by Marie Force
“She’s ready to get the show on the road. How many hours until I get to say ‘I do’?”
Charlie consulted his watch. “About five.”
“I’ll never make it.”
“We’ll get you through it,” Sarah assured her.
They took breakfast outside to the table, where they ate scrambled eggs, pancakes and bacon and lingered over second cups of coffee.
“You got a beautiful day for it,” Sarah said, gazing up at the clear blue early September sky. “Not an ounce of humidity.”
“I wouldn’t have cared if it rained and stormed. That would’ve almost been fitting for us since we got together during a storm.”
“You survived the storm,” Charlie said. “I’m so proud of my little girl today.”
Stephanie got up and went over to hug him, hanging on for a long moment to the one person who’d been her constant, her family, since she was eleven years old. Even during the long years of his imprisonment, he’d been her touchstone.
A beep of a horn interrupted their embrace, and Stephanie pulled back, brushing at her eyes as Charlie did the same. Good thing she hadn’t bothered with makeup yet.
Two cars containing all her closest girlfriends pulled into the driveway. Out came Grace, who was her only attendant, followed by her “honorary” bridesmaids, Laura, Tiffany, Janey, Maddie and Abby. With the girls around to keep her entertained, the hours flew by, and before she knew it, they were helping her into her dress. She’d gone with a sexy ivory silk dress that hugged her small breasts and fitted tightly to the few curves she had. Grant liked when she wore clothes that showed off her trim, sexy body—his words, not hers—so she knew he’d love the dress, and that had been the only thing that mattered to her when she chose it.
“You’re stunning,” Sarah said as the others nodded in agreement. “That dress is perfect on you.”
“The smoky eyes are incredible, too,” Maddie added. “Well done, Abby.”
“Why, thank you.”
Stephanie never looked at the voluptuous dark-haired woman and thought of her as Grant’s ex. No, when she looked at Abby Callahan, she only saw a friend and future sister-in-law.
“Are we ready?” Charlie asked when he emerged from his bedroom wearing a navy blue suit with a crisp white shirt open at the collar. He stopped short at the sight of her in the dress. Placing his hand on his heart, he shook his head as tears filled his eyes. “Breathtaking,” he finally said.
Stephanie smiled at him, and it occurred to her right then that if he hadn’t been available to give her away, she probably never would’ve gotten married. She held out her left hand to him, her diamond engagement ring sparkling in the afternoon sunshine streaming in from outside. “Let’s go, Dad.”
Chapter 36
Grant tugged at the collar of his white dress shirt, hoping he hadn’t bled on it when he cut himself shaving earlier. How many years had he been shaving, and today of all days, he had to practically open a vein?
“Is there blood?” he asked Dan, who stood next to him calmly checking his phone while Grant felt like he was going to expire in the late-afternoon heat.
Dan spared him a brief glance. “No blood, but that’s one hell of a gash. First day with the razor?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Dan laughed hard. “Is that any way to speak to your best man?”
“It’s the only way to speak to my best man. Don’t forget I can replace you rather easily. I’ve got three brothers waiting in the wings.”
Grant expected the usual snappy comeback, but Dan surprised him with a small, sentimental smile. “It’s not our way to get sappy with each other, but I have to tell you how much it meant to me that you asked me to stand up for you when you had so many other far more suitable candidates. Since you’re the only brother I’ve got left, I’m hoping you’ll return the favor next summer.”
“Dan… Christ, you’re going to make me bawl. Of course I will. And I’m sorry for the joke about my brothers. That was insensitive.”
“No, it was funny. I love your brothers. You know I do. The four of you have helped to fill the void a little, and I want you to know I’m hugely honored to be your best man.” Dan had lost his only brother in Afghanistan.
Grant hugged him. “Thank you for doing this today and for telling me last summer that I needed to go after her. Best thing I ever did.”
“She’s a great girl. You couldn’t have done any better.”
“I know, believe me.”
“Looks like show time.” From their vantage point on the deck behind the Surf, Dan gestured to the flurry of activity happening inside Stephanie’s Bistro. Dan put his phone away, and both men buttoned the jackets of their navy blue suits.
They’d hoped to get married on the beach, but it was just windy enough that fears of blowing sand had compelled them to move the ceremony to the deck where the reception would also be held.
Grant caught the barest glimpse of the woman in white, but forced himself to look away so he wouldn’t ruin anything for her. They’d invited only their closest friends and family, who began to come out to the deck in groups and couples, giving his siblings, their spouses and children and Grant’s parents the front row. The plan was for them to stand around Grant and Stephanie while his Uncle Frank married them—quick and simple so they could get to the party as fast as possible.
Frank came over to join Grant and Dan, hugging them both.
“All ready?” Frank asked his nephew.
“Never been more ready.”
Frank signaled Grant’s brother Evan, who, along with Owen, provided guitar music as the rest of the guests found their way to the deck, separating down the middle.
