Page 37 of Delivery After Dark (Gansett Island #28)

“ T hanks for coming out to see us tonight, everyone,” Evan McCarthy said from the stage, where he was seated on a stool next to his best friend, Owen Lawry, his favorite person to perform with. “It’s always nice to play for the home crowd on Gansett Island.”

That was met with a huge cheer from their friends and family.

“You know, a lot has changed for me since ‘My Amazing Grace’ became a number one hit?—”

He was interrupted by more applause and cheers.

“Aw, thanks, but I was going to say… Some things never change, especially my love for Gansett Island and everyone who lives here. This is for you guys, with all my love.”

He and Owen strummed the opening chords for “Home,” originally performed by Phillip Phillips on American Idol .

As the crowd sang along to the familiar tune, Evan grinned at Owen, who was perfectly in sync with him, as always.

In the audience, he spotted his wife, Grace with Stephanie, Laura, Sydney, Katie and Julia, while Grant, Luke, Shane and Deacon were huddled next to them.

At the next table, his cousin Riley and his wife, Nikki, were seated with Riley’s brother, Finn, his wife, Chloe, as well as the Gansett Fire Chief Mason Johns, his fiancée, Jordan Stokes, Cooper James and his fiancée, Gigi Gibson, who were home on Gansett for the holidays.

In January, the season of the Jordan and Gigi reality show that they’d shot on Gansett would begin to air and would make Mason and Cooper stars along with their partners.

As he sang along with Owen, Evan found his love in the crowd, glowing with pregnancy and smiling the way she always did when they got to spend time with their closest friends and family.

Deciding to stay home on Gansett for a while had been a good move for both of them, after a year of relentless touring in support of his hit song.

Grace had come out on the road with him and had stood by him through the wild ride of achieving success he’d only dreamed about before the song he’d written for her had become a massive hit.

But she hadn’t been happy like she was now, surrounded by the best friends she’d ever had in the place that had become her home as much as his.

Soon, they’d welcome their first child, surrounded by all the people they loved best, and would get to raise him or her in a pack of cousins and friends who would grow up together.

Life was good and about to get better.

They finished the song and announced a ten-minute break. “We’ll be right back,” Evan said, “so don’t go anywhere.”

After they’d stashed their guitars, Owen extended his fist.

Evan bumped it. “Just like riding a bike to play with you.”

“I was scared. We hadn’t played together in a while.”

“I had no doubt we’d pick right up where we left off, the way we always do.”

“Feels like coming home to play with you.”

“Same, brother. Let’s go see what we’ve missed while we were up here.”

They went to join their wives, who’d ordered cold beers for them in anticipation of their break.

Evan put an arm around Grace. “How lucky are we, O?”

“The luckiest.” Owen kissed Laura. “Thanks for taking such good care of me.”

“Haha, we both know it’s the other way around,” Laura said.

“Who’s got your kids tonight, Laura?” Evan asked.

“They’re having a sleepover with the grandparents,” Laura said. “Thank God for Sarah and Charlie, who have them tonight—and Dad and Betsy. They’re always willing to take the hooligans to give their exhausted parents a night off.”

“I hope you weren’t planning on getting much sleep tonight,” Owen said with a dirty grin for his wife.

“Shut your face. There will be sleep or else.”

“Uh-oh, bro,” Evan said.

“Don’t worry,” Owen said with a cocky grin. “When push comes to shove, she’ll want what I want.”

“One more time, in case you missed it the first time,” Laura said, “ shut your face .”

The others howled with laughter.

“You love when my face is open and pressed to your?—”

Laura put a hand over his mouth as he rocked with laughter. “I’m going to kill you.”

“You’d miss me.”

This was the shit Evan lived for with their friends and family.

Laura was his first cousin and had grown up spending summers with him, his siblings and her brother, Shane.

Those had been the best of times until they all grew up and got to do the rest of life together, too.

All the McCarthy cousins had ended up on Gansett Island, which was just another reason to love being home.

Even the “babies,” Riley and Finn, had landed there and were loving life with Nikki and Chloe, their dad, Kevin, his second wife, Chelsea, their baby daughter, Summer, and another sibling on the way.

Evan took Grace’s hand and brought her with him when he went to say hi to their crew, sitting around one of the big circular tables. “What’s up, babies?” They hated when their older cousins called them that, which was what made it fun to trot out the dreaded nickname.

“You’re getting on in years, cousin,” Riley said. “I could drop you on your ass.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

Riley stood.

Nikki grabbed his arm. “Sit your ass down.”

The others cackled with laughter.

“Just so you know, I could,” Riley said to Evan.

