by Marie Force
“I’m going,” Stephanie said. “Relax. It’ll all be fine.”
Laura laughed because what else could she do? And honestly, what did it matter? She could marry Owen in a burlap sack, and it would all be fine. The pictures would give them something to laugh about in their old age.
“You’re awfully calm,” Abby said. “You’re not in shock or something, are you?”
“Nope. I’m good.” Trying to imagine her bridesmaids taking scissors to her dress on the day of her first wedding had Laura giggling madly. She would’ve lost her shit if this had happened then.
“Should we call Victoria?” Grace asked, her brows furrowed with concern.
“No! I’m really fine. I’m just laughing at how ridiculous this is.”
“It’s going to be fine,” Abby assured her.
“I know that, which is why I’m laughing. At the end of the day, I’ll be married to Owen. Who cares what my dress looks like?”
“She’s going into shock,” Grace said.
“I’m not. I swear.” Laura tried to be convincing, but she couldn’t stop laughing.
Stephanie returned with Sarah, who’d brought her sewing kit and a sharp pair of scissors that Laura recognized from the kitchen.
Her stomach fell when it registered that they were actually going to cut the gorgeous white silk dress.
“Let me see it,” Sarah said.
The other girls stepped aside to give Sarah room to work.
“What’s going on?” Adele asked when she joined them.
“Dress disaster,” Laura told Owen’s grandmother. “Compounded by a rapidly growing set of twins.”
“Oh no,” Adele said.
“Not to worry,” Sarah said confidently. “I know just what to do.”
Since she couldn’t contain her burgeoning waistline, Laura decided to have faith that her new mother-in-law would take care of it.
Chapter 28
With an hour to kill before his sister’s wedding, Shane McCarthy decided to go for a swim. He could shower and get dressed in ten minutes, and with the hotel overrun with wedding guests and preparations, the beach was the one place he could hope to find a few minutes of peace and quiet.
He was thrilled for Laura—and Owen, a terrific guy who’d become a close friend to Shane since he’d moved out here to live with them at the hotel. However, Shane couldn’t help but think about his own wedding day, three years ago now, and everything that’d happened since then.
He missed Courtney. He missed having a wife and a companion. He’d loved being married. Discovering his wife had a raging drug addiction had been the single most shocking moment of his life. Losing her and their marriage to that addiction had nearly broken him.
He still thought about Courtney every day, but he focused on the bad times so he wouldn’t forget why he couldn’t be with her. He rarely, if ever, thought about the good times. Floating on his back, looking up at the cloudless blue sky, he indulged in memories of better times, such as the day he’d married the woman he’d expected to spend the rest of his life with.
They’d had one great year before it all fell apart. Or at least he’d had one great year. All that time, she’d been battling a foe bigger than both of them. It’d begun with a routine surgery to relieve a compressed disk in her back.
He met her six months after the surgery, from which she’d fully recovered—or so she said. It had taken two years for him to discover that she was addicted to the pain medication she’d taken after the surgery. She’d kept her dependence on the meds well hidden from him, and by the time he’d uncovered the web of lies and financial ruin she’d left in her wake, he was nearly ruined, too.
His happy life blew up in his face during one twenty-four-hour period that still ranked among the worst days of his life—second only to the day his mother died when he was seven. Left shocked, despondent and nearly bankrupt, Shane had done what he could to get help for her. A year later, after months of rehab he was still paying for, she’d asked for a divorce and crushed him all over again.
What was that old expression? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? Yeah, he was an idiot, and she’d played him every way it was possible to be played by a woman. First by getting him to believe she truly loved him and then by lying to him about everything else that mattered.
So while he was truly happy for Laura and Owen, he was done with love and marriage and all that shit. He was happy to leave that to his sister and cousins, who’d fallen one right after the other in the last couple of years, leaving him and his cousins Riley and Finn still unattached. In his opinion, the three of them were the lucky ones.
He was about to swim for shore when a scream caught his attention. With the sun still high in the afternoon sky, it was difficult to see where the sound had come from. But then he heard thrashing and another cry for help coming from a distinctly female voice.
Shane swam in the direction of the cries while hoping this rescue mission wouldn’t make him late for his sister’s wedding. Following the sound of splashing and struggle, Shane swam faster until he reached the woman.
“Hey,” he said, “relax. I’ll help you.”
Panicked, she latched on to him, her arms tightening around his neck as she climbed on to him.
Holy shit, Shane thought as he was sucked under water so quickly he barely had time to close his mouth before the water rushed over him. The woman had such a tight grip on him that he couldn’t do a thing to help himself—or her. Am I going to drown out here?
They went down together, the darkness surrounding him. This could not be happening… With a sudden realization that he couldn’t save himself and her, too, Shane began to fight back, pulling frantically on the arms that wrapped around his neck like a noose. His lungs began to burn for air, but he never stopped fighting until he managed to free himself.
