A Gansett Island Christmas Read online

  A Gansett Island Christmas

  Marie Force

  HTJB, Inc.

  A Gansett Island Christmas

  By: Marie Force

  Published by HTJB, Inc.

  Cover by Marie Force

  Copyright 2017. HTJB, Inc.

  E-book Layout: Holly Sullivan

  E-book Formatting Fairies

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  All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

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  MARIE FORCE and GANSETT ISLAND are registered trademarks with the United States Patent & Trademark Office.

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  Contents

  A Gansett Island Christmas

  About the Author

  A Gansett Island Christmas

  Janey Cantrell stood in the window and watched the snow come down in a total whiteout. She wanted to scream at the weather gods—not today! Not on Christmas! She looked forward to this day all year, and the snow was scuttling her plans. This would be the first Christmas of her life that she didn’t spend with her parents and siblings. The thought of missing out on the McCarthy family madness made her want to cry.

  Right away she felt silly for being sad. What did she have to be sad about? She had her wonderful husband, Joe, as well as their children, P.J. and Vivienne, who would celebrate her first Christmas. She had what she needed.

  Except…

  Evan and Grace were home, and Stephanie and Grant were back from a few weeks on the west coast…

  Janey hadn’t gotten the chance to see any of them yet. Plus, her brother Mac’s baby son Malcolm the third—another Mac McCarthy, God help them all—would celebrate his first Christmas today, too. Janey wanted photos of him with Viv to commemorate the day.

  She shook her fist at Mother Nature. As New Englanders, they hoped every year for a white Christmas, but no one asked for a blizzard on Christmas!

  “What’s the matter, babe?” Joe asked as he joined her at the window, taking a good look at the snow that had shut down the ferries for the day. “It sure is pretty.”

  “No, it isn’t!”

  “Um, yes, it is, and I thought you loved snow.”

  “I do love snow, but not when it ruins my Christmas.”

  “Aww, is my baby sad that she can’t be with her mommy and daddy and her new sister and big mean brothers today?”

  “Yes! I’ve never had a Christmas without them, and I don’t want to start now.”

  “So what you’re saying is that your wonderful husband and the two beautiful children he’s blessed you with aren’t enough for you?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  Joe laughed. “You could at least try to spare my feelings.”

  “Oh stop. You’re as bummed as I am that we won’t get to see the family today.”

  “You’re right. I am, but we’ll still have a nice day together.” He put his arms around her. “The kids are down for naps. We can snuggle in front of the fire. It’ll be great.”

  “No, it won’t,” she said, trying not to sound as whiney as she felt.

  “Now, you’re officially hurting my feelings. I’m very good at snuggling, as you well know.”

  “Yes, you are, but today I want my family. It’s Christmas, Joseph. It’s wrong that we’re so close to them but can’t see them.”

  “As much as I’d love for you to have everything you want for Christmas, there’s no way I’m taking babies out in this. It’s not safe to drive, Janey.”

  “I know!”

  “Are you going to pout all day?”

  “Not all day, but for a little while longer.”

  “I’ll allow that.” He tugged on her hand to lead her from the window. “But while you pout, I want my Christmas snuggle with my wife.”

  Janey followed him to the sofa and sat while he added wood to the fire. Outside the wind howled and the snow pinged against the windows. “It’s only two miles.”

  “What if we get stuck? Then what?” He stood and came to sit next to her on the sofa. “You’ll survive one Christmas without your family.”

  Evan and Grace, Adam and Abby and Grant and Steph would probably brave the roads because they didn’t have babies to worry about. It would be so much fun! She wondered if Mac and Luke were as bummed as she was to be stuck at home with babies while everyone else got to go home for Christmas.

  “Did you hear from your mom?” she asked Joe. “Did they make it to Ireland?”

  “Safe and sound.”

  “Did the boys love the flight? They were so excited for their first plane ride.”

  “They did love it. Mom said they didn’t want to sleep on the plane because they didn’t want to miss anything.”

  “Caro and Seamus must be exhausted.”

  “She said they’re hoping they can convince the boys to sleep for a while when they get to Seamus’s mom’s house.”

  “I hope so.” Janey texted her brother Mac. This weather sucks!

  I know, he replied.

  Whose big idea was it to have babies?

  Not mine, that’s for sure.

  Janey replied with laughing emojis. Her brother’s aversion to babies being born on the island was well-known—and he had good reason with one chaotic delivery after another. She’d had Viv on the ferry, for crying out loud. Nothing ever went according to plan when it came to babies on Gansett Island.

  What are you guys up to? Mac asked.

  Joe wants to snuggle. Janey awaited his predictable reply.

  Ewww. Gross.

  Nothing gross about it...

  Everything about that is gross.

