“I stayed with my momma and daddy during those months, because I didn’t see reason to spend money on my own place. I was already missing him so much and I didn’t want to be alone, then miss my momma and daddy too. When Colton came home on R&R though he took me the house we live in now. The one you grew up in. He had written his parents while he was away, and asked them to go house hunting for us, but didn’t tell me. He wanted to surprise me. He told them to find a big house with big yard. Your grandpa, he never told anyone, but he came from money. His daddy was very well off. Family wealth. They were all very smart and well written, and Colton had an inheritance, so he used some of it for the house.
“It was the most beautiful house I’d ever seen. I couldn’t believe how perfect it was. So large. And that big front porch.” She smiles, and places her hand over her heart. “That was it for me. Before he left to go back and fight for our country, he put up the porch swing. We shopped for furniture and set up most of the house over those few days. When he left again, I never went back home to my parents. In those few days of R&R, he managed to make our house a home. Didn’t want to leave it, even if it meant being alone. We lived in that home for almost forty-eight years, before he went to his heavenly home. Even when we got stationed overseas in Hawaii, we kept the house. Didn’t even rent it out. Kept it locked down and had a groundskeeper.” She stares off, lost in memories and sighs.
Uncle Brock clears his throat, and calls her softly, “Mom?” Her gaze returns to him, but still maybe a little lost in her thoughts. It takes her a moment before she smiles at him. “Dad, he loved you so much. He never had to say it to any of us. I watched him. I watched the way he was with you. The way he watched you when you didn’t even know. Sometimes I saw you steal his breath,” he confesses, and her lips part in surprise.
“Yes, ma’am,” Uncle Duke adds. “Caught him more than once just staring at you. That man was head-over-heels in love with you. You were his world.”
“You were his world,” she gestures to all of us.
“And you gave him this world,” Dad reminds her, and her eyes turn glassy.
“He taught us all how to love, and how to love right,” Jake shares.
“He didn’t just teach the men how to be good husbands and fathers,” Abigail adds, and Grandma regards her. “He also taught Jaycee and me, how we were to be treated as woman. I never would accept anything less than what you two had.”
“She’s right,” I tell Grandma. “All I ever wanted to have was a love like you and him, and everyone else in this family.”
She glances between Max and me, and smiles. “You found it, Jaycee,” she assures me.
“I did,” I agree on a whisper.
“You all did,” she smiles, and leers at Nash. “And it’s time for you to pull your head out, Nash.”
Nash takes no offense as he throws his back, and begins laughing harder than I ever heard him laugh. He can’t stop. He stands up and walks over to her, leans down and gives her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re right, Grandma.” He smiles before turning back to all of us. “I gotta make call. I’ll see y’all all in the morning.” His laughter hasn’t stopped, as we all watch him walk to the elevators off the lobby and push the up button. He’s still laughing when he pulls his phone from his pocket. He laughs lessen, but he keeps a huge smile on his face as he puts the phone to his ear and steps into the elevator.
“Alrighty then,” Bradley says, and everyone laughs.
“I’m calling it,” Dad says, and stands. He pulls Violet up with him, and she lets out a yawn.
“Us too.” Nick follows, then stands and helps Abigail up.
Soon, everyone stands, replaces the borrowed chairs, and heads to the elevators.
* * *
Once in the room, I undress while Max does the same. I grab one of my nighties from my suitcase and slip it over my head, while Max heads into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Once he’s done, I brush mine, then take off my makeup and give my hair a quick brush through. I walk back in the room, and Max is lying down with the sheets pulled back.
“Come here, love,” Max calls. I walk over to him and he pulls me to straddle him. I place my hands on his abs, and give him my eyes. “Jaycee, I gotta say, you never cease to amaze me. Today you got up on the skis, and back at the cafe, you thanked everyone. You wanting to take on your family’s pain, my pain. It’s incredible. Your faith in God is something to behold. Sometimes I don’t think I deserve you at all.” I begin to protest, but he places a finger on my lips to hush me. “But even if I didn’t, I’m still never giving you up.” I smile behind his finger and watch him smile back. “All I want is for it to be Saturday at seven in the evening.” He lowers his hand, then both go to my hips.
