Book 28 Delivery After Dark #5
Their friend Seamus has held a spot on the first boat of the day for the last two weeks in case the babies arrived, and the Irishman comes to greet them when he sees them in the car line.
“I guess this means congratulations are in order,” he says with a smile.
“They are indeed.” Big Mac shows him the photo. “Say hello to Murphy, Rory, Kane and Beckett McCarthy.”
“Aw, look at them. Beautiful boys. Your family is single-handedly populating this island with the next generation,” Seamus says in a teasing tone.
Big Mac laughs. “We’re doing what we can to keep the island running.”
“How’s Carolina?” Linda asks. “I haven’t talked to her in a couple of days.”
“She’s working hard at PT and determined to make the trip to Ohio for Janey’s graduation.”
“Are the boys coming to Ohio, too?” Big Mac asks of Jackson and Kyle, the boys Seamus and Carolina had taken in after their mother died of lung cancer.
“Nah, they’re going to stay home with Jace and Cindy, so they don’t miss school. We can’t wait to celebrate her in Ohio,” Seamus said.
“First, we’ve got to bring four new babies home,” Big Mac says.
“Give Adam and Abby our congratulations. We’re looking forward to meeting the little guys.”
“We are, too,” Linda says.
Kendall James has gotten her boys off to school and is heading to the law office she shares with Dan Torrington when Dan calls her.
He’s received a voicemail from an attorney representing the father of Jared and Lizzie’s baby, who just found out the baby exists and left his number. Kendall will take care of it right away and wishes Dan, Kara and baby Dylan well.
On the way to the office, she takes a call from her ex-husband, Phil.
When he asks to see the boys, she has to tell him that the counselor suggests he not see them for now to give the boys time to settle into their new life before they spend time with their father again.
When he pushes, she tells him she’ll send updates but not to call her again.
Kendall brings the upsetting information about Violet’s father, Brooks Ward, to Jared and Lizzie.
Brooks would like to see Violet. Kendall promises she and Dan will do everything they can to stop him from disrupting the adoption, but until it’s finalized, it’s in their best interest to allow him to see her.
Jared promises Lizzie he will fight for their family.
While Sierra waits for her last client of the day, she sends reminders to her clients for the next day and then takes a call from Linda McCarthy, who’s due in fifteen minutes for her appointment.
Linda is all apologies for not calling sooner, but they’re on the mainland with Abby, Adam and their new babies. She will reschedule soon.
Sierra prepares for the next day and punches out for the day—two hours earlier than expected. She has a hot date to prepare for, and as she goes upstairs to her apartment, she’s thankful for the extra time.
Sierra and Morgan have dinner at Stephanie’s Bistro.
Morgan works as an electrician at home in Boston.
She says as soon as people hear there’s an electrician on the island, he’ll be in hot demand.
Since the blackout, her studio has been glitching.
He’ll take a look and straighten it out for her.
“Don’t tell anyone else that you have this skill until you fix my shit, you got me? ”
Grinning, he says, “Yes, ma’am.”
“I mean it. It’s like when we found out Duke’s fiancée, McKenzie, knows QuickBooks. We all snapped her up, and now she’s self-employed doing the books for most of the island’s businesses.”
“That’s a good skill to have.”
“She’s finding that out. We literally fight over her.”
Sierra examines the dessert menu. “I’ll have one of each, please.”
“Does someone have a sweet tooth?”
“It’s ridiculous. I wish I could identify which one it is. I’d have it pulled.”
He tosses his head back as he laughs.
Damn, the man is hot, dressed all in black with a little gel to tame his salt-and-pepper hair.
He has just the right amount of scruff on his jaw and a smile that lights up his dark eyes.
She likes making him laugh. Hopefully, it gives him a moment of lightness in an otherwise difficult time in his life.
“Note to self.” He pretends to write something on an imaginary notepad. “Keep her in sweets.”
Game. Set. Match. This guy is next-level, she decides.
Not only is he incredibly sexy, but he has good banter, which is super attractive to her.
She loves to spar with her friends, and to do that with a guy who interests her is a new experience.
Most guys are too easily hurt by a cutting comment that’s intended to be funny.
After dinner, Sierra and Morgan move to the bar to listen to Julia Lawry’s performance. She opened with “No One” by Alicia Keys and then went right into “Someone Like You” by Adele.
