Chapter 11 #3
Maddie went quiet on the other end of the line until Tiffany heard the distinctive sound of sniffling.
“Are you crying?”
“Maybe a little. This is so bloody exciting! But are you sure you’re ready, honey? I mean, you just got divorced, and I know you’re crazy about Blaine and vice versa—”
“It’s probably way too soon, but we have a bit of an ulterior motive with Jim digging in about Blaine living with me.”
“Ugh, he is such an asshole.”
“Yes, he is, but we figured if we were married, he’d have much less of a case than if we’re living in sin, and Dan agreed.
It was Blaine’s idea to do it this weekend to take the wind out of Jim’s sails, and because he can’t live without me.
Blaine, that is.” Tiffany giggled nervously.
The whole scheme sounded ridiculous as she relayed it to her sister.
“Oh, Tiff. That’s so romantic. Of course you can take over my cookout. Have at it! This is so exciting!”
“Blaine said you’d be all for it.”
“I love my new brother-in-law. He’s so smart. What can I do? Anything! Oh my God! I can’t wait to tell Mac. Have you told Mom?”
“I’ll go over there later to see them,” Tiffany said, encouraged by Maddie’s excitement.
“How about Ashleigh?”
“She was at Mom’s last night and Jim’s tonight. We’ll tell her tomorrow morning when she gets home.”
“I’ll come over later, and we’ll plan everything. Will you be at home or the store?”
“Home. I’ve already realized I’ll have to turn the store over to Patty if I’m going to pull off a wedding by Saturday.”
“This is going to be so awesome. Wait until everyone finds out they’re there for a wedding! Oh! Mac’s Uncle Frank is coming, and he’s a judge. He can marry you!”
“Are you sure he won’t mind? He barely knows me.”
“He’d love to do it. I know he would. I’ll have Mac ask him, though.”
“You don’t think it’s crazy, Maddie?”
“I think it’s over-the-top crazy wonderful. You’re getting a great guy who worships you and who’d do anything for you and your daughter. What else is there?”
“Nothing,” Tiffany said softly. “Absolutely nothing.”
Returning home from the clinic, Seamus insisted on carrying Carolina into the house, where his mother was brewing a cup of tea in the kitchen.
“There you two are. I was beginning to wonder where you’d gotten off to.” She did a double take when she saw the scratches on Carolina’s face. “For the love of God! Whatever happened to your face?”
“I had an encounter with a thorn bush last night. Tripped and fell.”
“Oh my Lord! What can I do for you?”
“She needs to rest, Mum. She’s been up most of the night, and we’ve just come from the doctor.”
His mother followed them to the hallway that led to their bedroom. “What did he say? Are you all right?”
“I will be,” Caro said, putting up a brave front for his mother. “My pride is more injured than anything else.”
“That’s not true, love,” Seamus said as he put her down as gently as he could.
When she winced from the pain, Seamus felt as if he were the injured one.
It killed him to see her hurt or in pain.
And to know it was his damned fault that she’d gotten hurt in the first place…
Well, that was almost too much to bear. “You’ve got some very serious wounds, and you’re under doctor’s orders to take it easy until they begin to scab up. ”
Caro looked up at his mum. “Which is not at all what I had planned for your visit.”
“Oh, pish. Don’t you worry about me. I’m nothing if not resourceful. Seamus and I will take care of everything, won’t we, son?”
Seamus felt torn in a thousand different directions after getting a call from Joe earlier, letting him know about Janey’s bed rest. He was out of commission and off the schedule for the foreseeable future, which meant there was no way Seamus could stay home with Carolina, where he yearned to be.
Caro reached for his hand. “What’s wrong?”
“I hate to say this, love, but I’ve got to go to work. That call I took while we were at the clinic?”
She nodded.
“It was Joe. Apparently they were in another exam room at the same time we were there, and Janey has been put on full bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.”
“Oh no! Poor Janey. How awful for her, especially this time of year. And look at me, all banged up and of no use to her.”
“You’ll be back on your feet in no time, but you heard Dr. David. You need to take it easy until the worst of the wounds scab over. You don’t want them to get infected.”
