Gansett Island Boxed Set Books 1-16 (Gansett Island Series)

by Marie Force

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

  “I never do.”

  Owen shook his hand.

  “Come on,” Shane said to his cousins. “Let’s go.” He followed them down to the street where Evan had parked Grace’s four-door sedan. The four men piled into the small car. Shane was crammed into the backseat with Adam. “This is like a clown car.”

  “It’ll get us to Luke and Sydney’s house,” Evan said in defense of the car.

  Shane blew out a sigh of relief at knowing where he’d find her. Now he could only hope she’d give him the chance to apologize and explain.

  “Anyone heard from Mac?” Grant asked, breaking the silence.

  “They came back on the five o’clock boat,” Evan said. “I left him a message to call me if he wants to come out.” His phone rang as soon as he finished speaking. He handed it to Grant. “Maybe that’s him now.”

  “It is,” Grant said. “Hey, it’s Grant. Evan’s driving. You want to come? What about the kids? Okay, sure. We’ll come get you.”

  “Where will we put him?” Shane asked. “In the trunk?”

  “We’ll switch cars,” Grant said. “Tiffany drove Maddie, so Maddie’s SUV is at the house. We’ll have to take the car seats out, though, which will piss off Maddie. We never get them back in the way she wants them.”

  Shane moaned at the thought of more delays. “And here I thought you guys were on my side.”

  “We are,” Adam assured him. “But we gotta get Mac.”

  “Yeah,” Shane said. “I know.”

  “Who’s with the kids?” Evan asked.

  “Mom came over,” Grant said. “She encouraged him to go out since Maddie went with Tiffany.”

  After a long pause, Adam said, “Is it weird that she went out tonight after everything?”

  “She was probably in bad need of a diversion,” Grant said.

  “True.”

  “I can’t imagine that scenario,” Evan said. “You go in for an ultrasound all excited to see your baby, and there’s no heartbeat.”

  “It’s unbearable,” Grant said.

  “Unimaginable,” Adam added.

  “You think they’ll be okay?” Shane asked.

  “Yeah,” Evan said. “They’re solid. I can’t picture them any other way but solid.”

  They arrived at Mac’s house a few minutes later and went through the motions of removing the car seats from Maddie’s car so they could take the big SUV.

  “Thanks for coming to get me, you guys,” Mac said.

  “No problem.” Grant put his hand on Mac’s shoulder. “I’m really sorry. We all are.”

  Mac released a deep sigh. “Thanks.” He glanced at Shane. “How’d you end up with these characters?”

  “He’s a man on a mission.” Evan filled his oldest brother in on what was going on with Shane.

  “So Courtney actually came here?” Mac asked as they got into the backseat together. “With no warning?”

  “I had no clue I was about to run into her. She told me she went to my old job and asked my boss where I was, and he told her I was out here. It didn’t take much effort to figure out where she could find me here. She’s just lucky that Laura didn’t see her first, or she never would’ve gotten to talk to me.”

  “That must’ve been so shocking,” Mac said, seeming eager to talk about someone else’s problems rather than dwelling on his own.

  Shane was happy to indulge his cousin. “It was so shocking that I totally screwed up with Katie, and now I’m desperate to fix things with her.”

  “You and Owen’s little sister,” Mac said with a chuckle. “How’s he handling that?”

  “He was handling it pretty well until today when I made her cry without meaning to.”

  “Ouch,” Mac said with a wince. “I remember how annoyed I was with Joe—for the first time in our lives, I might add—when he started dating Janey. There’s something about baby sisters that makes older brothers crazy.”

  “No,” Adam said, “there’s something about you that makes you crazy.”

  Evan and Grant joined Adam in laughing their asses off.

  “Soooo true,” Evan said. “We’re her older brothers, too, and we weren’t annoyed with Joe for dating her.”

  “You’re not the oldest,” Mac said. “Special responsibilities come with being the oldest.”

  “You’re not the oldest anymore,” Evan reminded him.

  “Speaking of our older sister,” Mac said, “I saw her last night. She brought me a pizza and a six-pack. We had a nice time.”

  “That’s cool,” Adam said.

  “She met Maddie, too. They really liked each other.”

  “Dad said she’s coming over this weekend to spend the week before the wedding with him and Mom,” Grant said. “How do you suppose that’ll go?”

  “I think it’ll be fine,” Mac said. “There’s nothing not to like about her—and believe me, I tried to find something.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” Grant asked dryly as the others laughed.

  By the time they finally pulled into Luke and Sydney’s long driveway, Shane had convinced himself that Katie would have gone from hurt to furious by now, making his task that much more challenging. The second the SUV came to a stop, he was out the door.

  He’d been to a cookout here earlier in the summer, but he wasn’t particularly close to Luke. However, that didn’t stop him from jogging to the door on the side of the house. With one quick knock, he stepped into a room full of women, who went silent at the sight of him.

  “Here they come,” Abby said.

