Beach Lane (12 page)

“Based on the messages on my cell phone and your answering machine, I’d say yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why let the outside world intrude? This was our time. It wasn’t much in the way of a honeymoon, but we deserved a little privacy. We’ll take that real honeymoon as soon as you’re finished with surgery and treatments,” he promised. “Anyplace you want to go.”

“Ireland,” she said at once. “I promised Gram I’d take her.”

He shook his head as if he despaired of ever understanding her. “You honestly want to take your grandmother on our honeymoon?”

“The whole family,” she corrected.

“You O’Briens are a strange lot,” he said.

“Sorry you married into the family?”

He touched his lips to hers. “I will never be sorry I married you. Now let’s go deal with the fallout from our elopement.”

Susie tried to imagine the furor that lay ahead, but she couldn’t. Still, after so many years of being predictable, it was going to be fun to be the one who’d shaken things up.

Even though he’d tried to hurry Susie along in order to avoid making a grand entrance, the entire family had assembled at Mick’s by the time they arrived, slightly disheveled from Susie’s final attempt to distract him.

Despite the wintry chill in the air, Will and Jake were on the porch waiting for them.

“Well, if it isn’t Mr. and Mrs. Franklin,” Will said, grinning. He slapped Mack on the back, then scooped Susie up in a bear hug and twirled her around. “You two might be slow out of the gate, but once you decide on something, you don’t mess around, do you?”

Jake winked at Susie. “So, how’d you finally talk him into getting married, Susie? Did you ply him with scotch, have your wicked way with him and then sneak off to a justice of the peace before he sobered up?”

“Not even remotely close to the truth,” Mack said. “The justice of the peace was my idea. And you know perfectly well I’d had the ring for ages. The two of you saw it.”

“In the box,” Will reminded him. “I, for one, wasn’t sure it would ever see the light of day.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Mack grumbled. “Susie, let’s go inside. Maybe the rest of the family will behave more civilly than these two.”

“Hey, we’re civil,” Jake protested. “And we’re your best friends. Those people in there…” He leaned in close. “They’re O’Briens, man. And some of them are fit to be tied that they missed the wedding of the century.”

Susie flinched. “This isn’t going to be pretty, is it?” she said to Mack. “How are we going to explain?”

He knew what she was really asking—if they needed to tell everyone the truth. They’d agreed to keep the cancer diagnosis a secret, at least until she’d had the surgery and they knew more about her prognosis.

He gave her hand a squeeze. “We’re not telling them a thing. Don’t worry about it. Everything’s under control.”

She looked doubtful. “How?”

“You’ll see.” He’d called Jo earlier and made a suggestion she’d seized gratefully. By now, she would have run with it, he hoped.

He smiled as they walked inside and almost no one so much as looked their way. All of the women were huddled together in the living room. Susie might have slipped right on by them, but Mack coughed to catch their attention.

“You!” Shanna said, leaping to her feet and running over to gather Susie into an embrace. “You sneaky thing!” She punched Mack in the arm. “Congratulations!”

Within moments, Susie was surrounded by the O’Brien women, laughing as they bubbled over with plans for a reception to be held in a few weeks at The Inn at Eagle Point, Jess’s hotel just up the road.

Mack watched from the sidelines until Jo slipped over to stand beside him.

“Look how happy she is, Mack,” she said softly. “Thank you for that. No matter what happens from here on out, you’re responsible for putting that glow on her face. I’ll be forever grateful to you for that.”

“No need to be. It’s what she deserves. I just hope I can make it last.”

She gave him a sad look. “It’s not entirely up to you, is it? It’s in God’s hands now.” Then she patted his arm. “Run along. This planning is going to take a while.”

He wandered down the hall toward Mick’s study, where the men were watching football. Before he could enter, though, Will met him in the hallway, his expression somber.

“Okay, pal, spill it. What’s really going on? A couple of weeks ago you’d decided against asking Susie to marry you right now. And here you are not just engaged, but married. I doubt it’s because she’s pregnant, since I know for a fact the two of you were too stupid to sleep together, even though it’s what you both wanted.”

