Chapter 14
Fourteen
New Year’s Eve on Gansett Island dawned sunny and cold, the perfect sort of day for a winter wedding. Linda carried mugs of coffee upstairs for her and Mac to enjoy in bed. With nowhere to be until later, they had time for a lazy morning.
Adam is getting married, she thought with a sigh. He was her baby who wasn’t a baby anymore and hadn’t been for a very long time. No matter. He would always be her baby.
“What’re you sighing about, my love?” Mac asked when she handed him one of the mugs. He was propped up in bed, reading the morning headlines on the iPad the kids had given him for Christmas. With glasses propped on the end of his nose and his hair tousled from sleep, he looked sexy and adorable.
She slid into bed next to him, careful not to spill the coffee on the crisp white sheets. “Adam is getting married.”
“So I’ve heard. This is a good thing, no?”
“Of course it is, but I’m still allowed to feel a little melancholy about another of my babies taking the plunge.”
“Should I not mention that Evan will take the plunge in exactly nineteen days?”
Linda moaned. “No, you shouldn’t.”
He chuckled at her foolishness. “I love that they’ve each found their perfect match.”
“So do I. Don’t get me wrong. It’s just…”
“They grew up way too fast.”
“Yes. That.”
“I know, babe. I think about that all the time. Seems like five minutes ago, we had a house full of screaming rug rats, and now…”
“Silence.”
“And while silence can be golden, it happened fast.”
“We haven’t had much of a chance to talk about what Adam told us last night.”
“I’ve been reading up about this condition Abby has.” He turned the iPad so she could see. “It’s difficult but manageable from all accounts. Fertility can be a big challenge.”
“I hate that for them. They’d have such beautiful babies.”
“Yes, they would, and it’s very possible they will. It’ll just take some doing.”
“If anyone can get through this, it’s those two. They’re so perfect for each other. It’s funny how I never would’ve thought so back when she was dating Grant, but now…”
“You can’t picture her with anyone but Adam and vice versa.”
“Right.”
He put his iPad and mug on the bedside table and turned to her. “Speaking of babies, what do we think about Janey being pregnant again?”
“We think it’s very scary.”
“I gotta be honest—as much as I want another grandbaby, I sort of wish they’d quit with P.J.”
“They planned to, but you know what happens when people make plans.”
Mac reached for her hand. “Joe said they’re going to the mainland early and she’ll be admitted for the last few weeks so there’s no chance of what happened last time happening again.”
“There’s always a chance, but at least she’ll be already in the hospital if it does. Then there’s Maddie.”
“What about her?”
“She’s pregnant again, even if they’re not saying so yet.”
“How do you know that?”
She gave him her best withering look. “Hello? Because I know everything.”
“You’re getting a little full of yourself over there,” he said with a teasing smile.
“You mark my words. She’s pregnant, or my name isn’t Voodoo Mama.”
“What do you think of Evan and Grace’s plan to ride the music wave?” he asked. It had been a rather eventful holiday season for the McCarthy family.
“As much as I want them here with us, I think they’re doing the right thing. He would’ve always wondered what might’ve been if he didn’t seize this moment.”
“I agree. It’s not every day an artist has a song go to number one.
He would wonder, and she would feel like she kept him from chasing his dream.
That they found a way to chase it together is fantastic.
I love that she found someone to manage the pharmacy for her and Josh agreed to take on the studio while Evan is on the road. ”
“It all worked out perfectly. I also hear that Stephanie decided to go to LA with Grant after all.”
“Oh, that’s good news. I wasn’t happy about the idea of them spending all that time apart when they’re newlyweds.”
“Me either, but we couldn’t blame her about being hesitant to relive the nightmare of Charlie’s incarceration.”
“No, definitely not.”
“So five children happily married or soon to be. That leaves Mallory.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about her since she went back to Providence,” Mac said. “She doesn’t say much about her past or her love life, but I get the feeling she hasn’t had it easy when it comes to men.”
“She said she’s not married ‘anymore,’ but that’s all she’s said to me.”
“Me too. I’m dying to know more, but I don’t want to push her to confide in me until she’s ready to.”
“That’s a wise approach. Baby steps, my darling.”
“That’s not really my style,” he said with a sheepish grin.
“No, really?” she asked, laughing. “This is no time for your bull-in-a-china-shop approach to fatherhood, Mac.”
“That’s not nice.”