  Shane zeroed in on Katie, who was sitting between Laura and Maddie. He walked over to her and extended his hand. “Could I please speak to you outside?”

  She stared at his outstretched hand for what felt like an hour while the others looked on.

  Shane would never know if she took his hand because she wanted to talk to him or because everyone was watching and she didn’t want to say no in front of them. What did it matter? She was coming with him as he led the way through the kitchen to the deck on the back of the house, where it was dark except for a string of white lights around the rail. He took a deep breath, prepared to put it all on the line to make this right with her.

  Chapter 29

  The moment they were outside and alone, Shane turned to face her. “I’m so sorry, Katie. I’ve been trying to get to you for hours now so I could say that to you. I was completely shocked to see her, and I reacted badly. It kills me that I hurt you and made you cry after you put such faith in me.”

  After a long pause, Katie said, “Why did she come?”

  “She had things she wanted to tell me.”

  “What things?”

  “It doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with you and me.”

  “Is there still a you and me?”

  “Yes, Katie! I sent her away. She’s not the one I want.”

  “And I am?”

  “God, yes. Every minute I spend with you makes me want more of you. For the first time in longer than I can remember, I feel hopeful and happy. Because of you.”

  “That’s very nice to hear.”

  “But?”

  She took a deep breath and seemed to be summoning the courage to say what was on her mind. “I’d like to know what Courtney said to you today.”

  “I don’t want to talk about her. I sent her away. It’s truly over between us.”

  “Hmm, see, I thought it already was—before today.”

  “So did I! I had no idea she was going to suddenly show up here the way she did. I hadn’t seen or talked to her in more than two years.”

  “And when you saw her, the first thing you did was let go of me. That hurt me, Shane.”

  “I know.” He leaned his forehead against hers and put his hands on her shoulders. “I’m so, so sorry I did that. You have no idea how badly I’d like to go back and have that minute to do over again.”

  “What would you have done di
fferently?”

  “I would’ve introduced you to her as my girlfriend. If I had done that, you’d know what you mean to me, and she’d know there was no hope of reconciliation.”

  “That’s what she wanted?”

  Shane wanted to shoot himself for telling her that. He was truly batting a thousand today. “It’s what she wants. It’s not what I want. I want you.”

  “You were with her for years, Shane. You’ve known me for days.”

  “And I’ve loved every minute we’ve spent together. I told your brother earlier that you’ve been more right for me in five days than she was in five years. He said I ought to tell you that.”

  When she sniffled, he realized she was crying.

  “Katie, please… I’m so sorry. The last thing in the world I want to do is hurt you or make you cry. It’s killing me to see you cry.”

  “You talked to Owen? About me?”

  “Um, yeah, he basically tortured me by not telling me where you were and dragging me along to dinner with him and the guys. He’s not too happy with me for making you cry.”

  “I don’t blame you for what happened earlier. You had no way to know she’d be there waiting for you.”

  “I didn’t know. I swear it.”

  “I believe you.” She took a deep breath. “You were married to her for a long time, so it’s only natural that the sight of her would make you feel guilty for holding hands with someone else.”

  “I don’t feel guilty being with you, Katie. Not one bit. I’m single, and I have been for almost two years.”

  “And in all that time, you wondered why she left you. Isn’t that what you told me?”

  “Yes,” he said, resigned to having this conversation when all he wanted was to take her home so they could be alone to work this out.

  “Did you find out why?”

  “She said it was because she had to testify against some big-time drug dealers to get immunity on being prosecuted herself for dealing. Or something like that. Apparently, the big guys were convicted yesterday, and she’s now free and clear.”

  “So she divorced you to protect you?”

  “That’s what she said. Who knows if it’s the truth?”

  “Would your father know? Doesn’t he have connections with the court?”

  “What does it matter at this point, Katie? I don’t want her back. I don’t want a life of always wondering where she is, if she’s lying, what she’s doing, who she’s doing it with. I almost lost my mind being with her. It’s not what I want anymore.”

  “When did you decide that?”

  “You want an exact date?”

  “An estimate would be good.”

  “I don’t know. Last winter, maybe? I thought about what I’d do if she sought me out. And quite some time ago, I made up my mind that when or if she came looking for me, I wasn’t going to be available.”

  “So before you met me.”

  “Long before.”

  “And when you saw her today, how did you feel?”

  “Shocked. I never actually expected her to come after the way she dumped me. Plus, I didn’t think she knew where I was.”

  “Did you feel anything else besides shock?”

  “I feel like I’m on the witness stand here. Let’s cut to the chase. What do you really want to know?”

  “Do you still love her?”

  “No!”

  “And when did you know you weren’t in love with her anymore?”

  “I’ve suspected for quite some time, but today I knew for certain.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “I do not love her. I do not want to be with her. Judging by the way I felt earlier when I had no idea where to look for you, it’s quite possible that I actually love you, and I know for damned sure I want to be with you.”

