Mac told himself to calm the fuck down and focus on Maddie and keeping her safe. Although, calming down when your heart was about to explode was easier said than done. This was exactly what he’d been trying to avoid by getting her to the mainland well ahead of her due date.

“Mac,” she said, gasping between contractions that seemed to be coming fast and furious—and how the fuck was that even possible? “Don’t be mad at me. I was just teasing about the guys massaging us, and I honestly didn’t know that the tightness I’ve been feeling was labor. I swear.”

That she could think he was honestly mad at her made him feel like an asshole. “I’m not mad. I’m worried.”

“Oh,” she said, panting. “’Cause you look kinda mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

He kept his eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel, determined to get her to the clinic as quickly and as safely as possible.

A sniffling sound had him taking his eyes off the road to look at her. “Why’re you crying? Does it hurt that bad?”

“It hurts, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t want you to be mad. I promised you this would happen on the mainland, and now it’s happening here and—”

“Madeline.”

She took a deep breath and hiccupped on a sob.

“I swear to God I’m not mad. I’m totally freaking out about another baby being born on this damned island when that wasn’t what we planned. That’s all it is. I promise.”

“At least… it’s not… ugh… being born… on the ferry,” she said, releasing a long deep breath at the end of another contraction.

Mac grunted out a laugh. “There is that.”

“See, so it could be worse.”

He risked taking a hand off the wheel to grasp her hand and hold on tight. “It’s going to be okay,” he said, praying it was true.

“Kids… need… to call… parents,” she said, panting her way through another contraction.

Had it even been two minutes since the last one? Was it possible to have a stroke from being afraid? “I’ll call them. Don’t worry about anything. I’ll call your mom and ask her to keep the kids for us. My mom will help, too. Everything is fine. Don’t worry about anything.”

“Scared,” she said, looking at him with big, frightened, caramel-colored eyes.

“Don’t be. Victoria is the best, and David will be there, too. You’ve got this, babe.”

With every word he said, Mac became more determined to put his own panic aside to focus on keeping her calm. When they arrived at the clinic, he pulled up to the main door, shut off the engine and bounded around to the passenger side to retrieve Maddie.

Victoria’s car was already in the lot, and the lights were on inside. She directed Mac to one of the exam rooms down the hall from the waiting area, leaving a gown on the end of the bed. “Do you need my help to get changed?” Victoria asked.

“I’ll help her,” Mac said.

“I’ll be back in a minute to get Maddie on a monitor and check where we are.”

“Thanks, Vic,” Maddie said. Her hands shook as she reached for the hem of the dress she’d worn to Daisy’s party.

“I’ve got it, hon. You don’t have to do anything.”

“I ruined Daisy’s bachelorette party,” she said, tears sliding down her cheeks.

He raised the dress up and over her head and helped her out of her panties, leaving her bra on because he knew she preferred it. “You didn’t ruin anything. Daisy will understand.”

She slid her arms through the holes in the gown he held for her, and then gasped when another sharp pain gripped her. “God, I already feel the need to push,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Not yet, babe,” Mac said, helping her into bed. “Wait for Vic to give the okay.”

“Here I am.” Victoria breezed into the room wearing a big smile. Her dark hair had been contained in a ponytail, and she’d changed into scrubs. “Let’s see what we’ve got.” She positioned Maddie’s feet in stirrups and raised the gown so she could examine her. “Oh, hello there!” Looking up at Maddie, she said, “You’re about to deliver.”

Tightening her grip on Mac’s hand, Maddie said, “Please tell me I can push.”

“On the next contraction,” Vic said, “let’s do it.” She moved around the room, gathering the supplies she needed.

David came into the room. “Hey, guys. I hear your little one is upending your plans.”

Mac looked at the man who would’ve been his brother-in-law and saw nothing but confidence and competence. Having Vic and David in the room went a long way toward soothing his nerves.

“She’s set to deliver,” Vic told him.

“Whoa, that was fast. What can I do?”

“Get her on a monitor for me.”

Things got real after that, with Maddie pushing, Mac supporting her back, David keeping an eye on the fetal monitor and Victoria positioned between Maddie’s legs. Fifteen minutes later, their son arrived, his little face red with rage as he let out a lusty howl.

“You did it, babe,” Mac said, kissing her and wiping away her tears while she did the same for him. “He’s beautiful.”

“Just what this world needs,” Maddie said with a tired smile. “Another McCarthy man.”

Mac returned her smile and kissed her again. “Is he okay, David?”

“He’s perfect. What’s his name?”

Mac looked to Maddie, giving her the floor. After all, she’d done the hard work. She sighed. “Don’t blame me for this, but meet Malcom John McCarthy the third. We’ve got another Mac McCarthy on our hands.”

“Oh, dear God,” Victoria said with a teasing grin for Mac. She was still tending to Maddie in the aftermath of the baby’s arrival.

