Desire After Dark: A Gansett Island Novel (25 page)

“I always wondered,” Sarah said softly, “how a boy grows up to be that kind of man. He never spoke of his childhood. After the funeral, we never spoke of his father again.”

“He said that was the first time he hit you,” Owen
said.

Her hand covered her left cheek. “Yes. I said something about feeling sorry for his father dying the way he had, and he slapped me across the face, saying his father was exactly where he belonged, in hell with the devil, and I was never to mention that son of a bitch’s name again. I never did.”

Next to her, Owen noticed Charlie wrestling with his emotions. It was hard for him
to hear about the abuse she’d withstood at the hands of her husband.

“The divorce papers should be landing on Dan Torrington’s desk any day now,” Owen said, sharing the good news now that the harder part was out of the way.

“What?” Sarah asked, wide-eyed.

“He told me if I took his call, he’d give you the divorce. He promised he’d sign the divorce papers and mail them the day
I talked to him, which means you should get them soon.”

“Oh, Owen,” Sarah said as she put it all together. “He convinced you to take his call by telling you he’d sign the papers if you did?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does! How can you say that doesn’t matter?”

“Because it doesn’t. Not anymore. You’re getting what you wanted, and we’ll all have some closure.”

“At what cost to you?” his mother asked tearfully.

“I’m okay, Mom. I swear. I’m fine. Ask Laura.”

His wife nodded in agreement. “He was thrown for a loop at first and anxious about telling the rest of you, but he’s good now.”

Sarah sat back in her chair, seeming stunned by the turn of events. “He signed the papers.”

Owen smiled at her. “He signed the papers.”

Sarah began to laugh and cry at the same time.

Charlie hauled her into his arms, kissing her square on the mouth right in front of her children and their partners.

Even Katie smiled at Charlie’s rare loss of control. She leaned on Shane, her expression softer now that she’d had a few minutes to process what she’d heard.

“We can get
married
,” Charlie said in a gruff whisper.

“We can get
married
,” Sarah replied, staring into his steel-blue eyes.

Owen glanced at Laura, who dabbed at her eyes. They shared a smile, full of love and relief and optimism for the future now that the past was where it belonged once and for all.

S
unday night
, Big Mac McCarthy called his family together for a meeting to go over the final plans for their trip to Anguilla in the morning. He’d taken great pleasure in planning every detail of the trip on behalf of his kids, their families, his brothers, niece and nephews. How often would an opportunity
like this come along now that all the kids were grown and had families and lives of their own? Big Mac wanted it to be perfect for them, especially Evan, who’d arrived at the powwow without his fiancée.

“Where’s Grace?” Big Mac asked his son, who’d been smiling from ear to ear for the last week as they counted down to his big day.

“She’s running late at work, but she’ll be here.
Today’s her last day at the pharmacy for a while, and she’s turning everything over to Fiona.”

“You two have so much to look forward to,” Big Mac said, embracing his fourth son.

Evan returned the hug. “Yes, we do.”

“Love you, son. I’m so proud of you and Grace, and I can’t wait to see you two tie the knot.”

“I can’t wait either, and thank you for all you did to get
everyone there.”

“It was a pleasure.”

Linda came over to greet Evan with a hug, a kiss and a beer that he gratefully accepted.

“Thanks, Mom.”

She patted his face. “One last time—mother of the groom. I can’t wait.”

“Me either. I’m so ready.”

“That’s because you got it just right.”

“I certainly did.”

“We can’t wait to officially welcome Grace
to our family.”

Evan blew out a deep breath as he battled his emotions. “I can’t believe we’re leaving tomorrow. Been a long time coming.”

The others began to arrive in waves—Joe, Janey and PJ, Mac, Maddie, Thomas and Hailey, Stephanie and Grant, Ned and Francine, Tiffany, Blaine and Ashleigh, Kevin and Chelsea, who’d decided to accept Kevin’s invitation, Riley, Finn, Shane and Katie,
Owen, Laura and Holden, Mallory, Frank and Betsy, and finally, Adam and Abby, who were still tanned from the honeymoon cruise Adam had surprised her with.

“Now that the gang’s all here,” Big Mac said, calling the meeting to order the way he did town council meetings, “let’s go over the itinerary.”

“Where’s Grace?” Stephanie asked as she and the others devoured the pizza he’d bought
for them at Mario’s.

“She’ll be here,” Evan said, eyeing the front door. “Any minute now.”

“Joseph,” Big Mac said to his son-in-law, “you’ve got the ferry tickets.”

“Yes, sir.” Joe made a production of handing out tickets to everyone.

“You’ll note the time on that ticket is
zero eight hundred
,” Big Mac said sternly.

“Freaking butt crack of dawn on a vacation
day,” Mac said.