“What a lovely characterization,” Mack retorted. “Why does something have to be going on? When a situation is right, it’s right.”

“It’s been right for years,” Will reminded him.

Mack shrugged. “We finally acknowledged it, then decided it was time to get on with what we wanted.”

Will shook his head. “Still not buying it. Look, you’re going to need to talk to someone. I can see something’s off just watching the way you look at her.”

“Don’t men in love stare at their new wives?” Mack asked irritably.

“Not as if they might vanish in a puff of smoke,” Will said, then shook his head. “Okay, you want me to back off, I’ll back off. Just know I’m around if you need me. Some people pay me big bucks because I’m a great listener. For you, the service is free.”

“Thanks,” Mack said. “I mean that. And I know the day will come when I’ll take you up on it. I just can’t right now.”

Will nodded. “Can we expect you back at Sally’s tomorrow?”

Mack shook his head, thinking of the pre-op meeting with Dr. Kinnear. “Probably not this week, but I will be back,” he promised. “There are some things I have to take care of first.”

“Is it the book deal?”

Mack shook his head. Even though Susie had protested vehemently, he’d canceled that. He’d set them up with another reporter who’d do an outstanding job, a man whose life wasn’t as complicated as Mack’s was right now.

“I dropped out of that. I want to meet with Laila, get things started on this whole newspaper idea. My future’s right here. It’s time to get that moving.”

Will seemed surprised, but as he’d promised, he didn’t press with more mostly unanswerable questions.

Just then Nell and Megan O’Brien came out of the kitchen and called everyone to the table.

“You’re right here, sweetheart,” Nell said to Susie, gesturing to the chair next to hers. “And Mack, you’re next to her. Try to keep your hands to yourselves during the meal.”

Susie laughed. “Way to spoil it for us, Gram.”

“You can behave for an hour in company,” Nell scolded, though her eyes were twinkling. “If you can’t, then head on home.”

Susie turned eagerly to Mack. “Now, that’s an idea I can totally get behind,” she said. “What do you think?”

“I think if we try to leave, there are people here who’d block the exits.” He took her hand and saw that she was seated, then pulled out the chair next to her and sat.

As soon as everyone was in their places, Mick stood up. He looked around with satisfaction at his family. “I see we have a full house today, but something tells me Ma’s pot roast isn’t the main attraction.” He turned to his brother. “Jeff, do you have something you’d like to say?”

Susie leaned over and whispered into Mack’s ear. “That has to be a first, Mick ceding the spotlight to my dad.”

Jeff picked up his glass. “I imagine there are quite a few of us here today who thought this day would never come.” He grinned. “You know, Mick letting me get a word in edgewise.”

When the laughter quieted, his expression sobered. “I doubt there’s anyone in this room who didn’t know that one of these days my daughter and Mack would wind up together. We just had no idea that a former quarterback who could run like the wind could possibly take so long to catch her. I mean, Susie ran track, but let’s face it, she practically slowed down to a crawl to give him a fair chance.”

“Thanks, Dad,” she said, her cheeks flaming.

“Okay, I’m going to be serious now,” Jeff said. “There’s no one around who could possibly make Susie as happy as Mack does. And if that changes, I’ll be first in line to see he pays.”

“Count me in for that,” Mick chimed in.

Susie again leaned close. “Scared yet?”

“Not of them,” Mack said. “You’re the one who terrifies me.”

She grinned happily. “Good.”

Jeff raised his glass. “To Susie and Mack, who took a long time getting here, but are ready for a whole…” His voice broke. He turned to his wife, his expression shaken. Jo stood up and linked her arm through his.

“To my daughter and her new husband and a lifetime of happiness,” she said when Jeff couldn’t continue.

“To Susie and Mack!” The salutation echoed around the table.

If anyone noticed that Jeff continued to look shaken or that there were tears in Jo’s eyes, they didn’t comment. Everyone was a little sentimental at wedding toasts, after all, so what was there to say? Mack didn’t dare meet Susie’s gaze for fear his own emotions might be revealed. Instead, he took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“I love you,” she whispered. “And this will be over soon.”