Surging to the surface, he sucked in greedy breaths as his heart pounded and his head spun from the lack of oxygen. He looked all around him for the woman but didn’t see her. Did he dare dive down for her and risk his own life again, or should he head for shore while he had the chance?
How could he leave her and live with himself if he did? His conscience won the debate, and after taking a huge breath, he dove under the water. He spotted her floating peacefully and grabbed for her, coming back with only the top of her bikini. He swam for the surface, took another breath and went back down, this time wrapping his arm around her middle and dragging her up with him.
Either all the fight had gone out of her, or she was unconscious. He suspected the latter as he dragged her with him to the shore, which now seemed like a mile away. Every muscle in his body ached from the effort to keep his head and hers above water while pressing forward against a strong current.
After what felt like an hour of epic struggle, his feet finally made contact with the sand. He shifted the woman so he had his arms under her back and legs and carried her onto the sand, where he deposited her carefully before collapsing next to her. He needed to make sure she was breathing, but he couldn’t seem to catch his own breath.
Where the hell were all the people who were always on this beach? Rising to his knees, he glanced at her face, which was lost under a mask of blonde hair. His gaze traveled down to where her breasts were fully exposed. Summoning first aid training from years ago, he pushed the hair back, plugged her nose and opened her mouth to blow a steady stream of air into her lungs. He did that twice before she began to cough. He rolled her to her side when she began to vomit up saltwater.
Pushing the hair all the way back from her face, he gasped when he recognized Owen’s sister Katie, whom he’d met the night before.
“Katie! Jesus! Say something. Are you all right?”
She coughed and gagged and dry-heaved. Then she began to sob uncontrollably.
Christ, what the hell should he do?
“Katie, it’s Shane, Laura’s brother. Can you speak?”
She kept her eyes closed but wrapped her arm around her breast
s. “Lost my top.”
“You almost lost your life! What were you doing so far out?”
“Riptide,” she said, panting softly as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. “Thought I was going to die.”
“So did I for a minute there.”
“I’m sorry. Panicked.”
“It’s okay,” he said, patting her shoulder awkwardly. “We’re both okay.”
“Thanks to you.”
“I’m glad I heard you.” Thinking of Owen losing his sister on a day that was supposed to be filled with happiness made Shane doubly grateful to have been in the right place at the right time. “Do you think you can walk?”
“I don’t know. I’m shaking like a leaf, and I’m half-naked.”
“Let me find my shirt. I’ll be right back.”
They’d landed quite a distance from where he’d started out, so he jogged down the beach on legs that trembled from the effort it had taken to swim to shore. He scooped up his shirt and towel and went back to where he’d left Katie.
“Here,” he said. “Put this on.”
She sat up and awkwardly worked her way into his T-shirt, which was huge on her. “You got quite an eyeful, huh?”
“I was far more worried about whether you were breathing than I was with ogling you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Do you need a hand up?”
Shaking her head, she began to cry again.
Even though neither of them had the time, he sat next to her on the sand. As her shoulders heaved with sobs, he had no idea what to do. Thinking about Owen and what a great friend he’d been over the last year had Shane putting his arm around Owen’s sister and offering whatever comfort he could.
“You’re all right, Katie. Everything’s all right.”
“I almost killed us both—on the day your sister is marrying my brother,” she said as sobs hiccupped through her.
“Since that would’ve thoroughly ruined their day, let’s just be glad it didn’t happen.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said between sobs. “I panicked. I was so scared. I’ve been swimming at this beach all my life and never had that happen.”
“No need to be sorry. All that matters is that we’re both safe. But we’re going to have bigger problems if we don’t get back to the hotel and get ready for the wedding.”
“Oh God! What time is it?”
He checked his watch. “Twenty minutes till five.”
“We have to go!”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” He got up and extended his hand to her.
She took his hand and let him pull her up, swaying when she got her legs under her.
Shane put his arm around her shoulders to steady her. “Take a second.”
She looked up at him with wet blue eyes. “You won’t tell anyone about this, will you?”
He experienced a profound feeling of protectiveness for a woman he’d only known for a day. But it seemed like it had been much longer, knowing what he did about how she’d grown up. She seemed fragile standing next to him with her hair matted to her head and her eyes translucent from tears.
She was Owen’s sister. Of course he felt protective toward her. He shook off the weird feelings and looked down at her. “I won’t tell anyone, but we should get going.”
Nodding, she began walking slowly toward the steep flight of stairs that led to the hotel. Her legs, he noticed, wobbled beneath her as she moved.
“How about a hand up the stairs?” he said.
“What do you mean?”
He turned his back to her. “Hop on.”
“Oh, I couldn’t. I’m fine. Honestly. I can do it.”
Shane blocked the stairs so she couldn’t proceed unless she let him help her.
“I said I could do it.”
“And I said I wanted to help you.”
“Haven’t you helped enough? You saved my life after all.”
“Yes, I did, so I would think that in your gratitude, you’d allow me to help you up the stairs. Now hop on.”
