“Really! I think I remember something like that.” She turned away, laughing, to check the chicken in the oven, and then turned back to Thomas. “Dean’s surname isn’t Simone, that’s his mother’s maiden name.”
She had his full attention. “His name is Dean James Evans, and the James is after his father who Jacob named James Thomas. Dean is Jacob’s grandson.”
“What are you saying, Mack?” Thomas whispered.
“I’m not sure yet, but Jacob named his firstborn James Thomas after you, Rose’s brother. He also named his only daughter Rosalind, obviously after Rose. He married after Rose died, so by naming his firstborn and then his daughter in memory of Rose, he was obviously missing her terribly. Maybe he insisted on those names with his wife, Eliza, to remember a part of your sister.”
“That is some story,” Thomas replied, shaking his head.
“Thomas, did you know Rose was pregnant the night she died?”
He took a deep breath. “Yes. I overheard a conversation between my father and mother after Jacob phoned the house. Apparently, my father had known she was pregnant. I don’t know how, but he said he told him Rose had lost the baby. He also told my mother that Jacob sounded very shocked. I didn’t want you thinking badly of Rose, about her being pregnant, so I didn’t tell you when we talked before.”
Mack wiped her eyes on the apron she was wearing for cooking. “Thomas, it’s okay. It’s hard to explain, but somehow I feel as though she’s talking to me and wants me to help,” she waved her arms around, “I don’t know, maybe set Jacob free, as ridiculous as that sounds.”
They sat lost in their own thoughts for a few minutes. “I know you said Rose had gone over the cliffs, but how, exactly? What happened?” Mack asked.
“Let me sleep on it, Mack.” He shook his head. He looked so sad.
She felt guilty having bombarded him with so many questions and brought back painful memories.
Mack stood up with Thomas, gave him a hug, which she followed with a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Thomas. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Let’s eat!”
Chapter 24
Mack was upstairs reading Lucas a bedtime story, and Dean was lying on the sofa thinking about his grandfather. If everything in Rose’s diary was true, and it looked like it was, then why had no one in his family ever mentioned a Rose in his grandfather’s past. Why hadn’t they mentioned that his grandfather had lived in Cape Elizabeth for a time?
His grandfather had always said he lived his entire life in Boston, apart from the war when he was in England. Unless, he loved and missed Rose way too much to talk about her.
He had seen wedding photographs of his grandparents, and they’d looked really happy. Dean’s father was the eldest and had once told him that his parents were the most loving couple he had ever seen. Even from being a small child, he remembered them always holding hands and kissing. He had a really hard time imagining his grandfather like that with anyone but his wife, Eliza.
“You look deep in thought.” Mack moved away from the doorway and leaned over the sofa to get a closer look at him. He looked sexy, laying there in his stocked feet, well-worn jeans, and Rascal Flatts’ T-shirt.
“I’m really blown away with everything I’ve learned today about my grandfather’s past. It’s unreal.”
“I know what you mean. I can’t stop now. I need to find out what really happened. It’s really important to me.”
“Is Lucas asleep?”
“Yeah, he was exhausted.”
“Come . . . lie down with me, Mack.” He held his hand out to her, wondering if she had anything on under the robe she was wearing.
She climbed half on top of him, flashing a bit of thigh. Dean caught his breath. He reached out and put his hand on her hips to steady her, only to get one hell of a view of her breasts—plump, naked breasts. Guess he had his answer.
He inhaled at the sight of her hovering over him, practically naked. “Mack, you’re killing me.” He gritted his teeth as he closed his eyes to hide the sight of her so he could gain some control of his lib
ido.
Dean felt her straddle him. His eyes flew open just in time to watch her lose the robe.
“We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”
Wouldn’t want what? All Dean’s brain cells had traveled south, giving him one hell of an erection. While she was only seconds away from discovering that fact, he couldn’t even keep up with the conversation.
Mack was totally naked. She straddled his thighs and wiggled around on top of his dick, which was hard as a rock in his jeans, and more than ready to come out and play.
“I want your hands and mouth on me, Dean.” She leaned over him and traced the outline of his lips, before touching his teeth, with her tongue. Finally, she sealed her lips to his in a hot, passionate, open-mouth kiss that left them both gasping for air. He put his hands on her naked bottom and arched up into her.