As they talked, Nora bustled around the bedroom, folding abandoned clothes and straightening up. Seamus knew that Carolina would hate that his mother was cleaning or working on her vacation. “You don’t have to do that, Mum.”
Carolina sent him a grateful smile. She’d probably been about to say the same thing herself.
“Not to worry. Now off to work with you, my boy. I’ll be here with your Caro to make sure she takes it nice and easy. Go on along. We’ll be just fine, won’t we, Caro?”
“Of course.” Carolina took his hand and smiled up at him. But he saw the strain she was trying hard to hide from him.
Seamus bent to kiss her. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I know.”
Lowering his voice to a whisper, he added, “I owe you big for this.”
“Yes, you do.”
He barked out a laugh and kissed her again. “Love you.”
“Same. Be safe on the water.”
Seamus straightened and had to summon the wherewithal to leave her.
But Joe was counting on him, and letting his boss down was never something Seamus wanted to do.
Joe had been very good to him and far more understanding than Seamus had expected over Seamus’s relationship with his mum.
Keeping the business running smoothly so Joe could focus on his pregnant wife was the least Seamus could do for him.
His mother followed him to the kitchen. “Sorry this happened right when you got here, Mum.”
“You know there’s nothing I’d rather do than putter around the house anyway. Caro and I will be fine.”
“Where do you suppose Shannon spent the night?”
“I’m sure he found a warm bed and a warmer woman.” She clucked with disapproval. “I’ve despaired of that one ever settling down, but then again, I once said the same about you, and look at you now.”
“I know you were surprised when you met Caro, but I hope you can see what I see in her and give her a chance.”
“’Tis clear to me that the two of you are mad for each other. I fully intend to give her every chance to show me she’s worthy of my son.”
“Mum…”
“Don’t take that tone with me, Seamus Padric O’Grady. I’m still your mum, and don’t you ever forget it.”
“As if I ever could.” Seamus kissed her cheek. “Behave today. I mean it. If you do anything to drive her away from me…”
“If you think that’s my goal here, you don’t know me at all. Now don’t you have a boat to drive?”
“Indeed I do. I’ll be back for dinner.”
She crooked her finger to bring him down close enough for her to kiss his cheek. “Fair winds and following seas, my love.”
“Thanks, Mum. And thanks for taking care of Caro. She’s acting brave, but she’s hurt real bad.”
“I can see that, and I’ll take very good care of her for you.”
She followed him to the driveway, which reminded him of the many times she’d walked him to the car, lecturing about safety all the way, when he’d first begun driving.
He hadn’t thought of that in years. Standing before the company truck Joe had given him right after he started, Seamus had never felt so torn between what he needed to do and what he wanted to do. He turned to his mother.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the age difference.”
“So am I, and only because I think your Caro was embarrassed when she discovered I didn’t know.”
“Yes.” Seamus ran both hands through his hair roughly. “You could say that.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I wanted you to meet her and know her and see me with her before you decided she was all wrong for me.”
“You don’t give me enough credit.”
“Probably not.”
“I’m not going to deny I’m disappointed that you’re giving up your chance to be a father. I think you would’ve been a wonderful father, so that causes me a bit of grief for what’ll never be. But I know true love when I see it, Seamus. And I see it here.”
“You do, really?”
“I really do. So lose the pinched and pickled look to your face, and let’s enjoy our visit, shall we?”
Laughing, Seamus hugged her. “I’d like that.”
“If you catch sight of your cousin in town, send him home.”
“Will do. He hasn’t changed a bit since last I saw him.”
Her grimace told the true story. “He’s never gotten over poor Fiona. I’m not sure he ever will. So he runs around chasing everything in skirts, thinking that’ll somehow soothe the ache inside him.”
“It’s how he survives,” Seamus said simply.
“Yes, I suppose it is, but I wonder all the time how long he can keep it up.”
Seamus kissed her cheek. “He’ll keep it up until he finds something—or someone—who can soothe the ache. I’ll see you tonight, Mum.”
“I’ll be here.”
And that, Seamus thought as he drove away, was comforting.