“But we get married at six-thirty.”
“I know. By seven we’ll be Mr. and Mrs. Bradshaw.”
“Maxwell and Jaycee Bradshaw,” I say breathlessly.
I lay down on top of him and he turns us to our side, then pulls the covers over us. We wrap ourselves around each other and fall asleep on that.
Maxwell and Jaycee Bradshaw.
32
The next morning, as Grandma requested, we get up and head out on the lake. Grandma, Uncle Duke, Nick, Abigail, Aunt Savanna, Max and I enjoy a smooth ride across the morning water. Being one of the first boats out, the water is like glass. But even with it being this early, it’s still hot. When Uncle Duke stops in the middle of the lake, Max and Nick step forward and toss out two ski ropes, then Uncle Duke is moving again. I watch them spread out behind the boat for a moment before twisting around.
“We’re going together?” I look between the guys, then Abigail.
“Think you two can handle it?” Nick asks.
“Yeah. I’ve just never seen anyone do it, except the guys.” I smile accepting the challenge.
“It’s not about being a guy or gal,” Uncle Duke throws in. “It’s about being a McGinty. You’re both McGinty’s, so you got this,” he assures me.
After the ropes are spread out on the water, Uncle Duke cuts the engine and locks the wheel, then steps back to help us get ready. We slide on our vests, secure the fasteners then Abigail and I, without hesitation, jump in the water. I turn around to grab my skis when I see Max and Nick pulling on vests. I swim next to Abigail. “Let them,” I whisper.
“Yeah,” she whispers back.
Yesterday, Nick and Max took a backseat to our family helping us. Even though they won’t say it, I know it probably bothered them. Maybe bothered isn’t the word. Both are so protective of us, that relinquishing control, even to our family, probably causes them to feel helpless. Max and Nick jump in the water, and Uncle Duke slides the skis to them. We get our skis on, and Max and Nick seem a little lost.
“You good?” Nick asks Abigail.
“Maybe,” she replies, trying to sound uncertain.
“Do you need help?” he asks, his lips fighting a smile.
“Maybe,” she replies, and Nick’s eyes go sweet. He pulls her to him, and gives her a peck on the lips.
“Max?” I call, when I see his eyes on them. “Ummm…” Before I can think of anything to say, Max chuckles.
“We both know you can do it.” He leans in and kisses me hard, then swims back for the boat with Nick right behind him.
Once they’re both safe in the boat, they take the back facing seats, so they can watch. Grandma is in the passenger seat, across from Uncle Duke, but she’s turned around and watching us. Aunt Savannah is sitting in the middle of the port with her camera phone out. Uncle Duke starts the engine, and thrusts just a little. Abigail and I, both, grab onto our ski ropes. The slack pulling the handles right to us. When I grab onto mine, I’m jerked forward, and my heartbeat picks up. Abigail lets out a loud gasp.
“Forgot about that part,” she calls over.
“Me too,” I call back. “Lean back,” I remind her, and take deep breaths to calm myself.
“Gotcha.”
I glance out of the corner
of my eye, and see she’s struggling a little. Once I see her settle I, strain to hold my skis steady, and call over, “On three?”
“Yeah.”
“One, two, three.”
“GO!” we both yell out at exactly the same time.
Uncle Duke guns it, and I lean back as hard as I can. I don’t dare glance at Abigail, but she must be doing okay, because we’re still going. Finally, I clear the water. I feel the drops of lake water being blown from my body by the speed of the wind. I wobble a couple of times and I’m sure I’m going to bite it, but then I straighten out and stand up. After a few moments, I get comfortable and chance a glance in Abigail’s direction.
She’s taking on the exact stance as mine. She glances over at me as well, and both of us are smiling huge. I can see Grandma in the boat watching us, and she’s beaming with pride. Aunt Savannah is standing between Uncle Duke and Grandma, phone in hand up high, recording us, I’m assuming. When Uncle Duke turns I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do. I just know that when I hit that wake, I’m going to bend and relax my knees like Grandpa’s voice instructed me yesterday. When I get over the wake, I hear Abigail cry out my name.
