Chapter 29 #2
In addition to Katie, who wore a big white hat that declared her THE brIDE, Chloe encountered a sea of familiar faces—Nikki, Janey, Tiffany, Jenny, Sydney Harris, Erin Barton, Carolina O’Grady, Daisy Babson, Mallory Vaughn, Lizzie James, Kara Torrington, Victoria Stevens, Laura Lawry and a bunch of McCarthys—Linda, Stephanie, Grace, Maddie and Abby as well as Frank’s girlfriend, Betsy Jacobson.
“Ladies!” Jenny held up her phone. “Big news from the mainland! I’m an auntie! Hope and Paul had Scarlett Marion Martinez at two thirty this afternoon, weighing in at six pounds, nine ounces and eighteen inches. Hope delivered her naturally, and they sent pictures.”
Everyone offered their congratulations and passed the phone around to view the photos of the baby.
“She’s beautiful,” Linda McCarthy declared.
Jenny took back the phone. “I’ve got to call Alex and make plans to take Ethan over to meet his baby sister. He’s been with us since they went to the mainland because he has school. He must be so excited!”
Katie called Chloe over to her. “Come meet my sisters—Julia and Cindy. Julia’s my twin, not that you can tell that by looking at us.” Katie vibrated with excitement.
“Nice to meet you both.” Chloe shook hands with Julia and Cindy. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Likewise,” Julia said. “Katie talks about you all the time and says you’re the coolest chick she’s ever met. I try not to be insulted by that.”
Chloe laughed. Whereas Katie was a blue-eyed blonde, Julia had dark hair and gray eyes and Cindy had light brown hair and brown eyes. Despite the differences in their coloring, Chloe could see a resemblance among the sisters, and she saw hints of their brother, Owen, in each of them.
“It’s true! She’s so cool!” Katie burped—loudly, which sent her sisters and Chloe into hysterics. “Sorry. Too much champagne. Show them your ink, Chloe.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes, it’s gorgeous! I want ink just like yours.”
Julia took the champagne from her sister. “Easy, badass. You need to pace yourself, or you’ll be tits up by eight o’clock, and that’s when the strippers are coming.”
“Wait,” Chloe said. “There’s really going to be strippers?”
“Hell yes!” Julia fist-pumped. “I came straight from Texas, and I brought ’em with me! They’re cowboy strippers! Wait till you see their six-packs and tight little asses.” She fanned her face. “So hot, you’ll melt!”
“No way,” Maddie said. “Mac is going to kill me.”
“You can say you had no idea.” Cindy used her thumb to point to Julia. “Blame her. She’s the wild child of our family. We never could control her.”
“I don’t know about this, Jule,” Katie said, hiccupping. “I don’t think Shane would want me cavorting with strippers right before our wedding.”
Julia waved her hand, brushing aside Katie’s concerns. “Oh please! It’s all in good fun. And it’s too late to turn back now.” Julia checked her watch. “They’re already on the island!”
“Oh God,” Katie said, moaning.
Chloe nudged Chelsea. “What’re they doing?” Chloe pointed to the center of the living room, where Janey sat on the floor collecting and counting money that was being tossed her way by the other women.
“They’re taking bets.”
“On?”
“What time the guys will show up and which one of them will be first through the door.”
“They’re betting on that?”
Linda McCarthy joined them, patting Chloe’s arm. “It’s become tradition. The men are rather predictable, so they make it fun to take wagers.”
“You people are insane,” Chloe said, astounded and amused.
“We know.” Janey looked up from the floor with an expression that could only be called diabolical. “And we own our insanity because it’s so damned fun to torment them.”
“Although Mac makes it super easy because he’s almost always the first one through the door,” Laura said.
“Not tonight he won’t be,” Maddie said. “I had a talk with him and told him it’s time to pass the torch to someone else.”
“That’ll be the day.” Linda produced a fifty-dollar bill. “My money is on him.”
“Whoa,” Janey said. “Mama just upped the ante and bet against her own son!”
“I’ll put a hundred on Alex,” Jenny said. “If he hears there might be strippers, he’ll be here so quick, his head—and mine—will spin.”
“I’ll put a hundred on Luke,” Sydney said.
Linda pulled out another fifty. “Not to be outdone, make that a hundred on Mac.”
“It’s a sad day when your own mother bets against you,” Maddie said, feigning sadness on behalf of her husband.
“I’m nothing if not a realist, sweetheart, and I know my son. He’ll be the first one through that door or my name isn’t Linda McCarthy.”
“I wish I could disagree with you,” Maddie said, giggling.
“We wouldn’t have him any other way, would we?” Linda asked her daughter-in-law.
“Um, well…”
The others cracked up laughing.
