CelebrationAfterDarkKobo (12 page)

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.”