“Hey!” Mac said as he took the tiny bundle from David and gazed down at the gorgeous little face. “Don’t worry, buddy. I’ll show you how to be the best Mac McCarthy of the bunch of us.”

“No, you won’t,” Maddie said, reaching for her son. “You’ll be allowed contact with him once a week so you don’t ruin him.”

Mac laughed as he settled the baby in her arms. “Look at him,” he said, amazed by the little eyes that moved around, checking things out. He’d learned when they had Hailey that babies couldn’t see much of anything at first, but his son seemed to be looking right at him and liking what he saw.

It was hard to believe that Mac had once thought fatherhood wasn’t in the cards for him. It made him sick now to think about what he might’ve missed if he hadn’t crashed into a gorgeous woman on a bike.

“What’re you thinking about?” Maddie asked him.

“The bike.”

She smiled up at him. “Best thing to ever happen to me.”

He kissed her again. “Me, too.”

The ringing phone dragged Kevin out of a sound sleep. He and Chelsea had crashed early, and he had no idea what time it was when he took the call from his brother Mac.

“What’s up?”

“Sorry to wake you, but I had to tell you that Malcolm John McCarthy the third arrived two weeks early tonight! Two grandbabies in one week. Can you stand it?”

“Congrats,” Kevin said, sitting up in bed. “How’s Maddie?”

“Just fine, thank goodness. Mac’s a mess. Can’t stop crying, but everyone is fine, and this old man is relieved to have our new little ones safely here with hardly any drama this time around.”

“I’m happy for all of you,” Kevin said. “I know how concerned you were about both of them.”

“You have no idea, my friend. Lost a lotta sleep worrying about something going wrong. Huge relief to have it over and done with.”

“I can only imagine. Can’t wait to meet them.”

“Go back to sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Tell Linda I said congrats.”

“Will do. Night.”

“Night, Mac.” Kevin ended the call, put the phone on the bedside table and lay back down, wide awake after the big news.

“Everything okay?” Chelsea asked, snuggling up to him.

He drew her warm, naked body in closer to him and ran his hand over her silky skin. “Mac and Maddie had their baby, a boy named Malcom John the third. Another Mac McCarthy.”

“Oh jeez. Just what we need!”

Kevin laughed. He had his own doubts about whether the world was ready for another Mac McCarthy. “My brother is weak with relief that both babies have safely arrived and their mothers are doing great.”

“I’m sure. That’s the downside to island life. No hospitals.”

“We’ve got a damned good clinic here.”

“Yes, we do, but still… It’s not a hospital.”

“One thing we haven’t talked about in all these plans we’ve been making is whether you want to continue to live here. You want to have a baby, but there’s no hospital here.”

“I’d love to stay here, but only if that’s what you want, too.”

“I do. I love it here and feel totally at home after a year. If there’s a baby, I guess we’ll figure out the medical stuff the same way everyone else does.”

“I still can’t believe we’re actually going to do this.”

“I was thinking that we should probably get married at some point.”

She gasped. “Really? I thought you never wanted to get married again.”

“When did I say that?”

“In the bar one night, around the time we first met.”

“Was I drunk?”

“It was the night I called Mac to come get you.”

Kevin winced and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to find the words he needed, the words she deserved. “I was hurt and drunk and rejected and spouting off. I’m sorry you heard me say that and all this time you thought I meant it.”

“I can understand why you felt that way. After what my dad did, I said I’d never get married, either.”

“And now?” he asked, hanging breathlessly while waiting for her reply.

“Things change,” she said softly. “The right guy comes along and suddenly it doesn’t matter what my dad did, because he’s nothing like my dad. He’s loyal and honorable and family-oriented and the best friend I’ve ever had.”

Kevin turned toward her, rested his hand on her face and kissed her. “You’ve changed everything for me, you know that, don’t you? My life was in ruins, but then you came along and showed me a whole new beautiful way forward.” He kissed her for a long time, pouring all the love he felt for her into the kiss.

“Are you sure you want to get married again?” she asked when they finally came up for air. “You’re not even officially divorced yet. I’d understand if you need some time to—”

Kevin kissed her again. “I don’t need time to know that I want to spend whatever is left of my life with you and my boys and the family we’ll make together.”

“If you’re sure… I don’t want you to feel pressured to do anything that doesn’t work for you.”

“I don’t feel pressured. Although, it is kind of funny that my brothers are having grandchildren while I’m considering the possibility of another child.”

“Our baby will keep you young at heart.” After a pause, she said, “Did we just get engaged?”

“Not quite yet, but when we do, you won’t have to ask.”

They spent most of the next day with Andrew’s family and waved them off on the four o’clock boat on Sunday afternoon.

“That was fun,” Kevin said as they walked back to Chelsea’s place to shower and change before heading to their babysitting gig with Laura and Owen’s kids.

