by Force, Marie
“I’d like to put my mouth somewhere else,” he muttered to Mia.
Her face turned bright red—and not from the cold. She gave him a push that sent him in the direction of his brothers.
“Make sure you’re watching,” he said, skating backward. “It’ll happen fast, and you don't want to miss it.”
“I’ll be watching,” Mia said.
“They’re always like this,” Izzy said. “Super competitive. I remember them arguing over who could climb the highest—always Landon. Ski the fastest—always Will. Run the fastest—almost always Wade. Drink the most—always Lucas. The competitions never end when there are seven boys in a family.”
“Was your family like that, too?” Mia asked.
“Not quite as bad as the Abbotts. There’s a big age difference between my older brothers and the younger ones. Grayson and Noah were always trying to one-up each other, though.”
“I was an only child, so families like yours are somewhat fascinating to me.”
“Cameron was like that when she first came around,” Charley said. “Endlessly curious about the family dynamics.”
“Is she from a small family, too?” Mia asked.
“Another only child,” Charley said. “Her father is Patrick Murphy, the business tycoon.”
“I had no idea!”
“You’d never know from meeting her that she comes from that kind of money,” Izzy said. “She’s super down-to-earth.”
“We love her,” Charley added. “Even if she hit Fred on the way into town.”
“I met Fred earlier!” Mia said. “Wade forgot to tell you guys. We saw him with a baby moose.”
“What?” Charley asked, her mouth falling open. “Fred has a baby?”
“We aren’t sure whose baby it was, but it was following Fred when we saw him earlier.”
“This is huge news,” Izzy said. “It might even be bigger news than Wade’s surprise wedding. No offense.”
“None taken,” Mia said, laughing.
“Here they come,” Megan said.
From the far side of the lake, seven grown men raced across the ice, shouting and occasionally shoving one another.
Mia watched with the other women, her gaze fixed on Wade, who seemed to be running away with it. The next-closest to him was Max. “Where’s the finish line?”
“The shoreline,” Charley said. “First one to hit the grass wins.”
“Sounds like you’ve seen this a time or two.”
“A time or two thousand. They can’t skate without racing. They can’t do anything without racing.”
Wade went flying by and dove into the grass on the side of the lake, pumping his fist, breathing hard and smiling widely when Max landed right behind him.
Hunter brought up the rear, and Megan went to him, wrapping her arm around his waist. “It’s okay, old man. I still love you.”
He playfully cuffed her chin while his younger brothers howled with laughter.
This family, Mia thought, is amazing. Fun and funny and competitive and… loving. They were obviously crazy about each other, even when they were competing. The good-natured jabs made her laugh while she waited for Wade to pick himself up off the ground and return to her.
He skated over slowly, hands on his knees. As he approached her, he straightened and unleashed that smile that made her legs go weak. “How was that?”
“My hero. I’m so proud.”
Slinging an arm around her waist, he picked her up and kissed her before skating off with her still in his arms while the others whistled and hollered.
With her gloved hands on his face, Mia kissed him back, mindless of who was watching. After waiting what felt like forever to be able to kiss him anytime she wanted, she wasn’t about to miss the opportunity.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he said, his lips gliding over her face. “Having you here makes everything perfect.”
“I love it here. Your family is amazing.”
“They’re on their best behavior because you’re new. That won’t last.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
“You really love it here?” he asked, gently setting her down. “It’s only been two days.”
She reached up to kiss him again. “The best two days of my entire life.”
Wade felt like he was floating on air as they skated for two hours before giving in to cold and hunger. Being with Mia, watching her interact with the people he loved the most, knowing he got to go home with her later and be with her… This was shaping up to be the best day of his life, even better than yesterday, and that had been a pretty great day.
They took off their skates and headed to the barn for dinner.
“There’s going to be even more of them at my mom’s,” Wade said. “You know that, right?”
“How can there be more?”
Wade laughed. “I’ve been asking myself that question since the day I was born.”
“Who haven’t I met?”
“Hannah, her husband, Nolan, their baby, Callie, and Will’s wife, Cameron. It’s a freaking mob scene when everyone is home. I can loan you my earplugs if you need them.”
“You don’t really have earplugs.”
“What if I do? You just wait. You’ll be begging me for them.”
“I wouldn’t want to miss anything. Everything that goes on with this family is interesting to me.”
“Oh God. You sound like Cameron. She says we’re better than any sitcom she’s ever watched.”
“I think I’m going to like her.”
“You will. Everyone does. You’d never know she grew up as a Park Avenue princess, as she says. Her dad is quite a guy. He’s engaged to our office manager, Mary. Or I should say our ex-office manager. She got a much better offer from Patrick. Last I heard, they were living it up on the French Riviera.”
“He met her through you guys?”
“Yep, and no one even knew they were together until they announced their engagement. It’s a really cool story. His wife died giving birth to Cam, and he’d never been serious about another woman until Mary, who’s a total doll. We all love her and miss her at the office. But Emma took her place, and she’s great, too.”
