Blackout After Dark (Gansett Island #21) - Marie Force Page 0,3
“We thought it was worrisome when they were teenagers, but it’s even more so now.”
“Definitely.” She sighed with pleasure at the way he kneaded the kinks from her muscles. “It’s the only downside to island life that I’ve ever found.”
“Here they come.” He kissed the top of her head. “Whatever it is, try not to worry. We’ll figure it out. We always do.”
Since that was the truth, she tried to take comfort in his assurances. But she wouldn’t breathe easy until she knew what her daughter was coming to tell them.
Chapter 2
Janey’s belly fluttered with nerves as they pulled into the driveway of her childhood home, and she saw her parents standing in the doorway waiting for them.
Joe put his warm hand on top of her cold one. “It’s going to be fine. You know they want this for you as much as I do.”
“It’s true. They do, but they’ll be sad, too.”
“It’ll be okay, Janey. I promise. Let’s go get it over with so we can move forward with our plans.”
She nodded and released her seat belt to get out of the car to fetch Vivienne from her seat while Joe got PJ. Both their kids had light blond hair, like their parents had as children, as well as their father’s hazel eyes.
“Let’s go see Grandma and Papa,” Janey said to her daughter.
Viv let out a squeal at the words Grandma and Papa. Her parents gave all their grandchildren their undivided attention when they were with them, and the kids adored them.
At the front door, Linda took Vivienne from Janey while Big Mac relieved Joe of PJ. Seeing her parents as grandparents to her children was one of the most joyful things in Janey’s life. The thought of what she’d come to tell them threatened to break her heart. But she and Joe had made their decision and were ready to implement it.
They just had to tell everyone, and that was the hard part.
“What’s going on?” Linda asked, laser-focused on Janey.
They didn’t call her Voodoo Mama for nothing. She always knew when something was up.
“We were hoping we could talk to you for a minute,” Janey said, glancing at Joe.
He put his arm around her, reminding her they were a team and were in this together.
Thank God for him. She had that thought many times every day. When she recalled how close she’d come to marrying the wrong man…
“You’re not pregnant, are you, Princess?” Big Mac asked.
“No, Dad!” Janey laughed. “I told you we’re done with babies.” Her daughter being born on the ferry after PJ’s calamitous birth had cured her and Joe of any desire for more kids. They’d tempted fate twice. That was more than enough.
“Oh, thank you, Jesus,” Big Mac said. “You two have already used up your share of my blood pressure medicine.”
“Hush, Daddy. Your blood pressure is fine.”
“Not when my baby girl is in danger, it isn’t.”
“I’m not in any danger.” Janey followed them to the family room, where they put the kids down to play with the toys Big Mac and Linda had gotten for their grandchildren to have at their house.
“How about an ice cream sandwich?” Linda asked PJ, who got excited at the words ice cream no matter how they were presented.
He went with his grandmother to get treats for himself and his sister while Big Mac sat on the floor with Vivienne, the way he had when Janey and her brothers were little. “Just tell us what’s going on so we can stop worrying about it.”
“It’s nothing bad,” Janey said, glancing at Joe.
He sent her a warm, loving smile. His support had made so many things possible for her, and his sacrifices had gotten her halfway through vet school. “So Joe and I have been talking, and it looks like we’ll be going back to Ohio this fall so I can get back to school.”
“That’s great news, honey.” A big smile stretched across her father’s handsome face. “You know we’ve wanted that for you since you were a little girl bringing home injured birds and squirrels to nurse them back to health.”
“It’s just…” She looked down at her hands as she tried not to give in to the tears that’d been plentiful since they made their decision a week ago. In the back of her mind, she’d hoped that OSU would tell her it was too late for the fall, but they’d welcomed her back with open arms. “It’s harder to go this time around.”