Ever After (Nantucket Brides 3)

“I’m going to stand in the doorway and when I hit the pan with the metal spoon, I want you two to do the same thing. I want you to yell and scream and bang and pound and make as much noise as you possibly can. Do you think you can do that?”

Max’s eyes were wide. “But Jamie will get scared.”

Hallie went to her knees in front of him. “Remember you told me your mom said that I had made Jamie better?”

“Yes.”

“Then I need you to trust me on this. Will you do that?”

Max hesitated, but he nodded yes.

As she went to the doorway, Hallie’s heart was pounding in her throat, but the scene in the living room made her more sure of what she was about to do.

The happy atmosphere in the room was gone. The TV was on but turned so low that it could barely be heard. Everyone was sitting stiffly in his seat and staring at the screen. No one was laughing and any comments were made in the quietest tones possible.

Worse was that Jamie had left the couch and was near the front door. Todd was behind him. He was leaving so the others could enjoy themselves. He was putting others before himself.

And damn the lot of them! Hallie thought. She took one more breath then yelled, “Hey, Taggert!”

The sound echoed in the quiet room and every man looked at her, but Jamie knew her words were for him. When he turned, for a flash of a second she saw the loneliness in his eyes. He was surrounded by people who dearly loved him, but he was as alone as a man could be.

She locked eyes with him—and hers pleaded with him to trust her.

Jamie looked puzzled, not understanding what she was trying to say. Todd put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, urging him to leave, but Jamie stood there, not looking away from Hallie.

As she lifted the big pan and the metal spoon, she didn’t break eye contact with him. When she hit the pan, the noise was so loud that even she winced—as did everyone else, including Jamie. But he didn’t move.

“What the hell are you doing?” Roan said, and took a step forward. Raine put his hand out and held his young cousin back.

Jamie stood his ground, watching Hallie, trusting her.

Behind her the twins took great delight in making a lot of noise. Banging, yelling, stomping.

Hallie kept her eyes on Jamie’s as she slowly walked forward, the children behind her. They were a little parade.

The others in the room didn’t make a sound, just stood there and watched.

When she was inches from Jamie, she stopped and dropped the utensils with a clatter at his feet. Behind her, the children halted, silent as they waited for whatever Hallie did next.

The quiet reverberated in the room. Hallie and Jamie just stood there, looking at each other, not speaking.

But Jamie knew what she was doing and the gratitude on his face brought tears to Hallie’s eyes.

Raine was the one who broke the silence. “Jamie, I’ll arm wrestle you for the seat next to Hallie,” he said in a normal voice. Not one that was unnaturally quiet, not a voice used with an invalid. Just a normal male challenge.

Jamie’s eyes were still on Hallie’s. “I’d be afraid I’d break your arm.”

Adam said, “Would somebody turn up the damned TV? I can’t hear it over all the noise Jamie is making.”

In the next second the TV was turned back up. Not to blaring, but loud, and Ian put his arm around Jamie’s shoulders and led him away. “How about a beer?”

“With all my meds?” Jamie said. “I’d start seeing flying monkeys. You have any colas?”

Hallie stood where she was for a few moments. Jamie looked back over his shoulder at her but then was overtaken by a gaggle of cousins. The twins wanted to do more banging, so they were told to go find their father and make him crazy.

It was all so deliciously, divinely normal. Just exactly what Jamie had said he wanted.

Hallie managed to walk back to the kitchen and once there her legs gave way and she collapsed onto a chair. Her whole body was shaking. It could have backfired. She could have traumatized Jamie forever. She put her head in her hands.