by Marie Force
“Sorry,” Kevin said. “That was unfair. She’s not going anywhere. She’s as crazy about you today as she was the day you married her a long-ass time ago.”
“Gonna be forty years this Christmas.”
“I remember. I was twelve. Had my first beer at your wedding. Did you know that?”
“How’d you get that by Dad?”
“I waited until he’d had at least six and wasn’t paying attention anymore.”
Big Mac laughed at the memory of their late father. “He did love a good party.”
“And that was a great party. I remember it vividly. My first time in a monkey suit, too.” He ventured a sideways glance at Mac. “Mom and Dad thought you were too young to get married. Did you know that?”
“No, I never knew. Really?”
“Yep. They had fights about it. Dad thought twenty was way too young to tie yourself down for the rest of your life, but Mom said you always knew what you wanted and how to go after it. She told him it was your life and he should butt out.”
Big Mac grunted out a laugh. “I can picture it.”
“You’re just like him with your kids, you know.”
“And you’re not with yours?”
“True.”
“Let me give you a ride home, Kev.”
“Okay.” He pulled a twenty from his wallet and left it on the bar for Chelsea.
Big Mac did the same, in part to thank her for looking out for a member of his tribe.
“Despite her ratting me out to you, she’s really cool,” Kevin said of Chelsea.
“Yes, she is. She’s the best. I keep trying to hire her away from the Beachcomber for the Tiki Bar, but she’s been here forever and doesn’t want to leave.”
“Loyalty is a nice trait to have.”
The double meaning wasn’t lost on Big Mac, who steered Kevin in the direction of where he’d parked his truck. “Deb was loyal to you for a long time, Kevin, and she handled this the best way she could from all reports. People change. Shit happens. The most important thing for you to remember is she’s the mother of your sons. That’ll never change. No matter how bitter you may feel, keeping it cordial with her is in their best interest.”
“I know. And I’m not really bitter. I’m just sort of wrecked that it happened in the first place. How could I not know she was that unhappy?”
“You can go over and over it a thousand times and never find the answers you’re looking for. Or you can accept that she’s made her decision and try to find the way forward. You can also try to learn from it so if you’re ever in a serious relationship again, you remember to pay attention.”
“The thought of starting all over with someone new makes me nauseous.”
“Frankie would tell you there’s a lot to be said for starting over.”
“He’s happier than a pig in shit.”
“I’m sure he’d love that description.”
“It’s true.”
“Yeah, it is, and he’s waited a long time for it.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Kevin said. “I’m happy for him and Betsy. She’s great.”
“She really is. You’ll find your Betsy, too. When you’re ready.”
“You sure about that?”
“Absolutely. And my family would tell you I’m always right about these things.”
Kevin groaned. “And you wonder where Mac gets his blowhard tendencies.”
“I don’t wonder at all.”
Kevin laughed harder than Mac had heard him laugh in a long time.
Big Mac pulled into the driveway of the house Kevin had rented from Ned Saunders for himself and his sons. The light was on over the back door.
“Check it out,” Kevin said. “They left a light on for me for a change.”
“They do grow up, even when we think it’s never going to happen.”
“They’ve been great through all of this,” Kevin said of Riley and Finn.
“Have they talked to Deb?”
“Here and there. I’ve told them there’s no point in holding a grudge, because I’m not going to. And if I’m not going to, they don’t need to hold one on my behalf. Like you said, shit happens. People change.”
“Like you, they need some time to absorb it. They’ll be fine, and so will you.”
“Thanks for coming tonight when Chelsea called you.”
“She didn’t call me.”
“Whatever. You always were a terrible liar.” Kevin opened the passenger door to get out.
“Hey, Kev?”
“Yeah?”
“Come to me the next time you think it’s a good idea to tie one on, okay?”
“Will do. Maybe you can actually get me drunk enough to forget why I wanted to get drunk in the first place.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Laughing, Kevin shut the door and headed for the house, turning to wave before he went inside.
Poor guy, Big Mac thought as he drove home. He’d never seen Kevin so low. As the baby of the family, Kevin had been the joker growing up, the one who always made them laugh. He’d grown into a serious, well-respected doctor who still made his brothers laugh when they were together. Until recently, anyway. Big Mac decided to keep a closer eye on his “little” brother over the next few weeks to ensure he was coping with the ringer life had thrown his way.
He also couldn’t stop thinking about the question Kevin had asked him. What would you do if Linda suddenly up and left you for a younger guy? The very thought of it gave him chills.
Big Mac pulled into the driveway at home, killed the engine and went inside, eager to see her, to make sure she was still there and had no plans to be anywhere else. Ever. Bounding up the stairs, he pulled off his jacket and went into the bedroom, where she was in bed with her e-reader.
Breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of her, he started unbuttoning his shirt.
“Hey,” she said. “How’s Kevin?”
“Not great, but we had a good talk.”
