by Marie Force
“I think you might’ve mentioned that a time or two.”
He loved that she tipped her head to the side to give him better access to her neck as she pressed her heated core against his erection. “I don’t know if you fully understand just how hot we’re talking.”
“How hot are we talking?”
“It’s an inferno—an out-of-control wildfire and the surface of the sun—combined.”
“That’s pretty hot.”
“Sometimes I think it’s going to consume me, but then you’re here, and you’re holding me and loving me and everything is perfect. Simply perfect.”
“I love you so much, Blaine. Your love gives me the strength to stand up to Jim and say enough, because I know that no matter what happens, you’ll be there with me, and we’ll deal with it together.”
Touched to his soul by her words and humbled by her love, he pressed his lips to the spot under her ear, breathing in her very essence. “I love you more than life. I love Ashleigh just as much.” He pulled back so he could see her face. “Marry me. Be with me forever. I’ll take care of you both if only you’ll let me.”
Her eyes widened with surprise and filled with tears. “I don’t want him to push us into something we’re not ready for.”
“This has absolutely nothing to do with him. It’s about you and me and Ashleigh and how much we love each other. That’s all.”
She grasped a handful of his hair as she kissed him with strokes of her tongue that made him want to beg for more.
“Marry me,” he whispered against her lips, tasting the salt of her tears.
She looked at him for a long moment that left him suspended somewhere between heaven and hell as he realized how much hinged on what she said next. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He froze, fearing his ears were playing tricks on him. “Really?”
She bit her lip and nodded. “Really.”
Letting out a whoop, he spun her around until they were both dizzy. And then he propped her against the wall again and kissed her so hard his lips went numb.
“I love that you asked me here,” she said when they surfaced for much-needed air.
“I asked you here this time.” He’d asked her once before when they were in her bed, and she’d said she wasn’t ready after just getting divorced.
“This is the only time that matters.”
“Let’s do it this weekend,” he said, suddenly desperate to make it official before something could derail them.
“Are you crazy? We can’t throw a wedding together that fast.”
“Isn’t your sister having a cookout?”
“Yes, but—”
“That’ll be our reception.” He loved the idea more with every passing second, and had no doubt that her sister and his good friend Mac would be thrilled to be a part of it. “Their yard is perfect for it. We’ll get married on the beach with just our immediate families and then go to the party. Maddie will love it. She’ll be all over it.”
“You’ve lost your ever loving mind!”
“I’ve lost everything I’ve got to you and your little girl, and I’ve never been happier in my life. So what do you say? Can we make this happen?”
“Do you swear you’re not doing this because of Jim and his threats?”
“Who? I don’t recognize that name.” He propped his forehead against hers. “He’s nothing to me except Ashleigh’s father. You are everything. I want you, I want us, I want Ashleigh and a bunch of other kids who look just like their mother. Well, wait, not the girls. I couldn’t deal with more than one daughter who looks like you. I’d never let them out of the house.”
Tiffany laughed through her tears, her arms tight around his neck.
“So this weekend? Yes? You’ll talk to your sister?”
“Yes, I’ll talk to her, yes, I’ll marry you this weekend. Yes to everything, you crazy lunatic.”
“Let’s go celebrate in comfort.”
“Blaine?”
“What, baby?”
“Even though you said it has nothing to do with him, thank you.”
“I still say it’s got nothing to do with him, but if it also helps you out of a jam, it’s the very least I can do for the woman who’s given me everything.” He let her slide down the aroused front of him.
“Take me home.”
The parking lot at Domenic’s was packed, and the reception area was crowded with people waiting for tables. Great… Oh even better! Among the couples in line for a table were Janey’s parents. Awesome. Their backs were to David and Daisy. Let’s hope they stayed that way.
Daisy tucked a hand into the crook of his arm. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He was determined to shake off the funk he felt coming on. While he might not be the McCarthy’s favorite person, he had saved their granddaughter from certain death at birth. He hoped they remembered that when they saw him and not the way he’d betrayed their daughter. And why did he even care anymore what they thought of him?
“Why are you all tense?”
“I see some people I know ahead of us in the line.”
“I’d venture to guess you know most of the people on this island due to the nature of your work.”
“A lot of them.” Because he wanted to be different with her, because he wanted to be better, he said, “Janey’s parents are up there. I’m never entirely sure what kind of reception I’ll get from them. At least now you’ll know why, if I get the big chill.”
“It bothers you that they treat you that way.”
Intrigued by her insight, he attempted a casual response. “They have every reason to treat me the way they do.”
“But still it bothers you.”
“I always had a lot of respect for them and their family.”
“It hurts to have lost their respect.”
“I lost it for good reason.”
“Do you smell that?”
“Smell what? Garlic? Basil?”
“No, the flowers.” She pointed to the huge arrangement of lilies that sat on a table in the reception area, which he wouldn’t have noticed had she not drawn his attention to it. “They’re my favorite. See the ones with the red in the center? Those are stargazer lilies. Aren’t they beautiful? They put out one of my favorite scents. When they’re in the house, that’s all you can smell.”
