Book 21 Trouble After Dark #2
“What’s the point of pulling punches? I’ve had enough of the bullshit.
If you’re asking me to have sex with you, the answer is no.
I’m on a man diet, which also means a dick diet.
If you’re looking for someone to hang out with and have some fun this summer that doesn’t in any way include sex, then sure, why not? ”
Deacon sputters with laughter. “A dick diet?”
“Yes, as in no dick.”
He shakes his head as his gorgeous eyes dance with amusement. “How long have you been on this so-called diet?”
“Four months now.”
“Gotcha. Just to be clear—I wasn’t coming on to you. I was legitimately looking for a friend to make my summer in exile more bearable.”
They exchange numbers and return to the wedding to find that she has, in fact, been missed.
“Oh, my God! There she is.” Katie is in tears as she embraces her sister. “Where have you been? We’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
“Oh, I, uh… I took a break.”
Deacon jerks when someone roughly grabs his arm and drags him out of the fray.
Blaine’s low tone is full of condemnation. “What are you even doing here, and where did you go with her?”
Deacon wrestles his arm free of his brother’s tight hold. “I stopped by earlier to check out the new place, and she asked me to get her out of here for a bit. Not that it’s any of your business what I do.”
After his brother storms off, Deacon gets a drink while Julia is surrounded by her family. “Way to make off with the maid of honor, dude.” The young bartender flashes a silly grin. “People were freaking out, looking for her.”
Deacon takes a sip of his beer while keeping his gaze fixed on Julia. “She didn’t think anyone would notice.”
“Oh, they noticed. Even had the DJ make an announcement.”
Deacon cringes. “Yikes.”
“Those are her brothers and sisters.” He wipes down the bar as he shares intel with Deacon. “From what I hear, they’re all close. The dad, who was a general, was a total bastard. Beat them up, beat up the mom. He’s doing time now.”
Shock reverberates through Deacon. She’d been abused as a kid? Oh, God… Deacon hopes there’s a special place in Hell reserved for people who abuse kids and animals. And men who abuse the women they supposedly “loved.” He’d never understand that kind of “love.”
Kevin McCarthy is counting the hours until his nephew’s wedding is over, so he can get his wife, Chelsea, to the mainland to deliver their baby.
Her due date is still two weeks off, but he isn’t leaving anything to chance.
Tomorrow, they’re moving to his brother Frank’s house in Providence, which is right near Women & Infants Hospital.
Sitting at a table with his son, Riley, Riley’s fiancée, Nikki, and Kevin’s younger son, Finn, and his girlfriend, Chloe, Kevin marvels at the notion of starting over as a father twenty-seven years after Finn was born.
A couple of years ago, he would’ve scoffed if someone had told him he’d be expecting his third child in his fifties.
But that would’ve been before his wife left him, forcing him to find a new life—and a new love, who hadn’t yet gotten the chance to be a mother.
Riley and Finn start in on their usual shenanigans, making Chelsea laugh until an odd look crosses her face as she looks at the floor.
On full alert, Kevin asks what happened, and she says her water broke.
After the initial shock, Kevin lifts Chelsea into his arms and races out the door to get her to the clinic.
Katie’s mom, Sarah, tells Katie that she and Charlie are getting married during brunch the next morning, while everyone is still together.
As she watches Julia toast the bride and groom, Sarah talks to Deacon. “My kids have been through so much.”
Deacon doesn’t see Julia’s mother approach him, so her softly spoken comment takes him by surprise.
“This is terribly difficult for Julia, seeing Owen and Katie settling down. The three of them… They were always a team, and now she must be feeling like she’s been left behind.”
Deacon doesn’t say anything because he wants her to keep talking and providing insight into what makes Julia tick.
Why he cares about what makes her tick is something he can try to figure out later.
Sarah tells him that if he’s anything like his brother, he would be good for Julia.
She invites him to brunch the next morning, which he accepts.
Julia has touched him with her sweetness and vulnerability, and he hopes he can show her that not all men are evil like her father and her ex.
Victoria and David meet Chelsea and Kevin at the clinic.
With Finn and Riley in the waiting room, Chelsea delivers their sister, Summer Rose McCarthy.
When he brings his sons in to meet her, Kevin is thrilled to be with the people he loves most and equally thrilled that Chelsea has successfully delivered their daughter.