“Am I allowed to say that I’m so mad at Deb for doing this to him?”
He sat on the bed to kick off the boat shoes he wore year-round. “Yeah, you are, because I am, too. But he’s not. More than anything, he’s upset that he never saw it coming.”
She held out a hand to him, and he took it, bending to kiss the back of it. “Be right there, love.”
He went into the bathroom to use the facilities and brush his teeth, leaving his jeans in a pile on the floor near the hamper, which would give Linda something to talk to him about in the morning. He crawled into bed with her, putting his arm around her waist.
She covered his hand with hers but didn’t stop reading.
Sometimes he hated the attention she paid to that e-reader, but other times the books she read put her in an “interesting” mood that benefited him. “What’re you reading?”
“The usual.”
That meant romance. His wife was a sucker for a good romance. “Is it one of those hot and sexy ones?”
“Maybe.”
“Hey, Lin?”
“Yeah?” she asked, but her eyes continued to dart over the screen.
“Do I pay enough attention? To you and to us?”
The e-reader fell to her lap, and her head turned toward him. “What?”
“You heard me. Do I pay enough attention to you?”
“Mac… What is this really about?”
“Answer the question.”
“Yes, of course you do.” She glanced at him. “Do I? Pay enough attention to you?”
“Except for when one of those romance novels gets you by the throat,” he said in a teasing tone.
“You like when my romance novels get me hot and bothered.”
“Yes, I do. I like that very much.”
“Where are these questions coming from?”
“Something Kevin said had me thinking about it. That’s all.”
“What did he say?”
“It’ll make you mad.”
“Tell me an
yway.”
“He asked how I’d feel if you suddenly left me for a younger guy.”
“What did you say?”
“I was so shell-shocked by the thought of it that I didn’t say anything. And then he apologized for even suggesting it.”
“Good,” she said. “He should apologize, because that’s never going to happen. Ever. Where would I ever find a younger guy with your stamina?”
He stared at her, momentarily shocked that she would say such a thing.
Then she smiled, her eyes dancing with glee at having shocked him. “What in the world could I ever want that I don’t have right here with you?”
“I don’t know,” he said gruffly. “And that’s what scares me. That maybe there’s something you want that I don’t know about.”
She laid her hand on his cheek. “There’s nothing I want that I don’t have, Mac. I have everything as long as I have you.”
“So there’s no younger guy lurking around the hotel trying to lure you away from me?”
“I couldn’t be lured. What about you with your girlfriends you call ‘sweetheart’ all over the island?”
“You’re my only girlfriend and my only true sweetheart. The others are my friends. Big difference.” He pushed himself up onto his elbow so he was looking down at her. “In more than forty years, I’ve never wanted anyone else. I swear.”
“I know. I haven’t either.”
“Not even kinda?”
“Not even kinda.”
He smiled then, relieved by the affirmation of what he already knew. “That makes us pretty damned lucky.”
“It certainly does.”
“We ought to do something big for our fortieth this winter. Have a blowout or something.”
“The kids will do it, and we’ll act surprised.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’m Voodoo Mama. I know everything.”
“I thought you hated that nickname?”
“I only let them think I hate it. I love that they know they can’t get away with anything with me.”
Amused by her, he said, “You know what else I heard tonight?”
“What’s that?”
“My dad was worried about us getting married so young. Mom had to tell him to leave me alone and let me live my own life.”
“Sounds familiar.”
“Whatever. You’re the one always butting into the kids’ lives.”
That earned him a raised eyebrow that called him out on his bullshit. “All right. Maybe I do my share of butting in, too.”
She busted up laughing, and the only way he could think of to make it stop was to kiss her. When she reached for him, her e-reader slid off her belly and onto the bed between them.
Without breaking the kiss, he put it behind him and then wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her with deep sweeps of his tongue before easing back. “You’d tell me, wouldn’t you?” he asked as he kissed her face and neck.
“Tell you what?”
“If you were unhappy or wanted something.”
“I’d tell you.”
“Promise?”
“Mmm.” She arched her neck, giving him full access. “I promise. Do you promise to do the same?”
“Uh-huh.” He cupped her breast. “But I’ve got everything I want right here. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
Linda slid a smooth leg up and around his hip. “I could be happier.”
“Do tell.”
“Why tell when I can show?” She freed his erection from his boxers and began to stroke him, just the way he liked it.
He ran his hand up her inner thigh to discover she wasn’t wearing panties under her nightgown. “Sexiest granny ever.”
“It was a good book,” she said, making him chuckle.
Placing his hand over hers, he stopped her from finishing him off. He shifted so he was on top of her, moving carefully so he wouldn’t hurt her because he was so much bigger than she was. As he began to enter her, he said, “Remember the first time we did this and you were afraid that I’d break you?”
“I still worry about that sometimes.”
“Nothing to worry about, my love. I’d never break you. Where would I be without you?”
