Beach Reads Boxed Set

by Marie Force

  “Parker? Are you all right?”

  He forced himself to focus on Gina. “I’m so sorry, honey,” he said, taking a deep breath and trying to shake off the shock.

  “You don’t have to be sorry. Why don’t you tell me about it?”

  “I don’t want to bore you.”

  “Parker, you’re obviously very upset. Talk to me.”

  Overwhelmed by the need to share it with her, he took another rattling deep breath and told her the whole story.

  After dinner Parker drove Gina past his house on Beacon Hill. “Now that you know where I live, you’ll have to come visit me.”

  “I don’t get into the city very often, but now that I have a good excuse . . .”

  As he pulled up to her house just after eleven, he was amazed once again at how she had managed to salvage their evening by helping him through his shock at running into Ted with Caroline. “You can come over any time you want to. Or you can come by my office, or call me in the middle of the night, or call me in the middle of the day. Whatever you want.”

  She turned to him and smiled. “Thank you for dinner.”

  “Thank you for saying yes.” Her face hovered inches from his in the tiny car, but he refrained from moving closer to her, reminding himself that she was setting the pace.

  She put him out of his misery when she reached for him. With her hands on his face she pressed her lips to his. The kiss was sweet and gentle at first—until she sighed with pleasure, his heart skipped a beat, and he tipped his head to delve deeper. Her hand fell to his leg, and she tugged him closer as the kiss went on and on.

  He finally pulled back and stared at her, amazed by the desire she stirred in him.

  “Do you want to come in?”

  “I don’t think I should.”

  “I think you should.”

  “Gina . . .” he said with a grimace. “I’m trying to show some restraint here.”

  “Don’t.”

  “I have to.”

  “Why?” She trailed her finger from his face to his throat and down to his chest.

  He closed his eyes for a moment to absorb the overwhelming storm of emotions. “If I go in with you, I’ll make love with you. And if that happens, I’ll never be able to let you go, because I’m already desperately in love with you.”

  Tears sparkled in her eyes. “Come in with me.”

  “What about the boys?”

  “They’re staying at my mother’s tonight and going to my sister’s house to swim in her pool tomorrow.”

  He looked at her for a long time to make sure she knew what she was asking of him before he finally got out of the car and walked around to help her out.

  Inside, she turned to him. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “No, thanks.”

  She pushed his suit coat off his shoulders and hung it on the banister. Taking his hand, she led him upstairs to her room.

  Unable to believe how the day he’d so looked forward to had unfolded, he held her close to him for a long time.

  “I want you to know I never slept with him in this bed, Parker. After he left, I got rid of everything in here. I’ve never slept with anyone in this bed.”

  “I haven’t slept with anyone since I met you.”

  Her fingers, which had been busy unbuttoning his shirt, fell still. “You aren’t serious.”

  “I’m dead serious.” He unzipped her dress and nudged it down. “How am I doing with proving to you that I’m going to stick?”

  “Good,” she stammered as he caressed her breasts through her lacy bra. “Really, really good.”

  He replaced his hands with his lips and urged her down to the bed. “Yes, it’s going to be.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Ted couldn’t sleep. They had ridden home in silence, and for the first night all week, they hadn’t made love. Their shock at running into Parker had made it impossible for them to celebrate that he had been with Gina and his plan seemed to have worked out just the way he had hoped it would.

  Even though Caroline was right next to Ted she was out of reach as she tried to cope with what had happened. He knew she was blaming herself, which wasn’t fair. They were in this together, and he’d be damned if he would let her pull away from him.

  He turned over and put his arm around her. “Are you awake?” he whispered.

  “Yeah. I thought you were sleeping.”

  “I can’t.” He drew her closer to him. “I need you, Caroline.”

  “I’m here.”

  “You’re not. You’ve checked out on me, and I can’t stand it. I’ve had this little taste of heaven with you this week, and it’s just the beginning for us. Please don’t take a step back because of what happened today. Step toward me, not away from me.”

  Her body shook with sobs.

  “I love you so much,” he whispered as he rolled on top of her. “Stay with me. Fight for us. You agreed to marry me, and I’m holding you to it.” He kissed away her tears and trembled with relief when he felt her arms close around him. He made tender love to her, and by the time they quivered with aftershocks, he felt like they had reconnected. “We’re going to get through this, baby. I promise you. Do you believe me?”

  She nodded.

  “Tell me. I need to hear you say it.”

  “I love you, Ted,” she whispered. “I love you, and we’re going to get through this.”

  “That’s my girl.” He kissed her and withdrew from her, keeping her tight against him.

  They had finally dozed off when the phone rang. Used to middle-of-the-night phone calls, Ted was instantly awake and in doctor mode. “Duffy.”

  “Ted,” his father said. “Grandy’s had a heart attack. I think you’d better come.”

  Ted flew out of bed and grabbed the first clothes he could find.

  “He didn’t say anything else?” Caroline asked.

  “No.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?”

  His eyes filled as he was overcome by the knowledge that he was probably going to lose his grandmother—and very soon. “I do,” he said. “I want you with me.”

