Butler, Vermont Series: Boxed Set, Books 1-3

by Force, Marie

  “Did anyone in your life know about me?”

  “No! I was too afraid to say anything about you. I was always worried about Brody going after you. That’s why I stopped contacting you. I told you that.”

  “The only people in this world who know we’ve known each other two years are you, me and my sisters Hannah and Ella, who didn’t even tell their partners about you, let alone the media. And I sure as hell didn’t tell them.”

  “I didn’t either! When would I have done that? I’ve been with you around the clock until this morning.”

  “I’m not saying you did, but—”

  “You thought it, though, didn’t you? You thought maybe I snuck a call to my buddies at the Herald while you were what? In the shower? Bringing in wood?”

  “No,” he said. “I didn’t think that.”

  “Don’t make it worse by lying to me, Wade.” She started to walk toward the parking lot, no longer interested in lunch.

  “Mia! Wait. Don’t go. I’m sorry. I saw that story, and I didn’t know what to think.”

  “So you automatically assumed the worst of me. Good to know.”

  “Please be fair and try to see this from my point of view. You’re involved in a very complicated situation, and I’m just trying to understand the various elements of it.”

  “And you’re trying to decide whether you can trust me. I get it.”

  “I want to trust you. I want that more than anything.”

  “But you aren’t sure if you can, right?”

  “No, that’s not right. Trust is something people develop over time. We haven’t had the time for that. Not yet anyway, but we’ll get there.”

  “Just so you know, I trust you with my life. That’s why I came here when I could’ve gone anywhere.”

  Wade exhaled and looked down at the ground. “That means everything to me.”

  “Does it? Do you have any idea what it took for me to get in the car and point it in your direction, not knowing whether you’d be happy to see me after a year of silence, or if you had someone else, or if you even still lived here?”

  “No, I guess I don’t know what it took.”

  “It took everything I had, every ounce of faith I’d ever had in you and in us to come here.”

  “I’m glad you came to me.”

  “Are you? Or are you starting to wonder if you’ve made a huge mistake?”

  “No.” He put his arms around her. “I’m not thinking I made a mistake.”

  She placed her hand on his chest to keep some distance between them. “If you feel that way, all you have to do is say so. I’d never hold you to our marriage if you don’t want it.”

  “I want it. I want you. You know that, but I also want all the information there is. You need to think about who else might’ve known about you and me. Maybe it was someone you never told, but the person found out somehow.”

  She shook her head, feeling genuinely baffled. “I don’t know of anyone. I swear.”

  Wade kissed her forehead and then her lips. “Okay, then. Let’s get lunch.”

  “I’ve lost my appetite.”

  “You’ll get it back as soon as you have a taste of Megan’s veggie burger. She makes them just for me, and they’re so good.” He put his arm around her and directed her toward Elm Street, which they crossed on the way to the diner.

  Mia’s body was rigid with tension. What would she do if he turned his back on her? After only a few days here, the thought of leaving him and Butler and the wonderful Abbott family made her as sad as she’d ever been.

  “Hey,” he said, nudging her with his hip. “It’s not always going to be easy, but we’ll figure out this marriage thing, okay?”

  “It’s not going to work if you don’t trust me.”

  “I know.”

  “I’ve told you everything you need to know about me, Brody, the case, my life in Rutland, my life before Rutland. I’ve been honest with you about everything.”

  “Okay.”

  “So that’s it?” On the sidewalk outside the diner, she turned to face him. “You’re going to trust me now?”

  “I’m going to trust you.”

  “I didn’t just come here because I needed protection from Brody.”

  “No?”

  She shook her head. “I came because of you, because of what I’ve felt for you for such a long time.” Tears filled her eyes. “It was more about you than anything else.”

  He put his arms around her and held her close to him. “I felt all the same things. I still do. I’ve never been happier to see anyone in my life than I was to see you on my doorstep the other night.”

  “Even half frozen and black and blue?” she asked, seeking a bit of levity.

