Book 23 Blackout After Dark #5
She leans in and takes hold of Marion’s hand.
“You have dementia, Marion. It’s become increasingly more severe as time has gone on.
Alex and Paul did everything they could to take care of you at home.
They hired me to be your caregiver, and that’s how I met Paul.
After a while, it became clear to us that you needed more care than we could provide for you at home. ”
Hope gestures to the room where Marion lives. “This facility was built by dear friends of Paul and Alex, who wanted to help keep you close to them on the island. It’s even named for you.”
As Marion struggles to process what Hope said, Alex and Jenny come rushing into the room, looking terrified. He carries a sleepy-looking George. “What’s happening?”
“Alexander,” Marion says. “You’re holding a baby.”
Alex glances at Paul as he tries to understand what’s going on. “Mom is feeling like her old self.”
“What?” Alex asks on a long gasp.
“This is Alex’s wife, Jenny, and their son, George,” Paul says.
“You… You named your son George,” Marion says, tearing up over the tribute to her late husband. “And you’re married.”
Alex sniffs and swipes at the tears that roll down his face. “This is my wife, Jenny, Mom.”
Jenny steps forward. “It’s so, so nice to meet you, Marion.”
Alex puts George next to Scarlett on her lap.
Both brothers take pictures while they can, both knowing this interlude can’t possibly last.
“How’re you doing, Marion? I’m Dr. Quinn James, and I’ve been overseeing your care for a while now.”
“They… they say I have dementia.”
“Yes, you do.”
She seems to be processing that information. “And that means I have trouble remembering things, right?”
“That’s right.”
“But I can remember my boys and my husband. We live on Gansett Island, and we run our business…”
“You remember right now,” Quinn explains in a gentle tone, “but it may not last.”
The babies begin to get fussy, but Marion waves off their mothers. “Let me hold them, please.” She speaks softly to the little ones, consoling them until they settle and become interested in each other, as they usually are. She looks up at Quinn. “How long do you think it will last?”
“I don’t know. I wish I did.”
Marion looks to her sons. “Has this happened before?”
Alex nods. “A couple of times, but never this long. This is… It’s such a gift, Mom. We’ve missed you so much.”
Marion breaks down into tears as she hugs her grandchildren close while she can.
They take Marion home for a few hours, where Ethan comes home to see her, along with Marion’s friends, including Daisy Babson.
Marion sits in her favorite place on the front porch, holding her grandchildren and catching up on all the goings on in the Gansett Island community.
Her sons soak up the gift of this unexpected interlude.
Charlie Grandchamp works the grill in the scorching heat as sweat rolls down his face and soaks his T-shirt. There’d been a time in his life when the heat and sweat would’ve annoyed him, but it takes an awful lot to rile him these days.
He’s free, in love with the most amazing woman and surrounded by family and friends in their gorgeous new home. Nothing can get him down today, not even the power failure that forced them to punt.
Cindy, Sarah’s daughter, brings him a platter of food her mother sent out. “It seems that life on Gansett is agreeing with you,” Charlie says.
“It is. I love it here. Having my grandparents, my mom, Katie, Julia and Owen close by is the best. It’s been years since we all lived near each other, and now John and Jeff are here, too. It’s awesome.”
“I’m so glad to hear that, honey. Your mom is thrilled to have you all here.”
“It’s so nice to see her happy, Charlie. None of us has ever seen that before, and it means so much. You have no idea.”
He squeezes her shoulder. “I have some idea. One of the best parts of marrying your mom is getting seven more kids to love.”
“And we get a real father for the first time in our lives. Win-win.”
“Hey, what’s going on? Are you cheating on me, Charlie?”
He and Cindy laugh as he turns to find his daughter, Stephanie, coming toward him on the huge deck. “Don’t be jealous. There’s plenty of your old man to go around.”
Stephanie walks into his outstretched arms and hugs him tightly. She tells him she didn’t see the film.
“That’s what I figured you’d do.”
“I read about it online this morning,” Cindy says. “People are saying it’s amazing.”
“That’s what I’ve heard, too,” Steph says.
“Everyone is going to want a piece of the dynamic duo behind the real-life story,” Cindy says.
Charlie has been afraid of that, but he’s kept his concerns to himself so as not to rain on Grant’s well-deserved parade. “Where’s your Hollywood husband?”
“Inside talking to Sarah and Adele.”
“He must be flying high.”
“He is. The premiere went really well, the early reviews are awesome and there’s Oscar buzz for everyone involved.”
