“I-I’ve never said this before, but you sh-should know… I love you all so much. Your family… I’m so happy that you’re going to be my family.”

“You’re damned right you’re our family.” Big Mac raised his hand to invite Evan into their embrace. “Tomorrow, we’re going to Anguilla, and we’re going to get you two married in the most beautiful wedding you’ve ever seen. After that, you and Evan are going to have the most beautiful life. And that’s just the way it’s going to be, you hear me?”

“I hear you,” Grace said, sighing.

And so did Evan, because if his dad said it was so, he believed him. Big Mac McCarthy was rarely ever wrong about anything.

Chapter 28

On their third night in Anguilla, the guys and girls went their separate ways for bachelor and bachelorette parties for the bride and groom.

Evan’s brothers took over a British pub on the resort property, and the beer was flowing a couple of hours into the party.

“What’re the ladies doing?” Alex asked as he toked on one of the cigars that Dan Torrington had contributed to the gathering.

“Something about the spa.” Mac turned up his nose. “They really know how to party.”

“They’re getting spa treatments and then going to dinner at the Japanese steakhouse,” Evan said. “They’re probably finishing dinner by now.”

“Ohhh,” Adam said. “How wild.”

“Well, Tiffany helped to plan the night,” Blaine said, “so anything can happen with my wife involved.”

“This is true,” Mac said. “She’s a terrible influence on my sweet wife.”

“Whatever!” Blaine said. “Whose idea was it to tell us they’d hired strippers for Jenny’s bachelorette party?”

“Maddie’s,” the guys said in unison.

Mac squirmed. “That was a rare lapse in judgment for my lovely wife. She’s been soundly disciplined, and it won’t happen again.”

“I sooo can’t wait to tell her you said that,” Joe said, laughing and accepting a fist bump from Grant.

“It might be better if you didn’t tell her,” Mac said, sending the others into hysterics.

“I’ve only been married a couple of weeks,” Paul said, “but even I can predict trouble in your future, Mac.”

“Nah.” Mac waved his hand, sending cigar ashes flying. “She worships at the altar of Mac McCarthy.”

“It just gets better and better,” Shane said, grinning as he shook his head at Mac.

“Son, far be it from me to tell you what to do, but if I were you, I’d stick a sock in it,” Big Mac said, to howls.

“He’ll never stick a sock in it,” Frank said. “He’s been this way all his life.”

“Sad but true,” Kevin said.