  “Even then.” Wade kissed her and wiped away a tear that slipped down her cheek. “After lunch, I’ll call Grayson and ask him to get in touch with the reporter at the Herald and see if he can find out where that info came from.”

  Nodding, she looked up at him. “Are we okay?”

  “We’re great. I’m a big fan of open communication, but I wasn’t sure how to bring this up with you.”

  “Whatever it is, just say it. Don’t stew over things. Put them out there.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  “Did we just have our first fight?” she asked, smiling.

  “Nah, that wasn’t a fight.”

  “I don’t want to fight with you. I’ve had enough fighting to last me a lifetime.”

  “I know, honey. No more fighting.”

  She loved how he kept his hand on her lower back as they went up the stairs and into the diner, where everything came to an abrupt halt when they walked in.

  Wade helped her out of her coat and hung it on the same hook as his. “Hey, everyone, this is my wife, Mia. Feel free to say hello, but do me a favor and try not to stare.”

  People offered murmured greetings as they went over to a table where Hannah sat across from Nolan, who held baby Callie on his lap. They moved in to make room for Wade and Mia.

  “Did my brother just make a public declaration?” Hannah asked incredulously.

  “Shut up, Hannah,” Wade grumbled as he slid in next to his sister.

  Mia felt her face go hot with embarrassment. It would take a while to get used to the sibling dynamics in the Abbott family.

  “I’m seriously impressed,” Hannah continued, clearly not taking Wade’s advice to shut up. “My Wade Abbott doesn’t make speeches.”

  “He doesn’t usually muzzle his sisters either,” Wade said, “but he’s always willing to make an exception.”

  Nolan snorted with laughter.

  “Don’t laugh at him,” Hannah said. “You know the rules. You’re either with them or you’re with me—and if you’re with them, you don’t get any—”

  Wade put his hand over her mouth. “I have no desire to know how that sentence ends.”

  “I think it involves desire,” Nolan said.

  Hannah nodded.

  Mia laughed.

  “What a shit show this family is,” Wade said, dropping his hand from Hannah’s face.

  “You’re just realizing that now?” Nolan asked.

  “Nah, I’ve known it for thirty-one years, but it’s been extra shit-showy recently.”

  “Gee, I wonder why?” Hannah asked, batting her eyelashes. “Could it be because you came home with a brand-new wife that none of your family members had ever met?”

  “Do we have to do this in front of said wife?” Wade asked.

  “She’s an Abbott now.” To Mia, she added, “Consider this orientation.”

  “I hate my life,” Wade muttered.

  “No, you don’t,” Mia said with a meaningful smile that set Hannah off into hysterics.

  Wade reached across the table for the baby. “Come see Uncle Wade and save me from your mean old mommy.”

  Nolan handed her over, along with a cloth diaper. “Watch out. She just ate, so she’s apt to be explosive.”

  “That�
��s okay,” Wade said, expertly handling the baby, who looked up at him with big brown eyes full of wonder.

  Mia knew that feeling. He had the same effect on her. Watching him with the baby did funny things to her insides. Was it possible for ovaries to melt? If so, hers were tingling. She’d never had a strong desire to be a mother, but seeing him holding a baby stirred something new in her, something she’d never felt before it was possible that he might be the father of her children.

  Whoa. Talk about getting ahead of yourself, she thought. He barely trusts you, and you’re picturing him with your children. One step at a time. Their conversation had left her feeling rattled and out of sync with him for the first time. One of the things she’d always liked best about him was how easy their relationship was. Of course, it was easy then—they’d been casual friends who occasionally met for coffee. Now they were married, she was embroiled in Brody’s case, and she and Wade had never even been on a date.

  That gave her an idea… They needed to go on a date. Maybe if she planned something romantic for them, he would understand how badly she wanted their relationship to work, despite the odds stacked against it.

  She would show him he could trust her and that her affection for him was the most honest thing in her life. No matter what she had to do.