“Mac,” she said on a whisper when he was fully embedded in her.
“What, honey?”
Her fingers combed through his hair as her hips lifted to meet his every stroke. “I love you too much to ever leave you. Don’t worry about that, okay?”
“Okay. Don’t you either.”
“I won’t. I never have. Not for one second.”
With her assurances soothing him, he gave himself to her completely, thankful for the life they had together and that he’d had the good sense to marry her before someone else beat him to it.
Chapter 20
“Are you sure it’s not too soon?” Seamus asked Carolina, long before the alarm they’d set was due to go off.
“It’s what they want, Seamus. Their teachers know what happened, and they’ll call us if it’s not working.”
“It feels too soon.”
“To them it feels like normalcy.”
“How long was Joe out of school when his father died?”
“That was a slightly different situation because we moved here about a month later, so that year was a bit of a mess for him at school. Thank God for Mac McCarthy. The two of them bonded almost immediately and were inseparable all the way through school. Sometimes I think Mac is the one who saved Joe. Mac and his incredible family that took us both in and made us feel loved in our new home. My parents were instrumental, too. ”
“I’m sure you had a lot to do with saving Joe.”
“I did what I could, but I was a wreck for a long time after Pete died. I tried to hide that from Joe, but he knew. He was always a smart, insightful kid, as are Jackson and Kyle. We have to follow their lead and do this their way, not our way.”
“As always, you’re right, love.”
“I’m glad you’ve figured that out so early in our marriage,” she said with the dry humor he loved so much.
He turned on his side to face her. “You’ll keep me from making a mess of this, won’t you?”
“Of course I will. I’m much older and wiser, so just do everything I tell you to do, and we’ll be fine.”
He snorted with laughter. “That’ll be the day.”
She flashed the sly, sexy smile that had been the first thing he loved about her. “It was worth a shot.”
Seamus put his arm around her and dragged her across the bed to him.
“Such a caveman.”
“You love that about me.”
“I love everything about you, but you know what I love best?”
“What’s that?” he asked, slayed by her sweet words and the power of her love.
“I love how badly you want to do right by those boys.”
“I want that so much. I don’t want to screw it up. I want to make everything better for them.”
“You already have, Seamus. It was your idea for us to take them in. What would’ve become of them otherwise?”
“Someone would’ve stepped up.”
“We have no way to know that for sure. They could’ve ended up wards of the state or in foster care or God knows where. Who know if they would’ve been allowed to stay together?”
Seamus shuddered at the thought of any of those scenarios.
“You saved them from an uncertain future. The reason they’re ready to go back to school so soon is because they know you’ll be here and I’ll be here, waiting for them to get home. We’re going to make this work.”
“It means so much to me that you fully embraced my desire to have them, love. At this point in your life, you probably want to be relaxing and sleeping in and doting on your grandbaby, and I’ve made you a mum to two small boys.”
“I had plenty of years to relax and sleep in before you stormed your way into my life and ruined my sleep. I’m as thrilled as you are t
o be able to make a difference for those little guys. Don’t think for a minute I’m not.”
He pushed himself up onto an elbow and leaned over to kiss her. “Let’s go get our boys up for school.”
Hope came awake suddenly at six o’clock, the time Ethan usually got up. For a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was, but the heavy weight of Paul’s arm around her waist and the hairy leg wedged between hers was a reminder of what’d transpired between them.
They’d been up most of the night and had ended up making love in the shower at three a.m. She’d never had shower sex before and had to say there was something to be said for the way he’d pressed her against the wall and surged into her while the water came down upon them.
Sexiest night of her life, hands down. It pained her to think of what she’d missed out on when she’d thought she was happy with Carl. But in all those years, he’d never paid the kind of attention to her that Paul had in one night.
Her eyes blurred with tears that frustrated her. What in the world did she have to be teary-eyed over when she was having such a marvelous time with a hot, sexy guy who cared about her son as much as he cared about her? Her belly tightened around the grinding sense of dread she’d carried with her since Carl was arrested, while she waited for the next disaster to strike.
Surely nothing that felt as good as she did with Paul could possibly last. With tears sliding down her cheeks, she eased herself out of Paul’s embrace and got up to go to the bathroom. Every muscle in her body protested against the movement, and the soreness between her legs was indicative of an overly indulgent night. She hadn’t ached like this since her first time with Carl.
She’d been just a kid then. What had she known then about what truly mattered in life? She brushed her teeth and caught sight of the rat’s nest her hair had dried into after going to bed with it wet from the shower and ran a brush through it. Her jaw was covered in red spots from where Paul’s whiskers had rubbed against her skin. She brought her fingers up to touch them, amazed by the passion that had resulted in her skin being rubbed raw.
How could she have lived for so many years without knowing it was possible to do and feel the things she’d experienced last night?
She startled when his arm slid around her waist from behind.
“I woke up, and you were gone.” He kissed the back of her shoulder. “Scared me.”