Nantucket (23 page)

L
iam looked out the window of Levi's apartment and watched the leaves chase each other across the cobblestone streets. “It looks like it's going to snow any minute.”

“It feels like it too,” Emma said, pulling her sweater around her.

“Are you sure you don't want something to eat?” Levi asked, handing Liam a cup of coffee. “Em made pumpkin muffins.”

Liam shook his head. “I wish I could, but my stomach is tied in knots.”

“Everything's going to be fine,” Emma assured him. “And afterward, we'll go to The Gallows for lunch and celebrate, and you and Aidan can take the muffins home.”

Liam ventured a smile, “The Gallows, eh? That's kind of prognostic.” He took a sip of his coffee, glanced at his watch, and wished it was already
afterward.
“We should go.”

A half hour later, they walked up the courthouse steps and saw John waiting near the entrance with his briefcase. He was on his phone, but when he saw them, he smiled, and a minute later, he slipped his phone in his pocket and joined them. “No worries,” he said, shaking hands. “We got this!”

Emma squeezed Levi's hand and Liam smiled, daring to hope. “Is Aidan here?”

“He is—he's with a rep from DCF . . . and if all goes well, he'll be leaving with you.” John glanced at his watch. “Let's go in.”

They followed John into a small room with several rows of chairs, two tables, and a podium—it was nothing like the elegant courtroom Liam had expected; it was more like a classroom, and it was much less intimidating. He sat down at one of the tables next to John, and Levi and Emma sat behind them.

“Your confrontation with Carlton may not even come up,” John said as he looked through his papers. “To the best of my knowledge, he hasn't filed charges.”

Liam nodded, feeling his heart—and head—pounding. He rubbed his temple, inadvertently touching his scar, and looked around the room again—it reminded him of the room he'd waited in with Jack when they joined the marines. Suddenly, his mind flashed back to the look of dismay he'd seen on Coop's face when he told him he'd enlisted . . . and then he remembered the pained look he saw when he said he didn't care if he died. As soon as the words had spilled from his mouth, he'd wished he could take them back. “I'm sorry, Coop,” he murmured. “I didn't mean it . . . I
did
care.”

“What?” John said, glancing over and giving him a puzzled look.

Liam looked up and remembered where he was. He shook his head as if to clear it. “N-nothing,” he stammered. “I was thinking about something else.” He rubbed his temple, thinking,
Where the hell did that come from?
It had been years since he'd thought of that day—it was almost as if he'd blocked it out . . . and now, it had come back to him as clearly—and as keenly—as if it happened yesterday.

Just then, Carlton and Libby Knox came in with their attorney and sat at the table across from them. John stood to shake hands with their attorney, but the Knoxes looked straight ahead. The next moment, a guard came through a door behind the bench, asked them to rise, and announced the judge, and as they stood, an older woman in a sweeping black robe came through the door. “You may be seated,” she said, peering over her glasses.

Forty-five minutes later, it was over. The Knoxes' attorney presented their case—which was based on their years of financial support, as well as their familial rights, but the judge—who'd already reviewed Cadie's will and Liam's background, including his military service—had no patience for their claims. “The boy's mother has clearly stated in her will that she would like Mr. Tate to be her son's guardian, and since he has already begun adoption proceedings, has a sound reputation, is a respectable businessman, and is financially secure, it is the court's decision that her wishes be followed. If the grandparents are interested in visitation rights, they can request them, but custody is hereby granted to Mr. Tate.” And with the bang of her gavel, Liam was granted custody of Aidan.

John turned to him and smiled. “Congratulations! I told you there was nothing to worry about.”

“I couldn't've done it without you,” Liam said, barely able to believe it. “Thank goodness you had the foresight to draw up that will.”

“That's my job,” John said.

“Now I have to
do
my job,” Liam said with a smile, “and finish the work on your boat.”

“There's no hurry. Besides, Jordy hasn't learned a thing. Last week, he wrecked my Beemer!”

Liam shook his head in disbelief. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah, he's fine,” John said, looking over Liam's shoulder.

Liam turned.

“You did it!” Emma said, her eyes gleaming as she hugged him.

Levi hugged him too. “I know Mom's smiling,” he said, his voice choked with emotion. “I can't thank you enough.”

Liam stepped back and looked in his eyes. “It's for me too.”

Just then, the door opened and Aidan ran down the aisle into Liam's arms. “Oh, man, I missed you!”

Aidan grinned and squeezed him back. “I missed you, too, Cap.”

Just then, Liam looked up and saw Carlton and Libby Knox stalking silently out of the room.

“I
t's snowing!” Aidan shouted as they came out of The Gallows.

“It is indeed,” Emma said, pulling her hood up.

“Snow on October fifth!” Levi said, shaking his head.

“That's New England for you,” Liam said, pulling up his collar.

“Do you want to stay over tonight?” Levi asked. “The weather's supposed to be better tomorrow.”

“No, we'll be fine,” Liam replied. “Besides,
someone
has already missed too many days of school,” he added, tousling Aidan's hair.

“Well, you better get going, then,” Levi said, pushing his hands into his pockets, “before the roads get bad.” Then he felt something in his pocket and pulled it out. “I keep forgetting to give this to you,” he said, holding out Cadie's cell phone.

Liam frowned. “I don't need that.”

“She wanted you to have it,” Levi said. “It's for emergencies, and now that you have Aidan, it'll come in handy if he—or the school—needs to reach you.”

Reluctantly, Liam took the phone.

“Here's the charger,” Levi said, pulling a thin white cord out of his other pocket. “You have to charge it once in a while or it won't work—the battery icon is on the upper right corner,” he added. “It tells you how much battery you have left.”