  Chapter 18

  “Happiness is only real when shared.”

  —Christopher McCandless

  Wade bounced Callie on his knee and kept his focus on the baby so he wouldn’t be tempted to stare at his gorgeous wife. People were already talking about them. He didn’t need to add fuel to the Butler fire by being obviously smitten in public. He’d gone from uncertain to reassured by their conversation in the parking lot. She’d been straightforward and forthcoming and had vowed to be entirely honest with him. He couldn’t ask for anything more than that.

  Someone had told the paper about them. He’d get Gray to find out who. She swore it wasn’t her, and he believed her. What point would there be to her blowing their cover when that info could put them both in danger?

  He was used to living a fairly simple life, so the complications that came with her would take some getting used to. Like he’d told her, trust wasn’t formed overnight, but she’d promised to be honest with him, and that was all he could ask for.

  That was certainly better than thinking she’d played him for a fool.

  Watching her interact with his sister and brother-in-law put him back on an even keel. She laughed and joked with Hannah and held her own with Nolan when talking about cars and the things her grandfather had taught her.

  Megan came to take their order, apologizing for making them wait.

  “No worries,” Hannah said. “Better us than real customers.”

  “True,” Megan said, grinning. “What can I get you?”

  Hannah and Nolan ordered turkey clubs.

  “I hear the veggie burgers are the best,” Mia said.

  “You know it,” Megan replied. “I make them special for my special brother-in-law.”

  “I’d love to try one,” Mia said.

  “Coming right up.” She took the menus off the table and left to get the drinks they’d ordered.

  “You don’t have to order?” Mia asked Wade.

  “Nope. She knows what I want. I’m a regular.”

  “I go back and forth between the club and the grilled cheese when she has tomato soup,” Hannah said.

  “Ohhh, I love tomato soup,” Mia said.

  Wade added that to the growing list of things he was learning about her.

  “She usually has it on Fridays,” Hannah said. “How sad is it that I have the diner schedule memorized?”

  “Very sad,” Wade said.

  “Try being home with a baby all day. The diner is the hub of my social life.” Hannah ran a hand over the baby’s cap of dark hair. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way, would I, pumpkin?”

  Hannah had waited a long time to be a mom and lit up with joy whenever she looked at baby Callie. Wade admired his oldest sister more than just about anyone he knew. After what she’d been through losing Caleb so tragically, it would’ve been easier for her to avoid new love. She’d taken a chance with Nolan and now had everything she’d ever wished for, but she and Nolan still managed to honor Caleb in so many ways, especially in the touching name they had given their daughter.

  Wade looked up to find Mia watching him intently as he entertained the baby. He wondered what she was thinking.

  Megan brought their food, and they dug in.

  “Good, right?” he asked Mia when she tried the veggie burger.

  “Delicious. Best one I’ve ever had.”

  Wade continued to hold Callie so Hannah could eat. He juggled the baby and his veggie burger while dodging Callie’s efforts to grab everything she could reach.

  “Damn, she’s quick,” Wade said.

  “She’s got great hands, like her daddy,” Hannah said, smiling suggestively at her husband.

  “Eww,” Wade said. “Gross. Not in front of the baby.”

  “Oh, the things she’s already seen,” Hannah said, shivering dramatically.

  “Hannah,” Nolan said, his face flushing with embarrassment. “For Christ’s sake. Knock it off.”

  “Oh stop. Don’t be a prude. Everyone knows we’re married, which means we do it as much as we can.”

  Nolan waved a hand at Megan. “Check, please.”

  “Is Hannah talking about sex again?” Megan asked as she put their check on the table.

  “She’s so inappropriate,” Nolan said, tossing cash on the check before Wade could grab his wallet. “Like her mother.”

  The baby lunged for the sweet potato fries Megan had added to the menu at Wade’s request.

  “You love when I’m inappropriate,” Hannah said.

