by Force, Marie
“Yes, it is, but back to your situation. I give you permission to be excited about Stella, because I know you’ll do everything you can to help her through the loss of her mother.”
“I will. For sure.”
“And we’ll help you while you help her.”
Amanda leaned her head on Molly’s shoulder. “Thank you for making me part of this extraordinary family.”
“We couldn’t be happier to have you.”
All his life, Max had heard the story of when his parents met, how his dad had taken one look at his mom and somehow known she was going to change everything. How could that happen, he’d wondered, always a little skeptical of such things even as his parents presented a master class on love and marriage for their children to admire and even envy.
And then he went to Boston for his brother’s wedding and was introduced to Mia’s cousin Caroline, a tall dark-haired woman with gorgeous brown eyes, an infectious smile and cutting wit. She went crazy over Caden, asking to hold him and entertaining him for half an hour before she reluctantly—or so it seemed to Max—returned the baby to his father.
“That is one super cute little man,” she declared.
“Thank you,” Max said, tongue-tied around a woman for the first time. “I quite like him.”
“I can see why. Which one is his mom?”
The innocent question knocked him sideways. Even seven months after Chloe had departed their lives, he sometimes still couldn’t believe it had actually happened and had trouble explaining her absence. “Ah, she’s not here.”
“Oh.”
“She’s actually not in the picture.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.” Cue mad awkwardness. “It’s okay. We’re doing great.”
“That must’ve been rough, though,” Caroline said, her pretty eyes brimming with compassion.
“It was, but I’m lucky to have a lot of help and support. My family is great. My parents have been incredible. I have no complaints.”
“It’s okay if you do,” she said in a low, conspiratorial whisper. “You’d have a right to a few complaints.”
She’d known him all of an hour, and she got it. “All I care about is him, that he’s healthy and happy and has everything he needs. The rest is noise.”
“Yes, it certainly is.”
“What’s your story?”
“I finished college last December and have been looking for a job ever since with no luck.”
“What kind of job?”
“I’m a kindergarten teacher. Or at least I want to be.”
“Where are you looking?”
“All over.”
“You should check out Vermont.”
“Really?” she asked with a flirtatious smile. “What goes on up there?”
“Lots of stuff—snow and ice and mud and maple syrup and moose. It’s awesome.”
“Sounds like it. How much snow are we talking?”
“Uh, like you want a number of feet?”
Her dark brows furrowed adorably. “The fact that you measure it in feet is a concern.”
Max laughed. “There’s a lot of it.”
“What do you do up there?”
“I work for my family’s business, dividing my time between the sugaring facility and the Christmas tree farm.”
“What goes on at the sugaring facility?”
“That’s where we make maple syrup. I work with my brother Colton there and my brother Landon at the farm.”
“Do you like working with your family?”
“I love it. I get along great with all my siblings.”
“You’re lucky to have them.”
“As the youngest of ten, there’ve been times when I would’ve disagreed with you, but those days are long over now. Do you have siblings?”
“Nope, just cousins I was close to when we were young, but we drifted apart as we got older.”
“You’ll find your way back to each other when you get more settled.”
“Maybe.” Ringing laughter had her glancing across the room to where her uncle Cabot had his arm around Mia as they talked with Wade, Molly and Linc. “My uncle is so happy. He’s like a whole new man since he found his daughter.”
“I can’t imagine what he’s been through.”
“It was so awful. My whole life, I heard about my missing cousin. The day he found her was one of the best days of all our lives. He’s such a good guy. What was done to him…” She shook her head.
“Shouldn’t happen to anyone. I have a whole new perspective having a child of my own. I’d kill to protect him.”
“That’s kind of hot,” she said with a wink and a smile that rendered him speechless.
“Is it?”
“Hell yes.”
He discovered that laughing involved her whole body.
“Like you didn’t know the protective-single-dad thing is hot.”
“Uh, I didn’t. I’ve been all about diapers and bottles and pacifiers for the last seven months. If being a single dad is hot, that’s totally news to me.”
“Well, I’m glad I got to be the one to break it to you.”
Landon thought the ball game would never end. Today had been a blast, but he was ready for some time alone with Amanda, which meant, of course, the game had to go into extra innings before the Sox won with a thrilling walk-off home run. Then everyone had wanted to go out for drinks, but since Landon had technically “worked” the night before, he begged off. While the others sought out after-hours fun, Landon and Amanda walked back to the hotel with Lucas, Dani, Savannah, Max, Caden, Will and Cameron, who was exhausted from being, as she called it, “extra pregnant.”
Caden was sacked out on Max’s shoulder, his little hand grasping Max’s shirt.
“You seemed to have a good time tonight,” Landon said quietly to his brother while Amanda chatted with Dani as she pushed Savannah in a stroller.
“I did.”
“Call me crazy, but Caroline seemed to be digging my little boy.”
“Everyone digs him.”