Listening to her, David wanted to fill her home with stargazer lilies so she’d always be surrounded by her favorite scent. And he appreciated that she’d managed to get his mind off Janey’s parents being in line ahead of them.
“I can see why you like them.”
She curled her hands around his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.
He loved that she had no problem making a public statement that they were together despite what she knew about him. As they waited to get to the reception desk, he tuned in to the conversation the couple in front of them was having with Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy.
David realized it was Jenny Wilks, the lighthouse keeper, and Mason Johns, the fire chief. As Daisy leaned against him, David listened in on what they were talking about while hoping the McCarthys might not notice him there behind Mason’s towering form. The guy had to be easily six and a half feet tall.
“I’ve been meaning to call you, Mr. McCarthy,” Jenny said. “I was hoping you’d know who is supposed to cut the grass out at the lighthouse. It’s getting really long, and there’s been no sign of anyone.”
“That’s odd,” Big Mac said. “The Martinez family has had the town contract for years, and Ned was just saying this morning that the grass at Town Hall hasn’t been cut either. I’ll give them a call in the morning to get them out to the lighthouse.”
“That’d be great, thanks.”
Oblivious to his presence behind them, they chatted about the new grandchild they had on the way and how excited they were for Joe and Janey. And then they dropped a bomb that David hadn’t seen coming. Janey had decided to forgo veterinary school for motherhood.
&n
bsp; “Of course we’re thrilled that she and Joe and the baby will be staying close by,” Mrs. McCarthy said. “But we hope that maybe she’ll still get to finish school at some point. That was always her dream.”
The words were like a knife to David’s heart, since he’d been responsible for denying her that dream when they were together. Her parents had never forgiven him for steering her away from vet school, which he now knew had been a big mistake on his part.
At the time, he’d thought it was the right thing because he didn’t want them to be in debt for the rest of their lives. With hindsight, however, he could see how Janey had lost something important to her when he encouraged her to forgo that dream.
Mrs. McCarthy’s cell phone rang, and she excused herself from the conversation. “Oh my goodness,” she said. “Is she okay?”
David held his breath as he waited to hear what was wrong and whether it would change his plans for the evening.
“Yes, of course,” Mrs. McCarthy said. “We’ll be right there.”
“What’s the matter?” Big Mac asked.
“That was Joe. Janey fainted. She’s okay, but I guess it scared the hell out of them.” To her husband, she said, “I’m sorry about dinner, but I want to go check on her.”
“So do I.”
“I hope she’s okay,” Jenny said. “Please give them my regards.”
“We will, honey,” Mrs. McCarthy said. “Enjoy your evening.”
As they rushed by Jenny and Mason, Mr. McCarthy noticed David. He stopped his wife from going past them. “David…”
“Mr. McCarthy, Mrs. McCarthy. Nice to see you.”
Mr. McCarthy looked rattled, but he still took note of Daisy on David’s arm. “Yes, um, you too. I wonder… I mean, I know you’re not working right now, but…”
David didn’t want to confess to having overheard their conversation with Jenny. “What can I do for you?”
“Damn, this is awkward, but Janey… She fainted. Is that something we need to be concerned about?”
David recalled what Victoria had said about Janey’s blood pressure being slightly elevated at her last appointment. “Possibly. If it’s okay with Janey, I could come by and do a quick check of her vitals to make sure everything’s all right.”
“Would you do that? Really?”
“Sure, no problem. Better safe than sorry, right?”
“Thank you so much. We’re heading there now.”
“Janey has my number if she’d like me to come by. It’s up to her—and Joe.”
Mr. McCarthy nodded in understanding.
“We hope she’s okay,” Daisy said.
“Thank you, Daisy,” Mrs. McCarthy said as she dragged her husband out the door.
“Sorry about that,” David said when they were gone. While they were talking to the McCarthys, Jenny and Mason had been taken to a table.
“It’s no problem.”
With his arm around her, he spoke close to her ear. “My job is often going to get in the way of our plans. I hope you know that I’d always rather be with you.”
She smiled up at him, dazzling him with the affection she directed his way. “That’s nice of you to say.”
“It’s a disclaimer that hopefully gets me out of lots of trouble for things such as tending to my pregnant ex-fiancée when I’m supposed to be spending the evening with you.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of some way to make it up to me,” she said as they were shown to their table.
Her saucy and unexpected reply took David right back to the previous night they’d spent together. Suddenly, he was hungry for much more than food.
Their entrées arrived at the same moment his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. With an apologetic glance at Daisy, David retrieved the phone and saw Janey’s number on the caller ID. Why, after all this time, his belly still did a flip-flop at the thought of talking to her would be something he would ponder later when Daisy wasn’t sitting a foot from him. “Hi, there.” He thought about going outside to take the call but didn’t want Daisy to think he had anything to hide where Janey was concerned. So he stayed at the table but kept his voice down so he wouldn’t annoy the other diners.