“I love that he was alone for so long and then met someone through his daughter’s new family.”
“Love is in the air around here lately. First Will and Cam, then Hannah and Nolan, Colton and Lucy, Hunter and Megan, Ella and Gavin, Grayson and Emma, Patrick and Mary, and the biggest shocker of all—Charley and Tyler.”
“Why do you say that? She seems really nice.”
Wade rolled his eyes. “Wait till you get to know her better. You’ll see.”
“I don’t believe it.”
He laughed. “Okay… But let me just say that the day Tyler came along and rescued us from her was one of the best days of my life.”
“She’s probably saying that about me rescuing her from you.”
“Right,” he said, scoffing. “Again, you’re either with her or with me. You can’t have it both ways.”
“Hmmm, let me think about that.”
He nudged her leg, making her laugh.
“I’m always with you, but I want your family to like me, so you’ll have to let me be friends with Charley.”
“I can live with that. Just don’t let her ruin you. I like you the way you are.”
They arrived to chaos at the big red barn. George and Ringo were chasing Colton’s dogs, Elmer and Sarah, as Hunter’s puppy, Horace, and his littermate, Hannah’s puppy, Homer Junior, tried to keep up with the bigger dogs.
Nolan stood watch over the entire fiasco.
“That’s a lot of dogs,” Mia said.
“That’s not even all of them. Will has Tucker and Tanner.”
“I love dogs. I’ve always wanted one of my own.”
Wade filed that information away. He’d love nothing more than to give her something she’d always wanted.
They parked behind Will’s truck, got out and hea
ded for the mudroom door, stopping so Wade could introduce Mia to Nolan.
“Great to meet you,” Nolan said, shaking her hand. “And you,” he said to Wade, “way to get the whole family talking.”
“I like to be unpredictable.”
Nolan snorted. “That’s one word for it. But congrats to both of you. Hannah says this is what you’ve wanted for a long time.”
“She’s known about Mia since she started dating you.”
“That’s what she told me. Welcome to bedlam, Mia. My best advice is to keep your head down and avoid eye contact.”
“Don’t freak her out,” Wade said, putting an arm around Mia.
“She can’t go in there without proper defenses. Why do you think I volunteered to watch the pups?”
“By the way, if you need help at the garage,” Wade said, “give my wife a call. She has mad skills.”
“Is that right?”
“Basic skills,” Mia said. “My grandpa was a mechanic.”
“That’s cool,” Nolan said.
“Oh, and thank you for getting my car out of the snowdrift,” Mia added.
“No problem.”
“Ready for this?” Wade asked her, gesturing to the door.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Go with God,” Nolan said gravely.
“Don’t listen to him,” Wade said, holding the door to the mudroom for her. “We’re not that bad.” Along the wall of the mudroom were ten hooks with names above them. Wade had watched as many of his siblings added a second coat to their hook, so it meant something to him to take Mia’s coat and hang it with his on the sixth hook from the left.
“That’s awesome,” Mia said of the hooks.
“Feel free to use mine anytime you’re here.”
“I’ll do that.”
Smiling, he took her hand and led her into the kitchen, where Molly stood guard over a huge pot of chili on the stove. To the left was a smaller pot of the vegetarian version for him and Mia. His mom never forgot him. From adjacent rooms, he could hear the others talking and laughing as babies cried. Just another Sunday at the Abbott barn.
His mom raised her cheek to accept a kiss from him. “How was the skating?”
“It was great.”
“I heard you kicked some butt in the big race.”
“They never could catch me.”
“This one,” she said to Mia, “was quick like a ninja from the second he got legs under him. I couldn’t turn my back, or he’d be gone.”
“She dressed me up as a ninja for my second Halloween,” Wade added.
“Are there pictures?” Mia asked.
“You know it,” Molly said. “I’ll dig them out for you.”
“I don’t like this,” Wade said.
“Too bad,” his mom replied.
“See how it is around here?” he asked Mia.
“I’m beginning to.”
“Mia, why don’t you give me a hand while Wade goes away so I can talk to you without him around?”
Mia covered her mouth, but her eyes danced with laughter.
“Mom…”
“Don’t ‘Mom’ me. Get lost so I can get to know my new daughter-in-law the way I would have if you’d actually dated her before you married her.”
“Dating is overrated,” Wade said. “Marriage is the bomb.”
“Go away.”
He kissed Mia’s forehead. “I’ll be in there if you need me.”
“She won’t need you.”
“Do not laugh,” he said to Mia. “Under no circumstances should you find this funny.”
Mia made a comical effort to hold back her laughter.
“Why are you still here?” Molly asked him.
“I’m going,” he said, walking backward toward the dining room, “but if she’s not here when I come back, I’m holding you responsible, Mom.”
“Scram. And tell the others to stay out of here, too.”
Chapter 14
“Happiness is not something that is ready made. It comes from your own actions.”
—Dalai Lama
“Honestly,” Molly said when they were alone. “The drama.” She smiled warmly at Mia. “Now, can I interest you in some hot chocolate, coffee or tea?”
