Book 28 Delivery After Dark #2
*PJ and Vivienne Cantrell, children of Joe and Janey Cantrell.
*Owen Lawry, stepfather of Holden Newsome in SEASON FOR LOVE, married to Laura McCarthy Lawry in GANSETT AFTER DARK, father of Joanna and Jonathan in LIGHT AFTER DARK.
*Jordan Stokes, engaged to Mason Johns in TEMPTATION AFTER DARK.
*Linc Mercier, Commander, Coast Guard Station Gansett Island.
*Gigi Gibson, involved with Cooper James in TEMPTATION AFTER DARK.
*Cooper James, involved with Gigi Gibson in TEMPTATION AFTER DARK.
*Evelyn Hopper, grandmother of Nikki and Jordan Stokes.
*Judge Frank McCarthy, married to Betsy Jacobson.
*Betsy Jacobson, married to Frank McCarthy.
*Hope Martinez, mother of Ethan, married to Paul Martinez in DESIRE AFTER DARK, mother of Scarlett Marion Martinez in YOURS AFTER DARK.
*Paul Martinez, married to Hope Russell and stepfather to Ethan in DESIRE AFTER DARK, father of Scarlett Marion Martinez in YOURS AFTER DARK.
*Scarlett Marion Martinez, daughter of Paul and Hope Martinez in YOURS AFTER DARK.
*Ethan Martinez, son of Hope Martinez, adopted son of Paul Martinez.
*Marion Martinez, mother of Alex and Paul Martinez, deceased in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Mr. Martin, Brooks’s attorney.
Denise and Hunter Ward, Brooks’s parents.
Tobias Fitzgerald Jackson, III, son of Slim and Erin Jackson, born in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Oren Charles McCarthy, son of Grant and Stephanie McCarthy, born in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Wyatt Johns, son of Mason Johns and Jordan Stokes, born in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Maddox McCarthy, son of Evan and Grace McCarthy, born in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Hazel Watkins, daughter of Oliver and Dara Watkins, born in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Helen Marion Lawrence, daughter of David and Daisy Lawrence, born in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Henry Hugh Martinez, son of Alex and Jenny Martinez, born in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Elias Harris, son of Luke Harris and Sydney Donovan, born in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Charlotte Marion Martinez, daughter of Paul and Hope Martinez, born in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Faith McCarthy, daughter of Kevin and Chelsea McCarthy, born in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Ella Taylor, daughter of Deacon and Julia Taylor, born in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Benjamin Francis McCarthy, son of Shane and Katie McCarthy, born in DELIVERY AFTER DARK.
Delivery After Dark Headlines:
Abby is going stir crazy on bed rest in Providence!
Morgan holds a funeral for Billy!
Monique surprises Linc with a visit!
Ashleigh is taking her father’s death hard!
Adrian Robert Taylor is born!
Dylan Adele Torrington is born!
Murphy, Rory, Kane and Beckett McCarthy are born!
Morgan and Sierra have dinner together!
Sierra’s attraction to Morgan is unlike anything she’s ever experienced!
Deacon and Julia are expecting!
Violet’s biological father, Brooks Ward, wants to see her!
Johnny confesses he’s tormented by his father’s voice in his head as he tries to live his truth!
Niall will wait for Johnny to work out his demons with Dr. Kevin McCarthy!
Janey officially finishes veterinary school!
Monique is freaked out by her feelings, but Linc reassures her he’s a safe bet!
The quadruplets are cleared to go home to Gansett!
The McCarthy family welcomes home the quads, their parents and older brother, Liam!
Marion Martinez passes away with her family by her side!
Jared and Lizzie meet with Violet’s biological father—and his parents!
Jared offers Brooks and his parents access to Violet!
Morgan ponders life on Gansett Island, and Mac offers him work as an electrician!
Big Mac, Linda, Seamus and Carolina travel to Ohio for Janey’s graduation from vet school!
Brooks won’t contest the adoption and looks forward to being part of Violet’s life!
Morgan and Sierra get engaged on New Year’s Eve!
Tobias Fitzgerald Jackson, III is born to Slim and Erin!
Oren Charles McCarthy is born to Grant and Stephanie!
Wyatt Johns is born to Mason and Jordan!
Maddox McCarthy is born to Evan and Grace McCarthy!
Hazel Watkins is born to Oliver and Dara Watkins!
Henry Hugh Martinez is born to Alex and Jenny Martinez!
Elias Harris is born to Luke Harris and Sydney Donovan!
Charlotte Marion Martinez is born to Paul and Hope Martinez!
Faith McCarthy is born to Kevin and Chelsea McCarthy!
Julia and Deacon officially get married, and their daughter, Ella, arrives a month later!