“Remember the last time we told them there’d be strippers?” Tiffany said. “Blaine was so mad that we had the hottest makeup sex ever.”
“Oh God, Mac was, too,” Maddie said.
“We got them so good,” Jenny said.
“What’s going to happen when they find out there really are strippers coming?” Chloe asked.
“The shit’s gonna hit the fan,” Chelsea said bluntly. “And it’ll be epic.”
After he took a ton of grief for kissing Chloe in front of everyone, Finn tried to settle in and enjoy the evening with his favorite men.
The whole crew was there, including Grant and Evan, who’d made it home to Gansett in time for the bachelor party and would be staying for the summer.
Dan Torrington and Slim Jackson were also back on the island after wintering in Los Angeles and Palm Beach, respectively.
Those guys had the right idea—party all summer on Gansett and then head for warmer climates in the winter. Grant had come home with the news that Stephanie was expecting and that they’d be staying close to home for the rest of this year.
Blaine introduced Riley and Finn to his brother, Deacon, as Owen walked around handing out bottles of beer to newcomers that included David Lawrence and Seamus O’Grady, who was married to Joe’s mom.
“I wasn’t going to say anything, and don’t tell Grace that I did, but we’re knocked up, too,” Evan said with a giddy grin.
“So are we,” Adam said.
“Wait, what?” Grant and Evan said in stereo.
Mac put his arm around Adam’s shoulders. “You heard him right. Turns out our boy is going to be a dad—again.”
“That is fantastic news.” Grant hugged Adam. “I’m thrilled for you guys.”
“Thanks. We’re pretty thrilled, too. At least we are when Abby isn’t puking up her guts.”
Owen groaned. “That’s the worst. Laura went through that both times. It was brutal.”
“How long did it last?” Adam asked.
“Um, I hate to tell you, but she was sick the whole time.”
Adam groaned. “Ugh. I can’t imagine that. Abby is barely functioning. She even hired someone to run the store for her this summer because she doesn’t think she can do it.”
“Wow, that’s hard-core,” Evan said. “We’ve been lucky so far. Grace has felt great, and she’s super-duper horny.”
“Shut it, Evan,” Big Mac said as he came in with Ned, Frank and Kevin. The fabulous foursome was back together since Ned returned from Italy. “No one wants to hear about your horny wife.”
“Um, I do,” Evan said, grinning. “That’s my favorite subject.”
“Ciao,” Ned said, as he accepted a beer from Owen, who was Shane’s best man. Mac, Riley and Finn were his groomsmen.
“How was your trip?” Finn asked Ned.
“Magnifico,” Ned said, kissing his fingertips with dramatic flair.
“You can barely speak English,” Big Mac said to him. “And now we’ve got to put up with you speaking Italian?”
Ned huffed with pretend indignation while the others howled.
“Good one, Dad,” Evan said, slapping Big Mac on the back.
“Watch yerself,” Ned said to Evan. “Or I’ll start becoming an unsilent partner in yer studio.”
“Oh God,” Evan said, recoiling. “I take it back. I take it all back.”
Ned chuckled. “Thought ya might say that.”
“How’s the studio doing?” Adam asked Evan.
“It’s great. Josh has done a fantastic job of keeping things moving while I was gone. I’m going to be recording my new album there this summer.”
“That’s awesome,” Grant said. “It’s so freaking great to be home. I love the sunshine in the winter, but there’s no place like Gansett Island.”
“Hear, hear,” Evan said, raising his beer bottle. “Now, let’s talk about Shane.”
Shane groaned. “Let’s not and say we did.”
“You know better than that, son.” Frank squeezed Shane’s shoulder. “Let me go first.”
“Here it comes, cuz.” Adam handed Shane a fresh beer. “Drink up.”
“Hush,” Frank said. “All of you.” When he had their attention, Frank cleared his throat.
“I can’t think about your wedding to Katie without getting a great big lump right here…
” Frank pointed to his neck and cleared his throat again as he battled his emotions.
“…because you got it so bloody right with her. The two of you are perfect for each other, and I can’t wait to welcome yet another Lawry to our family.
Everyone here, we all know what you had to go through to get to where you are now, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that no one deserves the happiness you’ve found with Katie more than you do, son.
I love you, I’m so proud of you, and I can’t wait to dance at your wedding. To Shane.”
The others raised their bottles. “To Shane!”
“My turn,” Big Mac said.
Shane groaned, earning a glare from his uncle.
“I just want to say that your dad is absolutely right,” Big Mac said. “You deserve this happiness so very much, and we are thrilled for you and Katie. Love you, Shane.”
“What they said.” Kevin used his thumb to point to his brothers. “We’re all so proud of you and how you’ve weathered the storm to get to this moment with Katie. She’s the best, and we couldn’t be happier for both of you. Love you, buddy.”