“Two sets of identical twins.”
“Amazing. Congratulations to you all. Must be a relief to have it done and four healthy boys to shower with love.”
“Sure is a relief,” Linda said.
“Your family is single-handedly populating this island with the next generation,” Seamus said in a teasing tone.
Big Mac laughed. “We’re doing what we can to keep the island running.”
“How’s Carolina?” Linda asked. “I haven’t talked to her in a couple of days.”
“She’s working hard at PT and determined to make the trip to Ohio for Janey’s graduation.”
One of the great joys of their lives had been when their daughter Janey married Carolina’s son Joe, officially making them family to each other after years of being family by choice. Joe had hired Seamus to run the ferry company Carolina’s parents had left to Joe and Caro, and she’d fallen in love with the charming Irishman who was sixteen years her junior. What’d been a big surprise to everyone at the time was now just another thing to love about life on Gansett. Seamus had been a great addition to their family.
“Are the boys coming to Ohio, too?” Big Mac asked of Jackson and Kyle, the boys Seamus and Carolina had taken in after their mother died of lung cancer.
“Nah, they’re going to stay home with Jace and Cindy so they don’t miss school.”
Jace was the boys’ biological father who’d come to the island to live close to his sons after being released from prison. He’d succeeded in turning his life around, and the friendship between Jace, Seamus and Carolina had become a blessing for all of them as they surrounded the boys with a supportive, loving family.
“That’s probably for the best.”
“For sure. They barely know Janey and Joe, but that’ll change when they get back to the island and get to spend more time with us. We can’t wait for that.”
“We can’t either,” Linda said. “It’s a dream come true to see our girl become a doctor of veterinary medicine.”
“I saw Doc Potter the other day. He’s counting the days until Janey gets here to take over his practice. He and the missus bought a retirement home in Arizona to spend the winters there and the summers here. He can’t wait.”
“It was so good of him to stick it out until Janey was done with school,” Big Mac said.
“She’s the only one he would’ve turned over the practice to,” Seamus said. “He’s as proud of her as you guys are.”
“He’s been on Team Janey since she was a teenager,” Linda said. “This is a dream come true for all of us.”
“We can’t wait to celebrate her in Ohio,” Seamus said.
“First, we’ve got to bring four new babies home,” Big Mac said.
“Give Adam and Abby our congratulations. We’re looking forward to meeting the little guys.”
“We are, too,” Linda said.
“Four babies all at once,” Seamus said, seeming amazed.
“You never know what your kids have in store for you,” Big Mac said. “All you can do is hang on and enjoy the wild ride.”
“Do you have all this fatherly wisdom written down somewhere so new guys like me can refer to it as needed?”
Big Mac laughed. “It’s free to you any time you need it, my friend.”
“I have a feeling I’ll be needing it a lot.” Seamus waved to one of the dockhands, who signaled for him to start loading cars and trucks onto the ferry. “Have the best time with your kids.”
“We will,” Big Mac said. “Thanks for holding a spot for us for this mission.”
“Family takes care of family.”
Seamus walked away to direct the flow of vehicles onto the boat.