“I meant you,” Landon said with a laugh. “Idiot.”
“Oh. Maybe. We had a nice time hanging out.”
“Are you so far removed from the game that you can’t tell when a girl is into you?”
“Possibly.”
Landon laughed again. “Well, I’m not, and I know what I saw. She likes you.”
“I like her, too. It was nice to meet someone who never knew me without Caden, you know?”
“What do you mean?”
“People I knew before expect me to be the same, but I’m not. Everything is different now.”
“Huh, I hadn’t really thought of that.”
“My friends give me a lot of shit because they never see me anymore. I’ve stopped responding to their comments about how I’ve turned into a priest since I had a kid.”
“They did not say that.”
“They did! I know they’re just joking. Kind of.”
“Max, come on. Don’t let that shit get you down. Of course everything has changed for you. Someday it will for them, too, and they’ll get it.”
“Yeah, but for now, they just think I’m a priest.”
“Eh, fuck ’em. What do you care what they think?”
“I don’t, it’s just that sometimes…”
“What?”
“I don’t want you to think I’m complaining about having Caden. I love him more than anything in the world.”
“I know that. Everyone knows that.”
“I’m only twenty-three, but sometimes I feel like I’m forty or even older. Like tonight… I really like Caroline, but what’s the point? She lives here. I’m hours away in Vermont. Even if I wanted to come here and see her, I can’t.”
“Whoa, Maxi-Pad, take a breath.”
Max’s thunderous expression was no surprise—it happened every time he and Lucas trotted out the nickname they’d come up with for Max after middle school health class. “I can still punch
you in the face with a baby in my arms.”
“Easy, killer.”
“You and your brother are still assholes.”
“My brother and I are offended.”
“Whatever.”
“About Caroline,” Landon said. “If you like her, don’t go straight to hopeless. Anything is possible if you want it badly enough.”
“Are you talking about me or yourself?”
“Both, I guess. For a long time, it seemed like nothing was going to happen for me and Amanda, and once I found the courage to be truthful with her about what I wanted, it’s been… incredible.”
“I’m glad for you. She seems like a really nice girl.”
“She’s the best.”
“So this is it for you?”
“I think so.”
“Wow. I’m going to be the only single one standing.”
“You won’t be single for long. Despite what we think, people of the female persuasion seem to find you less revolting than we do.”
“Gee, thanks,” Max said, laughing. “That’s one hell of an endorsement.”
“You’re a hell of a guy, Max Abbott. Don’t let what one woman did make you give up on all of them. That’d just compound the tragedy.”
“I hear you. Look at you becoming wise in your old age.”
“Shocking, right?”
“I always knew you had it in you.”
“I’m glad you did, because I had no clue.”
He followed Max into the hotel lobby and caught up to Amanda. As they walked to the elevator, he put his arm around her and kept her close for the ride to the fifth floor, where most of the rooms were occupied by family members. They said good night to Will and Cam and then waited for Max to fish his keycard out of his pocket while balancing Caden.
“You need any help, Max?” Landon asked.
“Nope, we’re good. See you guys in the morning.”
“Night.”
Landon and Amanda were next door and Lucas, Dani and Savannah on the other side of them.
“Night,” Lucas said as he walked by with Dani.
“Don’t let me hear any noises coming from over there,” Landon said.
“Ditto,” Lucas said, smirking.
“Might be a good night for ear plugs,” Landon said.
Amanda smacked his shoulder. “Shut up.”
“He’s all yours,” Lucas said, rolling his eyes.
Landon opened the door, ushered Amanda in ahead of him and let the door close behind them. “Wait.”
She turned to him, and he could tell he took her by surprise when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with hours’ worth of pent-up desire pouring forth in a kiss that went on for what felt like forever.
“Whoa,” she said. “What brought that on?”
“Hours and hours and hours surrounded by my family. That’s what.”
“Aw, did you have to be on your best behavior?”
He cupped her ass and tugged her in tight against his erection. “I did, and it was painful.”
“How painful?”
“Excruciating. I had to keep my hands and lips and every other part of me to myself.”
“I thought I took care of all that this morning.”
“That was a hundred years ago, and besides, it’s your own fault for being so damned sexy in that dress.” When he’d seen her in the red dress she’d worn in deference to the Sox, he’d nearly drooled all over himself. He helped her remove the cute little denim jacket she’d paired with the dress and then ran his hands over her luscious curves. “I can’t help myself. You just do it for me.”
“Likewise.”
“Nice how that works out, huh?”
“Nicest thing ever.”
“Is it? Really?”
“Of course it is, Landon. Between everything that’s happened with you and having Stella back in my life, not to mention your amazing family, who I already love so much… Sometimes I just want to pinch myself that it’s all real.”
“It’s so real.” He kissed her some more and then wrapped his arms around her, needing to have her close to him. “I saw you on your phone earlier. Were you still talking to Stella?”
