by Marie Force
“Ah, damn,” Big Mac said softly.
“From the minute we met and I shared your letter with him, he has made me part of his life and his family. And what a family I have through him. Four brothers, a sister, four sisters-in-law, a brother-in-law, two nephews, a niece, two uncles and four cousins, not to mention a wonderful stepmother who has willingly and happily accepted me into their family. I have gained twenty-one new family members, counting my cousin’s three kids, and we’re expecting two new arrivals soon. I found out I look exactly like my father’s mother did at my age. Can you begin to understand what that means to me? To finally know, at age thirty-nine, where my dark hair and brown eyes come from?
“I’ve spent a lot of time with my new family over the last year and have gotten to know each of them. My brother Mac is the clown. He’s forever coming up with new ways to get himself in trouble while making me laugh so hard, I forget to breathe. I already know that if I ever need him for anything, he’d drop everything and come running to help me out. Grant, a writer, is quieter but just as funny as Mac when he wants to be, and so smart about everything. Adam, the family’s technical expert, is loyal and sweet and devoted to his family, but he also loves a good laugh and gets right into the scrum with his siblings. Evan, the musician, continues to surprise me with his many talents. Just when I think I’ve seen the full extent, he picks up a banjo and blows me away all over again. Janey is the baby of the family and plays the role to the hilt, driving her older brothers, who call her ‘Brat,’ crazy with the way she needles them. She’s sweet and kind and crazy about animals of all sorts, especially the special-needs animals no one wants.”
Linda wiped at a tear. “They sound so wonderful when described through your eyes.”
“They are wonderful,” Mallory said, wiping at her own eyes. “My stepmother, Linda, runs the entire show with a fierce love for her family. Nothing gets by her. They call her Voodoo Mama because she always knows what her kids are up to, even now that they are adults. She has been so good to me from the first time we met, and I am thankful to have her in my life. My uncles, Frank and Kevin, my father’s brothers, and their adult kids Laura, Shane, Riley and Finn, are like the frosting on a very nice cake, not to mention the wide circle of family friends who have accepted me into their ranks and made me feel so at home with them. I am blessed beyond all belief to be part of this incredible family and the community that surrounds them.
“And yet, I have struggled with anger and sorrow over what I missed out on. I don’t get a lot of their jokes. I wasn’t there to help make the childhood memories they created together and cherish as adults. I’m one of them, but I’m not one with them. Despite their warm and loving welcome, the decades we should’ve had are lost, and we can’t ever get them back.”
Mallory paused for a moment before she continued.
“Now that I’ve met him and gotten to know him, I’m certain that my father would’ve been there for me when I was growing up, even if it meant traveling from his beloved island to be with me in Providence. He would’ve come for parent-teacher conferences, softball games, basketball games, my proms and my graduations. He would’ve been there for me when Ryan died so suddenly, and he would’ve held my hand when I was losing you. He would never have tried to take me from you. That’s not who he is, and I can’t believe you didn’t know that for sure, because you knew him.”
Big Mac used his napkin to dab at his eyes.
“You denied us both the opportunity to be there for each other, and it’s very difficult for me to forgive you for that. But I’m going to try, because if I don’t, I fear the bitterness will swallow me whole. I refuse to carry that kind of burden with me for the rest of my life. I can’t possibly know what you were thinking or feeling when you made the decision to keep him out of my life. In the last year, I’ve accepted that I’ll never know why you made the choices you did or why you thought I was better off without my father. Now that I’ve had the chance to say these words out loud, I’m going to do my very best to let it go, to build a bridge and get over it. We can’t change the past. We can only live for right now, and I can’t let my present and future be clouded by a past I had no control over. While I wish you’d given me my father sooner, I will remain thankful forever that you gave him to me when you did. Better late than never.
“I pray every day that you are resting in peace and watching over me like you promised you would. I hope that you know how happy I am to have my father and his family in my life, and I’m sure you’re keeping a close eye on what’s happening between me and Quinn.
I’ll love you always.
Mallory.”
She folded the pages and laid them on the table.
“That’s a beautiful letter, Mallory,” Linda said. “Do you feel better now that you’ve written it down and spoken the words out loud?”
“I do. The process of having to think about what I would say and then writing it down was very therapeutic.”
“I would’ve done all that,” Big Mac said gruffly. “I would’ve been there for everything.”
“I know that.”
“I’m so sorry, Mallory. It makes me crazy to know you grew up without me when it didn’t have to be that way.”
She put her hand over his. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
He turned his hand to grasp hers. “You’re a daughter that anyone would be proud of, and I love you very much.”
Mallory blinked back the sudden rush of tears. “I love you, too. Both of you. And I’ll never have the words to adequately thank you for the way you’ve welcomed me into your family.”
“Our family,” he said. “Yours, too, and what you said about how you’re one of us but not one with us?”
Mallory nodded.
“It might feel that way, but you are absolutely one with us. You should never feel otherwise.”