“And you’d better get your butt crack to that dock on time or else,” Big Mac said.

“When did Dad turn into a drill sergeant?” Mac asked, his mouth full of pizza.

“You be quiet for once and
listen
,” Big Mac said, drawing howls of laughter from the others and a scowl from his eldest son.

“We’ll be met at the ferry landing in Point Judith by a bus that’ll
take us to Logan Airport in Boston, where you’ll be given your plane tickets,” Big Mac continued.

“He don’t trust us with ’em,” Ned commented to snorts of laughter.

“You got that right,” Big Mac said. “From Boston, we’ll connect through Charlotte and San Juan before arriving in Anguilla at six o’clock local time. We’ll be met by shuttles from the resort and then shown to our beachfront
accommodations.”

“
OhmyGod
,” Tiffany said. “I can’t
freaking
wait.”

“Freaking is a bad word, Mommy,” Ashleigh said.

“I know, baby, but in this case, it’s allowed.”

“Your mom wants to play naked boy-naked girl with Blaine,” Mac said, earning a glare from his brother-in-law.

“Yes, I do,” Tiffany replied, sending the others into hysterics.

“I thought we weren’t
allowed to play that game anymore,” Ashleigh said, setting off another round of laughter.

“
You’re
not,” Tiffany told her adorable look-alike daughter. “But mommies and daddies are allowed to.”

“My mommy and daddy play that game a lot,” Thomas said. “I seen it.”

Maddie’s eyes got very big and very round as she covered her son’s mouth with her hand while Mac lost his shit laughing.
“
Oh. My. Sweet. Hell
.”

The meeting descended into chaos after that, but Big Mac didn’t mind. He’d told them what they needed to know, and everything was in place to ensure a smooth trip from one island to another.

His wife slipped her arm around his waist. “Well done, my love. You missed your calling as a travel agent.”

“Aw, thanks, but it was only fun because it was for this
crew of lunatics.”

“It’s going to be the best time ever.”

He couldn’t agree more. The only thing he was worried about now was the weather. You could plan anything but that.

E
van noticed
Owen go into the kitchen and not come back, so while the others razzed Maddie about Thomas’s hilarious comment, Evan went to see what was up with his best friend.

Owen stared
out the window at the darkness, his arms braced on either side of the sink.

“What’s up, O?” Evan helped himself to two of his father’s beers. He opened one for himself and the other for his friend.

“Thanks.” Owen took the beer from Evan and tipped back half of it in one swallow, which was unusual for him.

“Something wrong?”

“Nah, it’s all good. How are you? Ready for
this?”

“I’ve been ready for a year. Thought it would never get here.”

“It’s gonna be a blast.”

“I know I’ve told you this a hundred times already, but I’m so, so,
so
glad you’re coming. Wouldn’t have been the same without you guys.”

“Yeah.” Owen looked down at the floor, his broad shoulders curving inward, the stance reminding Evan of the dreadful weeks leading up to
the trial of Owen’s father.

“What’s on your mind? And don’t say it’s nothing. I know you better than that.”

Seeming surprised by Evan’s blunt statement, Owen looked up at him before glancing into the other room, where Laura chatted with Stephanie and Abby. “She shouldn’t be going. It’s too close to her due date, but she won’t hear me when I tell her we should stay home.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, last thing I wanted to do was inflict my worries on your good time. That’s why I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Dude, come on, aren’t we past that? Your worries are my worries. That’s how we roll.”

“Sometimes I think…”

“What?”

“That I never would’ve survived the nightmare of my family without the refuge of yours.”

Evan put his hand over his
heart. “My family is your family, and we’ll watch out for you and Laura and those babies. Mallory and Katie will be with us, both of them experienced nurses. If there’s any problem, they’ll be right there.”

“So you don’t think I’m taking a foolish risk by letting my seven-months-pregnant wife go on a trip like this?”

“Of course I don’t think that, and no one else will either. Besides,
we all know Laura does exactly what she wants, and no one, even her devoted husband, can talk her out of something once she sets her mind to it.”

Owen laughed. “Yeah, that about nails her.”

“I go way back with her,” Evan said with a grin.

“Like all the way back.”

“Yep. I know without a doubt there’s no way she’d ever endanger herself or those babies. David said she
could go. Victoria said she could go. And how great is it that she feels well enough to travel after being so bloody sick for months at the beginning?”

“It is pretty great,” Owen said, his expression softening as he watched his wife talk and laugh with the other women. “So where’s your bride-to-be tonight?”

“That’s a good question.” As Evan withdrew his phone, intending to call her,
the front door opened in a gust of cold air as Grace arrived. He’d made sure to save her some pizza and the glass of chardonnay she would need after a long day at work. The minute she came through the door, however, he could see something was wrong. He knew her so well, better than he’d ever known anyone, and her distress was palpable.

