Butler, Vermont Series Boxed Set, Books 1-3

by Marie Force

  “Wade. Apparently, he got married yesterday.”

  Megan blinked. “Seriously?”

  “Ah, yeah, sounds that way.”

  “Who’d he marry?”

  “Her name is Mia, and apparently, he’s known her a long time.”

  “Whoa. That’s unexpected.”

  “No kidding, but then again, if any of us were going to show up out of the blue with a wife, it’d be Wade. He keeps to himself. We never know what’s going on with him. But he said Hannah knew about it, so I’m going to call her and get the scoop.”

  He’d put through the call before he questioned the wisdom of calling his sister so early. Hopefully, they were up.

  “What?” Hannah mumbled.

  Okay, not up. “Sorry. Call me back when you’re awake.”

  “I’m awake now.”

  “I thought Callie would have you up.”

  “She was up at five thirty, and I got her to go back to sleep.”

  “Call me later. I wanted to know the deal with Wade.”

  “Mia came, and he married her,” Hannah said, sounding wide awake. “It’s the best thing ever!”

  “Who the hell is Mia, and how do you know about her when no one else did?”

  “I think Ella did, too.”

  “Hannah! Who is she?”

  “Quit your bellowing, will ya? He met her at a yoga retreat almost two years ago.”

  “Why haven’t we ever heard about her?”

  “Because he wasn’t with her, until now.”

  “Wait a minute…”

  “She’s been in a bad relationship that got worse when the guy got arrested in that big drug bust in Caledonia County. From what Mom told me, he was pressuring her to marry him so she couldn’t testify against him. He beat her up, she bolted the first chance she got and came to find Wade.”

  In total shock, Hunter tried to wrap his head around what she was saying. “Are you kidding me right now?” He wouldn’t put it past her to make up a crazy story and then tell him it was a joke.

  “Not kidding.”

  Hunter felt sick at the thought of his brother in any kind of danger, and this sounded dangerous, at the very least. “How could you know this and not tell me?”

  “I heard about it last night and tried to call you, but your machine picked up.”

  “Oh. Sorry. I was… busy.”

  She snorted out a laugh. “I remember what that was like. Then I had a baby…”

  “Who’s the most beautiful little girl in the entire world.”

  “She is rather perfect.”

  “Let me know if you hear anything else, will you? I don’t like the sound of this. I can only imagine what Mom and Dad had to say about it.”

  “Mom was freaked, but Dad reminded her that Wade is thirty-one and doesn’t require their permission—or ours, for that matter—to get married.”

  “It’s weird, Hannah. People don’t just get married out of the blue. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “All I know is that he’s wanted her from the time he first met her, and he’s been worried sick about her for a long time. When she showed up asking him to marry her, he got exactly what he wanted.”

  “I… I don’t even know what to say.”

  “When you see him, you say, ‘Congratulations, Wade. I couldn’t be happier for you.’”

  “Even if I have huge reservations about this?”

  “Even if. Like Dad said, he’s a grown man who has the right to make his own decisions, just like you did when no one was certain Megan was good enough for you. We had to let you decide for yourself.”

  “Touché. Is she good enough for him, Han?”

  “I don’t know, but he thinks so, and that has to be good enough for us. For now anyway.”

  “He wants me to find her a job at the store.”

  “So find her a job at the store.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Hunter, he’s married to her. That makes her family. You’re running a family business. Find her a job.”

  “All right already, I will.”

  “Remember what it was like when you first got together with Megan and show him some support.”

  “Anything else, bossy one?”

  “Yes, let me know when you and Megan want to babysit your godchild. She’s been asking for you both, and her parents desperately need a date night.”

  Hunter laughed. “Sure thing. Next weekend.”

  “Don’t commit until you’re sure. I couldn’t handle the disappointment.”

  Hunter glanced at Megan. “Can we babysit the adorable Callie Roberts one night next weekend?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Did you hear my wife? We’d love to. It’s on. Pick your night.”

  “Saturday, seven o’clock. I’ll have her fed, bathed and ready for night-night.”

  “We’ll be there.”

  “I’m hanging up before you can change your mind.” The line went dead.

  “She hung up before I could change my mind,” Hunter said to Megan.

  Megan cracked up. “Needs a break, does she?”

  “Sounds that way.”

  “What’d she say about Wade?”

  “That we need to be supportive and I need to find a job for his wife, who I’ve never met.”

  Megan patted his chest. “You’ll meet her soon enough.”

  “You don’t think it’s at all weird that he married someone none of us have ever met?”

  “It’s definitely weird, but so is he—and I say that with true affection. He’s a very cool person, but he’s nothing like the rest of you. If he didn’t look like Will and Max, I’d think he was adopted.”

  Pondering what she’d said, Hunter put his arm around her to bring her closer to him. “He’s always been ‘unto himself,’ as my mom used to say when we were younger. The rest of us would be doing one thing, and Wade would be off on his own doing something else. It wasn’t that he didn’t get along with us, because he did. He just marched to his own beat.”

  “Then it should hardly surprise you that he’s married someone none of you know.”

  “Sorry, but that does surprise me. Even for Wade, that’s bizarre.”