She nodded. “We were texting all night—because it’s easier now that I’m out of the mountains. She was having a rough night.”
“Because of her mom?”
Amanda nodded. “Kelly has been feeling really lousy since yesterday, so Stella stayed home from a slumber party she was looking forward to because she didn’t want her mom to be home alone.”
“Ah, the poor kid. That’s a lot for her to deal with. Isn’t there anyone else who can help them?”
“They moved to the town where they live now a few months before Kelly was diagnosed. She was transferred with her job, and they didn’t get the chance to meet very many people before she got sick. Kelly’s friends live mostly out of state.”
“The thought of Stella and Kelly dealing with an illness of that magnitude alone is a bit overwhelming.”
“I agree. I was thinking I might go there at some point. They need help, and I can do that for them. Maybe I could work on the catalog remotely for a while.”
Landon’s heart sank at the thought of her being hours away from him, possibly for months or even longer. But he knew it was the right thing to do. “I’m sure you could.”
“Would you visit me on your days off?”
“Of course I would.”
She looked up at him, her expression madly vulnerable. “It’s a lot to ask of you.”
“It’s not a lot. It’s what you do for the people you love. You show up and support them no matter what they’re going through. You’re there for good times and bad times.”
She clung to him. “I feel so very lucky to be loved by you.”
“I feel just as lucky to be loved by you. And I want you to do whatever you have to do for Stella and Kelly and not worry about me.”
“Thank you for understanding.” She drew him into another kiss, and after that, there were no more words, only desperate kisses and soft moans and searing pleasure. They pulled at clothes and fell onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs, her softness welcoming him as he landed on top of her, being mindful of her injured ankle.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he said.
“Same. Being with you this way has become my favorite thing ever.”
“This day seemed to crawl. I was having fun and enjoying my family and the game, but all I could think about was how much longer until I could be alone with you.”
“That’s very sweet.”
He scowled. “It’s not sweet. It’s depraved.”
“I like you that way.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Then you won’t care if we skip the preliminaries and race straight to the main event?”
“I won’t care at all.”
He pushed into her, muffling her loud gasp with a kiss. “Shhhh. We’re surrounded on all sides.”
She bit her lip and gave him a wide-eyed look that made him laugh.
“You can do it.”
“Not sure I can.”
Landon took hold of her hands, lifted them over her head and kissed her to keep her quiet as he moved in her. If there was anything that felt better than being with her this way, he hadn’t found it yet, and he was done looking. This was all he needed to be happy. She was all he needed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“I was made and meant to look for you and wait
for you and become yours forever.”
―Robert Browning
Mia was awake an hour before her alarm was set to go off. She turned on her side to watch her gorgeous husband sleep, which was one of her favorite things to do. For so long, she’d dreamed about him and the life they had now. When she’d been trapped in hell with her ex, thoughts of Wade Abbott had kept her sane.
And when the shit with Brody had hit the fan, she’d run to Wade. It had been a huge risk bec
ause she hadn’t seen him in more than a year by then and had no idea whether the feelings she’d had for him had ever been reciprocated.
They’d been platonic friends. Nothing more. But she’d wanted so much more with him, and when she’d asked him to marry her so Brody couldn’t force her to marry him to keep her from testifying against him, Wade hadn’t hesitated.
He’d shown her his heart that first day and every day since then. Back in the days when she’d been locked in a nightmare, it had never occurred to her that the kind of happiness she’d found with Wade even existed. Now she knew better.
They’d been married for months already, but after she found her long-lost father, he’d insisted on throwing them the big wedding that would take place today. Mia would’ve said they didn’t need the over-the-top wedding, but she’d loved every minute of planning it with her dad, who was so thrilled to have her back in his life.
Wade opened his eyes and caught her staring at him, which happened at least once a day. He smiled as he reached for her.
Mia cuddled up to him and closed her eyes against the rush of emotion that surprised her. She would’ve thought she had things under control, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.
“What’re you thinking about?” he asked.
“You and us and today and everything that led us to this day.”
“If I hadn’t lived through it, I might not believe it actually happened.”
“I didn’t think I’d be excited for today, but I am. Does that make me a typical girl wanting to play dress-up?”
“I’m excited, too, and I didn’t think I would be either. At first, it was like we were doing this for your dad, and now…”
“Now, it’s for us.”
“Yeah. I’ll always love the way we got married the first time, in my grandfather’s living room with the rings he and my grandmother gave each other and only Ella and Gavin there to witness it.”
“That was perfect.”
“It was the best day of my entire life.”
“Mine, too.”
“But it’s okay for this one to be just as good.”
“Is it?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “This time, we get to do it up big, with everyone we love there to see it.”
“Not everyone.” Mia’s feelings toward her mother had been complicated since she found out her mom had basically stolen her from her father when she was a child and had gone to elaborate lengths to keep her hidden from him. “She called the other day.”