“Hi, David. I’m so sorry to bother you, but my parents and Joe are freaking out about the fainting thing. My dad told me you generously offered to come by. Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary, but they all do.”
“Tell me how you were feeling before you fainted.”
“A little nauseous, and I had a headache most of the day.”
“Any swelling or puffiness in your arms or legs?”
“My ankles are swollen, and I had to take my rings off yesterday because they were making my fingers hurt.”
David didn’t like what he was hearing in light of what he already knew about her elevated blood pressure. “I’m going to come by to check your blood pressure and take a quick look. Is that okay?”
“I guess so. I just hate to interrupt your date.”
“It’s fine, Janey. That’s my job. I’m happy to do it.”
“Well, you’re a very good sport. Thank you. You know we moved, right?”
“I heard that from someone. What’s the address?”
She gave it to him, and he wrote it on a paper cocktail napkin. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Thanks, David.”
He tucked the phone back into his pocket and tried to refocus on Daisy and his chicken marsala, but his brain was spinning over what Janey had told him. He was afraid she might be working up to preeclampsia, which could be a very serious situation for her and the baby.
“Why don’t we get the food to go so you can take care of Janey?” Daisy suggested.
“No, it’s fine. An extra half hour won’t make a difference.”
“David, it’s okay to admit that you’re worried about her, and you want to make sure she’s all right. You cared about her for a long time, and that doesn’t end just because the relationship did.”
Relieved that she seemed to get his dilemma without needing him to spell it out, he took her hand and brought it to his lips, delighting in the flush that infused her cheeks. “Thank you for understanding. How about I check on Janey and then I’ll go back to your house to watch a movie?”
“That sounds perfect.”
“Sorry about dinner,” David said as he signaled for the waiter. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do, Daisy. I’m being called away from our date to go check on my ex-fiancée, who may or may not be looking at a pregnancy complication. Most women would say at the very least that calls for some sparkly jewelry or some such thing.”
Her laughter filled him with warmth and pleasure at knowing he’d managed to take her mind off her troubles, even for a little while. “Well, if you think that’s what it’ll take to get back into my good graces, knock yourself out, Dr. Lawrence. But the movie would’ve been more than enough.”
“Damn me and my big mouth,” he said as he signed the credit card slip.
He took her home and insisted on seeing her safely inside, even though she said it wasn’t necessary. “It is necessary.” He handed her both boxes of takeout. “Keep this warm for me. I’ll be back as fast as I can.”
She ran a finger down the middle of his chest. “I’ll be waiting.”
The words and gesture made his mouth go dry with lust. “Are you trying to make sure I think only of you while I’m with my ex?”
“That would be very devious of me.”
His soft laughter brought a smile to her face. “Trust me when I tell you I think about you all the time.”
“I think about you, too. Pretty much all the time.”
“Glad we have that in common.”
She went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “Take care of Janey, and don’t worry about me. Do your job.”
“See you soon.” He left her with another quick kiss and made sure she was inside with the door locked before he returned to his car.
Since David never knew when he might be called on to help someone, he kept a medical bag in his car. He had everything he needed to do a perfunctory exam. On the way to Janey’s house, David tried to think about anything other than where he was going and who he was going to see. This was about his job and nothing more.
“Keep telling yourself that,” he said out loud. “Maybe you’ll actually believe it by the time you get there.” To take his mind off his task, he made a quick call to Victoria.
“Hey, David,” she said, sounding out of breath. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to let you know that Janey McCarthy, er Cantrell, I mean, fainted tonight. I’m going to her house now to check on her.”
“Yikes, that’s awkward. You want me to do it?”
“It’s okay. I ran into her parents, they told me about it, and I offered.”
“That’s nice of you.”
“It’s my job.”
“It’s your ex.”
“Believe me, I know.”
“Tell her to come in and see me in the morning. I’ll make some time around nine thirty.”
“Will do.”
“So I met this guy. Oh my God, he’s amazing. He’s Irish. So sexy.”
“How’d you meet him?”
“He came into the Beachcomber, and we totally hit it off. I think I might be in love.”
“Honestly, Victoria, with some guy right off the ferry?”
“He’s not just some guy. He’s Seamus O’Grady’s cousin, Shannon. Yum, yum, yum.”
“Spare me the gory details.”
“The details are quite gory, and they’re going to get even gorier before he leaves if I have anything to say about it.”
“Lalalala, gotta go.”
Victoria was laughing when he disconnected the call.
At times she drove him crazy treating him like her best girlfriend, but most of the time she was a good friend and an excellent colleague. David would’ve lost his mind a long time ago without her help with women’s health and midwifery at the clinic. He had all he could do to stay on top of the other demands.
Every light seemed to be on in Janey and Joe’s big contemporary home when David pulled into the driveway. The place was nice. Really nice. But then what did he expect? As the owner of the ferry company that serviced the island, Joe was loaded, and Janey’s family wasn’t exactly poor either.