Not soon enough for Mack. He’d thought she would be the one who’d have trouble facing all of the family scrutiny, but it seemed he was the one most in jeopardy of losing it. If Jeff had fallen completely apart during that toast, Mack would have been right on his heels.

And then there would have been a huge amount of explaining to do.

Susie had almost made it out of Mick’s and back to the car when Shanna caught up with her. One look at her friend’s shaken expression and Susie knew Shanna had figured out everything.

“It’s cancer, isn’t it?” Shanna asked quietly. “That’s why you and Mack rushed to get married.”

“I’d like to think we got married because we suddenly came to our senses,” Susie said, then sighed. “But yes, he proposed before the diagnosis and convinced me to elope.”

“So you didn’t really know before the wedding?” Shanna said, looking surprised. “Wow! That should tell you something.”

“Mack’s pretty amazing,” Susie said, trying to spot him amid the men hanging out on the porch. It was easy, since he was taller than most, except for Will and her cousin Connor.

Shanna chuckled. “I doubt there’s anyone in the universe who didn’t know how highly you’ve always thought of Mack.”

“I’m serious. He’s an amazing man,” Susie reiterated. “Who else would willingly jump into a marriage with someone who might have no future? When we found out it was cancer, I offered him an out, but he turned me down flat.”

Shanna’s eyes widened. “You did what?”

“We got the diagnosis just after the wedding. I was willing to get an annulment. It would have been the fair thing to do. Assuming I even survive, we’ll never have children. Or at least I won’t.”

Shanna looked stunned. “Surrogacy?” she asked.

“A possibility, but not a very good one, from what I gather. Dr. Kinnear doesn’t want to postpone surgery until I have viable eggs. And he refused to consider the more cautious approach of removing only one ovary for now. I could get a second opinion, but I trust him and the oncologist who’s on the case. They know the research better than I do.”

Shanna hugged her tightly. “Oh, sweetie, you must have been devastated, but it’s not the end of the world. I’m sure Mack reassured you about that.”

Susie nodded. “But I’d wanted to carry his baby inside me. That has to be the most intimate, amazing thing, and now neither of us will ever know what it’s like.”

Shanna paled just a little, enough to tell Susie that she had news of her own she hadn’t shared.

“You’re pregnant,” Susie said dully, wishing she could muster genuine enthusiasm. At the moment she simply couldn’t. “I know how much you and Kevin want to have a child together.”

“We do,” Shanna admitted, trying to contain her joy. “I just wish you hadn’t figured it out right now. The timing sucks for you to get this kind of news.”

Drawing on some inner strength, Susie found the words she needed. “I’m so happy for you,” she said, almost sounding totally sincere. She touched Shanna’s cheek. “I really am, you know. And one day soon I’ll be able to say it and it’ll sound like I mean it.”

“I know,” Shanna said, holding her tight. “I wish it were you, instead.”

“No,” Susie said emphatically. “Don’t say that.”

“But we already have Henry and Davy. We’ve been doubly blessed, even if neither boy is ours together.”

“It doesn’t work that way,” Susie scolded. “Things turn out the way they’re meant to. If Mack and I are meant to have children, we’ll find a way, even if they’re not biologically ours. Right now, I’m living one day at a time. I have to focus entirely on beating this cancer so that Mack and I will have a future.”

“You’re going to do it,” Shanna said with confidence. “Have you ever known an O’Brien who didn’t get exactly what they wanted out of life? You guys are indomitable. This is just a little bump in the road, Susie. And it’s already brought you and Mack together the way you were meant to be. I’m not saying cancer’s ever a good thing, but maybe it was just the wake-up call you and Mack needed to realize how deeply you loved each other.”

Susie gave her friend a wry look. “If you think I’m going to jump up and down and say, ‘Yay, cancer!’, you’re certifiable.”

Shanna laughed. “Well, maybe not that, but you’re married to Mack! As perks go, it’s not a bad one.”

Susie glanced again toward the group of men on the porch, watched as Mack broke free and strode toward her. Just knowing he was her husband made her breath catch.

“No,” she said softly. “It’s definitely not a bad perk at all.”

