CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Early Wednesday evening, Harry met Molly when the return ferry from Boldt Castle docked. Aldwin tried to leap up on her to say hello at the same time that Harry pulled her into his arms, unable to wait another second to kiss her.
Holding Harry tight with one hand, while petting Aldwin’s head with the other, she said, “This is the best surprise ever.”
He loved seeing the glow on her face from his kisses. All he wanted was to keep her happy, to see her smiling.
Okay, so that wasn’t all he wanted.
He wanted her to say that she loved him too.
And he wanted to know that she was not only his again, but that she’d be his forever.
“There’s more to your surprise.” He led her over to another boat waiting in the slip not far from the ferry terminal, with Aldwin madly sniffing every speck on the ground, obviously hoping for a tasty morsel of dropped food. “Your carriage awaits.”
“We’re going out on this yacht tonight?” She looked as though she’d just won the lottery. “Did Amelia tell you I’ve always wanted to go on one of these sunset cruises?” She didn’t have to tell him why she hadn’t—he knew she tucked away every spare penny for Amelia’s future.
That morning, once Amelia had left for school and Molly had headed for work, Harry had planned to sit down at the kitchen table with his manuscript to read through Amelia’s notes. Knowing what was wrong with his book, and what he needed to do to fix it, had sparked his excitement in the project again. But first, he’d needed to make plans for tonight…and finally figure out the perfect birthday gift.
Back in college, he hadn’t made Molly his priority. Everything he’d done wrong, he wanted to make right. Though he still hadn’t figured out the perfect gift, he hoped this boat ride would be a start in showing Molly how much she meant to him.
“Amelia didn’t mention a boat tour to me. But once, a long time ago, I asked you to take a sunset cruise with me…and then I didn’t show up. I’ll never make that mistake again,” he vowed. “I’ll never put anything before you and Amelia.”
Of course, that was right when his phone rang.
Though Molly couldn’t recognize the ringtone, she guessed. “It’s your father, isn’t it?”
“He can wait.”
“Harry, you don’t have to ignore his call to prove yourself to me.” She put her hand on his cheek, and it was instinct to lean into her touch. “Picking up your father’s call, and making sure he’s okay, doesn’t make what you and I feel for each other any less.”
“But what if he’s calling because he needs me? What if it turns out that nothing has changed for him since college and the thought of Friday is making a wreck out of him?”
“Then you’ll go and help him, with my blessing. And this time, I’ll help too, however I can. So will Amelia. You’re not in this alone, Harry.” She gestured to the phone still buzzing in his pocket. “Go ahead and see how he is. You and I have already waited more than fifteen years for this sunset boat ride. We can wait a little longer if we have to.”
Though she was speaking from the heart and wouldn’t offer something she wasn’t willing to give, Harry was still unsure as he pulled the phone out of his pocket and hit redial. He so badly wanted everything to be different now, with none of the hurdles in their way that had been there before, rather than right back at square one.
“Dad, it’s Harry. I saw you just called.”
Surprisingly, his father’s reply was as cheerful and full of energy as Harry could remember hearing. After a quick conversation, Harry was off the phone.
“Is everything okay?” Molly asked.
Harry nodded. “He was just letting me know he might be a little late to Amelia’s performance on Friday night, but not to worry. He says everything is great and that he wants me to give you and Amelia his love.”
“I’m glad he’s doing so well.”
“So am I.”
“But you’re still worried, aren’t you?”
Harry had been a fool to think he had ever needed to keep what he was thinking or feeling from Molly, when she’d always been able to see into his heart. “It’s hard not to be worried when all the evidence I have after thirty-plus years is that Friday is going to be a really hard day for him.”
“Are you sure coming to Amelia’s show will be okay? For all of you, not just your father. She would understand if we explained the significance of the day. You could come to a different show next year.”
“I made peace with my mother’s death a long time ago,” Harry said. “And so have my siblings. My father is the only possible live wire.”
Just then, the captain came out onto the deck. “Mr. Sullivan? Ms. Connal?” The man looked down at Aldwin, clearly not that happy to have a big dog on board, though he’d already granted permission over the phone. “Are you ready to board?”
Harry shoved his phone into his pocket. “We’d better get under way before we miss the sunset.”
But Molly surprised him by reaching into his pocket and taking out his phone. “How many times do I need to say it for you to believe me? One of the things I love most about you is how close you are to your family. And until you contact Alec, Suzanne, or Drake to find out if your father really is okay or not, you’re going to keep worrying about him. And I will too. So call them, or text them, or whatever else you need to do to set your mind at ease.”
Despite the fact that the captain was still watching them, Harry had to kiss her.
When he finally let her go, her voice was slightly husky as she said, “Why don’t I take Aldwin aboard? We can wait there while you touch base with everyone.”
He appreciated the sway of her hips as she walked onto the boat, the most beautiful woman he’d ever set eyes on by far, especially when she laughed at Aldwin for turning into a big scaredy-cat once he was aboard. It was nearly enough to make Harry forget why he was still standing on the dock with his phone in his hand.
But she was right—he wouldn’t feel better until he knew for sure that his father wasn’t on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He sent his siblings a group text:
Harry: Dad just called. Is everything okay with him?
Alec: Think so. What did he say?
Harry: He sounded excited about something, though he didn’t say what. Then said he might be late to Amelia’s show on Friday, but not to worry.
Suzanne: He’s fine. Don’t worry about anything.
Drake: Everything is going to go great on Friday.
Harry stared at his phone, his fingers hovering over its keyboard. It seemed that his brothers and sister were working together to keep his father from losing it this year.
Had they been willing to help all along?
But he already knew the answer. Of course they had. He’d just never thought to ask them.
Harry: Whatever you guys are doing to keep him happy, thank you. I want Amelia’s night, and Molly’s birthday, to be perfect.
Alec: They will be.
Suzanne: We’ve got this, Harry. You don’t need to worry.
Drake: Say hello to Amelia and Molly for us. See you Friday.
Harry grinned as he slid his phone into his pocket. Over the years, he’d heard more than one person say they wished they could have been born a Sullivan to have access to money and fame. But the true gift of being a Sullivan had nothing at all to do with fortune and spotlights.
And everything to do with family.