who else would I ask?” Owen said with a small smile.
“You and me—we’re not just about the good times and the music. At least I didn’t think we were.”
“We’re not. You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember.”
“Then let me do what any best friend would do in this situation.” As they talked, Evan rocked the baby in his office chair, patting his back until Holden was out cold for his morning nap.
“You’re good with him.”
Evan looked down, seeming surprised to find Holden asleep. “Check me out.”
“You’re going to be a great dad someday.”
“I’m kinda looking forward to that day.”
“What the hell’s happened to the two of us?”
“The best possible thing,” Evan said.
“You said it.”
“So we’re cool about me coming on Tuesday?”
“Yeah, we’re cool. Thanks, Ev.”
Evan waved off the gratitude as if it was no big deal to put his life on hold to be there to support Owen at the trial.
“While I have you,” Owen said, anxious to change the subject, “I’ve figured out what song I want you to play when Laura and I have our first dance at the wedding.”
“Lay it on me, brother.”
Chapter 14
After Owen left with Holden, Laura tried to go back to sleep for a while. The vomiting always took a harsh toll on her, but with so much to be done before their trip, she couldn’t seem to turn off the busy brain that refused to get onboard with the fact that the rest of her was a hot mess in need of more sleep.