  What r u doing?

  Walking the floor with Mac. He’s cranky.

  That’s going around today.

  Thomas is so excited to play in the snow. We told him he has to wait until it stops blizzarding.

  That’s not a word.

  Did you get what I meant? If so, it’s a word.

  I’m going to snuggle now.

  Barf.

  “What’s he barfing about?” Joe asked when he joined her on the sofa.

  “Me snuggling with you.”

  “Nothing barfy about it.”

  “That’s what I told him.”

  “Thank you for defending me, babe.” He wrapped his arms around her. “Let’s make out while we can.”

  “Don’t you want your Christmas present?”

  “Making out with you is all the present I need. Now kiss me.”

  “But I got you something cool.”

  Joe sighed. “Will it still be cool after you kiss me?”

  Janey giggled at the pathetic face he made. “Yes, I suppose it will be.”

  “Then…”

  “Oh, all right. If I must.” Smiling, she laid her hand on his handsome face, which was even more so thanks to the stubble on his jaw, and kissed him.

  “Mmm, more of tha
t, please.”

  While her babies slept and the wind howled outside, Janey decided since she couldn’t fight Mother Nature, she may as well enjoy the stolen interlude with her sexy husband. There were worst things that could happen on Christmas than having nothing better to do than make out with Joe Cantrell.

  * * *

  Red hair splayed out on a white pillow was one of Luke Harris’s favorite sights, especially on Christmas morning with the wind howling outside and baby Lily back to sleep after an early-morning feeding.

  “Luke,” Sydney said, gasping. “Do something.”

  “I am doing something. I’m doing you.”

  She laughed, which made her internal muscles clamp down on his cock.

  He saw stars. There was nothing in this world he loved more than making love to his gorgeous, sexy wife.

  “So we’re just going to stay like this all day?”

  “You got somewhere else to be?” God, he loved her. He loved their life and their little girl and the home they’d made together. When he thought of all the Christmases he’d spent alone, wishing for the things he had now… That seemed like another lifetime.

  “No, but…” She squirmed, seeking relief he wasn’t in the mood to give her. Not yet anyway.

  “Relax, sweetheart.”

  “How am I supposed to relax when you’re doing that?”

  “What am I doing?”

  “Nothing!”

  He flexed his hips. “Feels like something to me.”

  Sydney’s fingers dug into his back as her legs encircled his hips. “She’s going to wake up, and won’t you be sad then that you didn’t take care of business while you could.”

  “Is that what this is? Business?”

  “Luke!”

  He laughed. How could he not? She was so damned cute and sexy and all his. The only girl he’d ever wanted. “Maybe we’ll make a little brother or sister for Lily. Wouldn’t that be a Christmas miracle?” They’d been having sex without protection for months, but so far, they hadn’t succeeded in conceiving again. But they’d had a hell of a time trying.

  “Can’t talk right now. My husband is torturing me.”

  He nuzzled her neck, making sure his chest hair brushed against her breasts, which were extra sensitive from feeding Lily. “You love when your husband tortures you.” Christmas was a tough day for her, a reminder of the husband and children she’d lost. His goal today was to keep her too busy to let the past intrude to make her sad. Plus, they were celebrating their anniversary, too.

  She gasped. “Luke… please…”

  He raised himself up on his arms and began to move. “Is this what my baby wants?”

  “Yes,” she said, eyes closed, lips parted. “Yes, yes, yes.”

  Feeling her body tighten with impending release, he let himself go, losing himself in her and the magic they created together. He’d never experienced anything remotely like the way she made him feel, especially when she wrapped her arms around him and held him through the aftermath.

  “That was mean,” she said after a long silence.

  He grunted out a laugh. “How do you figure? Didn’t it end well?”

  She poked his side. “How can you still be surprising me after all this time?”

  “Baby, I have only begun to surprise you.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. Now you’ve done it. I’m completely exhausted, and all I want to do is sleep.”

  “So sleep.” He kissed her, lingering over the sweet taste of her lips. “I’ve got Lily.”

  “Mmm, I might take you up on that.”

  “We’ve got nowhere to go and nothing to do but relax.”

  “Are you sad to be missing Christmas with the McCarthy’s?”

  “Nah, it’s okay. I had Christmas with them for years. Now I want to spend Christmas with my two best girls.” He slid her hair through his fingers. “Are you missing your folks?”

  “A little, but they’re having fun in Wisconsin, and they’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “If they can get here.”

  “True.”

  “So it’s just you and me and Lily.” He kissed her. “Best. Christmas. Ever.”

  * * *

  The day began for Mac McCarthy at five a.m. when baby Mac decided he’d had enough sleep. Unfortunately, his parents did not agree, and were trying to keep their two older children asleep for another hour or two so their day wouldn’t be a complete disaster.