Sierra tells him stories about her life and is refreshingly blunt about her own shortcomings, which apparently include math, anything mechanical and sometimes a lack of tact.
“That one gets me in trouble with my friends,” she confesses, “because if I think they’re doing something stupid, I don’t hold back.”
Refreshing, he thinks.
Sierra looks over at him. “Are you okay? You just got all tense.”
“Did I?”
She nods. “What happened?”
“I was having an internal argument with myself, and I heard Billy’s voice telling me what to do, as if he were standing right here.”
“What did he say to do?”
“He said I should ask you if it’d be okay if I did this.” He moves his hand from the back of her seat to cup her shoulder, moving his thumb over her soft skin. “Is it?”
She flashes a cute little grin that reveals a dimple he hasn’t noticed before. “I was wishing you’d do something.”
“Why didn’t you say so?”
“Why didn’t you ask?”
“Because Billy hadn’t told me to yet.”
“Thank goodness for him moving things along for us. Otherwise, we might’ve wasted a lot of time.”
Morgan grins at her, and since he has permission to move things along, he leans in to kiss her, hoping she’ll kiss him back.
She does—and whoa.
What he intends to be a quick kiss, a promise of more to come later, turns into a fiery collision of desire that has him pulling back to stare at her.
What the actual hell? A kiss has never delivered such a punch.
It has him wanting to take her by the hand to get a room at the hotel since it’s closer than either of their places.
Her husky, sexy voice cut into his thoughts. “You want to get out of here?”
“More than I’ve ever wanted anything ever.”
Is it possible for a single kiss to change a life? He wouldn’t have thought so until about ten minutes ago.
Now… He isn’t so sure.
Outside, she takes hold of his hand and tows him along with her to the parking lot.
This, Sierra thinks, is the thing she’s often seen happen with other couples but has never experienced herself.
It’s the thing that had made Duke fall headfirst into love with McKenzie and her son, Jax, without a single hesitation.
It had happened to Jace and Cindy, as well as Kevin and Chelsea and countless other friends.
If she hadn’t seen it unfold, up close and personal, among her circle of friends, she might not have recognized the significance of this moment.
Every cell in her body is attuned to him sitting two feet from her, gripping the steering wheel with both hands as if he doesn’t trust himself to touch her while he’s driving.
As they climb the stairs to her place, she feels his urgency moving her forward from behind. Her hands don’t want to cooperate as she tries to put the key into the lock.
He takes the key from her and gets them inside, nudging her forward and following her in, kicking the door closed as he reaches for her.
Nothing like this has ever happened to her. Not even close. She wants to fully experience every second of it, but it’s happening so fast, she almost can’t keep up with him as clothes are tossed aside and hands are touching her everywhere he can reach as they fall to the floor right inside the door.
Holy. Shit.
Julia has been on pins and needles since her noon appointment at the clinic, when she’d gotten confirmation of what she already knew. Her set at Stephanie’s seems endless as she counts down to Deacon arriving to pick her up and take her home so she can finally tell him the news.
Her heart does a happy little jolt when she sees him come in, smiling at her the way he always does.
No one has ever been so happy to see her.
She finishes up her set and thanks her audience.
Deacon drives her and Pupwell home, telling her about their new nephew, Adrian.
She has a surprise for him when they get home.
Once they’re settled, he asks for his surprise.
She goes into the other room to get the pregnancy test with the two lines.
His eyes go wide. “Yes?”
She smiles and nods. “Confirmed today by Victoria. We’re due in late July.”
Deacon lets out a loud whoop that scares the dog. “Sorry, buddy, but Mommy just told us we’re having a baby. You’re going to be a big brother!” He reaches for her over the dog and kisses her soundly. “This is the best news ever.”
On the advice of her husband, Charlie, Sarah has given her son, Johnny, time to deal with whatever he’s going through. But it’s been long enough. She sends him a text telling him to come to dinner. When he declines, she says the invite isn’t optional.
Her son, Jeff, who is staying with them while he continues to recover from the injuries he sustained during the hurricane, comes into the kitchen on crutches.
His fiancée, Kelsey, has gone to visit the McCarthy children that she misses so much.
She was also injured during the hurricane and has just gotten the cast off her broken arm.
Jeff tells his mother that Kelsey will be home for dinner.
“Mom… What are we going to do about Johnny?”