After sleeping fitfully, Julia sits up and groans.
Her head hurts from too much champagne and not enough food, which is the story of her life.
When her emotions are in an uproar, it’s all but impossible to eat.
Her emotions were in an uproar for years, growing up with an abusive, domineering father.
She had anorexia by middle school and bulimia in high school.
Even after Katie sounded the alarm and got her into treatment—twice—followed by years of intensive therapy, the old fiends still rear their ugly heads often enough to remind her she has control over nothing.
Deacon finds a button-down shirt to wear to brunch, but it desperately needs an iron.
Tiffany offers to iron it for him, while he holds baby Adeline, who loves her Uncle Deacon.
Blaine loses his cool when he finds Deacon in his house.
Blaine questions why Deacon was invited to the Lawry/McCarthy Brunch.
“It may come as a shock to you, but I’m a rather nice guy.
People tend to like me, present company excluded, of course. ”
“I like you,” Tiffany says. “And Addie does, too.”
He winks at Tiffany. “I like you, too. I can already tell you’re much too good for my brother.”
The low growl from Blaine makes Deacon’s day, and it’s only nine-thirty. “Have a good one, everyone.”
“Don’t be late for work on Monday.”
After treating Deacon so badly in their home and insinuating that something might have happened between Tiffany and Deacon, Tiffany tells Blaine there’ll be no sex until he apologizes to his brother.
Blaine moans and falls back on the bed. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.”
“You’re the one who started it by making absurd accusations. Once you clean up your mess and do a good job of it, I’ll consider reopening for business. Until then, your hand can be your new best friend.”
Once everyone arrives at the Surf for brunch, Sarah and Charlie announce they’re getting married that morning, since their whole family is in town.
Sarah goes into the hotel and reemerges a few minutes later, escorted by her parents, Russ and Adele, who are beaming with happiness.
They’re delighted to see their only child finally settled with a man who loves and respects her the way Charlie does.
Julia watches the proceedings with a feeling of detachment, even as her heart swells with happiness for her mother.
After the brief ceremony ends, Julia stands and escapes to the nearby breakwater to South Harbor, where she would go when she was younger and things got overwhelming.
Her grandfather usually came after her, and he told her once that she was free to hide out there as long as she told them where she was going. He sends Deacon after her this time.
Julia needs a break from the outbreak of happiness in her family. Deacon is amused by how she puts that and walks her back to the hotel, so her mother isn’t upset on her wedding day. He offers to take her on his boat after brunch so she can be miserable out of the view of her family.
Her grandmother, Adele, has news for Julia. “I texted Big Mac to ask if his son Mac was actually hiring, because my granddaughter would be perfect, and he said to have you come by the marina tomorrow around nine to talk to Mac. He said he’d make sure he’s there.”
“That’s amazing, Gram. Thank you so much.”
“I really hope it works out. The McCarthys are good people, as we all know. Big Mac is Laura and Shane’s uncle, and Mac is their first cousin.”
“Really appreciate the contact.”
“My pleasure, honey.” She glances at the plate Julia hasn’t touched. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. My stomach is a little upset from too much champagne yesterday. Nothing to worry about.” Her grandmother would worry, despite Julia’s assurances. Adele knows better than even Julia’s own mother does about how bad her issues with eating and food have gotten.
They’d protected Sarah from so much while she was still married to Julia’s father.
During brunch, the woman Deacon defended in Harwich, Sherri, texts him and tells him she was fired from her job after the fight.
Deacon reaches out to the bar owner, and he refuses to hire her back, even though it wasn’t her fault.
He sends Sherri, a single mother with three kids and an abusive ex, ten thousand dollars to help her out until she finds another job.
After she calls to thank him, Deacon fears she took the gift the wrong way, but he needed to do something to help her.
He fought with her ex after he said some awful things.
She also tells him the ex is making noise again, so he reaches out to a local cop he knows to let him know to watch out for her.
Katie knocks on Julia’s door as she’s packing a bag for the boat ride. She asks Julia what’s wrong.
“I miss you, okay? Nothing is the same without you in Texas, and I didn’t want to say that because I don’t want you to feel bad about leaving. I totally get why you stayed here after Owen’s wedding. And look at you now—an old married lady.”