  “You… You love me?”

  Nodding, he took hold of her hand and placed it over his chest where his heart beat so hard and so fast it was a wonder he didn’t pass out from the exertion. “That’s what my fear of losing you is doing to me. I just found you, and I don’t want to lose you.”

  “You have unfinished business with her.”

  “No, I don’t. Our business was finished the day our divorce was final.”

  Katie shook her head.

  “What’re you saying?”

  “You need closure.”

  “I need you.”

  “What if… What if a year or two from now, you wake up one day and realize you let your true love get away?”

  “Will you still be with me then? If so, my true love didn’t get away.”

  “You can’t possibly know that about me in only a few days’ time.”

  “Yes, I can.” Unable to refrain from touching her, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. “I can know that. I do know that.”

  Her hands curled around his wrists. “Shane…”

  “Courtney is my past. You’re my future. I feel that strongly for you, Katie. I think I knew it the day I pulled you out of the water and blew air into your lungs. You’re mine. Mine, Katie.” Pushing the hair back from her face, he gazed into her eyes. “If you send me away right now, I wouldn’t go back to her. I’m never going back to her. Why would I do that when everything I want and need is right here in my arms?”

  “You have to be sure, Shane.”

  “I’m three thousand percent positive.” He knew if they got a hundred years to spend together, Katie would never deceive him the way Courtney had. She would never use him or steal from him or make him feel like shit the way his ex-wife had. Katie simply wasn’t wired that way. “Will you please accept my apology for what happened earlier and give me a chance to prove I’m worth the risk?”

  “I want to. I really do. But I need a little time to think.”

  “How much time?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “Katie, please. Don’t do this. Let’s spend that time together working this out.”

  “I want you to know… I’ve heard everything you’ve said, and I appreciate that you apologized. I also respect the fact that you were caught off guard by her appearance here today. I understand all that.”

  “So why do you need time?”

  “I need to process everything that’s happened in the last few days and figure out where I go from here.”

  “Where you go? I don’t get it. You said you understand what happened today, but you still want time?”

  “I need time.”

  He put his arms around her and whispered in her ear, “I’m crazy about you. I want to be with you. I want to work this out with you so we can get back to where we were before we were so rudely interrupted.”

  “I want that, too.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  She extricated herself from his embrace, and the resolute expression on her face gave him pause. “I care about you very much. You know I’ve been closer to you than I have to any other man, and I loved every minute we spent together.”

  Shane experienced a surge of panic that reminded him of a time he’d rather forget. “Why do I feel like you’re saying good-bye to me?”

  “I’m not saying good-bye. I’m saying I need a few days to myself. That’s all.”

  He’d said everything he could to convince her that he was genuinely committed to his relationship with her, but it hadn’t been enough. “Okay, then. I guess I’ll see you around.”

  Shane felt like he was walking through wet cement as he left her, went into the house and headed straight for the door that would lead him out of there. He needed to get away from everyone and everything before he said or did something he’d regret.

  Of course, Laura and Owen were right behind him as he went out the door.

  Laura called out to him. “Shane, wait!” She grabbed his arm. “What happened? Where’re you going?”

  “Katie needs some time to think, and I’m going back to the hotel. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “You shouldn’t walk home in the
dark,” his sister said. “It’s not safe.”

  Evan materialized out of the darkness. “I’ll take him.”

  “Thanks, Ev,” Shane said.

  “Will you be all right?” Laura asked.

  “I’m fine. Go back to girls’ night. Apologize to Luke and Sydney for me, will you?” He kissed her cheek and left her with Owen while he went with Evan.

  “Thanks again for this, Evan.”

  “No problem.” After a long pause, Evan said, “So I take it things didn’t go well with Katie.”

  “I’m not exactly sure. She said she understands what happened today and why, but she needs ‘time.’”

  “Ouch.”

  “Right? What the hell does that mean?”

  “I wouldn’t want to speculate.”

  “It’s not good, though, is it?”

  Evan rubbed his face as he thought about that. “It’s not good today, but it might be okay in a day or two. You just have to be patient.”

  “It took me two years after Courtney left me to go out on a date. The first time I went out with Katie, I knew she was special. Things were going really well with us, and then Courtney shows up and it all goes to shit in one minute?”

  “Maybe Katie needs a few days to make sure she’s ready for a relationship.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” Shane agreed with his cousin, but the sinking feeling inside was indicative of his true sentiments, which he kept to himself.

  “You want to hear something I just found out?”

  “Sure.” Anything was better than thinking about his own problems.

  “The resort where Grace and I booked our wedding had a water main break, and they’re going to be closed for months while they fix the damage.”

  “So where does that leave you guys?”

  “They’re going to try to rebook us somewhere else, but they aren’t making any guarantees.”

  “And you just heard this?”

  Nodding, Evan said, “I made the mistake of checking my email on my phone while everyone else was drinking.”