“I’ll work on that.”
“In the meantime,” he said, “I’d like to hear more about what’s going on with this Quinn fellow.”
“Mac!” Linda said, rolling her eyes.
“What? She’s my daughter, and she’s got a new guy. I have questions.”
“You wanted a father,” Linda said, laughing.
“Are you bringing him to the wedding?” Big Mac asked.
“I am.”
“Excellent. He and I can have a conversation.”
“A conversation?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Linda said. “You’re about to see a whole new side of your dear old dad.”
*
Quinn was determined to dance with Mallory at the wedding—and to make love to her afterward. Sleeping next to her every night but not being able to touch her the way he wanted to was far more painful than the concussion.
He’d been back on his leg for two days, and while it wasn’t entirely comfortable yet, it beat the hell out of the crutches.
Quinn checked his watch. Where the hell was Jared? Just as he had the thought, a knock sounded at the door. He left the bedroom and walked carefully to the front door to admit his brother, who carried a suit bag over his shoulder.
“Come in.”
“You’re getting around well.”
A week ago, it would’ve bugged him to feel like Jared was assessing his mobility. Now he had bigger things to worry about. “Let me see the suits.”
“Yes, sir,” Jared said with a grin. “Like I said on the phone, your shoulders are broader than mine.”
“No, they’re not. We’re the exact same size.”
Jared produced handmade suits in gray, navy and navy pinstripe. Having a billionaire for a brother had its advantages.
Quinn gravitated to the gray one and put the jacket on over his T-shirt. “See? I told you. Perfect fit.”
“Lizzie told me to bring shirts and ties, too, because if you don’t have a suit, you probably don’t have the shirt or the tie either.”
“I have them. I just don’t have t
hem here.”
Jared sat on the other sofa and watched as Quinn chose a shirt and tie to go with the gray suit. “Good to see you off the crutches.”
“It’s good to be back on two feet again.”
“How’s the dome?”
“Still hurts if I move too quickly, but better than it was. Sorry for all the time out of work. I’ll make it up to you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t care about that.”
“And don’t worry,” Quinn said with a grin for his brother, “I’m not going to sue you for the shitty basement stairs, either.”
“You’re a pal.”
Quinn held up a light blue shirt with a navy-blue-and-silver-striped tie. “What do you think?”
“Works for me.”
“Thanks for the loan.”
“No problem. I sure as hell have no use for suits these days, except when Lizzie puts me to work at weddings.”
“What’re you hearing from Mom and Dad?”
“Dad has a cold, so they’re postponing their trip to July. You’re off the hook for another month.”
“I’m going to talk to them about my leg.”
“When?”
“Soon. I’ve been a little busy recovering from a concussion.”
“Just tell them and get it over with. What do you think they’re going to say? They’ll be sorry you didn’t tell them sooner, and they’ll want to know how you are. Beyond that, you’re making a mountain out of a molehill.”
“You’re right, and I’ll tell them in the next few days.”
“How’s it going with Mallory?”
“Great.”
“That’s it? Just great?”
“Just great.”
“Are you moving back to the boat or staying here?”
“I’m not sure yet. I need to talk to Mallory about that. Brutus likes it here.”
“Brutus does, huh?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?”
“Why? Because I don’t feel the need to share every detail of my life with you?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Quinn snorted out a laugh. “Tough shit, little brother.”
“Lizzie and I are trying to have a baby, and it’s not happening,” Jared said.
Still wearing the suit jacket, Quinn sat across from his brother. “Oh, um…”
“After the wedding this weekend, we’re going to New York for a few days to see a specialist.”
“I’m sorry to hear it’s come to that.”
“Don’t let on that I told you. She’s really tender on this topic.”
“Of course. No worries. Will you let me know how it goes?”
“Sure.”
When Mallory came breezing through the door, her face flushed from being in the sun, Quinn couldn’t help the smile that stretched across his face. God, he loved the way her eyes lit up at the sight of him and how she didn’t try to hide her feelings from him. There were no games with Mallory. What you saw was what you got, and he found that incredibly refreshing.
“Hi, Jared,” she said as she bent to kiss Quinn.
“I’ve got your wedding date set up with proper attire,” Jared said.
“I like it,” she said. “Will you be there, too?”
“Yep. Lizzie’s running the show, and I’m her faithful servant.”
“AKA bitch,” Quinn said.
Jared laughed. “That, too.” He stood to leave. “I’ll see you there.”
“Thanks again, Jared.”
“Any time.”
Quinn stood and took a second to get his balance. The pain radiating from his head and leg was better than it had been, but he was frustrated to still be dealing with both a week after his fall.
“I like the way this looks on you,” Mallory said, running her hands down his arms. “Very sexy.”
He hooked an arm around her waist and brought her into his embrace. “I like the way everything looks on you, but I’m a particular fan of the way absolutely nothing looks on you, too.”
“Are you flirting with me, Dr. James?”
“Yes, definitely.”