“If your mom lets you come out to play.”

Nikki released her husband. “Go kick his ass.”

Evan took off running as Riley chased after him, the two of them laughing their asses off as they collided in a wrestling match right in the middle of the big dance floor.

“Fools,” Grace said. “Will they ever grow up?”

“Probably not,” Nikki replied.

A crowd had gathered to watch the cousins’ wrestling match.

“And people say I’m the jackass of the family,” Mac said.

Where had he come from?

Evan took his attention off Riley for one fateful second and ended up pinned to the floor by his younger cousin.

“Say uncle,” Riley said, grunting from the strain of holding Evan in place.

“Eff you.”

“ Uncle. ”

“Whatever.”

“I’ve got all night, bro.”

“Fine. Uncle. You win. Are you happy?”

“You bet I am.” Riley stood and extended a hand to help Evan up.

Evan gave a mighty pull and had Riley pinned to the floor in two seconds flat. “Who’s your uncle now, bro ?”

“Your ten-minute break is up, Evan,” Nikki said.

She was the manager of the Wayfarer.

“I’m doing this gig for free.”

“Get back to it before people get bored and go home.”

“Welp, we can’t have that, but let’s call this one a draw, cousin.”

“I beat you fair and square,” Riley said as he dusted himself off.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Evan said as he went to say hi to his brother Mac.

“Thanks for distracting me at the worst possible time.”

“That baby kicked your ass,” Mac said.

“Shut up. How’d you two get out of the house tonight?”

“Grandparents,” Maddie said. “My wonderful husband arranged the whole thing, and we’re free until tomorrow morning.”

“What the hell are you doing here, then?” Evan asked.

“We heard there was going to be music,” Mac said, “but we arrived to WWE.”

“The music is coming back momentarily.”

“Well, get to it,” Maddie said. “We have other items on our agenda for this rare night away from our five children.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m on it.”

Evan kissed Grace and returned to the stage, amused by the interlude with his family and how they still treated him the same, which was a huge relief in the craziness that came with fame.

As he tuned his guitar for the next set, Evan was thrilled to be home.

“Why you gotta wrestle your cousin right on my dance floor?” Nikki asked her husband. And yes, it was still weird to think of him as her husband three weeks after they tied the knot over Thanksgiving weekend.

“He started it.”

“Did he, though?”

“All in good fun, babe.”

“I know.”

“He had to defend our honor,” Finn said. “That baby shit was old when we were in high school, and it’s ancient now.”

“They do it because you react every time,” Chloe said. “If you just ignored them, it would ruin their fun.”

“We’d rather wrestle them,” Riley said.

“Hell yes,” Finn said. “They can’t stand that the babies can take them.”

“We’re younger, stronger and sexier than they’ll ever be,” Riley said.

“Did you just refer to yourself as sexy?” Chelsea asked, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

“They weren’t raised that way,” Kevin said.

“I think they actually were,” Chloe said. “We’ve all seen you with your brothers, Kev. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“She’s got you there, Dad,” Finn said, laughing.

“I can’t deny that the original McCarthy brothers may have set a less-than-stellar example for our offspring,” Kevin said.

“In all seriousness, you set the best possible example,” said Evelyn Harper, Nikki and Jordan’s grandmother. “I love how close all you McCarthys are to your siblings and cousins.”

“It’s fun having everyone here and working together,” Riley said. He and Finn worked for Mac’s construction company, along with Shane.

“How’re you feeling, Chloe?” Nikki asked her sister-in-law. Her rheumatoid arthritis had been giving her grief again.

“I’m okay. The cold is always a challenge.”

“I need to take you somewhere warm for the winter,” Finn said.

“Maybe someday when we’re old and retired, we’ll do that.”

“We need to do it now so you won’t suffer like this all winter long.”

“I’m fine, honey. Don’t worry about me.”

“I’ll always worry about you. I hate when you’re in pain.”

Chloe rested her head on his shoulder. “Don’t fret. We’re supposed to be having fun tonight.”

They all wished they could find the magic elixir that would soothe the pain Chloe lived with every day, but she was a trouper and didn’t want anyone fussing over her.

Nikki’s twin sister, Jordan, yawned for the fifth time in five minutes. Pregnancy was making her so tired she could barely function.

Mason suggested they head home.

“Yes, please. I can’t stay awake.”

They all got up to hug Mason and Jordan.

“Call me tomorrow,” Nikki said to her sister.

“I will.”

“You’re a regular drag, old lady,” their best friend, Gigi, said when she hugged Jordan.

“Wait until you’re knocked up, bitch. You’ll see what it’s like.”