Grace preceded Stephanie, wearing a gorgeous navy dress and carrying a bouquet of light blue and purple hydrangeas. She smiled at Grant as she took her place across from him, leaving a spot that would soon belong to Stephanie. This was really happening.
“You aren’t going to pass out or anything, are you?” Dan muttered.
“I don’t think so, but keep your eyes open.”
“You got it.”
A reassuring smile from his mother gave Grant something else to focus on beside the butterflies storming around in his belly. And then Charlie and Stephanie appeared, and the sight of her chased away the butterflies and ramped up the excitement. There she was, and dear God, she was beautiful in that sexy dress as she came toward him on the arm of her adored father. The two of them were smiling so brightly. Grant didn’t think he’d ever seen either of them smile quite like they were now.
“Take good care of my little girl,” Charlie said gruffly when he placed her hand in Grant’s.
“Always.”
After she hugged Charlie, Stephanie handed her bouquet of white and blue hydrangeas to Grace and joined hands with Grant, smiling up at him.
“H-O-T,” he whispered.
Her smile got even wider, and was that… Oh God, she’d worn the stud. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to get a hard-on in front of everyone he knew when he thought about why she might’ve worn the stud today of all days.
Frank led them through the ceremony and the reciting of traditional vows. They’d gone traditional because Stephanie said she would never be able to match her Academy Award-winning screenwriter fiancé in the vows department, and she wasn’t about to try.
It was just as well, Grant decided, since he could barely remember his own name looking at her in that sexy dress. Grant never took his eyes off her as he said the words, listened to her do the same, pushed the ring on her finger and held out his hand for her to place his ring, the platinum band reminding him of his never-ending commitment to her. As if he’d need the reminder.
Then Frank was pronouncing them husband and wife, and Grant was kissing his wife and the love of his life. She wrapped her arms around his neck and slipped him the tongue, letting the stud rub up against his tongue, and there was no stopping his reaction to that maneuver.
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sp; Of course she knew what she’d done to him and laughed at his befuddled reaction. He lifted her into his arms and held her close until he had calmed enough to face their friends and family as husband and wife without embarrassing himself.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Frank said, “I give you Grant and Stephanie McCarthy.”
Stephanie McCarthy… She was finally his to keep forever, and nothing had ever made him happier.
Hours later, the wedding was winding down and people had begun to leave, but Shane continued to dance with Katie, loving the feel of her in his arms and reluctant to let her go even though he was excited to show her the house. He’d had a few uneasy moments, wondering if she’d resent him making such a big decision for both of them without her input.
But then again, she hadn’t yet agreed to move in with him, and he did need a more permanent place to live. Hell, if she didn’t like it, Ned would find them something else. Whatever she wanted was fine with him as long as he got to keep her in his life.
Evan had taken a break to dance with Grace while Owen sang a sultry version of “Adore You.”
“Is this that Miley Cyrus song?” Katie asked as she watched her brother sing the song to his new wife, who sat nearby with Holden on her lap.
“Only so much better coming from Owen.” Shane sang the refrain in her ear and then used the lyrics to his advantage. “I need you more.”
“No, I need you more,” Katie said, playing along.
“No way. Not possible.” He nuzzled her cheek when he really wanted to devour her mouth. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Where’re we going?”
“Come with me, and I’ll show you.” Shane never released her hand as they said their good-byes to family and friends as well as the euphoric bride and groom.
Katie hugged and kissed her mother, who then turned to Shane and gave him the same loving farewell. It had been a long time since Shane had been mothered, and Sarah’s affection went a long way toward soothing that particular wound on his soul.
“I love your mom,” he said to Katie as they walked through the lobby toward the front doors.
“She loves you, too.”
Sarah’s approval made it that much easier to make his case to Katie.
“You still haven’t said where you’re taking me.”
“No, I haven’t, have I?”
“You’re in a funny mood.”
“Am I?”
“Stop answering everything I say with a question!”
Amused by her exasperation, he said, “Is that what I’m doing?”
“You know what you’re doing.” She elbowed him in the ribs. “You’re driving me crazy.”
He dropped her hand and put his arm around her, loving the silky feel of her shoulder under his palm. “That’s how I like you.”
“So where’re we going?”
“Just down here and around the corner.”
“At least that wasn’t a question. What’s down here and around the corner?
“I’ll show you when we get there.”
“Ugh. Are you looking to start our first fight?”
“Most definitely not. Roll with me for a minute, honey.”
“Well, when you ask so nicely…”
An odd sensation trickled through him, something not easily identified. He was still chewing on what it was when they reached the cottage. “Here we are.”
“What’s this place?”
He didn’t answer her but bent to retrieve the key that was under the planter where Ned had said it would be. Shane opened the door and held out a hand to Katie, who stood back, watching him with vexation and curiosity in her expression. “Come see.”
She took his hand and followed him inside, her sharp gaze taking in every detail of the living room and kitchen in one quick glance. “It’s lovely. Whose is it?”
“Ours, if we want it.”