  “I’m going to lock you up and throw away the key if you don’t stop embarrassing me every chance you get,” her husband replied.

  “Ohh, can we play that game tonight?”

  “Mia, you’re going to have to let me out of this booth before my wife succeeds in completely mortifying me.”

  Laughing, Mia got up to let Nolan out and gasped, which had them all looking at the sight outside the diner—Fred strolling down Elm Street with the little moose calf trailing behind him.

  Hannah let out a shriek that startled her daughter. “Let me out, Wade!”

  Wade slid out of the booth, and Hannah rushed by him.

  “Oh, for God’s sake,” Nolan said as he went after her.

  “Hannah thinks she’s a moose whisperer,” Wade said, bouncing the baby gently to settle her. “Your mommy is a loon.”

  “She’s going right up to him!” Mia said.

  “She does that. I’ll stay with the baby. Go watch Nolan lose his shit. It’s always entertaining.”

  Hannah approached Fred and the little one, holding out her hand to Fred, who usually nuzzled her palm. Today, he didn’t seem as happy to see her as he usually was, which only added to Nolan’s anxiety.

  “Hannah,” Nolan said from behind her, his heart in his throat as he watched his tiny wife approach the gigantic moose. “Freeze.”

  “I just want to see the baby.” She took another step toward Fred and the calf, who tucked in closer to Fred. “Hi, little one. What’s your name?”

  “Do you honestly expect an answer?” Nolan asked, exasperated.

  Things had come to a halt on Elm Street while everyone watched Hannah and Fred, just like always when Hannah decided she needed to get up close and personal with the town moose, who was still, as Nolan liked to tell her, a wild animal.

  “Are you a girl moose, Fred?” Hannah asked.

  “Nope, he ain’t,” a voice said from behind them.

  Dude and Skeeter joined them.

  “Then what’s he doing with a baby moose?” Hannah asked.

  “Hard tellin’,” Dude said. “Perhaps the baby lost his mama and attached himself to Fred. He doesn’t look too happy about it.”
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br />   “How can you tell?” Hannah asked, her brows furrowing adorably.

  “He seems tense and troubled,” Dude said.

  To Nolan, he looked like a moose—a very big moose. How could she tell he was tense or troubled?

  “It’s in his eyes,” Dude said.

  Nolan didn’t see it, but they didn’t call her Snow White for nothing. “Um, Hannah, we have our own baby to think about. Wade is probably ready for some relief.”

  “I just want to pet the little guy.” Before the words could register with him, she was moving around behind Fred to where the baby moose was huddled.

  “Hannah!” In the span of a second, a thousand horrible outcomes ran through his mind, including his precious wife being kicked by a moose. He went after her, took her by the arm, drew her back against him and out of harm’s way.

  “Let me go, Nolan. I want to see the baby.”

  “You’re not going near that moose, so cut it out.”

  “You ruin all my fun.”

  “Pardon me if I like you alive.”

  Fred ambled off toward the far end of town, and the little guy scrambled to keep up with him.

  “That poor baby has lost his mother,” Hannah said.

  He could see she was on the verge of tears.

  “Fred will take care of him,” Dude said.

  “But he doesn’t want to,” Hannah said.

  “Doesn’t mean he won’t.”

  “Maybe you could get him for me,” Hannah said to Dude. “I’d take care of him.”

  “No way, Hannah,” Nolan said. “Absolutely not.”

  Hannah elbowed him in the gut. “Don’t tell me what to do. You’re my husband, not my keeper.”

  “You need a freaking full-time keeper.”

  “I do not. I feel sorry for that poor baby. If that makes me a bad person, so be it.”

  “You’re not a bad person, but there’s a good chance you’re becoming a lunatic over that moose.”

  “Fred and I are old friends. We go back further than you and I do, so you might want to keep that in mind. If it comes down to a choice, you might not come out on top.”

  “Seems to me,” Skeeter said to Nolan, “you might want to quit while you’re ahead.”