  She went into the bathroom and came out five minutes later dressed with her hair twisted into a clip. “Are you ready?”

  He reached for her hand. “I’m sorry. I know I’m asking a lot after the way my mother treated you, but I really need you right now.”

  With her hand on his face, she said, “I’m right here, and I’ll be wherever you need me to be. Okay?”

  He nodded. “Let’s go.”

  Ted got them to Mass General in fifteen minutes and did his best to slow his sprint into the hospital so Caroline could keep up with him. His parents and grandfather were in the ICU waiting room. Caroline hung back at the doorway when Ted went in to hug them.

  “How is she?” he asked.

  His father shook his head. “Not good. The heart attack was mild, but she’s in congestive heart failure. They said it could be hours or days.”

  “Did you reach Tish?” Ted asked.

  Mitzi nodded. “Steven is bringing her in.”

  Theo was weeping, and Ted was struck by how diminished his grandfather seemed in just the few days since he had last seen him. Ted folded the old man into his arms. “Grandpa, it’s okay.”

  “She loves you, Third,” Theo said through his tears. “You’re her pride and joy.”

  “I know. I’ve always known that. Can I see her?”

  Theo stood up and wiped the tears from his face. “Edward,” he said to his son, “let’s take the boy to see his grandmother.”

  The three of them went down the hallway together.

  Mitzi turned to Caroline. “You have no place here.”

  Remembering how Ted had pleaded with her to fight for them, Caroline met Mitzi’s frosty stare with one of her own. “My fiancé asked me to come, and because I love him, I wanted to be with him.”

  Mitzi rolled her eyes. “Your fiancé.”

  Caroline went out to t
he hallway to wait for Ted.

  In Lillian’s room, the doctor in Ted quickly assessed the situation. However, the beloved grandson wasn’t quite so quick. Seeing her attached to tubes and monitors and oxygen was overwhelming. Only his father’s reassuring hand on Ted’s shoulder made it possible for him to move to her bedside.

  “Grandy,” he whispered, closing his fingers around hers. “Grandy, it’s Ted. I’m here.”

  She gripped his fingers and opened her eyes. “Ted.”

  Tears flooded his eyes as he leaned over to kiss her. “Does anything hurt?”

  “No,” she said. “Don’t be a doctor.”

  He laughed softly and wiped his face with the back of his hand. “I’ll try not to be.”

  “My boy,” she said. “My boy long before you were a doctor.”

  “That’s right.” Behind him he heard his father and grandfather sniffling.

  “I need to talk to you. Tell those two to scram.”

  Ted turned to them, and they nodded to acknowledge that they had heard her. After they had walked out to the hallway, he turned back to his grandmother.

  “We’ve always had something special, you and me,” she said.

  “Always.”

  “Your mother told me about what happened earlier. She’s going to try to tell you it gave me a heart attack, but we know better, don’t we?”

  He smiled and nodded even as new tears filled his eyes.

  She brought her hands together and tugged at the ring on her finger. When she had worked it free, she pressed it into his hand. “Give this to Caroline.”

  The two-carat diamond and sapphire ring had been a gift from Theo on their twenty-fifth anniversary.

  “Grandy, I can’t. You aren’t done with it.”

  “I was always going to give it to you. Take it now so I know it’s in good hands. Will you do that for me?”

  Choked with sobs, Ted rested his head on her bed.

  She ran her fingers through his hair. “Is she here? Did she come with you?”

  “Yes.”

  Lillian chuckled weakly. “Good for her. She isn’t easily intimidated. I like that. I want to see her. Will you get her?”

  “I’ll be right back.” He wiped his face on his shirt and went to find Caroline in the hallway. He held out his hand to her. “She’s asking for you.”

  Caroline took his hand. “Okay.” Reaching up with her free hand, she brushed the tears from his face and held him close for a moment before they walked down the corridor together.

  “Caroline.”

  Ted kept a hand on Caroline’s shoulder as she moved closer to the bed. “Yes, Mrs. Duffy. I’m here.”

  “I’m Grandy to you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Do you love my grandson? Really love him?”

  “More than anything in this world.”

  “So do I. He has something for you, something I hope you’ll treasure as much as you treasure him.”

  Ted reached for Caroline’s hand and slid the ring onto her finger. “It fits perfectly.” He kissed her hand and wiped the tears from her face.

  “I had a feeling it would,” Lillian said.

  Caroline leaned over to kiss Lillian’s forehead. “Thank you. And thank you for understanding.”

  “I want you two to do something for me,” Lillian said. “It’s something big, and it’s something I have no right to ask of you, but I’m dying, so I’m going to ask for it anyway.”

  “Anything, Grandy,” Ted said. “Whatever you need.”

  “I want you to get married before I go. You can have a real wedding later, and I’ll be with you in spirit. But I want to see it, and I don’t have time to wait for the real thing. Will you do this for me?”

  “Grandy,” Ted sputtered. “We can’t just . . .”

  “Yes, we can.” Caroline turned to Ted. “We can.”

  “Are you sure? Your parents won’t be here . . .”

