by Marie Force
“Yep. I followed his orders to the letter.”
“Still no word on why they had to go to Providence so suddenly?”
“Not that I’ve heard. I’m sure they’ll tell us later.” He kissed her nose and then her lips. “You were gone when I woke up.”
“Stuff to do.”
“You have to be tired after last night,” he said with a private smile that she returned.
Waggling her brows at him, she said, “I’m energized.”
Despite the employees working in the room, Grant put his arms around her and drew her in tight against him. The employees were used to occasional PDA from them by now.
“Please, oh, please, don’t make me go to LA by myself.” He was due to leave right after the New Year to meet with the production team that would make the film he’d written about her life story.
“You won’t be by yourself. You’ve got a million meetings and things to do. I’d only be in the way.”
“No, you wouldn’t. I want you to be part of this, Steph.”
“I’ve already been a part of it. I lived it. Once was enough for me.”
It broke his heart to hear her say that when he was thrilled about the lucrative deal he’d struck with one of the top production companies in Hollywood. He’d gotten his dream team for the screenplay that had become a passion project to him over the last year. He wanted to take this journey with her by his side, but she showed almost no interest in being part of it, which left him with a huge dilemma.
Did he leave his new wife for what could be a month or more to tend to business, or did he step aside now that the screenplay had been sold to a company he trusted to do right by the story? The thought of removing himself from the production made him feel twitchy and nervous, but the thought of being without Stephanie for the weeks he’d need to be in LA made him feel worse.
Nothing ever went as planned in the movie business, so who even knew how long he’d have to be there?
Grant released a long, deep sigh.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, making sure that only he could hear her. “I know how much this means to you, but I just… I can’t do it, Grant. I can’t relive it over and over again for the next year or however long it takes to make the movie. Just reading the screenplay was almost too much for me—and that’s a huge compliment. It’s brilliant and I love it. But—”
“I know, honey.” Listening to her and hearing her, really hearing what she was saying, removed all thoughts of a dilemma from his mind. “I’m going to step aside as a producer.”
She drew back to look up at him. “Wait. You’re going to do what?”
“I can still be involved without being there—”
“No! You have to be there.”
“Not without you.”
“Grant, you’re talking crazy. This movie is your baby. You have to be there to make sure it gets done right.”
“I trust the team we have in place, or I wouldn’t have signed with them.”
“I’ll go. I’ll go to LA with you, and we’ll figure something out for the restaurant and… I’ll go.”
“But you don’t want to.”
“It’s not that.”
Taking her by the hand, he led her out of the fray in the dining room, through the kitchen to her small office, shutting the door behind them. Turning to her, he propped himself on the corner of the desk and drew her in close to him. “Tell me.”
“It’s silly.”
“No, it’s not.”
“No, it really is.” She hesitated and seemed to force herself to meet his gaze. “You know I’m excited for you about the movie and all the interest in the story, right?”
“I think so.”
“I am. I’m so proud of you and the amazing job you did with the screenplay. Charlie and I both are,” she said of her stepfather.
Though he loved to hear her say that, he couldn’t get past the fact that something was obviously weighing on her. “Then what is it?”
“I’m so happy now. The years of Charlie being in prison and me trying desperately to get him out seem like a bad nightmare that happened to someone else. Our lives have changed so much since you and Dan came along and fixed everything for us. The thought of reliving it…” She placed her hand over her belly. “It makes me feel sick, Grant.”
“Come here.” He put his arms around her and tucked her into the nook below his chin, where she fit like the other half of him. “I understand how you feel, because I’ve had the pleasure of watching you blossom since all that terrible stress was removed from your life. The last thing I want is to see you regress back to that. I promise if you come to LA with me, I’ll keep you far away from what’s happening with the film.”
“And what kind of wife does that make me, when you can’t talk about your work with me?”
“The best kind of wife, because I can talk about everything else with you. After Evan’s wedding, I want to spend the rest of the winter in Southern California with you. I want you to see my place at the beach and work on your tan and shop in Beverly Hills.”
She snorted with laughter. “As if I’d even know how to shop in Beverly Hills.”
“You’re married to a very successful screenwriter,” he said with a smirk. “It’s probably time you figured that out. By the time the spring rolls around, I should have all my ducks in a row for the film, and we can come back here to open the restaurant for the season. And we’ll probably see Dan and Kara out there, too. He told me yesterday that snow doesn’t look good on him.”
Stephanie laughed. “I can hear him saying that.”
“We’ll have fun. I promise.”
She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “It’s always fun when I’m with you.”
“I’ll protect you from the past, Steph. I’ll always protect you.”
“The last time you took a woman with you to LA, it didn’t work out so well.”
“That’s because Abby and I weren’t meant to be, and because I had a lot to learn about what it takes to make a relationship work. I won’t make those mistakes again, not when there’s so much at stake.” He framed her face with his hands and kissed her. “And not when there’s nothing else I’d rather do than be with you.”
“So I guess we’re going to LA for the winter.”
