by Marie Force
He returned to their room, where she was sitting up in bed, her ever-present iPad propped on her knees as she took care of some work.
Luke unbuttoned his shirt and stripped down to boxers before using the bathroom and then sliding into bed next to her. “Hey,” he said.
She smiled at him. “Hey, yourself.”
“Can we talk?”
“Uh-huh.” She continued to tap away on the iPad.
“Syd.”
She glanced his way.
“I want to talk to you.”
She put the iPad on her bedside table. “Is something wrong?”
“Yeah, baby. Something is wrong.”
Her expression conveyed confusion and alarm. “What?”
He gave himself a second to choose his words carefully, knowing how important it was to get this right. “I’m worried about you.”
“About me? Why?”
“You haven’t been yourself this summer.”
“What does that mean? Who have I been?”
“Syd. You know what I’m talking about. Since the accident…”
She held up her hand to stop him. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Sweetheart, we need to talk about it.”
She covered her ears and put her head down on her knees. “I can’t.”
Luke sat up, put his arms around her and brought her into his embrace. “We have to. Nothing has been right since that day, and I can tell you’re suffering. I can’t bear that for you. Or me, or Lily. We need to talk about it and figure out what we have to do to get past it.”
“I’ll never get past it. Ever.”
“You will, but first you have to deal with it.”
“How do I do that when every time I close my eyes, I see the water rushing in and Lily trapped in her seat and no way out all because I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing while my child was in the car? How do you suppose I deal with that?”
“By talking about it. By confronting what happened and why it happened and forgiving yourself the way everyone else has.”
“I’ll never forgive myself for nearly killing my child. In a car. After what’s already happened to me in a car, you’d think I’d know better.”
“Sydney, baby, there is no relation to what happened to your family and this accident. Someone got drunk and decided to drive, and that’s what killed your family. You made an honest mistake—”
“That nearly killed Lily!” She pulled free of him. “I’ll never forgive myself for that, Luke. Not ever.”
“You have to.”
“I can’t.”
“Would you consider seeing Kevin about this?”
She shrugged. “Not sure what good a psychiatrist would do. He can’t erase the horrible memories.”
“Maybe he could help you figure out a way to live with what happened so you can go forward without being afraid of something like that happening again.”
“That’s the thing. The next disaster is always right around the corner, waiting to snatch away everything I care about.”
“No, honey. No, it isn’t. You can’t live your life being afraid like that. It’ll ruin everything.”
“I don’t know how to be anything other than afraid. The accident reminded me not to get too comfortable in my happy new life.”
“We need to fix that for you so you can find some peace. Maybe we should go see Kevin together.”
“Why do you say that?”
“It wasn’t easy being outside of that car, helpless to do anything to save my family.”
“Oh God, Luke,” she said, her voice breaking. “I’ve made this all about me. I’m so sorry.”
“It was an accident, Syd. An accident. It wasn’t your fault. It just happened. And now we need to find a way to live with it without being tormented this way. Can we please make an appointment with Kevin?”
She thought about that for a long moment before she gave a reluctant nod.
Filled with relief, Luke hugged her and kissed the top of her head. “We’re going to get through this, sweetheart. I promise.”
“I hope so.”
It was only the first step of what would probably be a long journey, but he was thankful she was willing to take it and determined to do whatever it took to help her feel better.
Chapter 24
Long after his family was in bed, Paul Martinez sat on the sofa, nursing his second glass of whiskey and thinking about the extraordinary afternoon with his mother. When he and Hope had taken Scarlett for a regular visit, he’d noticed right away that something was different, and when he’d realized she was fully aware, he’d been so stunned he hadn’t known what to do at first.
“Call Alex,” Hope had said. “Hurry.”
It still felt surreal, even hours later, that his mom had been almost completely herself for those few hours. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it was possible. And then, with dementia being such an unrelenting bitch, Marion had left them just as quickly, lost again to the confusion as if someone had flipped a switch.
He wasn’t sure if he was thankful for the brief respite or resentful. His emotions were a jumbled mess.
When he heard Scarlett stirring, he went to tend to her so Hope wouldn’t be disturbed. He changed her and gave her a bottle of the milk Hope had pumped earlier.
Paul loved being a father to Scarlett and Hope’s son, Ethan, and was so grateful his mother had gotten to meet his family, to know he and Alex were happily settled with wives they loved and children they adored. He hoped she’d taken that knowledge with her to wherever it was she went when she was lost to them. He hoped it gave her comfort to know they were doing well and living happy, productive lives.