“What’s the matter?”

As he took her coat, she
looked up at him, blinking rapidly as if trying not to cry. Though he had no doubt that she was every bit as committed to him as he was to her, his heart stopped at the possibility that she might be having cold feet. “I… Um… My parents. They’re not coming.”

“
What?
”

“Th-they said the trip was too much for them, that they’d been trying to find a way to tell me…” She broke down into
heartbroken sobs that made Evan want to kill the people who would soon be his in-laws. They’d done nothing but hurt his beloved Grace in big and small ways since he’d known her, and he’d had about enough.

He wrapped his arms around her and guided her into the formal living room his mother kept for “guests,” out of the view of the others. “I’m so sorry, honey. I hate that they would do this
to you, especially so late in the game.”

“It’s what they do,” she said, sobs hiccupping through her. “Any time I’m really happy, they find a way to ruin it.”

“After this, they’ll be seeing and hearing very little from you and us. I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”

“Wh-who will give me away if my dad isn’t there?”

Evan’s heart, the heart that belonged completely to
her, split right down the middle. “My dad will. You know he’d love to.”

“H-he’s nicer t-to me than m-my own f-father has ever b-been.”

“He loves you. We all do. We’re your family now. Us and your brothers and all your friends. You’re surrounded by people who’d do
anything
for you. Your brothers would give you away, wouldn’t they?”

“P-probably, but they’d be aw-awkward and
uncomfortable. I think I might rather have your dad.”

“You can have anyone you want, and my dad would be delighted to do it.”

Because he was holding her so close, he felt her backbone stiffen and her usual fortitude return. “I’m sorry to show up in this condition when everyone’s excited.”

“Don’t apologize. Not to me or anyone else. Of course you’re upset, and with good reason,
but we can’t let them ruin this amazing week that we’ve been looking forward to for so long.”

“I won’t let them ruin this for me. No way.”

“That’s my girl. Your brothers will still be there, right?”

“Oh yes, they wouldn’t miss it, but this is it for me with my parents. I can’t keep letting them do this to me.”

“No, you can’t, and I’m glad to hear you say that.”

“Because you’ve wanted me to cut things off with them for a while now?” she asked with the hint of a smile ghosting her lips.

“Something like that, but I never would’ve said it. You had to get there on your own.”

“Well, consider me there.”

Evan cupped her face in his hands and kissed her cheeks, brushing away her tears, before turning his attention to her sweet lips. “Focus
on me. I’m your family, and I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again.”

“I’d be lost without you, Evan. You have no idea how much I need you.”

“Yes, I do, because I need you just as much.” He kissed her again, more intently this time, before the clearing of a throat interrupted them.

“Sorry to interrupt the early honeymoon,” Big Mac said. “I was just making sure you two are
okay. Someone said Grace seemed upset.” He zeroed in on her tearstained face, his brows furrowing with dismay.

That was what Evan loved best about his dad—he took care of them all, whether they were his biological kids or their friends.

“Who made you cry, and how can I kill him or her?” Big Mac asked. “The offer includes my son, in case you’re wondering.”

Grace’s face lit
up with a big, bright smile. His dad had that effect on people, especially the ones who loved him. “Your son is the most wonderful man who ever lived, and he only makes me cry with laughter.”

“Then who do I need to see about tears on my daughter-in-law’s pretty face the week of her wedding?”

“Grace’s parents let her know today that they’re unable to make it to the wedding.” Evan
saved her the trouble of having to say the words again.

His father’s face went slack with shock. “They… Well… I’m sorry, honey.”

“Grace was worried about who might give her away, and I said—”

“I’ll do it,” Big Mac said fiercely. “I will do it, and it’ll be my honor.”

Grace began to cry again, but these were happy tears. Evan knew the difference by now. She released
him so she could hug his dad, who wrapped her up in his strong arms. She looked so small and fragile next to his strapping father, and the sight of them together brought tears to Evan’s eyes.

“Everything’s going to be okay, sweetheart,” Big Mac said, rubbing small circles on Grace’s back. “I’ll make sure of it, and so will Evan.”

“I-I’ve never said this before, but you sh-should
know… I love you all so much. Your family… I’m so happy that you’re going to be my family.”

“You’re damned right you’re our family.” Big Mac raised his hand to invite Evan into their embrace. “Tomorrow, we’re going to Anguilla, and we’re going to get you two married in the most beautiful wedding you’ve ever seen. After that, you and Evan are going to have the most beautiful life. And that’s
just the way it’s going to be, you hear me?”

“I hear you,” Grace said, sighing.

And so did Evan, because if his dad said it was so, he believed him. Big Mac McCarthy was rarely ever wrong about anything.