“Are you sure, babe? I meant it when I said I’d turn the project over to someone else.”
“I’m sure. It needs to be you. You’re the only one I trust completely to make sure the story gets told the right way.”
“I’ve never told a more important story, and I probably never will again. I want the whole world to know what you did for Charlie, how you fought so tirelessly for justice.”
“And I want the whole world to know how you—and Dan—finally got justice for both of us.”
“Best phone call I ever made,” Grant said, smiling.
“Years and years of struggle and a small fortune spent on lawyers, and all it took was one phone call from you to Dan to change both our lives. I’ll never stop being grateful to both of you for what Charlie and I have now. He’s so happy with Sarah, and me… Well, I get the rest of my life with you. If there’s anything better than that, I haven’t found it yet.”
“Me either, sweetheart.”
Chapter 8
His ringing cell phone had Joe Cantrell reaching for the coffee table where he’d left it during a workout in the baby gym with his son, P.J. Watching those chubby arms and legs swatting at the toys above him was about the most entertaining thing Joe had ever seen.
“What’s up?” he asked Seamus O’Grady, his second-in-command at the Gansett Island Ferry Company—and his mother’s husband. Since Seamus was only two years older than Joe, he preferred to think of the irreverent Irishman as his mother’s husband rather than his stepfather.
“I assume you’ve taken a glance outside today.”
“Yeah, I’ve been keeping an eye on it.”
“The last boat reported five-foot seas. I�
�m thinking we need to call off the rest of the day.”
Joe groaned because that would strand his brothers-in-law Adam and Evan, who were due home later in the day with their fiancées, Abby and Grace, for the anniversary party, a thought he shared with Seamus.
“Planes are still flying, so the boys should be able to get home for the festivities.”
“That’s good news. I’ll give them a heads-up. Go ahead and make the call.”
“Good old Mother Nature. The one thing we can’t predict with any certainty.”
“No kidding. How are things at home?”
“Pretty good. The boys are excited about Christmas, and we’re all looking forward to getting the addition finished. I can’t believe what Mac, Shane and the rest of our friends managed to pull off in just a few months. It’s a miracle, for sure.”
“Everyone wants to see the boys settled and comfortable in their new home.”
“No one more so than me and your mum. She’s been so great with them.”
“As have you.”
“Ah, thanks, but I’m fumbling my way through, whereas she’s a seasoned professional.”
“She’s a damned good mom. I can attest to how lucky Kyle and Jackson are to have her in their lives, but they’re lucky to have you, too.”
“With every waking day, I discover I’m the lucky one. It’s nice to see them bouncing back some from the terrible loss of their poor mum. I’m starting to think they might be okay.”
“They will be. I remember vividly the day my dad died, but I don’t remember a lot about the immediate aftermath other than moving to the island. When I look back at those years, I remember a happy childhood even though someone was missing. That’s what they’ll remember, too.”
“I certainly hope so. Well, I guess I’ll see you tonight at the party.”
“See you there. Enjoy the day off.”
“I plan to.”
They ended their call, and Joe fired off texts to Adam, Evan and Slim, hoping the McCarthy brothers could connect with Slim, their pilot friend, to get them to the island for their parents’ party. After the texts went through, Joe did a double take when he saw the time on his phone. One o’clock and no sign of Janey yet.
“Mommy is sleeping late again, buddy.” Joe picked up P.J. to bring him upstairs to check on Janey. He stepped into the master bedroom, where his wife slept, rolled up in a ball in the middle of their king-size bed, her hand tucked beneath her chin.
At the sight of his mother, P.J. let out a loud screech that jolted Janey out of a sound sleep.
Joe winced. “Sorry, honey. We were only checking on you. Didn’t mean to wake you.”
She sat up and reached for the baby, her hair messy around her face, which was flushed from hours of sleep. As always, Joe thought she was adorable, even if he was concerned about how much she’d been sleeping lately. No matter how early they went to bed, she couldn’t seem to get enough sleep.
He sat on the edge of the bed. “You okay, babe?”
“Of course I am.”
“You’re sleeping a lot. You sure you’re not coming down with something?”
“I feel fine.” She yawned hugely. “Sorry to check out on you guys today.”
“We kept ourselves busy. We had a big breakfast of applesauce and cereal and then an aggressive workout at the baby gym.”
Janey smiled at the baby and then at him.
As her gaze met his, Joe noticed that her cheeks seemed fuller than usual, and an uneasy feeling gripped him. “Janey.”
She guided P.J. to her breast, which also seemed bigger than usual. When had that happened?
His heart sank, and crippling fear stole the breath from his lungs.
“What?” she asked.
“Are you… Is it possible… No. You can’t be. We said we weren’t doing that again. It’s not safe.”
“Joseph, you’re babbling. What the heck are you talking about?”
“You’re pregnant.”