Mallory laughed and pressed a kiss to his jaw, which was prickly with stubble.
“How was the lunch with your folks?”
“It was great.”
“What did they think of the letter?”
“They liked it a lot.”
“It’s a good letter. I’m glad they liked it. How do you feel now that you’ve shared it with them?”
“Unburdened.”
“I’m happy to hear that.”
“The Summer of Mallory is turning out far better than I ever could’ve hoped for.”
“Is that so?”
She made herself right at home in his arms. “Mmm-hmm.”
“Have I mentioned that I’m feeling a lot better? Like ninety-nine percent better?” As he said the words, he rubbed his erection against her belly.
“That much better, huh?”
“You know what would make me feel even more better?”
She chuckled at his terminology. “I can’t imagine.”
“Spending the rest of this afternoon naked in bed with you.”
“Are you sure you’re up for that?”
He pressed against her again. “Positive.”
“I’ll only agree to this plan of yours if I can do all the work.”
Quinn’s brain went completely blank except for a series of images that featured her naked and on top of him. “I’m completely fine with that.”
She laughed as she took him by the hand to lead him into the bedroom that had become theirs over the last week. His laptop was on her desk, his sweatshirt hung from a hook behind the door, and his shoes were on the floor by the bed. He liked having his stuff mixed in with hers. He liked the way it felt to spend all his spare time with her, and he loved, absolutely loved, the way she looked at him with such affection.
“Hey, Mallory.”
After closing the blinds, she turned to him. “Hmm?”
“Thanks for everything over the last week.”
“Having you here has been a terrible hardship,” she said with a teasing glint of humor in her eyes.
“I’ll be out of your hair soon.” Only because he was watching her so closely did he notice her face fall with disappointment.
“Really?”
“Brutus and I don’t want to outstay our welcome.”
“That’s not possible. I like having you guys here. In fact… If you want to stay indefinitely, that would be fine with me.”
“Would it?”
“Yes, it would.” She helped him remove the suit jacket and laid it carefully over a chair. Then she dragged his T-shirt up and over his head. “I could look at this sexy man chest every day and never get tired of the view. You wouldn’t want to deprive me of my favorite view, would you?”
“I wouldn’t want to deprive you of anything.”
“Good answer.” She ran her hands from his well-developed pectorals to his broad shoulders. “You and Brutus are fun to have around. I’d be sad if you left.”
“We can’t have that.”
“Unless you miss living on the boat and would rather be there. The star-gazing is so much better out there.”
He looked down at her. “The overall view is way nicer here.”
“So you’ll stay?”
“I’ll stay.”
Chapter 29
Quinn kissed her softly at first but with increasing urgency as she responded with the same sense of desperation he felt. As he kissed her, he raised her shirt up until he had to stop kissing her to remove it. Reaching behind her, he unhooked her bra and sucked in a gasp when her hands brushed against his abdomen as she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants.
He kicked them off, no longer giving a shit if she saw his leg or any other part of him, for that matter. She made him so crazy with desire that he couldn’t be bothered worrying about things that now seemed trivial when sta
cked up against his need for her.
“Sit,” she said, giving his chest a gentle push.
He did as she asked and watched as she knelt to remove his pants and boxers, working them carefully over his leg. “On or off?” she asked of the prosthetic.
“Off,” he said, and leaned back to watch her move quickly and efficiently to remove it. What would’ve been inconceivable to him only a week ago was now no big deal, thanks in large part to the matter-of-fact way she approached his disability. She didn’t care that he was an amputee, so why should he? “Hey.”
She looked up at him with big brown eyes that just did it for him.
“Thank you.”
Her brows furrowed. “For what?”
He gestured to his leg. “For making it no big deal.”
“It is no big deal to me. I get why it is to you, but when I look at you, that’s the very last thing I think of.”
“You have no idea how much that means to me.” He encouraged her to stand and removed her white shorts, leaving her in only a pair of tiny white panties. “Mmm, so sexy.”
“You like them? I stopped by Tiffany’s store yesterday.”
“I love them. I’ll have to stop by there myself to see what else she has that would look good on you.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Quinn nuzzled her belly, loving the way she trembled in his arms. “I’m supposed to be doing all the work.”
Quinn released her and fell backward onto the bed. “Don’t let me stop you.”
“Scoot up to the pillows.”
He arranged himself to her liking and waited with breathless anticipation to see what she would do. For the longest time, she only looked at him, her hungry gaze making him so hard, he ached. Then she placed her hands on his inner thighs, making him nearly launch off the bed and then groan with frustration when she moved them up, making a wide circle around his groin.
Laughing softly, she continued her journey up to his abdomen and chest, leaning forward so her soft breasts pressed against his erection as she kissed the fading bruises on his ribs.
“You’re torturing me, but of course you know that.”
She looked up at him, the picture of innocence. “What am I doing?”
He released a sound that was part laugh, part groan. “Feel free to move things along.”