“It was nice to see them. And I’m glad you finally got to meet them. Andrew liked you.”

“You think so?”

“I know he did. He told me so. He said he was skeptical of the fact that you’re older than me at first, but after spending time with us, he can see how happy I am, and that’s all that matters to him.”

“I’m glad he approves.”

When they were showered and dressed, they walked the short distance to the Sand & Surf Hotel, where Laura and Owen lived and worked. His grandparents had given them the hotel as a wedding gift last year, after the two of them had completely renovated the old hotel.

“I love this place,” Chelsea said when they stepped into the lobby where Owen’s mom, Sarah, was working at the front desk.

“Hi there,” Sarah said. “Laura told me you were coming to babysit the hooligans. You can go on up to the third floor. Charlie and I will be around tonight if you need help.”

“I’m sure we can handle it,” Kevin said as a twinge of unease crept in. “How hard can it be?”

Sarah laughed. “You’re about to find out.”

“I’m scared,” Chelsea said.

With his hand on her back, Kevin guided her toward the stairs. “Too late to turn back now.”

On the third floor, they were greeted by the pervasive sound of crying babies.

Chelsea stopped walking. “Umm.”

Kevin nudged her along. “We got this, babe. No worries.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re an experienced baby wrangler. I have limited experience.”

“Just think—after this, you’ll be an expert.”

Her grimace made him laugh as he knocked on the door to Laura and Owen’s apartment.

Owen came to the door, a wild look in his eyes and a massive stain in the middle of his pressed light blue dress shirt.

“Looks like you took a direct hit,” Kevin said.

“You don’t know the half of it.” Owen stepped aside. “Enter at your own risk.”

Kevin gave Chelsea another nudge to get her into the apartment, which looked like it’d been hit by a bomb made of toys and baby paraphernalia.

“Sorry about the mess,” Owen said. “It’s been a day and a half around here. Joey has been colicky, Holden has an ear infection, and Jon has diaper rash. Good times all around. Laura was going to call you to say this might not be the best night for you to watch them.”

Disappointment radiated from Owen. This was a man who clearly needed some time alone with his wife, and Kevin was determined to make that happen. “No worries,” Kevin said, rolling up his sleeves. “We can handle this, right, Chels?”

She gave him a deer-in-the-headlights look. “Umm…”

“The good news is Holden is down for the count, so we’re back to a man-to-man defense,” Owen said. “It’s when they outnumber us that we get into trouble.”

Laura emerged from the bedroom with a baby in each arm, both of them crying.

Owen took one of them from her and began patting the baby’s back with practiced expertise.

“I meant to call you to reschedule,” Laura said. Her blonde hair hung in shiny waves around her shoulders, and she wore a black dress that showed off a trim figure, despite having had three children in two years. She’d bounced right back from having the twins six months ago.

“If you guys still want to go, we don’t mind watching them,” Kevin said, wondering if he would regret his own generosity. But he felt for his niece and her husband, who’d obviously had a rough day.

Laura glanced at Owen. “What do you want to do?” She spoke loudly to be heard over the roar of crying babies.

“It’s up to you. Will you be able to relax if we leave them in this state?”

“It’s time for their bottles, so maybe that will settle them.”

“We’ll give them their bottles,” Kevin said, taking one of the babies from Owen while Chelsea took the other from Laura. “You guys get out of here, and if we need you, we’ll call.”

“Let me change my shirt,” Owen said, making for the bedroom, as if afraid Kevin might change his mind.

“You’re sure about this, Uncle Kev?” Laura asked as she heated bottles in the apartment’s galley kitchen while Kevin and Chelsea sat on the sofa with the babies, who were screaming even harder now that they’d been turned over to strangers.

“I’m sure, sweetheart. Take a break.”

“Right at this moment, I love you more than anyone in this world.”

Kevin laughed. “I remember what it’s like to have little ones. It’s intense.”

“That’s a good word to describe it.” She handed him a bottle and gave the other to Chelsea. “They’re both bathed, their diapers changed, and they’re ready for bed. Miss Joanna almost always falls asleep having her bottle, so the goal is to transfer her into the crib if you can.”

Chelsea nodded as she took the baby, knitted her brows in concentration and offered the bottle to Joanna while Kevin fed Jonathan.

The sudden silence made his ears ring after the loud crying.

Owen came out of the bedroom wearing a different shirt that hadn’t been ironed, but he didn’t seem to care. “Let’s go while we can,” he said, taking Laura’s hand to tug her toward the door. “Call if you need us.”

“Go have a nice time,” Kevin said, transfixed by the sight of the little lips sucking on the nipple. “We’ll be okay.”

Owen tugged her through the door and closed it behind them.

“Holy crap,” Chelsea whispered. “How do they do it?”

“Just think,” Kevin said, in a teasing tone, “there’s another one, too.”