“Jaycee!” she squeals.
My eyes travel to the boat, where Nick and Max are leaning forward in their seats like they’re about to jump out of the back and into the water. Panic is etched on their face. Finally, my eyes get to Abigail and she’s like a speeding bullet, heading right for me.
“Pull yourself in by your rope!” I call back in a panic. She grabs a couple of handfuls of rope, and manages to stay upright, as she goes forward a few feet.
“Bend down!” I call out right before she reaches me.
I lift my hands, holding the ski rope as high as I can, as she flies by me bent down. I’m shocked when it works and both of us didn’t wipe up. My heartbeat is like rapid fire as I call out in a shaky, but impressed, voice, “Okay, you can stand.”
She stands up and carefully peeks back at me. Her eyes are bigger than an owl’s, and I can’t help but laugh nervously. I mean, I’ve watched my brothers do this enough, so I think I can at least get us through this without crashing into each other. I hope so anyway.
When Uncle Duke straightens out, Abigail comes back at me. I don’t have to say a thing this time, though. She pulls forward on the rope and bends at the knees. I hold the rope up high, as she flies underneath once again. After we get back into position behind the boat, Abigail and I both cheer. When Uncle Duke turns the other way, I realize it’s my turn. I head Abigail’s direction, so I pull myself forward on the rope and bend down. I fly by her so fast and far, that I’m almost parallel to the boat. My body comes to almost a standstill, before the boat pulls forward and begins dragging me again. Once I go back under Abigail, I stand and squeal in joy.
Without thinking, I let go of the handle with one of my hands, and give a fist pump. Then, I’m ingesting half the lake. When I come to my senses and realize I just wiped out, I grin. The best part. “I hope Aunt Savannah recorded it for everyone to see,” I mumble to myself still grinning. I glance around for Abigail and she’s swimming my way, pulling her skis and laughing hysterically. So much so, she’s drinking in lake water.
“You saw?” I ask cracking up.
“Epic, sissy,” she howls.
Uncle Duke has gunned it, and is whipping around. The boat is tilted so far on its side, one would think it might flip over as he heads back to us, but it doesn’t. He slows as he pulls up alongside.
“Want to go again?” he asks smiling, but his eyes are dancing with laughter. I glimpse over at Abigail, and she seems about as worn out as I do.
“Nah, I’m good.” I reply, and slip my skis off.
“Me too,” Abigail adds, slipping hers off as well.
Uncle Duke cuts the engine, and Nick and Max lean over the side of the boat to retrieve our skis from us. Back in the boat, Abigail and I rid ourselves of the ski vests and dry off.
“Jesus, you almost give me a heart attack,” Nick tells Abigail. “But, nice save.” He smiles.
“Ditto,” Max admits. “I was ready to jump in after you.” He shakes his head chuckling.
“I saw that.” I laugh.
“We’re pretty far out. You boys want to go for the ride back in?” Uncle Duke asks Nick and Max. That’s all it takes. They both pull on a vest, and then they’re in the lake. Where Abigail and I use two skis they both use slalom. Abigail and I toss their skis in the water, and taking less than a third of the time we did, they call out, “GO!”
Abigail and I sit back and enjoy the show our two extremely hot men, like night and day, are putting on. Then lean to the side spraying water several feet in the air. Nick’s shoulder length curly blonde hair, light beard and tanned, but freckled skin, and my Max with his short dark hair and tropical dark smooth skin, both with amazing smiles, both tall and built to glide across the water.
When we near the beach, Uncle Duke slows and cuts the engine. Nick and Max still standing, sink gracefully into the water. Both pull of their skis, and while holding them with one hand, they use the other to swim back to the boat. Abigail and I take the skis and pull them in, while Nick and Max climb back in. We all settle in and enjoy the short ride to the dock. Then Max and Nick tie it up, and we’re out.
33
After we all unload from the boat, Uncle Duke hands the keys over to Dad, who’s under the dock’s roof with Jake and most of the guys.
