Page 38 of Delivery After Dark (Gansett Island #28)

“When can we do that?” Cooper asked. “I’m here for knocking up any time.”

“Easy, stud. We’re in no way ready for that.”

“I’m ready when you are.”

“You’re starting a new business this summer. I’ve got the publicity tour for the new season of the show that I’m doing solo because someone is too pregnant. Where do you see time for a baby in all that mess?”

“I’ll let you have this fight while I go home to sleep,” Jordan said. “Love you all.”

“Love you, too,” everyone at the table said.

“We can go whenever you want,” Riley said to Nikki.

“Let’s stay for one more set.”

“I’m with you, babe. Whatever you want.”

As far as Nikki was concerned, marriage to Riley McCarthy was the best thing ever, and it was getting better all the time.

The chowder had warmed them up, and the McCarthy cousin wrestling match had kept them entertained, and now… All Sierra wanted was to get the hell out of there so she could be alone with Morgan.

People had stopped by their table to say hello, to ask how Morgan was doing and probably to try to figure out what was going on between them, not that they were giving anything away.

Everyone was being nice and friendly and supportive of Morgan, which he appreciated.

They asked about his plans for the gym, and he assured them it would stay open one way or the other.

What he didn’t say was whether he’d be the one to manage it or if he planned to turn that role over to one of the employees.

Sierra would like to know the answer to that question, but she wasn’t about to press him for big decisions on their second official date.

But with every minute they spent together, this thing with him became a bigger deal for her.

There was no denying the sizzling chemistry between them or the wild attraction that simmered on low boil the whole time they sat across from each other at the Wayfarer, surrounded by the entire island population—or so it seemed.

Evan McCarthy and Owen Lawry returned to the stage and began to strum their guitars in perfect harmony. They were always so fun to watch.

“Not sure if you heard that I have four new nephews,” Evan said to cheers from the crowd.

“I want to send a big shout-out to my brother Adam and his superstar wife, Abby, and to their four new sons—Murphy, Rory, Kane and Beckett McCarthy. Look out, world, four more McCarthy boys are about to come home to Gansett! I’d like to ask my friend, and Owen’s sister, Julia Lawry to join us for this one. Julia, you got a song in you tonight?”

Julia got up to come to the stage. “For you, always!”

When she was in place at the microphone, Evan and Owen played the opening notes to “In My Life.”

“This is for my nephews,” Evan said. “Welcome home to Gansett Island.”

“Wow, they sound amazing together,” Morgan said.

“They really do. They’re all so incredibly talented. I wish I had something like they do.”

“From what your clients say, you’ve got your own very special talent.”

She shrugged. “I’d rather be able to sing like Julia, but I’d be too nervous to stand up there and do it in front of people.”

“She seems incredibly comfortable performing in public.”

“From what I’ve heard, that wasn’t always the case. The Lawrys had a very difficult upbringing with an abusive, overbearing, critical father who would say things like, ‘No daughter of mine is going to perform in public like a common whore.’”

“Jeez. That’s harsh.”

“That’s the least of it. He’s in prison now for assaulting his ex-wife, Sarah.”

“Sarah, who’s married to Charlie now?”

“Yes.”

“Good Lord, she’s the sweetest person ever.”

“She really is, and she’s so happy with Charlie. They both traveled a long and difficult road before they found each other here on Gansett.”

“This place has magical powers.”

“Did you think that when you were a kid?”

“Oh hell no. I hated it here. I wanted off this island in the worst possible way.”

“What did you hate about it?”

“I wanted to be able to jump in my truck and go to the mall or the movies or to restaurants I’d only ever heard about on TV but had never been to. I wanted to see the world.”

“Couldn’t you go to the mainland once in a while?”

“Sure but having to schedule your vehicle on the ferry weeks in advance sort of takes the spontaneity out of things.”

“Speaking of vehicles on the ferry, I’ve got mine scheduled for next Wednesday to go home to Providence for Christmas.”

“Oh, okay. You must be looking forward to seeing your family.”

“I was.”

“What do you mean?”

“Not sure if you’ve noticed, but it’s been a rather monumental twenty-four hours around here. The thought of leaving right when things are getting interesting doesn’t seem so appealing anymore.”

“Ah, I see,” he said with a satisfied grin.

“You want to go with me?” The question was asked before she took two seconds to ponder whether it was far too soon to take him home to meet the family. Of course it was, but the thought of him powering through Christmas alone after losing his last remaining family member was unbearable to her.

“Oh, um, well… You won’t want me underfoot when you’re going to spend time with your dad and cousins.”

“I do want you underfoot, or I wouldn’t have invited you.”

“What will your dad say if you show up with some random dude for Christmas?”

“A, you’re not random. B, I’d prepare him in advance. C, he wants me to be happy, and if I tell him that being with Morgan makes me happy, he’ll welcome you with open arms.”

“Does being with Morgan make you happy?”

She gave him her best withering look. “Duh.”

“That’s very profound, Sierra. Thank you for being so articulate.”

“Ask a dumb question, get a dumb answer.”

Oh, how she loved what laughter did to his handsome face. It took years off, lightened him and seemed to relieve some of the terrible burden he carried. She vowed to make him laugh as often as she could.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I like how laughter looks on you.”

“Feels good to laugh. It’s been a minute since I had anything to laugh about.”

“I hope you don’t feel guilty for enjoying yourself. I had a hard time with that after my mom died. I thought, what’s wrong with me to be laughing and having fun when she’s gone forever?”

“I know that feeling all too well. Went through it after each loss and felt the same way. But what I’ve learned is that life marches on, and you have no choice but to pick yourself up and get back to it.

What else can you do? Being a sad sack for the rest of your life isn’t going to bring back the person you lost, and it’s only going to waste the gift of time you have left. ”

“Waste the gift of time. That’s well said.”

“Time is all we have, and you never know when you’re going to run out of it, so you have to make every day count.

Billy and I talked a lot about that, especially after we lost our sister so suddenly.

Her time here was cut far too short, so we made a vow to live fully in her honor, and we really tried to do that.

I’ve thought a few times… maybe that was why Billy was on his boat in a storm.

He thought it would be a story he could tell for the rest of his life. ”

“How do you feel about that possibility?”

“It makes far more sense than him recklessly risking his life for no good reason. I just hope they were drunk as skunks during the worst of it.”

“Yeah, for sure.” She shivered, thinking about what they must’ve gone through.

“Do yourself a favor and don’t try to imagine it. It’ll give you nightmares.”

“Have you had them?”

“Yeah, which is why I try not to think about it.”

“Let’s go back to talking about you going home with me for Christmas.”

“Are you sure about that?”

She reached across the table for his hand.

He met her halfway and curled his hand around hers.

“I’m sure.”