Chapter 19
Mac came to slowly, trying to figure out where he was and why his mouth was so dry, he could barely move his tongue. And why were his parents there, and why was Maddie crying?
He tried to sit up.
His father’s strong hand on his shoulder kept him reclined. “Take it easy, son.”
“Maddie.” Why did his voice sound so weak and strange? What the hell was going on?
“I’m here, Mac.” It took her a second, but she managed to stand, get her bearings and sit on the edge of his bed.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
She wiped her tears and then reached out to fix his hair the way she always did.
“You don’t remember collapsing earlier?”
He’d collapsed? Mac racked his brain but couldn’t remember anything after the meeting with Julia Lawry. She was going to start tomorrow and save his life. He’d been on his way somewhere after meeting Julia, but he couldn’t recall where.
“You were coming to meet me for the appointment, and you collapsed inside the clinic door.”
Mac couldn’t remember any of that. “The babies…”
“They’re fine and so am I, as long as you are.”
“You had a major anxiety attack, son,” Big Mac said. “David checked your heart, and everything is fine, but he said you need to ease up on the stress before anxiety turns into something much more serious.”
Mac tried to process what his father was telling him.
This was the second time that’d happened.
The first time had been in Miami, right before he came home to Gansett and ended up staying after he met Maddie.
He rubbed his chest where residual pain confirmed what his father was telling him—just like before.
This was the last freaking thing he needed going into the busiest season of the year at the marina and the construction company. He had no time to be sidelined by fucking anxiety, of all things.
“David says you have to take it easy for the next few weeks.”
That wasn’t going to happen, but Mac couldn’t say so. Not now.
“I’m going back to work full-time at the marina,” Big Mac said. “You’re relieved of duty for the summer. Luke and I have it covered.”
“And until Shane gets back from his honeymoon, Riley is in charge of the construction company,” Maddie said. “He was here earlier and said he’s happy to help in any way he can.”
“We also postponed the family party at the Wayfarer until you’re feeling better and Shane is back on the island,” Linda said.
“Christ,” Mac said. “How long was I out for?”
“Long enough to scare the shit out of everyone who cares about you most. Your sisters and brothers have been here for hours, hoping to see you.” Big Mac wore the strain of the last few hours in his face and eyes.
“This is nonnegotiable, son, so you’d better just wrap your head around the fact that your days of being Superman are over. ”
Mac hated to see his parents looking so stressed out, but it was Maddie who truly got to him, with her eyes red and swollen from crying over him. She was under enough pressure carrying their twins without him adding to it. “Fine, whatever you guys want.”
“Really?” Maddie asked, her eyes flat with surprise.
“Really. I don’t want to cause you any more strain than you’re already under. And we’re getting that nanny now. I’m not discussing that any further.”
“Okay.”
Mac crooked his finger at her and then chuckled at how her ungainly belly made it impossible for her to get much closer to him. He sat up so he could kiss her, ignoring the way his head swam from the sudden change in position. “Everything is fine. I promise.”
“We’ll give you kids a minute alone,” Big Mac said as he and Linda stepped out.
“Scared me.”
“I’m sorry, baby.”
“Please don’t leave me, Mac. I’d never survive it.”
“You’ll have me to kick around for the next fifty years.”
“That’s not long enough.”
He closed his eyes and held her as close to him as he could get her with the belly in the way. “Love you, Madeline.”
“Love you more, Malcolm.”
Mac cringed at the name he hated. “That’s not possible.”
“Yes, it really is. Seeing you collapse… I’ll be having nightmares about that for the rest of my life.”
“I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
“You’re going to do what David tells you and take it easy, do you hear me?”
“Yeah, baby, I hear you.” Taking it easy went against everything he believed in, but he’d do it to put her mind at ease.
As Maddie pulled back from him, her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open.
“What?” Mac asked, instantly alarmed.
“A weird pain.” She winced when it happened again.
“Victoria!”
Julia showered and dried her hair until it flowed in waves down her back. As she applied mascara, she realized she was nervous but excited, too. It had been only a few days since she met Deacon, and she was breathless with anticipation to be with him.
Was she falling into old traps and habits, or was she finally beginning what could be a healthy relationship with a man? She had no idea, and the not knowing was worrisome. However, she’d decided to take the advice of her mother and grandmother and give him a chance.