“Good for him. He’s worked his ass off for a long time.
” When Charlie first met Grant, he’d thought the guy might be too fancy and refined for his girl, but over time, he’s seen how devoted Grant is to her, and that’s all Charlie needs to know.
She deserves someone who’ll have her back no matter what.
“How’d he feel about you sitting out the premiere? ”
“He was totally fine with it. He gets it. He always has.”
“That’s so sweet,” Cindy says with a wistful sigh. “I hope I meet my Grant one of these days.”
“Oh, you will,” Stephanie says. “And if it happens like it did for us, it’ll be when you least expect it.”
“Any time now,” Cindy says, grinning. “I’m surrounded by happy couples everywhere I go while I wait for Gansett to work its magic on me.”
“You’ll get your turn,” Stephanie assures her. “I just know it.”
Chloe Dennis, owner of Curl Up and Dye salon, is having a flare-up of the rheumatoid arthritis that takes over her body.
Her boyfriend, Finn McCarthy, is doing everything he can think of to help her feel better.
Losing the power and the air conditioning hasn’t helped.
After telling his brother Riley that Chloe is miserable, Riley brings the generator from Eastward Look to their house to give Chloe some relief.
Riley and Finn hook up the window AC unit and the fridge. Finn tells Chloe he also brought two tanks of gas. “That’s so sweet of them. I’ve never had a family of my own before… It’s a bit overwhelming the way your family has stepped up for me this week.”
A steady stream of visitors has brought food, books, magazines and treats they think she might enjoy.
“They love you almost as much as I do.”
“That makes me feel so lucky.”
He holds out his hand, and she puts hers on top of his, which is how they hold hands when she’s in pain. “You know,” he says, “this family could be officially yours any time you say the one word I need to hear.”
“And what’s that?” she asks with a faint smile.
“Yes. Say yes to forever with me. Marry me, Chloe, and you’ll never be alone or lonely again.”
She blinks as tears flood her eyes. “I told you I’d never get married.”
“That was before you met me, fell madly in love and realized you couldn’t live without me.”
Her chin wobbles, and her eyes are bright with unshed tears.
Raising her hand to his lips, he gently kisses her swollen, red knuckles. “I know you’re preconditioned to believe you have to do this alone, but you don’t. If I didn’t want to be right here, I wouldn’t be. It’s really that simple, sweetheart.”
“Yes,” she says softly.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, Finn, I’ll marry you.”
He lets out a shout that wakes their dog, Ranger, from a sound sleep to growl at him.
Chloe’s smile lights up her face and makes him so glad he asked her now, when she’s feeling poorly and worried that she’s a burden. In hindsight, it’s the perfect time to ask her.
“Stay right there.” He kisses her hand and places it gently on the bed. “I’ll be right back.”
He goes to his truck to retrieve the necklace he’d bought for her weeks ago in anticipation of the right moment to ask the question that’s been on his mind for months. Back in the bedroom, he gets down on his knees next to the bed and opens the black velvet box so she can see what’s inside.
Chloe gasps and covers her mouth. “That’s beautiful.”
“I bought this a while ago, hoping I’d find the right time to ask you to spend forever with me.”
“And you thought this was the right time?” she asks, raising a brow. “When I can barely move?”
“I thought this was the perfect time, because more than anything, I want you to believe me when I tell you I’m here for the good times and the tough times.
” He takes the necklace from the box, puts it on her and then sits back to admire how it looks on her.
The two-carat diamond is surrounded by amethyst, representing her favorite color of purple.
“That no matter how tough it gets, I’m not going anywhere. ”
“It means a lot to me that you put so much thought into this, knowing it wouldn’t be possible for me to wear a ring.”
“I wanted something that would tell the world how much you mean to me.”
“Thank you for the beautiful necklace and for everything you said. You have no idea how much it means to me to know I’m not alone anymore, that I have you and your amazing family taking this journey with me.
What your brother did with the generator…
No one has ever done things like that for me before, and it’s all because you love me. ”
“It’s because you’re easy to love. Riley loves you, too, and can’t bear that you’re suffering like this.”
“I’ve never had a brother.”
“Now, you do.”
“You’ve shown me something different, something I’ve never seen before, and not just what’s happened between us, but your aunt and uncle, your cousins, your dad and Chelsea, your brother and Nikki.
I haven’t been around a lot of happy couples in my life, and to see what’s possible…
The McCarthys made me a believer, but more than anyone else, you made me a believer. ”