Piper and Jack get married!
Kelsey and Jeff get married!
Benjamin Francis McCarthy is born to Shane and Katie McCarthy!
John Lawry and Niall Fitzgerald get married!
A wing is added to the Gansett Island school!
Gansett Island Soundtrack
How Great Thou Art
Danny Boy
No One
Someone Like You
Home
She’s come to despise the words bed rest. Abby McCarthy is slowly going mad from being stuck in a Providence hospital bed for eight weeks.
Four. New. Babies.
Even with thirty weeks to prepare, the thought of welcoming four infants at the same time is incredibly overwhelming. She was told a while ago that it was likely she might never conceive. Well, she’s shown “them.” She’d conceived, all right, and then some.
Five more McCarthy boys.
Just what the world needs.
Her goal in life is to raise five respectful, well-behaved boys. That the mischievous McCarthy DNA runs through them makes that goal more difficult to achieve, but she’s up to the challenge.
Or so she hopes…
Her favorite McCarthy boys come strolling into the room, cheeks flushed from the December chill.
In addition to all her other complaints, she’s missed autumn, her favorite time of year on Gansett Island.
They’ll go home to winter in full swing and the holidays looming, on top of everything else.
She’s done some online shopping for their nieces and nephews, as well as for Liam.
Thank goodness for her laptop, a Wi-Fi connection and Netflix, which have helped keep her entertained.
“Mama, we go to the park and play on the slide!” Liam’s brown eyes are big with excitement.
Adam lifts him onto the bed so Abby can hug her baby. She misses taking care of him more than just about anything. She also misses snuggling with her handsome husband, which is all but impossible due to her massive belly.
While Liam plays with his toys, Adam sits on the edge of her bed, takes her hand and brings it to his lips.
“You have no idea how beautiful you are. In fact, you’ve never been more beautiful than you are now, full of maternal power as you prepare to give birth to a rare double set of identical twins. ”
Though she feels like an ugly whale, she appreciates his efforts to raise her self-esteem. “If you say so.”
“I say so.”
Sierra Mancini hates funerals, but of course, everyone does. Since she lost her mother and two much-loved grandparents in the span of eight months a few years back, she’s avoided them and the memories of deep grief whenever possible.
Today, however, she’s pulled herself together to support Billy Weyland’s older brother, Morgan, who lost the last member of his immediate family when Billy died during Hurricane Ethel.
Sierra was friends with Billy and has been part of the island-wide effort to support Morgan in the months since the tragic loss of his brother.
She’s stirred out of her thoughts when the service begins with a rousing rendition of “How Great Thou Art,” sung by Julia Lawry, bringing back childhood memories for Sierra of going to church with Nana Ann, who’d had a beautiful singing voice.
Pastor Banks leads the congregation through a series of opening prayers.
Some of Billy’s friends from the gym do Bible readings.
It’s almost comical to see the muscular dudes, decked out in poorly fitted suits, as they attempt to show decorum and respect for their late friend.
Billy’s friend Niall Fitzgerald performs “Danny Boy,” one of Billy’s favorites of the songs the Irishman regularly performs at the Beachcomber.
When Morgan stands and walks to the lectern, his wavy dark hair combed into submission and a black suit showcasing his broad shoulders, Sierra sits up a little straighter, eager to hear what he has to say.
“I want to start by thanking you all for coming today and for the way you’ve stepped up for me over these last few surreal months.
As many of you know, Billy and I were raised here on Gansett, along with our late sister, Amanda.
Unlike my sister and me, Billy loved this island with his whole heart and soul, and while Amanda and I were plotting our escape, he was figuring out a way to stay forever.
He founded the gym right out of high school in the hope that it would allow him to live here forever.
“Billy, congratulations on achieving that goal. You did it, pal. You spent your entire life on this island you loved with all your heart. After spending these last few months here with all of you, I can see why Billy loved it so much and had no desire to leave. It’s been a reminder to me that even if I wanted out of here as a kid, it’s always been a special place made up of incredible people who show up in good times and in bad.
“Thank you for the meals, the cards, the endless support, the kind words about Billy and for everything you’ve done to prop me up during the awful days when we were looking for him and every day since we found him.
“If my brother were here, I’d punch him in the face for putting me through this.”
The congregation laughs, as he hoped they would.
He talks about his life growing up with Billy and losing their sister and then their parents. He ends his eulogy thanking the island residents for supporting him through the loss of his brother and reminding him why Billy loves it there.
He wipes away tears as he leaves the lectern and makes his way back to his front-row seat. As he goes, his gaze connects with Billy’s friend Sierra, who’s sobbing as Duke Sullivan comforts her.