Chapter 26
Over the next few weeks, Julia settled into her new home, her new job and her new romance.
She and Deacon fell into a routine of spending every night together, usually at his place, where they could be completely alone.
They had dinner with Deacon’s parents, with Blaine, Tiffany and their girls, with her family and by themselves more often than not.
They attended a party Adam McCarthy and his wife, Abby, had to celebrate their son Liam’s adoption being final.
One night, they babysat for Ashleigh and Addie so Blaine and Tiffany could go out to dinner to celebrate their anniversary.
Another night, they babysat for Laura and Owen so she could watch him play at one of his gigs.
If they weren’t working, they were together, and with every day that passed, Julia fell more in love with her sweet, sexy harbor master.
Deacon loved his job and sported a dark “farmer’s tan” from the long hours on the water that made Julia laugh every time he removed his shirt to reveal a dark V on his chest and tanned forearms. They laughed at everything, especially the antics of Puppy Pupwell, who’d officially become theirs when they registered him in both their names with the town after two weeks in which no one had come forward to claim him.
On a Saturday in late June, they were invited to a wedding at the Southeast Light.
Slim Jackson, an old friend of the Taylor family, was marrying his fiancée, Erin Barton, at the place where their romance had begun while she was the lighthouse keeper.
From what Julia had heard, the entire town was invited because Slim knew everyone—and somehow he’d gotten the town to approve of them having their wedding there when they’d said no to Jenny and Alex out of fear of drunken guests falling off cliffs.
She and Deacon rode to the lighthouse with Shane and Katie, who were still glowing with newlywed bliss weeks after returning from their honeymoon.
Julia wondered if she, too, glowed with the same happiness she saw in Katie. Probably so, because she’d never before been happy like she was with Deacon. It was a pervasive, bone-deep kind of elation that was all new to her, and she’d become addicted to the feeling.
He gave her hand a squeeze and smiled at her, revealing that dimple she was also addicted to.
At the lighthouse, they joined the crowd that had gathered for the happy occasion. Deacon stood behind Julia, his arms wrapped around her as they watched Slim and Erin exchange vows.
“She lost her twin brother in the 9/11 attack in New York,” Deacon whispered in her ear. “He was engaged to Jenny, who’s the matron of honor.”
Hearing what the two women had endured gave Julia a deeper perspective on what this day must mean to both of them and everyone who loved them. She had tears in her eyes by the time Frank McCarthy declared Slim and Erin husband and wife.
The party that followed could be described only as epic. On a perfect summer day, friends and family of the happy couple enjoyed a traditional New England clambake under a tent that had been erected next to the lighthouse.
Julia went to say hello to Mac and Maddie, who was seated on a padded lounge chair that had been brought in just for her. “How’re you feeling?” she asked Maddie.
“Tired, cranky, fat and saggy,” Maddie said with a cheerful grin. “Other than that, all is well.”
“She’s doing great.” Mac looked at his wife with such pride. “She’s a baby-making goddess.”
“Don’t you mean elephant?”
“I mean goddess.”
Julia had gotten to know them quite well during the weeks she’d been working with him and had become very fond of them and their children.
Per Mac’s request, she’d agreed to take on some of the management of the marina for additional salary that gave her a financial cushion she’d never had before.
“It won’t be much longer until the twins arrive. ”
Maddie moaned. “I can’t believe they’re not due for another two months.”
“The longer they stay in the oven the better,” Mac said.
“Easy for you to say.”
“Not easy for me, as you well know.” He winked to make his point, and his wife’s face turned bright red.
“Shut it, Mac.”
“Just speaking the truth, my love.”
“Sorry, Julia. He’s unmanageable.”
She’d found the opposite to be true, but she kept that to herself. After all, she wasn’t the one married to him.
The other big news at the wedding came from Jenny’s husband, Alex Martinez, and his brother, Paul, who’d successfully moved their mother, Marion, back to Gansett Island.
She was now living at the elder care facility that Jared and Lizzie James had started, which was run by Dr. Quinn James and his nurse fiancée, Mallory Vaughan.
The Martinez brothers and their wives, Jenny and Hope, were thrilled to have Marion close by once again so they could see her more regularly.
Her battle with dementia had led them to find alternate care for her on the mainland, but they’d hated having her so far from them.
