Chapter 9 #2
He wanted to go back in time twenty-four hours, when it would’ve been impossible to imagine her saying the things she’d said this morning, things that had rocked the foundation under him.
How could she think for one minute that he would leave her rather than face whatever might happen to her?
How could she give voice to such a thought?
How were they supposed to go forward now that she’d said such things out loud?
Adam no sooner had these disturbing thoughts than he shook them off, determined to file them under things Abby said when confronted with a life-changing condition. It wasn’t her talking. It was the fear. That had to be it, because any other possible explanation didn’t bear consideration.
His Abby, the woman he loved with his whole heart and soul, didn’t want to spend a day apart from him, let alone the rest of her life. The very idea of a life without her at the center of it left him feeling bereft. He would be, quite simply, inconsolable if she gave up on them.
Which was why he was insisting on a wedding next week. He had to get that second ring on her finger before she could do something stupid like actually break up with him. He couldn’t let that happen.
“You okay, honey?” he asked, speaking close to her ear so she could hear him over the drone of the plane’s engines.
She nodded.
Right next to him but still a million miles away…
Twenty minutes after they took off, Slim began the final approach to the Gansett Island airport. And as the wheels touched down on the island, Adam relaxed ever so slightly. They were home, and he could wage war—if that was what it took—to keep Abby right where she belonged—with him.
At six o’clock, Ned and Francine arrived at the “White House,” as the locals called the McCarthy home. Big Mac’s best friend was turned out in a blue sport coat, khaki pants, new boat shoes, a blue shirt and a tie. Ned, who preferred his clothes old and holey, had worn a tie for him.
“Must be one hell of an occasion,” Big Mac said as he hugged his longtime best friend.
“T’aint every day yer best friends celebrate forty years a marriage,” Ned said.
“I suppose that’s true.” Big Mac hugged and kissed Ned’s wife, Francine, who glowed with happiness these days. Long gone was the bitter, spiteful woman who’d been knocked down once too many times by life before she ended up with her one true love.
“Congratulations, Mac,” Francine said. “You two set the gold standard.”
“What’s this about gold?” Linda asked as she came into the living room, where Big Mac was fixing drinks for the four of them.
“Gold standard,” Ned said. “Ya set the bar awfully high fer the rest a us.”
Linda kissed his cheek and hugged him for a long moment, making him blush the way she always did when she showed him affection.
“Happy anniversary, doll,” Ned said.
“Thanks, old friend.”
“T’aint no one in this room is old. We’re young at heart.”
“That we are,” Linda said, beaming with happiness. She wore a slinky, sexy black dress and sky-high heels that had made Mac want to skip the festivities to have her all to himself tonight. But he’d never do that to the kids, suspecting they’d gone to some trouble for the occasion.
Linda hugged Francine, and Big Mac was struck by how far the two women had come from the days when Linda had had no choice but to report Francine for repeatedly writing bad checks to pay her bar bill at the hotel.
Linda’s complaints—and those of other island merchants—had resulted in a three-month jail sentence that seemed like a lifetime ago now that Francine was happily married to Ned.
Not to mention, her daughter Maddie was married to their son Mac. Speaking of happy.
The women shared two grandchildren, and had managed to put the past where it belonged for the sake of their families.
While Francine and Linda chatted about their favorite subjects—Thomas and Hailey—Big Mac took Ned aside. “I was thinking about you today.”
“What about me?”
“Remember when you were practically the only person I knew on this island?”
“Sure do,” Ned said with a chuckle. “Gave ya a ride over to North Harbor to check out the marina that first time.”
Big Mac smiled at his old friend. “I was thinking, too, about how you sold me this house for dirt cheap.”
“Ya had yer bride sleeping in the back room at the marina. Desperate times. Someone had ta do somethin’.”
Throwing his head back, Big Mac let out a big laugh.
He put his hand on Ned’s shoulder. “Just want you to know—I never could’ve gotten through those first couple of years without Linda.
But I couldn’t have done it without you, either.
Getting in your cab that day was one of the best things I ever did in my whole life. ”
Ned blinked furiously. “Aww, shit…yer all sappy today. Hell, yer sappy every day.”
“Maybe so, but I wanted you to know, just the same.”
“Means a lot ta me. Before Francine came back ta me, this was my home as much as yours. You and Linda and yer family…my family, too,” he said gruffly. “Woulda been a lonely life without y’all ta keep things interesting fer me.”
“This life of ours wouldn’t have been the same without you, either. My third brother.”
Ned continued to blink back tears, so Big Mac changed the subject before they turned into a couple of blubbering idiots.
“How big of a deal are we looking at tonight?”
Ned’s eyes widened.
“Did you really think they were fooling Voodoo Mama?”
“Suppose not,” Ned said with a chuckle. “Y’all will act surprised so they don’t think I spilled the beans, woncha?”
“Of course. So, big deal, small deal?”
“I ain’t tellin ya nothin’, so quit askin’.”
“We should get going,” Francine said. “Our reservation is for six-thirty.”
“After you, my dear.” Ned followed his wife to get their coats in the foyer.
“Ready for this?” Linda asked as she took hold of Mac’s outstretched hand.
“You bet. How about you?”
“It’s already been an amazing day. I’m looking forward to an amazing evening with our family.”
Mac held her coat. “It was a pretty great day, wasn’t it?”
“The best. The ring, the trip, the memories… Doesn’t get much better.”
Mac couldn’t agree more. It had been a fantastic day, and now he couldn’t wait to see what their kids had planned for the evening.