“Fine, but you have to put me down right away. I don’t want anyone to see me on your back.”
He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Why not? I’m not exactly a convicted felon.”
Her face fell, and he immediately realized what he’d said. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s fine. He is a convicted felon, and he should be. It’s just still kind of…new.”
“I’m sorry.”
She looked up at him. “Is the offer of a ride still good?”
“You bet.”
“Let’s do it, then.”
Shane hoisted her onto his back, and even though his own legs still felt rubbery from the shock of nearly drowning, he managed to get them both up the stairs without further incident. He deposited her on the deck and waited to make sure she was steady before he let her go.
“Everything all right?” a voice inquired from one of the chairs on the deck.
They spun around to find Katie’s grandmother watching them with keen interest in her wise eyes.
“Oh, Gran, you scared me. Yes, everything is fine. I fell asleep in the sun, and Shane was good enough to wake me. I’d better go hit the shower, or I’ll look frightful at the wedding.”
Shane wanted to tell her that there was no way she could ever look frightful, but he kept his mouth shut.
“I’ll see you shortly,” Katie said to both of them as she scampered inside.
Shane felt trapped by Adele’s intense gaze. “I’d…ah, I’d better go get ready, too, or Laura will be looking for me.” As one of Owen’s groomsmen, he should’ve been with the groom half an hour ago.
“I saw what happened down there.” She stood and came over to him. “I was about to call the rescue, but you beat me to it.” She crooked her finger at him to bring him closer to her and then kissed his cheek, leaving him flabbergasted. “Thank you, Shane. I don’t think this family would’ve survived losing our darling Katie, and I’m profoundly grateful for what you did.”
“Oh, um… I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
“Thank God for that. I won’t keep you. I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“You won’t say anything, will you? We don’t want to upset Laura and Owen. Not today.”
“I won’t say a word other than thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m going to hit the shower and get ready.” Shane raced through the lobby and up the stairs to his room on the third floor. He shaved and showered in record time and donned the white linen shirt and khaki pants he’d been asked to wear as a member of the wedding party.
Emerging from his room ten minutes later, he encountered Katie in the hallway. Her hair had been washed and dried and hung in waves to her shoulders. She wore a floral dress that hugged all her curves and landed just above her knee, leaving her exceptional legs on full display.
“You clean up well,” she said, breaking the silence.
“So do you—and you clean up quickly.”
“I grew up with six siblings. I learned to be fast in the bathroom.”
“You feeling okay?” he asked.
“A little shaky but otherwise okay, all things considered. You?”
“Same.”
“Did I say thank you? I don’t recall if I ever said that, and I should have.”
“You did, and it’s fine. I’m glad I was there when you needed help.” He extended his arm to her. “How about we try to forget about it and have a good time at the wedding?”
“Not sure I’ll ever forget it, but I’m all for having a good time at the wedding. The Lawry family is long overdue for a celebration.”
“Then let’s get to it.”
Laura stood alone in her apartment, taking in her reflection in the full-length mirror Sarah had unearthed from the basement. Her future mother-in-law had produced a wedding-day miracle. She’d used material cut from the back of the d
ress to fashion a halter that looked like it belonged there. The designer would have a heart attack if she ever saw what they’d done to her creation.
Laura turned and took a good long look at her back on full display, covered only by the filmy headpiece Sarah had fashioned from tulle she’d found in the attic. Her mother-in-law was astonishingly resourceful, which she had credited to years of making Halloween costumes for seven children.
Laura hadn’t planned to wear a headpiece, but she felt more comfortable with the tulle covering her exposed back.
A knock on the door preceded her father into the room. He stopped short at the sight of her. “Oh my goodness, love. Look at you.”
“Good?” she asked with a smile for her dad.
“Exceptional. I’ve never seen you look more beautiful. You’re positively glowing.”
“Thank you so much for marrying us, Daddy. You know I wanted you last time, but Justin’s mother pushed for the church.”
“I know, sweetheart, and I’m much more pleased to be performing this ceremony than I would’ve been about that one. I love Owen. He’s a man worthy of my beautiful daughter.”
“Yes, he is,” Laura said. “But don’t make me cry. I don’t want to be a mess at my own wedding.”
“You couldn’t possibly be a mess.” With his hands on her arms, he placed a tender kiss on her forehead. “Close your eyes so you won’t cry. I have something I want to tell you. Two things, actually.”
“You’re really going to do this to me, huh?”
“’Fraid so.”
Laura smiled at him and closed her eyes as directed.
“One, I love you so very much. You and your brother are the best part of my life, and I’m incredibly proud of both of you. And two, your mother would be, too. She would’ve loved Owen, and she would’ve loved the woman you grew up to be. I wanted you to know that.” The brush of his handkerchief under her eyes caught the tears that escaped despite her effort to contain them.
“Thank you for telling me that. I like to think she’d be proud of me.”