  “But you won’t say that to him, right?”

  “No, I won’t, and don’t worry, Hannah has already said the same thing. I’m to be ‘supportive,’ the way everyone tried to be with me when you and I first got together and they weren’t sure how they felt about it.”

  “Because they thought I was too caught up in my former crush on Will to ever be what you need.”

  “Something like that.” Smiling at her, he said, “But we know you turned out to be just what I needed, don’t we?”

  “Uh-huh. I believe we did a very good job of proving that yesterday.”

  Other than the few hours he’d given to the search for the missing boys, they hadn’t left the house since Friday night.

  “Do you think it worked? Did I succeed in knocking you up?”

  “We’ll find out soon enough.”

  “How soon?”

  “Soon.”

  Hunter groaned. “I can’t wait that long.”

  Laughing, she patted his arm. “I’ll keep you very well occupied so you don’t have time to think about it.”

  “It’s all I’ll think about until we know.”

  Chapter 10

  “We make no greater voluntary choice in this life than the selection of a marriage partner.” —James E. Faust

  While waiting for Mia to wake up, Wade went through his morning yoga and meditation routine, needing to find his center to face the day ahead. While she gave her statement to the police, he would stay by her side every second. Never again would she be alone with the terrible burden she had lived with for so long on her own. She had him now, and he was determined to get her through whatever had to happen to gain her freedom from Brody and the horror of their relationship.

  No matter what she needed, he would find a way to get it for her. W
hatever it took to make her whole again. In the meantime, he would surround her with love and a big supportive family, and he would have her back, come what may.

  Wearing only his flannel shirt from yesterday, buttoned once over her breasts, Mia came out of the bedroom as he was finishing Savasana, also known as the “corpse pose” in yoga, the most relaxing of all the many poses.

  “Did you start without me?” she asked, smiling.

  Wade could only stare at the face that had haunted his dreams for so many lonely nights, and now she was here, vividly real and married to him.

  She waved her hand. “Earth to Wade. Are you there?”

  “Yeah, I’m here, but I’m still having trouble believing you’re here, too, and that last night really happened.”

  Kneeling on the foot of his mat, she rested her hands on his knees. “I’m here, this is real and last night most definitely happened.”

  Wade sat up, framed her face with his hands and kissed her. “Morning.”

  “Morning. I was sad to wake up without you.”

  “I was awake and didn’t want to bother you.”

  “Next time, bother me. I would’ve worked out with you. If you wanted me to.”

  “I want you to.” He who had craved space and solitude his entire life now wanted to spend every waking moment in the presence of another human being for the first time ever. “Definitely.”

  “Then you’ll wake me up tomorrow?”

  “I will.” He kissed her again. “And now I need a shower.”

  “So do I. Someone got me dirty last night.” Her lips curved into a coy smile that stopped his heart. “You want some company?”

  Picturing her naked and wet made him immediately hard. “Ah, yeah, but only if it’s you.”

  She raised a brow as she stood and offered him a hand to pull him up. “Were you expecting someone else?”

  Wade was thrilled to discover that under her serious exterior lay a playful side she’d had to keep hidden until now. “I wasn’t expecting you, and look at us now.”

  “Mmm,” she said, laying her hands on his bare chest. “Look at us now.” She curled her hand around his neck and brought him down for a deep, sexy, toe-curling kiss. “Now that I’m allowed to do that anytime I want to, you might get tired of me wanting to.”

  “No. Never.” She made him pant with desire. “Kiss me anytime you want, anywhere you want.”

  “Anywhere?”

  “Anywhere.” Wade felt like a dog in heat as he followed her into the bathroom. The lower hem of his shirt just missed covering the bottom of her gorgeous ass. He wanted to sink to his knees and kiss the sweet, tantalizing curves that taunted him.

  “Wade?”

  Tearing his gaze off her ass, he realized she’d been speaking to him. “Sorry. The stupendous view inspired some rather detailed fantasies.”

  “Is that so? Like what?”

  He turned her away from him, dropped to his knees and ran his hands up the backs of her legs to cup the cheeks that had held him captive. “Such as this.” He kissed and nibbled and licked each inch of delicious flesh until her legs trembled so hard, she had no choice but to lean on the sink or fall over.

  “Grab the shirt,” he said gruffly.

  She lifted it up and out of his way.

  Using his thumbs, he opened her to his tongue and made her come hard in a matter of minutes.

  He whipped off the shorts he’d worn to do yoga and buried himself in her, riding the waves of her orgasm.

  Her fingers gripped the edge of the sink as he sank into her over and over again until she came again. In a single moment of clarity, he realized he’d forgotten a condom and pulled out before it was too late, coming on her back.

  Good God… He’d never been so completely overtaken by desire. Not like that anyway, and not so much that he didn’t give a thought to protection until it was nearly too late. When his head stopped spinning, he helped her up and out of his shirt and into the shower, where he washed off her back and held her under the steamy spray. “I was rough with you. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. In case you couldn’t tell, I loved it.”

  “You made me so crazy, I forgot the condom. That’s never happened before.”