  Mac picked up the baby from the bassinette next to the bed he shared with Maddie and walked him to the window to check the weather.

  As predicted, the blizzard had arrived overnight, and the wind was blowing so hard the snow came down sideways.

  Trapped.

  No grandparents to take turns with the baby.

  No cousins to entertain Thomas and Hailey.

  No one to cook them a delicious dinner.

  No opportunity for him and his brothers to gang up on Janey.

  Worst. Christmas. Ever.

  As if he could read his father’s thoughts, baby Mac patted his daddy’s face with a chubby hand.

  Mac nibbled on the baby’s fist and got the deep belly laugh he loved so much. He went to enormous lengths to make his son laugh as frequently as possible just so he could hear that joyful sound.

  “Are you trying to remind me to count my blessings, buddy?”

  “Is he answering you?” Maddie asked.

  “We have our own language, don’t we, pal?” Mac asked the baby, who looked at him like he was crazy. “We don’t understand why people are so excited about a white Christmas that ruins everyone’s plans.”

  “You’ll survive one Christmas without your mommy.”

  “I don’t know if I will,” Mac said, sitting on the bed.

  “You’re a grown up now, Mac. You have your own family. If we have to spend the holiday just the five of us, then so be it.”

  “Why do you have to be so mean to me?”

  Maddie laughed, rolled her eyes at him and reached for baby Mac, bringing him to her breast to feed him.

  Mac loved to watch her feed their babies. She was an amazing mother and wife, and he felt lucky every day to be taking this journey with her.

  “Why don’t you go back to sleep for a while?” she asked.

  “I’m awake now. That ship has sailed.”

  “It’s gonna be a long-ass day around here.”

  “Yep, and no grandparents to help. It’s us versus them.”

  “And there’re more of them than there are of us.”

  “Whose big idea was it to let them outnumber us?”

  Maddie laughed and shook her head. “Not the best idea we ever had.”

  “I don’t know about that.” Mac smoothed his fingertip over the baby’s foot. “This guy may turn out to be the best idea we ever had. How can we go wrong with another Mac McCarthy?”

  “Is that a rhetorical question?”

  “Come on, admit it. The world needs more Mac McCarthys.”

  “You’re delusional.”

  Mac laughed. “You love me.”

  “For some reason, I really do.”

  “Will you take good care of me today, so I don’t miss my mom too much?”

  “Don’t I take good care of you every day?”

  “I’ll need extra care today, especially at nap time.”

  “I see where this is going. You do realize that’s how we ended up outnumbered around here, don’t you?”

  Mac nuzzled her neck and then kissed her. “It was so, so worth it.”

  * * *

  Big Mac McCarthy stood at the big sliding doors that looked out over the deck and the Salt Pond below. Through the driving snow, he could just barely make out the marina that was boarded up for the off-season, and the hotel that was closed for the holiday. They had some bookings coming in later in the week, but for now, all was quiet in their waterfront fiefdom.

  He drank from his mug of coffee and tried to shake off the morose mood that had descended upon
him since waking to the raging blizzard that would keep the kids from coming home for the day. That was particularly vexing since all of them were close by, but the snow would leave them stranded.

  Usually Big Mac loved snow. Today, not so much.

  The thought of Christmas without his kids and grandkids made him sad and put a serious damper on his holiday spirit.

  “Ugh,” Linda said when she joined him downstairs and took a look at the weather. “What the heck am I going to do with all the food I bought for today?”

  The lights flickered.

  They held their breath while they waited to see if the power would go out.

  It didn’t, not yet anyway.

  “Please tell me we have gas for the generator,” she said.

  “All set.”

  “I suppose we can postpone Christmas dinner to tomorrow or the next day.”

  Storms tended to settle in over Gansett Island, lasting for days sometimes. “Won’t be the same without the kids underfoot.” He still missed having little ones at home on Christmas morning. They’d grown up shockingly fast, and Christmas wasn’t the same without them waking up at the crack of dawn to see what Santa had brought.

  Those had been the best years, but these years, with their kids settled into happy relationships and five grandchildren—and counting—to spoil were pretty great, too. On days like today, his mind wandered back in time to when he and his brothers, Frank and Kevin, still lived at home with their parents.

  His folks had been gone a long time now, but holidays always brought back fond memories of precious time with family.

  The phone rang and Linda went to grab it. He heard her talking to his best buddy, Ned, about the weather.

  “We’ll miss you guys today,” she said. “You, too. Here he is.” She handed the phone to Big Mac.

  “Hey,” he said. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Ya don’t sound too merry.”

  “Not gonna get to see my kids today. Bums me out.”

  “I hear ya. Not a holiday without the little ones.”