Her eyes widened, and her lips formed an adorable O. “Ours?”
“Only if you like it as much as I do.”
She released his hand and went for a better look at the kitchen, bedrooms and bathroom.
Shane waited on pins and needles to hear what she thought of it. “You could have your own room if you’re not quite ready to shack up officially.”
She ran a hand over the creamy-white wall. “If I had my own room, would you visit me there?”
“As often as you wanted me to.”
“Since that would be every night, it seems sort of foolish to have separate bedrooms.”
His heart skipped a beat when he realized she still wanted the same things he did. “Your thinking matches mine.” He took her hand again. “Come sit with me for a minute.”
They sat in the corner of the empty living room. Always the lady, Katie curled her legs under her, tugging her skirt down to her knees.
“I want to tell you a few things that normally I’d prefer to keep to myself for several reasons. One, I hate talking about this stuff, and two, it really has no bearing on you or us or how I feel about you. But it’s important to me that I be honest with you, so I want to tell you, okay?”
“Okay…”
He hated the trepidation he saw on her face and heard in her one-word answer, but he knew he had to come clean with her. “Earlier this week when you wrote me your adorable note, you said you’d noticed I had something on mind. You told me if I couldn’t talk to you about it, you wished I would talk to someone. You were right. I did have something weighing heavily on me, and I talked to my Uncle Kevin, who’s a psychiatrist.”
“What was weighing so heavily on you?”
“The things that Courtney said to me… I was messed up afterward. I didn’t want to be, because I’ve come so far from that situation, and I have so much in my life now to be grateful for. I’d started this awesome new relationship with you, and I was happy again for the first time in a very long time. So much of that happiness was because of you.”
“Did Kevin help?”
“He helped a lot. We talked it through, and he said a lot of things that made so much sense, but one thing in particular really resonated with me.” He took hold of Katie’s hand and linked their fingers, needing to touch her while he talked about his past for what he hoped would be the last time. “He said that with this new information about what really happened, it was no longer possible for me to make Courtney the villain in our marriage. I couldn’t hate her anymore, and I had to find a way to deal with the things she’d told me without derailing my new life.”
“And have you? Have you dealt with it?”
“Not entirely.” He gave her the honesty she deserved. “But I will. In time. The important thing for you to know is I have absolutely no desire to go back to her. I loved her very much for a long time, but I don’t love her anymore. I love you. You’re the one I want to be with. I want to live here with you or somewhere else, if this place doesn’t do it for you. I want to be close to our nephew and the new babies when they’re born. I want to spend time with my family and friends and your family when they come to visit.”
He leaned his forehead against hers. “I want to be with your mom and Charlie, Laura and Owen and Holden, and I want to help out with my friend Lisa and her kids, who are going to need all the friends they can get. I want to be here. With you. I want a life with you. I know we haven’t known each other long, but it took me no time at all to know you’re special, and the more time we spend together, the more proof I get that my initial gut feeling about you was spot-on.”
“Shane…” She took a deep breath and placed her free hand over her heart. “You take my breath away.”
“In a good way?”
“In the best way possible.”
His relief at hearing that was overwhelming.
“I love you, too,” she said. “I want all the same things you do and a couple of other things that it’s too soon to tell you about.”
“No, it’s not too soon. Tell me. I want to know so I can help you get everything you want.”
/> “I’ve mentioned this once before, but when I was younger,” she said tentatively, “before I understood just how screwed-up my family really was, I pictured myself with a lot of kids. I’m thirty-two, so the reality of a big family is starting to slip away.”
“Then we ought to get started on this project of yours sooner rather than later.”
She stared at him, seeming astounded. “You’re serious.”
“Completely serious. I remember you telling me before about the horde of kids you want to have. My life has been on hold for a long, lonely time. I’m ready to get busy living again, and in case you haven’t noticed, I love babies. Well, I love Holden, but I’m sure I’ll be crazy about our kids, too. I want the same thing you do, and there’s no time like the present to get busy living.”
“Is this really happening?”
“It’s really happening, and it’s amazing, and it’s only going to get better.” He leaned in to kiss her softly, just the touch of his lips on hers. All the turmoil and upheaval of the last week settled and calmed, leaving him in a state of peacefulness he’d rarely experienced since Courtney left him. And then he realized what he’d felt earlier, walking into the house he hoped would be theirs: pure, unmitigated joy. “About the house… Yes, no, maybe?”
“Definitely yes. I love it as much as you do. But we share a bedroom or no deal.”
“Done,” he said, smiling at her. “We’re going to need the extra bedroom for the kids we’re going to have together.” He kissed her again, lingering when her sweet softness filled his senses and his heart. “So when you tell these kids of ours how we met, what will you say?”
“I’ll tell them the truth.” She caressed his face and slid her thumb over his bottom lip. “I’ll tell them you saved my life.”
“And I’ll tell them that after I saved yours, you saved mine.”
Turn the page to read Love After Dark, Paul and Hope’s story!
Chapter 1