When her cell phone rang, she left the bathroom to take the call.
“Hi, Julia, this is Kevin McCarthy. I got Katie’s message. I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you.”
“No problem. I understand you just had a baby. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. She’s a doll. I’m taking a few weeks off, but I’d be happy to find an hour for you if you wouldn’t mind coming to my house.”
“That’s all right. I don’t want to intrude.”
“It’s no problem at all. I promised Katie we’d get together soon. Can you come by at some point?”
Julia realized there was no point in trying to put him off. “Sure, when are you thinking?”
“Late afternoon seems to be the quietest time around here. Would five o’clock tomorrow work for you?”
“I can do that. Do you mind if I have a sleepy puppy with me?”
“Not at all. I’ll have a sleepy baby with me.” He gave her his address. “I’ll see you then.”
“Thank you.”
Julia hated that Katie had forced him to see her during his time off and would tell him so when she saw him. He sounded like a nice guy, though, although there was no way Katie would send her to someone who wasn’t great at what he did.
Her phone chimed with a text from Luke Harris, who said he worked with Mac and wanted to let her know that the get-together at the Wayfarer had been postponed because Mac wasn’t feeling well. Luke said he’d meet her in the morning at nine to let her into the construction office and get her started.
Julia wondered what was wrong with Mac and hoped it was nothing serious. She typed in a response to Luke, while wondering what could’ve happened to Mac in the short time since she’d seen him.
Thanks for the update. Hope Mac is okay. See you in the morning.
She settled the puppy in the crate her grandmother had unearthed from the hotel basement, took her phone so she wouldn’t miss a text from Deacon and went down the hall to Owen and Laura’s suite.
From outside the door, she heard babies crying and Laura’s low, calm voice.
How her sister-in-law managed to remain calm in the midst of never-ending chaos was amazing to Julia.
She knocked on the door, hoping Laura could hear her over the din.
When Laura opened the door, she had baby Jonathan in her arms while his twin, Joanna, cried on a playmat on the floor. Holden was toddling around his sister until he tripped, fell and bumped his head on the floor.
“I’ll get him,” Julia said when Laura stepped aside to let her in.
“Welcome to Bedlam, where the inmates have taken over the asylum.”
Over the next half hour, the two of them worked together to settle and then play with the three children.
“This moment calls for some ‘Baby Shark,’” Laura announced as she turned on the TV. “It makes them into zombies, so we don’t let them watch the video very often. And I apologize in advance for the earworm.”
Sure enough, one minute after the TV was on, all three kids were captivated, and Julia understood the warning about the earworm. “That song is awful.”
“I know! We hate it, but they love it, as you can see. Come.” She grabbed Julia’s arm. “Let’s have a drink and some adult conversation while we can.” In the kitchen, Laura pulled a corked bottle of white wine from the door of the fridge. “Wine?”
“Yes, please.”
Laura poured healthy glasses for each of them. “They’ve driven me to drink today.”
“I don’t know how you do it.”
“I love every second of it. Don’t get me wrong. But three is a lot. I blame your brother for everything. He’s the one who knocked me up with twins.” She followed the words with a smile and a wink. “It’s a good thing I love him so much.”
“I’m so glad you do. No one deserves to be loved like that more than Owen.”
“He’s the best, and he has been from the very start, when I was suffering morning sickness.
It never once occurred to him to be bothered by the fact that I was pregnant with another man’s child.
At my lowest moment, he just saw me.” Laura blinked when tears flooded her eyes.
“I can’t even think about that time in my life without getting emotional. ”
“I couldn’t believe it when he told me he was spending the winter on Gansett because he’d met someone.”
“I couldn’t believe when he stayed for me. That was such a special time for us.”
“I’m so happy it all worked out for you guys.”
“Me, too. Owen tells me you’ve been seeing Deacon Taylor.”
“We’ve been hanging out since the wedding.”
“He’s gorgeous.”
“Is he? I hadn’t noticed.”
Laura laughed. “Sure you haven’t.”
“He did the hugest thing for me.”
“Is that right?” Laura topped off their glasses. “Do tell.”
Julia spilled the story about Mike, the money, the police and the shocking development earlier when he’d actually returned the money to her.
“Holy shit. That’s amazing! Not the part about Mike stealing from you, but Deacon…”