  She smiled up at him. “I’ve always been careful about protection. The last thing I wanted was a baby with Brody. I’m on the pill.”

  “Still… We should, you know, get tested before we give up the condoms.”

  “I was tested recently. I’m clean if you are.”

  “I am. So this means…”

  “No need for condoms.”

  “Thank you, Jesus.”

  They took turns washing each other, and he was fully aroused again in no time. “I’m not sure what kind of spell you’ve cast on me, but whatever it is, it sure feels good.”

  She turned to face him, her breasts pressed to his chest and her arms curled around his neck. “You’ve put the same spell on me.”

  Wade kissed her, slowly, deeply, tenderly, never stopping until the water began to run cool. He helped her out of the shower, dried her off and led her right back to bed to finish what they’d started in the shower. It had taken less than forty-eight hours to become completely and utterly addicted to her.

  They dragged themselves out of bed to clean up and get dressed with minutes to spare before the officers arrived to take her statement about the assault.

  She put on another of his shirts over the same pair of jeans she’d been wearing when she arrived. “I need to go home to get my clothes and stuff at some point.”

  “Point of order,” Wade said. “This is your home now.”

  “My apologies. I meant the place I used to live.”

  “Let’s see what the cops say about getting you in there.” He fixed her coffee and made toast for her, offering peanut butter or jam for her to choose from.

  She picked the raspberry preserves they sold in the store and had just finished eating when a knock on the door brought them back to reality.

  Wade went to answer the door to two uniformed officers and another man. He stepped aside to invite them in.

  The men in uniform introduced themselves as officers Brinkman and St. Germain from the Vermont State Police.

  “I’m Larry Herschler,” the third man said. “US attorney for Vermont.”

  As he shook the man’s hand, Wade experienced a sinking feeling. The US attorney himself had come? “I’m Wade Abbott.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” Larry said.

  “Hi, Larry.” Mia greeted him with a handshake. “Thanks for coming.”

  “I heard from your attorney, Mr. Coleman, yesterday, and I understand congratulations are in order,” he said, glancing from her to Wade.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “I wish you’d called me rather than taking off.”

  Mia raised her chin defiantly. “I came to the one person I knew I could trust to look out for me.”

  Hearing that, Wade felt his heart swell with love for her. That she had so much faith in him amazed and humbled him.

  “Fair enough.” Larry took a long, intense look at the bruises on Mia’s face. “I can’t believe he did this on top of everything else.”

  “I believe it,” she said, her voice returning to the dull, flat tone Wade recognized from when she’d first arrived. She sounded nothing at all like the happy woman she’d been only a few minutes ago when it had just been the two of them. “Nothing makes Brody unhappier than not getting his own way. It’s not the first time he did this to me.”

  Wade put his arm around her. “But it will be the last.”

  “Yes, it will.” Larry turned to the officers. “Go ahead and give the order.”

  One of the cops nodded and stepped outside.

  Wade sat with Mia on one sofa while Larry sat across from them. The other cop stood by the door.

  “What order is he giving?” Wade asked.

  “They’re going to arrest Brody for domestic assault,” Larry said. “H
is bail will be revoked until he goes to trial.”

  Mia released a deep sigh of relief. Over the next hour, she gave a detailed account of the assault to Officer Brinkman, who took notes and asked what seemed like a hundred questions.

  Wade hoped she wouldn’t have to tell that story again anytime soon. Each telling seemed to diminish her more than the one before.

  Then Brinkman took pictures of the bruises on her face and ribs.

  Mia held up her shirt, her gaze fixed on the ceiling, humiliation radiating from her.

  Wade hated that she had to go through this, but whatever it took to nail the bastard who had hurt her. “What happens now?” he asked when Brinkman said he had what he needed to file the report and would get it into the system before the end of the day.

  “We need to talk about keeping you safe until the trial,” Larry said.

  A pang of fear hit Wade in the chest. “When will that be?”

  “Six to nine months, possibly longer.”

  That seemed like a lifetime to have this hanging over her head, and judging by the rigid set to Mia’s shoulders, she felt the same way.

  “I know it sounds like forever,” she said softly.

  Clearly, she’d already been told how long it would take.

  “It’s a very complicated case, as you know,” Larry said. “We want to ensure we’ve built an airtight case before we go to trial. The last thing we want is for him to walk.”

  “That’s the last thing I want, too,” she said.

  “If Brody will be in jail until the trial, why are you worried about Mia’s safety?” Wade asked.

  “He has friends,” Larry said bluntly. “A lot of friends, many of them caught up in the case against him.”

  Wade felt sick at the thought of her being stalked by criminals intent on keeping her from testifying against that scumbag Brody.

  “Our case hinges on your testimony, Mia,” Larry said.

  “Wait a minute,” Wade said. “Your case hinges on her?” He looked at Mia. “What does he mean?”

  “I was the one who figured out what Brody was really doing,” she said in a small voice. “I reported him.”

  As if a trapdoor had been opened under him, Wade experienced a dropping sensation. She hadn’t thought that was an important detail to convey to him before he married her? Not that he would’ve done anything differently, but it left him wondering what else he didn’t know about the woman he’d married.