She’d asked about the landscaping business she and their father had started more than forty years ago and had been relieved to hear that he, Alex and Jenny had kept it growing and thriving in her absence. For a short while, it’d been like old times, talking about the business with her. The two of them had run it together back in the day, before he started to notice her forgetting important things and dropping balls she’d juggled effortlessly only a few months earlier.
That’d been the start of it, and she’d declined so rapidly that he’d been forced to ask Alex to come home to help in what still rated as one of the worst phone calls he’d ever had to make.
Paul had no idea how long he’d been rocking the baby before he realized she was asleep. He stood to put her back in her crib and waited to make sure she was settled before tiptoeing out of the room. He encountered Hope in the hallway.
“I was just coming to check on you guys,” she said.
He kissed her forehead. “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
“It’s too hot to sleep. I heard her wake up, and then you didn’t come back to bed.”
“I haven’t been to bed yet.”
“Oh. Are you all right?”
He shrugged. “I guess.”
She took his hand and led him to their room, the room that had once belonged to his parents. It had taken him a while after his mom moved to the first care facility she’d been in on the mainland to feel right about using her room.
They’d completely redecorated the room to make it their own, but even after all this time, sometimes it still felt odd to be sleeping in there.
Hope snuggled up to him in bed. “What can I do for you?”
He put his arm around her. “More of this.”
“Even if it’s too hot to snuggle?”
“It’s never too hot to snuggle.”
“I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better.”
“It’s okay, hon. There’s nothing anyone can say or do to make this situation better. It is what it is. I’m just glad she got to really meet you and the kids.”
“Me, too. I’m also thankful it happened when she was here on the island rather than on the mainland. We might not have been able to get there in time.”
“That’s a good p
oint.”
“Even in the worst of situations, there’re often silver linings to be found.”
“Thanks for helping me to see them.” He caressed her back and ran his fingers through her silky hair. “When we were on the way to see Mom earlier, you told me you wanted to talk to me about something when we got home. We never got a chance to do that.”
“It’s okay. It’ll keep.”
Paul ran a hand up and down her arm, marveling at the softness of her skin. “You’d better go ahead and tell me, or I’ll be awake all night worrying about whatever it is.”
“It’s actually good news. I heard back from my divorce attorney about our request for you to adopt Ethan.”
Paul nearly stopped breathing. “And?”
“He spoke to my ex-husband’s attorney and told him what we wanted. The attorney presented it to him, and he agreed to sign off on it with one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“He wants an annual update on Ethan with photos.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I’m okay with it if it means there’s no chance he could ever again try to get visitation.”
Ethan’s father had gone to prison after being convicted of the statutory rape of a high school student. He was due to be released at some point in the next year, which had precipitated their adoption request.
“So that’s it? I can adopt him?”
“We need to get with Dan and figure out details, but his father won’t block it as long as I send him the annual letter and picture.”
“This is the best possible news. I’ll call Dan in the morning about getting it moving.”
“My son is very lucky to have you as his father, Paul.”
“I’m the lucky one. He’s the best kid ever. I love him so much.”
She moved in to kiss him, and he kept her there with an arm around her shoulders.
His other hand slid down over her nightgown to cup her ass.
She smiled against his lips. “It’s too hot for this.”
“It’s never too hot for this.”
“I think it might actually be tonight.”
“No,” he said, kissing her until he’d won her over to his way of thinking.
“How do you do this to me every time?” she asked when he’d removed her nightgown and begun to kiss his way down her body.
“My special powers.”
“They’re potent.”
Paul hadn’t expected to laugh tonight, but leave it to her and the news about Ethan’s adoption to give him something other than grief to focus on. With her legs hooked over his shoulders, he set out to show her what she meant to him, using his tongue and fingers to bring her to a quick orgasm.
“So potent,” she said, gasping in the aftermath.
He kissed his way back up to her breasts, tasting both nipples before pushing his cock into her. “Ah, God, that’s the best feeling in the whole world.”
“Mmm, so good.”
“So sweaty.”
She huffed out a laugh. “Sweaty but good.”
Being overheated had never been more worth it, he thought, as he came down from the incredible high they found together.
“I need a cold shower,” she said.
“That can be arranged. In a minute, though. I need more of this first.” He held her closer, his heart beating hard from exertion and love. So much love.
She hugged him tightly and ran her fingers through his hair. “I’ve got plenty of this. Any time you need it.”
“All the time.”
“That works out well, because I need you just as much.”
His heart might be broken once again over his mother’s unrelenting illness, but Hope had helped him see how much he had to be thankful for, too.
Chapter 25
After waking up Sunday morning in Atlanta with a full week off to spend with his wife, Evan McCarthy was ready to put months of planning into motion, hoping to pull off a surprise his amazing Grace would never forget. And the best part? The song he’d written about her had made it all possible. She’d made everything possible for him, and now he was ready to repay the favor for the many sacrifices she’d made so they could be together while he toured.
