Second Chances: The Seahaven Series - Book One (23 page)

Danny leans down to pet Buster and puts a six-pack of beer on the table.

“Sorry we're early,” says Danny.

“Sorry we weren't five minutes later,” smiles Maria. Danny elbows her.

Matt cracks beers for Danny, Maria, and himself.

“Don't forget my girl,” says Maria. She hands me hers. I shoot a secret look at Matt and he grins.

“I'll have one in a minute,” I say. “I'm busy with these.” I hold out the container of bon-bons.

Maria doesn't put two and two together that I'm turning down a beer because I'm pregnant. We haven't told anyone yet, not even her. She zeroes in on the treats and takes one.

“You're like a 1950s housewife,” she says, putting one in her mouth. Then she rolls her eyes in ecstasy. “More, more. Keep them coming.”

Matt tosses the pillow aside, back to normal, and goes into the kitchen to stir the paella.

“Smells great,” says Danny. “What you got going over there?”

“Seafood paella,” says Matt. “My sister's recipe. Tell her you love it when she gets here and it will make her day.”

Danny gazes out the window at the water and says, “Man, I can never get enough of this view.”

I know what he means because I love it here, too. When Matt went back to Australia, he was paid up on the house through the end of the month, and when we came back the landlord had just listed it for rent again. So we took it.

“I'm looking around for wedding pictures and I don't see any yet,” says Maria. “Put them on the walls. We want to see your gorgeous faces.”

She takes another bon-bon and then puts her hands up, like that's all, telling herself to stop. She groans. “So good!”

“You just want to see the ones you're in,” says Danny. She throws an arm out to swat him.

“It was such a beautiful day,” says Maria. “You guys are so lucky.”

I look over at Matt and he's already looking at me, smiling. I feel lucky. I can't imagine not being with him.

When I was at the airport in Australia and saw Matt and Betsy and the kids walk in, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was like a mirage. The fact that I had just flown to be with him, and they were all there to fly to come see me with the plan to relocate to the United States, was all the proof any of us needed that we were meant to be together as a family.

And sitting next to me on the plane home together, Matt turned to me over our in-flight meal of rubbery chicken and asked me to marry him. He said he was sorry that it wasn't more romantic but that he couldn't wait another second. I thought it was the most romantic thing I'd heard in my whole life, and said yes.

And then our beautiful wedding happened three months later. We found a barn on a hilltop overlooking the ocean just south of town, and convinced the farmer who owned it to rent it to us for the day. So as he plowed his artichoke fields in the background, we got married in a small ceremony with our friends and family supporting us and the sea breeze in our hair. Afterwards we ate and drank and danced under the soft glow of Chinese lanterns, and it was magical.

There's a little knock on the sliding door and Matt's sister Betsy calls out, “Hello, hello!”

She's greeted with “Hi!”s and “Hey!”s as she and James and Julia come in the house. She hugs Maria, and Danny puts out his hand to shake and she hugs him too.

“Okay, sure,” he says shyly, laughing, and hugs her back. Then she leans down and pecks me on the cheek.

The kids wave and say hi to everyone, and then they drop down on the floor to play with Buster.

“Thanks for coming, Bets,” I say. “You work today?”

“Half day,” she says. “It's end of quarter, so they needed a few extra fingers for the calculators. That's okay, glad to be employed!” She sniffs the air. “Brother, are you making paella?”

He looks up, smiling as he stirs. “Yip.”

“My favorite,” she sighs. “He's going to tell you it's my recipe, but he always does something to it that takes it out of this world.”

I catch Danny watching her. Then he sees me watching him watching her and turns a little red. I raise the tiniest of eyebrows at him. He clears his throat.

“So how are you guys adjusting to living here? It's been, what, about a year?” says Danny.

“That rhymes,” says Julia, chuckling. She's ten, and good-natured. “I love it here, and my friends are nice, and school is easy, and I don't ever want to go back.”

Buster rolls over and she scratches his belly.

“It's been great,” says Betsy. “Being together again, and it's so beautiful here, and you have twenty-four hour drive-thrus on every corner!”