  “I’m positive.”

  “Get a license in the morning, and ask Grandpa to call Judge Daugherty,” Lillian said. As her burst of energy faded her eyes grew heavy. “Ted, I also want you to call Smitty. I need to see him. Tell him I’ll wait for him.”

  Ted took a deep breath and wiped his face again. “Okay, Grandy.”

  After they left Lillian to sleep and went to the waiting room, it occurred to Ted that he had no idea how to reach Smitty in Sydney since his cell wouldn’t work outside the country. He called Parker and when his voicemail picked up right away, Ted realized Parker’s cell phone was turned off. “Hey, it’s Ted. I need to speak to you right away—and not about what happened tonight. It’s an emergency. Call me as soon as you can.”

  He left the same message for Chip, who didn’t answer at home or on his cell.

  Finally, he left a message on the voicemail of Smitty’s assistant in New York.

  “You’ll hear from them in the morning,” Caroline assured him.

  “I hope so.”

  Tish and Steven came rushing off the elevator, and she fell into her brother’s arms. “I’m not ready for this,” she sobbed.

  “I know,” Ted said. “I’m not either.” That his sister didn’t seem surprised to see Caroline told Ted his mother had gotten to her, too.

  “Come on, honey.” Steven put his arm around his wife. “Let’s go see her.”

  Ted took Caroline’s hand and led her into the waiting room. After they had greeted Tish and Steven, Ted’s parents came back into the room.

  The four of them sat in uncomfortable silence for several long minutes before Mitzi gasped. “Where did you get that ring?”

  “Grandy gave it to her, Mom. She wanted my wife to have it.”

  “This is outrageous!” Mitzi’s face turned red and her eyes narrowed. “She’s not well. She isn’t thinking clearly. You need to give it back to her.”

  “Mitzi,” Ed said. “She’s thinking as clearly as ever. It’s her ring to do with as she pleases.”

  Ted sent his father a grateful glance and then looked to Caroline for support before he said, “You may as well know that Grandy wants us to be married right away so she can be there to see it. We’re going to do it tomorrow.”

  “No.” Mitzi shook her head. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Yes, it is,” Caroline said, tightening her grip on Ted’s hand.

  “Nothing happened between us until after Caroline and Smitty broke up,” Ted said.

  Shooting him a disgusted expression, Mitzi got up and left the room.

  “Dad, you’ve got to help me out here.”

  “Your mother’s upset, son, and justifiably so. You’re going to have to give her some time to get her head around this.”

  “That’s fine as long as she’s civil to Caroline in the meantime. I’m not going to put up with her being rude to my wife. Grandy is asking us to do this, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. Mom needs to understand that.”

  “I’ll talk to her, but your mother has a mind of her own, as you well know. You had to have known—both of you—that you weren’t choosing an easy path with this.”

  “What was it you used to say? Nothing worth having comes easy?”

  Ed’s smile was tinged with sadness. “You always were too smart for your own good.” He reached for Caroline’s hand where she now wore his mother’s ring. “It looks good on you, honey.” He kissed her hand and then turned it back over to his son. “Be careful with it and everything that comes with it.”

  “I will,” Caroline said.

  Mitzi stared out at the darkness through the window at the end of the long corridor.

  Ed wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his head on her shoulder. “Talk to me.”

  “We can’t let him do this. It’s all wrong. They’ll be divorced in a year.”

  “He’s a grown man, Mitz. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re condoning this! Your son is planning to marry a lying, cheating bitch—tomor
row!”

  Ed turned her so she was facing him. “Our son has presented us with a fait accompli. It’s a done deal, babe. We can either get on board and be part of it or be estranged from him and the family they may have together. Do we really want that?”

  “She cheated on Smitty, Ed. What’s to stop her from doing that to Ted?”

  “That’s not who she is, honey. She’s not a bitch. You thought she was lovely last weekend, remember?”

  “That was before I knew what she was capable of.”

  “Sometimes things just happen, and while it might not be how you’d choose it to happen, it happens just the same. Maybe we ought to give them the benefit of the doubt, no? We raised a good boy, Mitz. He knows what’s he’s doing. How about we have some faith in him? My mother does. Can you?”

  “You know I hate this rational side of you.”

  He laughed and kissed her cheek. “And you know I adore your crazy, over-the-top side, but that’s not going work here. You’re walking a very fine line right now with that boy you love so much.”

  She leaned against him. “I’m scared for him. I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at her. What’ll we do if she hurts him?”

  “We’ll do what we’ve always done: We’ll surround him with love and get him through it. You don’t have to like this, honey, but you do have to deal with it. He’s asking you to support him. He’s going to have a lot of trouble with his friends, so he’s going to need us to be on his side right now.”

  “I’ll try,” she said in a small voice.

  “That’s all I’m asking for.”

  She wiped at the tears on her face. “I can’t believe I’m losing my son and my best friend at the same time.”

  “Your son’s not going anywhere—unless you drive him away—and your best friend will always be with you.” His voice caught. “She’ll always be with all of us.”

  Mitzi reached for him. “Yes, she will.”