12

I
t had probably been too much to hope that the news of Susie’s surgery could be kept from the rest of the family. When Mack had given her a last kiss before she was wheeled off to the operating room, he walked with Jo, Jeff and Nell O’Brien toward the waiting room. There they found the rest of the family already assembled. Even Thomas and Connie had come down from Annapolis. Given how widespread the O’Brien reach was in the fabric of the community, Mack had to wonder if any business at all was being conducted in Chesapeake Shores this morning.

“She’s going to be fine,” Mick said gruffly, giving his brother a rare hug. “She’s an O’Brien, isn’t she?”

“Of course she’s going to be fine,” Nell said. “Which makes me wonder what all of you are doing sitting around in here when you should be out living your lives. That’s what Susie would want.”

“We’re here for moral support,” Abby declared. “You’d all be here if it were one of us.” She gave her grandmother a defiant look. “And we’re staying until Susie’s back in her room.”

Mack looked around. The only person missing was Jess. Her absence was telling. She and Susie had this oddly competitive relationship, which somehow needed to be mended. Now that Jess was married to Will, one of his two best friends, it was going to be awkward if Jess and Susie were constantly sparring like the rivals they’d been back in high school.

As if he’d read Mack’s mind, Will came over to sit beside him. “Jess wanted to be here,” he said.

“Really?” Mack was skeptical.

“Honestly, she did,” Will insisted. “She had a group of tourists arriving this morning and couldn’t get away. She’ll be by later.”

Mack continued to look at him doubtfully.

“Come on, man. Give her a break,” Will pleaded. “She knows this whole thing she’s had going with Susie all these years is ridiculous. We talked about it last night.”

Happy to have a distraction that would keep his mind off whatever was happening in the operating room, Mack studied his friend. “What’s that about, anyway? Do you have any idea?”

“Susie aced high school. She was a track superstar. She graduated summa cum laude from college.”

Will recited the familiar facts as if Mack ought to be able to add them together and come up with an answer. He couldn’t. “So?”

“Jess was the screwup. Bad grades. Close to suspension so many times, only Mick’s influence saved her. Of course, the attention deficit disorder was to blame, but no one recognized that for years. Even though she more or less got her act together and finished college, it was a struggle. And unthinking people, even in the family, kept throwing Susie’s successes in her face. No one did it intentionally, of course, but to someone with Jess’s insecurities, it was like rubbing salt in a wound.”

Mack recalled some of those occasions himself, times when the family was lauding Susie for her outstanding grades or a track win. Jess was always on the sidelines, looking lost and sometimes angry. He’d attributed it to simple jealousy, but he realized now it had been much deeper than that.

“We need to find a way to mend those fences,” he told Will. “Susie’s going to need everyone in her corner. Something tells me Jess could be the best one to reach her. She learned how to be a fighter. For all the rest of the O’Briens, Susie included, things have come too easily.”

“Good point,” Will said. “To say nothing of the fact that it will be darned awkward for us if those two are at odds.” His expression sobered. “You doing okay? This can’t have been part of your plan.”

Mack managed a dry laugh. “As if I ever had a clear-cut plan where Susie and I were concerned. I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants for years now, trying to prove myself to her or maybe trying to convince myself I was good enough for her. Frankly, I’m surprised she married me, because she was clearly certain I’d bolt the second I heard the news.”

Will frowned. “You didn’t marry her just to prove a point, did you?”

“Of course not. I love her, Will. If anything happens to her…” His voice trailed off before he gave Will a determined look. “One thing for sure, I’m not going to take off on her.”

“Never thought you would,” Will said with total confidence. “You don’t run from problems. You never have. When your mom was a total mess and my folks invited you to live with us, you didn’t consider it for a second. You said your mom needed you. You were, what? Maybe twelve? And it never got any easier, but you stuck right in there.”

“Hating every second of it,” Mack said. “And her.” He shook his head sorrowfully. “I hated my own mother, Will. What does that say about me?”

“That you were the strongest kid I knew. However you felt about your mother, you understood that the problem she had with drugs and alcohol was a sickness, and you did what you knew in your gut was right. That’s the kind of moral compass that’ll get you through this situation with Susie.”