“You'd never eat in a drive-thru, Mum,” says James.

“Little secret, Jamie. I had a burger at the big arrow yesterday. And it was fantastic.”

“How about you, big guy?” says Danny to James. “You like it okay?”

James shrugs. “School's okay. The girls are pretty.”

“No dating till college,” says Matt, from the kitchen.

“Sure, Uncle Matt,” says James, smiling and rolling his eyes.

“Knock, knock,” says a voice from the door.

“Cesar!” says Julia, and jumps up. She goes to Cesar and gives him a hug. They've been painting together and are really hitting it off. He kisses her on the head. He throws James a paper bag.

“What's in it?” asks James. They've become buddies, too.

“Cherry corn scone,” says Cesar. “Sounds gross, but try it.”

James shrugs. He's sixteen; he shrugs constantly. He opens the bag and takes a bite. Then another bite. “That is good, mate.”

Cesar raises his hands in victory. “Yes! Approval from the town's harshest food critic!”

Cesar's been working at a local coffee house, first as a barista, and now as an apprentice baker. He's learning the ropes from the pastry chef and has started baking his own creations. He's been thriving this past year, doing even better than I thought he would, and I'm proud of him. He's made the most of his second chance.

“Next time,” I say, pointing to myself and then back to him.

“Really? You think I'd forget you, sis?” He takes another bag from his pocket and tosses it to me. I open it and it's a big, thick, chocolate brownie.

I immediately take a piece and eat it. I moan. “So good,” I say.

“That one's not mine,” he says. “I'll pass along the praise.”

“You better slow down with the brownies and the bon-bons or by the time you get those wedding pictures on the wall we won't recognize you,” says Maria.

Matt comes from the kitchen and sits down next to me. We look at each other.

“Want to?” I say.

“Tell them?” he says.

Betsy looks back and forth between us and starts to smile. “No,” she says. “Yes?” she says, smiling bigger.

Matt nods. I nod, too.

“What?” asks Danny. “What are we talking about?”

“So, Julia and James, how would you feel about having a wee cousin to play with?” says Matt.

“Where will we get a new cousin?” asks Julia.

Maria starts to jump up and down.

“You're gonna want a lot more brownies, huh?” asks Cesar. I smile and nod.

“We're pregnant,” I say.

The room explodes in laughter and cheers and hugs. Everybody's thrilled for us, and thrilled that a new little person will be joining the family. Our big family that's finally all here together.

Betsy hugs and kisses Matt. “Oh, Matty, I'm so happy for you.” She's crying, and he might be a little misty, too.

“And you, lady,” she says to me. “I can't tell you how happy I am that you're my sister!” She gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I'm so happy we're here with you.”

Maria gives me a hug, then Danny hugs me. “That's why you didn't take my beer, sneaky chica,” says Maria.

Cesar gives me a hug and a kiss. “You're going to be the best mom ever,” he says into my ear. “I know that for a fact.”

“Buster's going to have a baby brother!” says Julia.

“Or sister,” says Matt.

They all start talking to each other excitedly about the new baby in the family. Matt puts his hand on my knee and looks at me. “I can't wait for everything that's coming,” he says. “I love you.” And he kisses me. I kiss him back, smiling against his lips.

The End.

About the Author

Heather Rossi has worked as a bartender, a craft store cashier, and a low-level hospital administrator, all while writing novels at night. If you ever need someone to fix you a Rye Manhattan while discussing scrapbooking and scheduling your mammogram, she's your gal.

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She'd like to thank her dog Posey and her cat Douglas for their understanding while writing this book. Although truth be told they should be thanking her since they are demanding demanders-of-ear-scratches as they lie at her feet / crawl into her lap while she presses the keys that make words. Also, big and multiple thanks to the various men who have in the past and are currently inspiring her stories.

Please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Heather bets you're a lovely person who would love to give her the encouragement she needs to publish her next novel.

Copyright © 2016 Heather Rossi

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All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for use of brief quotation in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.