At the wedding, Julia met Nikki Stokes’s famous twin sister, Jordan, who was on the island for the summer after the spectacular public breakup of her high-profile marriage to rocker Zane earlier in the year.
Nikki and her fiancé, Riley McCarthy, were getting married in the fall, as were Dr. David Lawrence and his fiancée, Daisy Babson.
At Slim and Erin’s wedding, she also got to meet celebrity lawyer Dan Torrington and his wife, Kara.
Before she’d come back to Gansett for the summer, Julia would’ve thought life on the small island would be quiet and boring. She’d found the reality to be anything but.
By far the best part of Erin and Slim’s wedding day for Julia was when she got to dance with Deacon, who held her the way he always did, as if she was his whole world.
She’d never been anyone’s whole world before, and she rather liked being his.
He’d taught her how to let go and have fun and not worry about what might happen in the future.
Right now is all we have, he’d say. Let’s enjoy the hell out of it.
So that was what she’d done. While enjoying the hell out of life with Deacon, she continued to see Kevin each week, and she took care of herself by attending yoga classes, practicing meditation and playing the piano at Stephanie’s every chance she got.
Her weight had stabilized, and Victoria had cut her back to monthly check-ins rather than weekly.
Life was good, as good as it had ever been, and yet… In the back of her mind remained the nagging worry of how it would blow up in her face. It always did, so why should this time be different? As much as she tried to tell herself that everything was fine, the nagging fear lingered.
She was preconditioned to expect the worst-case scenario. There was no reason to believe she had anything to be concerned about, but still, she worried.
Evan McCarthy had repeatedly asked her to come by the studio, but Julia hadn’t taken him up on the offer. She’d thought about it and had decided that as long as she could play at the hotel any time she wanted, that was more than enough for her. She had no desire to pursue a career in music.
Maybe in a previous life that career might’ve interested her, but now she wanted the easy, stress-free life she’d found on Gansett. She was self-aware enough to know that the fast-paced, high-drama life of a professional musician wouldn’t be healthy for her.
After another long day of work at the job she loved, she snuggled on her bed with Puppy while she waited for Deacon to arrive.
He’d been working longer hours than usual for reasons he hadn’t fully shared with her.
Something about a boat he was keeping an eye on and a case he’d been building.
Puppy was full of energy, so she decided to take him for a walk to meet Daddy at the dock.
The second Puppy saw her with the leash in her hand, he went bonkers, the way he always did. He’d grown so much in recent weeks and was full of energy.
“You have to hold still for one second.” She finally got the leash on, and they headed out toward the town dock.
Puppy peed at least four times before they got there, which amused her.
Everything he did amused her. They passed Deacon’s bike in the parking lot.
What did it say about her that seeing his motorcycle was enough to make her body hum with desire for the man who owned it?
One of her favorite things to do was ride on the back of his bike, wrapped around his muscular body as the powerful bike hummed beneath them. It was almost as good as foreplay.
She’d have to tell him that when she saw him. He’d like that.
Puppy pulled hard on the leash, leading the way to Daddy’s dock.
They’d met him at the end of the day before, so Puppy knew where to go.
She and Deacon had discussed finding a better name for him than Puppy Pupwell, but that name had stuck, and he answered to Puppy and Pupwell, so it was probably too late now.
Deacon joked that they’d name their future children Baby and Kid.
Whenever he talked about their future children, it was all Julia could do not to tell him she was madly in love with him and couldn’t wait to have his children.
But she hadn’t said that yet. Neither of them had used the L word, but she knew he felt it every bit as much as she did.
Maybe tonight, she’d tell him how she felt.
Why was she bothering to hold back when she loved him more than anything?
As she went down the ramp, she couldn’t think of a single good reason not to tell him. She was on the floating dock where he tied up when she noticed another woman sitting on the equipment box where Julia usually sat to wait for him. Julia didn’t recognize her.
“Hey.” The woman smiled at Julia. She had long blonde hair and intricate sleeve tattoos. “Adorable dog.”
“Thanks.”
“What’s his name?”
“Puppy Pupwell.”
“That’s cute. Is he friendly?”
“Very.”
She slid off the box and bent to pet Puppy. “What a sweet boy you are.”