The certainty in his friend’s voice should have bolstered his spirits, but Mack shuddered. “I don’t know, man. This diagnosis is terrifying. It’s not just never having kids. That’s never been that big a deal for me. Susie could
die!
And look at all the time we will have wasted. It makes me sick when I think about it.”

“Then don’t think about it,” Will advised. “You can’t change the past.”

“Well, it’s not as if gazing into the future’s all that rosy, either,” Mack said, then added angrily, “Dammit, Will, she doesn’t deserve this.”

“No one deserves to have cancer,” Will said. “It just happens. Facing it proves the kind of inner strength we have.”

“What if I’m not strong enough?” Mack asked. “I’ve never doubted myself the way I have the past week or so. I thought losing my job was the worst thing that could ever happen to me, but that’s a blasted picnic compared to this.”

Jake approached and took the vacant chair on his other side. “You need anything?” he asked, his expression somber. “Coffee? A stiff drink?”

“I could use the drink about now,” Mack admitted. “But I don’t want Susie waking up to scotch on my breath. She’ll figure out just how scared I am. I need to keep her convinced that I’m a hundred percent certain she’s going to have a full recovery.”

“And that’s what everyone in this room is going to believe,” Will said. “All that positive energy matters, Mack. I believe that. I’ve seen it work.”

Mack regarded him gratefully. “You’re not just saying that to keep me from freaking out?”

“You ever known me to say anything I don’t mean?” Will said, his gaze level. “Hang on to that, Mack. And if you can’t, then just hang on to us. There’s no shame in letting your friends see you’re scared. If it were Jess in that O.R., not a one of these words I’m saying would matter a hill of beans. I’d be freaking out, same as you.”

“Ditto if it were Bree,” Jake said, his gaze seeking out his wife. Every bit of the love he’d always felt for her was in the tenderness of his glance.

“I have no idea what I’d do if you two weren’t in my life, if you hadn’t been all these years,” Mack said with total sincerity. Even as kids, they’d instinctively shown him the kind of support and backup he’d never had at home. Along with Kevin and Connor and the rest of the O’Briens, they’d made up his family.

Jake gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Lucky for you, you’ll never have to find out. Now, why don’t I go grab some coffee for everyone? Mack, you want to help? From what I gather it’s going to be a while yet before there’s news. I imagine keeping busy will help the time go by more quickly.”

Mack nodded. Anything to get out of this crowded room and into fresh air. Anything to avoid sitting around thinking too much.

“I’ll come, too,” Will said. “I’ll let Jo know where we’re going.”

“Thanks,” Mack said, heading for the door.

Only when he was outside in the frigid December air did he draw in a deep breath.

“I think if I’d stayed there one more minute, I’d have lost it,” he told Jake.

“No, you wouldn’t have,” Jake said. “I heard what Will said earlier, and he was right. You always do what needs to be done, no matter how much it’s killing you inside. Right now you need to be strong for Susie, and trust me, you’re going to nail it.”

Mack hoped his friends weren’t mistaken, because it had never been more important to get it right.

The holidays, always Susie’s favorite time of the year, came and went in a blur. She’d barely recovered from the surgery when she had to begin chemo. Though she’d known it intuitively, she now had proof that cancer didn’t take breaks for Christmas or the New Year. The fight was nonstop.

There were days when she felt so crummy she wondered if it was all worth it, but Mack was by her side with whatever she needed—ginger ale, broth, a joke or simply to hold her in his arms, letting her soak up his strength.

That didn’t mean she hadn’t noticed the shadows under his eyes or his drawn expression. The day after the New Year dawned, she told him to sit beside her on the bed, then leveled a look directly into his eyes.

“Enough of this,” she said flatly.

“Enough of what?”

“You putting your life on hold for me. Where’s that business plan you promised to put together for Laila?”

He looked vaguely uneasy. “I’ve been working on it,” he claimed.

“Great. Then let me take a look at it while you schedule an appointment at the bank.”

“It can wait a little longer,” he protested. “Let’s get you through treatment first. We’re okay for money for now.”