“We'll see,” Liam said skeptically.

“I'll show him,” Aidan volunteered.

“There you go,” Levi said with a laugh. “Do you want me to change the ringtone?”

“Change ‘Love Shack'?!” Liam asked, looking horrified. “Are you kidding?”

Levi laughed. “I thought you might like a regular ringtone . . . or at least something less intrusive.”

Liam thought about his old stuffed bear, Teddy, and Coop's old mailbox and realized he felt the same way about Cadie's ringtone—the one that had made her smile: He didn't want to ever let them go. “No . . . leave it,” he said.

“Suit yourself,” Levi said with a shrug.

“It's actually shoo . . .” Liam started, but then stopped.

“Have you got your muffins?” Emma asked. Liam held up the bag and she smiled. “Good—in case you get stranded!”

“I hope we
don't
get stranded, but if we do,” he said, looking down at Aidan, “it'll be the first of many adventures, right, pal?”

Aidan nodded.

They gave hugs all around, and as Levi and Emma walked away, Liam called after them, “Don't be strangers!”

“We won't,” Em promised.

“We're going to visit so often you're going to get tired of us,” Levi called back.

“That'll never happen!”

“Maybe we'll come out for Columbus Day,” Levi said.

“Sounds good!” Liam said, waving.

Heavy, wet snowflakes splattered against the windshield of the old pickup as they drove back to Hyannis, but the snow never amounted to much on the roads. Conditions took a turn for the worse, however, when they bumped onto the ferry—it was almost as if they were driving into a different world. Blinding snow and whipping winds buffeted the nearly empty vessel, and Liam and Aidan abandoned the truck and hurried up the stairs to the cabin. Liam bought two cups of cocoa topped with whipped cream, and they sat at a table and ate their muffins.

Aidan looked out at the swirling snow and whitecaps. “Do you think we
will
get stranded?”

“No, we'll be fine,” Liam answered. “The captain's made this trip countless times—I bet he could do it blindfolded.”

Immediately, Aidan pictured an old sea captain with a blindfold on, swaying in the bridge with his hands on the big wooden steering wheel. “Blindfolded?!”

“Mm-hmm,” Liam said with a nod. “When I was your age, Coop and I came across in a storm much worse than this.”

“You did?!”

Liam nodded. “It was right before Christmas and it was the last ferry, so it was stormy
and
dark.”

“Why were you with your uncle?”

Liam hesitated, realizing Aidan didn't know much about his past. “Because my parents had died.”

“Oh,” Aidan said quietly. Then ventured, “How'd they die?”

“In a car accident.”

Aidan nodded thoughtfully. “So, you're kind of
like
me.”

Liam searched his face and smiled. “Kind of . . .”

Aidan took a sip of his cocoa. “I can't wait to see Tuck—he's going to be beside himself when he finds out I'm going to be living with him.”

“He sure is,” Liam said with a laugh. “He's missed you.”

“I've missed him too . . .
and
Moby, although he's still
aloof.
”

“He
is,
but he has a friendly side too.”

“I know—like when he curled up on Mom's bed,” Aidan said, eating the last bite of his muffin. “I love these muffins,” he added with his mouth full.

“They are good—you'll have to tell Sally about them.”

“Mmm,” Aidan agreed, looking out the window again. “We're almost there!”

Liam looked out the window and saw the outline of the island. “There she is.”

Aidan crumpled up his muffin paper. “Islands are girls too?!”

“Yes, they're
feminine,
” Liam said, impressed that Aidan remembered their conversation about objects having gender. “In fact, some people call Nantucket
The Gray Lady.
”

Aidan watched the churning waves and wondered if the sea life liked being tossed around. “What about whales?”

“Feminine,” Liam confirmed. “That's why Ishmael, Captain Ahab's mate, when he spots Moby Dick calls out, ‘Thar
she
blows!'”

“Who's Captain Ahab and Ishmael?”

“You don't know who Captain Ahab and Ishmael are?!” Liam asked, looking shocked. “That's almost as bad as not knowing what a s'more is.”

Aidan giggled and shook his head.

“Captain Ahab is Nantucket's most famous literary character.”

“He is?”

Liam nodded. “He's the one-legged sea captain who hunted Moby Dick.”

“Was Moby Dick a whale?”

“Moby Dick was the biggest, meanest whale that ever lived in the waters off Nantucket.”

Aidan frowned. “Why'd they say, ‘Thar
she
blows!' if Moby Dick was a boy?”

“That's a good question,” Liam said, and as he stood up to throw away their trash, he wondered how many more questions Aidan would ask that he wouldn't be able to answer. “Maybe you should ask Sally,” he suggested as they made their way down the stairs to the truck.

When they pulled up in front of Sally's house, she was sweeping the snow off her front walk, and Tuck, who was busily pulling dry lily stalks out of the ground, stopped his landscaping and bounded over to greet them. “You did it!” Sally cried, dropping her broom and scooping Aidan into her arms.

“We did it,” Liam said, smiling as she hugged him too.

“Sally,” Aidan said, giving her a quick squeeze, “if Moby Dick was a boy, how come Ishmael shouts, ‘Thar
she
blows'?”

Liam eyed Sally with raised eyebrows as he waited for her to answer, but Sally didn't miss a beat. “Oh, that's just what sailors say when they see a whale—it doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl.”

Aidan slid to the ground, seemingly satisfied, and wrapped his arms around Tuck's neck. “Guess what, boy?” he whispered into his thick golden fur. “I'm going to live with you!” Tuck's tail thumped happily and he licked Aidan's cheek.