“Is it untrue?”
“It’s not completely untrue.”
Chuckling, Linda said, “What time does she get in today for the wedding?”
“She worked last night, so she’s on the four o’clock boat. I’m picking her up.”
“We’ll have this weekend with her and then the week in Anguilla for Grace and Evan’s wedding.
” Thankfully, they’d managed to relocate their wedding to another resort when the original one had been closed down for repairs after a storm.
“You’ll have a chance to get to know her even better without overwhelming her. ”
“Yes, dear.” He kissed the back of her hand. “What do you feel like doing today?”
“As little as possible. I’m still recovering from the madness that is Christmas around here.”
“Another spectacular job from Linda McCarthy holiday productions.”
“I’m glad you thought so. Thank God Maddie did Christmas Eve and that everyone pitches in to help on Christmas Day. All that help makes it easier on Mom than it used to be when everything fell to me.”
“You make it look easy.”
“Weren’t the kids so cute?”
“So cute. I forgot how fun it is to have little ones underfoot on Christmas. You want to see the pictures again?”
“I sure do.”
They spent the rest of the morning scrolling through the hundreds of photos he’d taken with his new toy during the holidays—and they watched the video Adam had made for their anniversary for about the hundredth time.
It never got old, and every time she watched it, Linda saw something she hadn’t noticed before.
Adam was getting married…
As her eyes filled with tears, she hoped that by the time six o’clock rolled around, she’d be ready to once again be mother of the groom.
Adam and Abby had overtaken the McCarthy’s Gansett Island Inn for their wedding.
Copying Laura’s idea, they’d arranged for rooms for everyone at the inn so family members could party the night away without having to drive home afterward.
The inn was still beautifully decorated for the holidays, and everything was in place for the wedding.
Daisy Babson, head of housekeeping, had stepped up to help finalize their plans since the hotel’s event coordinator was on vacation. They couldn’t have pulled off the wedding on such short notice without Daisy’s able assistance.
“To say event planning isn’t your specialty, you sure arranged a miracle,” Adam said he and Abby walked with Daisy through the downstairs rooms that would be used for the wedding.
“I’m so glad you’re happy with it.” Daisy glowed with happiness after getting a big engagement ring from Dr. David Lawrence for Christmas. “It’s been good practice for planning my own wedding.”
“We’re all so happy for you guys,” Adam said.
“Thank you. I know it means a lot to David to have your family’s support.”
It seemed like a long time now since David’s relationship with Janey had ended with him cheating on her. David had changed a lot in the last few years and had earned the McCarthy family’s undying respect when he delivered both Hailey and P.J. under difficult—and dangerous—conditions.
“How did he ask you?” Abby asked.
“It was very romantic and sweet,” Daisy said, blushing lightly as she conveyed the details of the proposal.
“After we spent Christmas Day with his family and out friends, we came home to our place. He said he had one more gift he’d forgotten to give me earlier.
I almost passed out when I realized what was happening. ”
Abby laughed at the comical expression on Daisy’s face.
“It was perfect,” Daisy declared.
Abby hugged her. “I’m so happy for you. No one deserves to be swept off her feet more than you do.”
Adam wanted to tell his bride that she deserved it, too, but rather than tell her, he intended to show her. Later.
He and Abby had said to hell with superstition and had spent their wedding day together.
In truth, he was still slightly afraid to let her out of his sight.
Since their intense conversation on the night of his parents’ anniversary party, she’d been more resigned to her diagnosis.
She’d been an enthusiastic if quieter-than-usual participant in the planning of their wedding.
However, he still sensed an underlying fragility to her newfound strength, which was why they’d spent every day this week together.
He’d taken the week off from work and had given her his undivided attention. With her store closed down for the winter as of Christmas Eve, they focused on resting and relaxing in the days before their wedding. Adam couldn’t wait to give her the surprise he had for her later.
She’d suggested that the week in Anguilla for Evan’s wedding could count as their honeymoon, but Adam didn’t want to wait three weeks to celebrate their marriage.
They were leaving tomorrow for a weeklong cruise to the Bahamas, and he was excited to have his new wife completely to himself for a whole week.
Hell, he was excited about everything where she was concerned—the good, the bad, the sickness, the health and everything in between. After his last relationship ended in spectacular fashion, he’d been resigned to spending the rest of his life alone rather than ending up with the wrong person.