“Hot chocolate would be lovely.”
“Coming right up.”
Mia watched her heat soy milk and add chocolate, stirring until the two came together in a frothy concoction. “I’ve always made it with water.”
“Most people do, but warm milk is the secret.” She poured the hot chocolate into a mug and topped it with soy whipped cream.
Mia took a sip. “It’s delicious.”
“Glad you think so.” Molly stirred both pots of chili, and Mia noticed she used different spoons, which meant she didn’t just indulge the vegan lifestyle, but understood it, too. That told Mia a lot about what kind of mother Molly Abbott was.
“Tell me about you,” Molly said.
“Let’s see… I grew up in Burlington with my mom and grandfather. She lives in New Mexico now with her husband and his family. My grandfather died when I was twenty. I was briefly married after my mom left, but that didn’t work out. I moved to Rutland to live with a high school friend. A couple of years later, my friend got married, and I had a hard time making ends meet without her to share the bills. When I met Brody and he kept saying he wanted to take care of me and make things easier for me… At first, it seemed like a dream come true.”
“Do you get to see your mom?”
“Not very often. She’s busy with her life there, and I work a lot. Or I did until recently.”
“Wade asked Hunter to find you a job in our company.”
“Yes, he told me.”
“What kind of job did you have in Rutland?”
“I worked in a restaurant as a waitress until I had to call out too many times due to injuries sustained at home. Then I worked for a short time in a store for a lot less money than I made waitressing.”
Molly grimaced. “I’m so sorry you went through all that. How any man could do that to the woman he supposedly loves...”
“He never loved me. He wanted to control me. I’ve come to see there’s a huge difference.”
“Yes, there is.”
“It’s comforting to know I’ll never have those worries with Wade.”
“He’s one of the best people I know. He’d do anything for anyone.”
“He was a good friend to me when I needed one badly.”
“That’s nice to hear.” Molly paused, choosing her words carefully. “You seem like a very nice young woman.”
“Thank you.”
“But I’d be lying if I said I’m comfortable with the way things happened with you and Wade. Obviously, he’s very happy to have you in his life, and his happiness is my happiness. But if I find out that you’re taking advantage of my son or less than sincere in your feelings toward him, I’ll be relentless in my efforts to protect him.”
Mia swallowed hard. “I understand.”
“I hope you do. Wade has an army surrounding him, and we take care of our own.”
Mia nodded. “I get it.”
“I’m glad we understand each other.”
“Mrs. Abbott…”
“Call me Molly. Please.”
“Molly… I want you to know that I care very much about Wade, and I have for quite some time now. There were… complications… in my life in Rutland, or I would’ve come here a long time ago. My feelings toward him are very sincere.”
“Thank you for telling me that. It makes me feel better. I don’t mean to be unwelcoming to you, but the situation is somewhat unsettling.”
“I know, believe me.”
Molly rested her hand on Mia’s arm. “I want you to be safe and to live without fear, but I want my son to be safe, too.”
“I want that as much as you do. Thinking of him, knowing he was out there somewhere… He kept me going until I was able to escape from a nightmare.”
<
br /> “No one should have to be afraid in their own home.”
“I blame myself as much as I do him. My mom had moved to the other side of the country, my grandfather had died. I was very much alone in the world when I met Brody, and I ignored signs I should’ve paid closer attention to. By the time I realized who he really was, it was too late to get away from him.”
“Abuse is never the fault of the victim. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”
“I was stupid and naïve and in love with a man who lied to me from the day I met him. He’s what’s referred to as a malignant narcissist. I’d never heard that term before one of the women I worked with used it to describe a customer. I looked it up and found a description tailor-made to Brody. I’d recognize the signs now, but at the time, it was all new to me.”
“I’m sorry you went through such an ordeal.”
“Thank you, but I’m a much stronger person than I used to be. I think I’m better prepared to make a success of my relationship with Wade than I would’ve been before Brody showed me what I don’t want.”
Two women appeared at the doorway to the kitchen. One had dark hair and a baby in her arms. The other was blonde, with a small baby bump under her red tunic top.
“We stayed away as long as we could,” the dark-haired woman said.
“You showed amazing restraint,” Molly said wryly. “Mia, meet my daughter Hannah, my granddaughter, Callie, and my daughter-in-law Cameron.”
Hannah came into the kitchen, handed the baby to her mother and hugged Mia. “I am so, so, so happy to meet you. Wade told me about you ages ago. It almost killed me to keep that secret.”
“We aren’t good at keeping secrets in this family,” Cameron said, hugging Mia. “I’m so glad to meet you, too. I hear you’re also an only child, so I can give you some pointers on surviving the Abbotts.”
“I’ll gladly take any help I can get.”
“Show’s over,” Wade said when he joined them in the kitchen, extracting Mia from the center of the beehive and putting his arms around her. “Whatever they said or did, I’m sorry.”
“No need to be sorry,” Mia told him. “Everyone has been very nice.”
“We’re always nice to new people,” he said. “It doesn’t last.”