Her eyes bugged. “What? No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. Just like last time. All you do is sleep, and your face is rounder, and your boobs… Janey, you are.” His chest tightened, making him feel like he was having a heart attack or an anxiety attack or possibly both at the same time, and who could blame him after the nightmare that had unfolded on the day of P.J.’s birth? He’d almost lost them both, and the thought of going through that again…
“I’m not pregnant. I’d know if I was.”
“Like you did last time? I figured it out before you did then, too.”
All at once, she looked stricken by the idea that she could be pregnant again. “We’ve been careful.”
“Not as careful as we should’ve been a few times.”
“But…” Her big blue eyes shone with unshed tears. “Joe. We can’t.”
Sensing she was on the verge of full-blown panic, he gathered her up without disturbing P.J., who’d dozed off at his mother’s breast.
“I’m scared,” she said softly.
“Me, too.”
“How could this have happened twice without us planning it? We’re not exactly stupid teenagers.”
Despite his own anxiety, he smiled as he mopped up her tears. “Maybe not, but apparently we are super-fertile.”
“Joe, we can’t. We can’t do this again.” The hysteria in her voice alarmed P.J., who startled and began to cry along with his mother. “Oh God, I’m scaring him. I’m so sorry. I’m a terrible mother.”
“You are not a terrible mother. You’re an amazing mother.”
She hiccupped on a sob. “I’m so scared, Joe.”
“So am I, but before we totally freak out, we need to confirm you’re actually pregnant.”
“I am! I can’t stay awake, my boobs hurt and my clothes don’t fit. How did this happen?”
Despite the soul-deep fear he felt at the possibility of her being pregnant, his lips curved into a smile at that question. “I suspect it might’ve happened one of the many times you seduced me into servicing you in the last couple of months.”
“I seduced you?” She wiped her face with the sleeve of her T-shirt. “When exactly did that happen?”
Crawling up the bed to lie next to her, Joe said, “Every time you nursed P.J. and sang lullabies to him. Every time you bathed him and giggled at the way he splashed you until you were wetter than he was. Every time you jumped out of bed when he made the littlest sound. When you walked around the house with him attached to you in that scarf thing and then when you danced until he laughed. You seduce me when you fall into bed, dead on your feet but glowing with joy after the day you’ve spent with our son.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her lips quivered. “That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said.”
“Then why’re you crying again?”
“Because! I’m pregnant, so everything makes me cry, especially when you’re sweet to me, so cut that out.” She snuggled P.J. into the crook of her neck, rocking him so naturally that Joe wondered if she realized she was doing it. “Are you scared?”
“Terrified. But that’s not all I am. I’m also a little excited at the thought of another P.J.” He was trying not to think about the nine terrifying months that would precede the arrival of the new baby. “What’re you thinking?”
“I have no idea. Mostly I’m shocked that this could’ve happened again without me knowing it. Let me tell you this, mister—if we are pregnant, after this, you’re getting that thing snipped.”
“That thing? Did you just refer to the part of me you love best as a thing?” Despite the insult to his manhood, he was relieved that she’d stopped sobbing.
“That’s not the part of you I love best.”
“That’s not what you said the other night when you were all like, ‘More, Joe, give me more.’”
Her face turned bright red. “I never said that.”
“Do I need to start recording these encounters?”
“If you do, I’ll kill you.”
/> “You won’t kill me. You like my thing too much to kill me.”
“I’m mad at your thing right now. He and I are in a huge fight.”
Snorting with laughter, Joe said, “It’s not his fault that your eggs are so welcoming.”
She let out a low moan. “Joe. How can we be joking about this after what happened when P.J. was born?”
He took hold of her hand, linking their fingers and gazing into big blue eyes gone liquid with emotion and fear. “Because we’re not thinking about that day right now. We’re thinking about the possibility of another miracle like P.J., and we’ll stay focused on that until after the holidays, when we can go see specialists on the mainland who’ll tell us exactly what we’re going to do to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Nodding, she said, “Yes, that’s what we’re going to do. And then you’re getting that thing snipped.”
Laughing, Joe gathered her into his embrace, vowing to do whatever it took to ensure that everything would be different this time. He would do anything in his power to keep her—and their baby—safe from harm.
“Is she down for the count?” Mac asked when Maddie came into their bedroom later that afternoon.
“Out like a light.”
“Thank God for naptime.”
She stretched out on the bed, where he’d been reading while she put Hailey down for a nap. Thomas had spent the previous night at Tiffany’s house, and they’d see him later at the party.
“Hailey was cranky today.”
“Teeth,” Maddie said. “The last time we saw David, he made a comment that if any of us remembered getting teeth, we’d be traumatized for life.”
“Poor baby.”
“I remember going through this stage with Thomas by myself and wondering if either of us would survive it.”
“It makes me sad to have missed that with him.”
She turned toward him and smiled. “You won’t miss much with him.”
Mac put his e-reader on the bedside table and turned on his side to face her. “Whatever shall we do with a couple of hours to ourselves on a snowy afternoon?”
“Nap,” she said, sighing as her eyes closed.
“That’s one thing we could do.”