She gave him an impatient look. “Money is not the point. You need to focus on something other than me. You’re hovering, and while I might bask in the attention, it’s starting to get on my nerves.”

He looked taken aback, and maybe just a little hurt. “I’m getting on your nerves? I’ve been trying to help.”

She grasped his hand. “Of course you’re helping, but you need to have your own life, Mack.”

“And I will,” he insisted.

“I want to see that business plan,” she repeated. “Now, please.”

He gave her a wry look. “Boy, are you bossy!”

“You knew that about me long ago,” she said. “And stop with the evasions. Do you have a plan or not? And I don’t want to see those napkins and notes you made weeks ago at Sally’s.”

He laughed. “Fine. Give me a minute.”

When he returned, he did, in fact, have several pages of carefully thought out ideas, organized into sections: potential costs for start-up, staffing, printing and so on, along with projections for advertising revenue. Even to her untrained eye, it looked like a shaky proposition.

“Can’t you boost these ad revenues some?”

“Not if I’m being realistic,” he said.

“Maybe you’ll have to get by with fewer people,” she suggested.

“I don’t see how. Believe me, I’ve talked to a lot of publishers in the region. This is the bare minimum.” He met her gaze. “Not so promising, is it? We’ll certainly never get rich this way.”

“Rich doesn’t matter,” she said. “Satisfaction and fulfillment are the goals.” She held his gaze. “Do you want to do this, Mack? Really and truly? Or was this just an exercise to pacify me?”

To her relief, his eyes lit up. “At first maybe that was it, but the more I thought about it and talked to other people, the more excited I got. It’ll be a challenge, no question about it, but it could be my chance to do something that matters for this community.”

He gave her a look that told her just how much he needed that, to do something that mattered.

“For so many years I got by around here by being a superjock and then a hotshot columnist,” he explained. “People gave me a pass, maybe even a little respect, even though behind my back I know there were always a few saying ‘Poor Mack, just look where he’s come from.’ I don’t want anyone’s pity anymore. I want to be someone they look up to because I’ve actually accomplished something important.”

“Being a superjock was an accomplishment,” Susie argued. “So was your newspaper job. Don’t downplay them.”

“I’m just saying this newspaper could be something that makes a difference, something that lasts and makes the community stronger.”

She saw it through his eyes and wanted that for him. “Then we’ll make it happen,” she said confidently. “We could talk to my dad, or to Uncle Mick,” she began, only to have him silence her with a look.

“Not a chance,” he said at once. “If the bank won’t back me without either of them, then I’ll figure out something else.”

“Come on, Mack. Be reasonable. There’s nothing wrong with finding backers for a business.”

“Not your family,” he said emphatically.

“What about Abby? She puts investment deals together. She did it for her mother, so Megan could open that gallery.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “She did that with family money,” he reminded her. “And Megan wasn’t one bit happy when she found out about it. Remember that?”

Susie sighed. Yeah, Megan had been ticked, but the gallery had been a huge success. She’d paid back every dime the family had invested. Mack would do the same. Arguing, though, when his jaw was set like that, was pointless.

“Fine. I’ll forget it for now. Just know that it’s a possibility if things don’t work out at the bank.”

Mack leaned down and kissed her. “I love you for believing in me, but I’ll handle this on my own. Your only job right now is beating cancer.”

Susie frowned at the comment. She knew he’d meant it to be supportive, but the lecture was getting old. Whatever lay ahead, she wanted to have a full life now. She didn’t want to spend whatever time she had so focused on cancer that she’d have no memories of actually living. She was a newlywed. She wanted to enjoy that. She wanted to celebrate it.

She faced Mack. “There’s something else we need to discuss.”

“Not now,” he said, already standing up and backing away from the bed. “You need to rest.”

“What I need is for the family to throw that huge party they started planning weeks ago after we eloped. I know you talked them into delaying it, but I want it, Mack. I want to dance with you and toast the two of us.”

He frowned. “I’m not sure—”

“Well, I am. Dr. Kinnear says it’s fine. I’m not an invalid, Mack. You have to stop treating me as if I am. I’m calling Mom this morning and telling her to set the date. We know when the chemo effects are the toughest. We’ll work around that.”