He’d been able to reach for the brass ring, all because of her encouragement, her insistence that he chase the dream and her willingness to travel with him. Every night for months, he’d appeared onstage with Buddy Longstreet, Taylor Jones and Kate Harrington, had spent time with them, their families and the musicians that supported them all. To say he was living the dream would be putting it mildly, but the only way this dream could’ve come true was with Grace by his side.
She’d put her own dreams on hold to support his, turning her pharmacy over to her friend Fiona to manage while she was off-island.
And now, the day he’d been anticipating for so long was upon them, and he couldn’t wait another minute to put plans into action. He kissed her awake. “Gracie.”
“Mmm, ten more minutes.” She was super grumpy in the morning since she’d been pregnant. While she’d been spared the morning sickness that so many of their friends and family members experienced, she was tired all the time.
“I ordered breakfast.”
One beautiful brown eye opened. “What’d you get?”
“The French toast you liked the last time we were here.”
“You remembered that?”
“I remember everything that makes you smile the way that French toast did.”
Her eye closed again, and she snuggled deeper into the covers. “Best husband I ever had.”
He pushed a hand under the covers to caress a sensitive breast, making her gasp. “You gotta get up. We have to be somewhere right after breakfast.”
“Where do we have to be? I thought we were on vacation.”
“We are, and it’s a surprise. Now get your sexy ass out of bed and get packed. I’m taking you on an adventure.”
“I thought we were staying here for the week.”
“We were. Now we’re not.”
They’d talked about going home for the week, but decided not to since that would require devoting two of their seven days off to travel. Because Grace had been so tired, they’d decided to stay in Atlanta and hang out at the hotel until they had to be in Orlando the following weekend. She’d insisted she’d be fine if he decided he wanted to go somewhere else, which was the reason he knew she wouldn’t mind that he’d made surprise plans for them.
His Gracie was nothing if not a good sport. She’d proven that over and over again during the rigorous tour that’d taken them to thirty cities since the beginning of July. He hoped the week at home would be restorative for them both. As an added bonus, he’d be home for the last-minute wedding of his sister Mallory. He’d gotten a text from her two weeks ago, letting him know that she and Quinn were tying the knot on their upcoming mutual birthday.
Mallory had asked him to sing at the wedding, and he was honored she’d asked.
“Is it the kind of adventure that includes sleep?” Grace asked. “Lots and lots of sleep?”
“As much as you want, but first you have to get up.”
“All right, all right. I’m getting up.”
But she didn’t move.
“Grace…”
“Evan…”
“I love you. Get your ass up.”
Mumbling and grumbling, she sat up, pushed her dark hair back from her face and forced her eyes to open.
“There she is. My gorgeous wife.”
“I feel like I’ve been drugged or something.”
“Vic said it should get better in the next trimester.”
“God, I hope so. At least I’m not puking my guts up like Abby has been.”
“I got a text from Adam. They had their appointment on the mainland, and you won’t believe what they found out.” His brother had also mentioned the power failure on the island that was now in its second day while the temperatures stayed at roast level. Hopefull
y, the power would be back on by the time they got home.
“Nothing bad, right?”
“Nope, nothing bad. In fact, they found out they’re expecting quadruplets.”
“What? Seriously? How’d that happen?”
“The old-fashioned way, which makes it a true miracle.”
“After everything they went through… That’s incredible.”
“From what Adam said, they’re still in shock. Five kids under the age of two…”
“Holy crap. Abby must be freaking out. To go from not being able to conceive to quads…”
“I know.”
“Well, I’ve certainly got no business complaining about being tired from carrying one baby. Imagine how she’s going to feel.”
“She’s going to need a ton of help.”
“Fortunately, both families are there and can pitch in.”
“Adam said my parents offered to move in with them for the first month or two.”
“That’s so great. They’ll need that kind of help. Five babies…” She shuddered as she got up to head for the shower. “Dear God.”
The news from home had only added to Evan’s good mood this morning, knowing what his brother and sister-in-law had endured after hearing she might never be able to conceive. And now this… What an amazing development. Evan couldn’t wait to see them and the rest of his family later that day when he surprised Grace with the unscheduled trip home, among other things.
They ate breakfast in their suite, checked out of the hotel and took a car service to the airport.
“When are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“When we get there.”
“What’s with all the mystery?”
“You’ll see.”
By prearrangement, the car delivered them right onto the tarmac where a small private jet waited to take them home.
“What’s all this?” Grace asked.
“Your chariot, my love.”