“How’d you do?” Jake asks Abigail, but its Aunt Savannah who answers.
“I caught it all.” She holds up the phone smiling. “We can watch it later.”
“Good,” Nash says. Proud of y’all.” He smiles, and Abigail and I reply with a smile and thank you.
“I’m heading to the store. Who wants to go with me?” Grandma asks.
“We’ll go,” Uncle Duke replies for him and Aunt Savannah.
“Us too,” I add, for Max, Nick and Abigail as well.
Uncle Duke pulls out his keys. “Y’all can head back and get changed. Shower if you need to. Savannah stocked up on everything.” He removes one and hands it to me. “I’ll get it back from you later.”
“Okay, sounds good.” We all pile into Nick’s jeep and head back to the cabin, while they head into town.
When I walk into the cabin, it’s a blast from the past, and my heart warms. Last time I was inside was with Max, and I was hiding away. I don’t think about those times much these days at all. One may think it would take a lifetime to get over the trauma of what happened, but it didn’t take long at all. Not just because of the love of Max and our families, but because now I know why it happened.
Daniel never really meant to hurt me. I know he was hanging on to me like I was his only lifeline. I was his only connection to something that wasn’t that nightmare he was living in. Each night when I pray, I beg God to let him feel the forgiveness we’ve all granted him. I want him to have a life. I don’t want him to believe the cruel words his dad told him over and over. You’re not good enough to live in the light. You’ll live in the shadows, because that’s where you belong. What kind of man does that? No kinda man, Stone, Sheriff Cullens words flash through my mind from that day he revealed everything to me and my dad in my hospital room.
I know he’s still out there hunting down those involved in torturing unsuspected victims. He knows they’re responsible for his brother, Cole’s death, as well as Callie and Cole’s mom, Sasha. They’re also responsible for Lina, his mom, being in a wheelchair for years. He almost killed me. He almost killed Abigail, and his own brother, Linc.
That’s not where his unrelenting pain comes from though. That’s not what haunts him. What’s haunts him is he knows that he’s responsible for our unborn baby’s death. Even then, I’ve forgiven him. If I thought for one second, that I could talk him into forgiving himself and going out to find his own happiness, I would. But he’d reject every word, and I know this. Every man in my family, and Max, would forbid it anyway. But if I cou
ld find the right words to give him so he’d be able come home and live near Linc, Delta and his niece, or his mom and Red, I would at least try, and no one could stop me.
Mostly I would want to give that to Callie. She misses her brother terribly when he’s away. I pray that he falls in love, and has the kind of love I found with Max. I want him to have a loving wife, children and a home. But the truth is, I can want it a million times over for him and he’d still resist the idea of allowing something good like that for himself. It’s going to take strong woman to finally pull him completely back into the light. Callie draws him out of the dark, but then he goes right back in. I blink from my thoughts and realize I’m standing in front of the kitchen window gazing out at the sea of bluebonnets.
“Excuse me for a few moments, please,” I mutter, and walk out the back door of the cabin. I make my way to the edge of the field and stare for the longest time. Then I carefully walk through the field, while glancing down at the flowers. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, my face to the sun. “You have ten minutes, Jaycee.” I smile as I remember his warning. I’m still standing there, face to the sun when I hear clanking. I gasp, open my eyes and whip around, expecting to see Grandpa. Instead, I see Abigail carefully making her way through the field holding coffee cans. My disappointment is overshadowed by seeing my sweet little sister holding my makeshift vases for the bluebonnets that I would scatter around the cabin. She stops in front of me and hands me two.
“I think we need some flowers for the table. I know this was you and Grandpa’s thing though. I was never up here the first day, so I didn’t get to help you. Do you mind?” she inquires timidly. I feel my heart warm, but also hurt for her.
“I’m sorry, Abigail. I never mean to exclude you.” I face her, showing her my remorse.
“Sissy, I was never jealous of you and Grandpa. He was your dad after all. Grandma was your mom. Where you jealous of Dad and me? Violet and me?” She tilts her head and waits for my answer.
Forever & A Day Page 17