by Marie Force
“What happens when he touches you?” he asked gruffly.
“Everything happens. I love him so much. I had no idea this kind of love even existed in the real world.”
“He didn’t know either, baby. It’s the best thing to ever happen to him. And to know he gets to have forever with you…”
“Is that what he wants? Forever?”
“That won’t be long enough for him.”
Emma sighed with contentment. For once, everything was absolutely perfect and about to get even more so. “Are you still coming on Tuesday?”
“I’ll be on a plane the second I can, babe. I’ll be there on Tuesday and every single day from now on.”
“I can’t wait for Tuesday and every day afterward.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Well, three actually…”
His low chuckle made her smile. “To start with.”
The possibility of having more kids with him made her feel giddy rather than overwhelmed. “Guess what else I found out?”
“What’s that?”
“My dad called your mom to check on her about you donating for your dad.”
“Is that right? Maybe he has more than one reason to move to Vermont, too.”
“Wouldn’t that be something?” After a pause, Emma said, “I haven’t even asked how you’re feeling.”
“I have never, in my entire life, felt better than I do right now.”
* * *
Epilogue
Elmer was already at their usual table in the diner when Lincoln came in wearing a smug smile. “You’re looking far too pleased with yourself, my boy,” Elmer said to his son-in-law.
“With very good reason.”
“I gotta give you credit,” Elmer said begrudgingly. “Offering Ray a job was a nice touch.”
“It was the only way Emma was going to accept the offer I made her, and it’s not like we don’t need someone with Ray’s experience to oversee the warehouse project. It’s a win-win all around. Orders are through the roof since the website went live, and our foot traffic in the store is up by ten percent in January.”
Linc didn’t have to tell Elmer that January was usually one of the slowest months of the year in the store. “Great news all around.”
“We’ve got Charley moving in with Tyler and now Grayson looking for a place big enough for three as well as in-law lodging for Ray. Lucy is over the moon that her family is moving north, she and Colton are finally planning their wedding, and baby Callie is getting stronger every day.” Linc rubbed his hands together gleefully. “It’s all coming together. And, in other news, my very talented nephew and your grandson has made Ed Sheehan and his pointless complaint go away.”
“Did he now?”
“Yep. He dropped the complaint after Gray talked to his attorney and made him see he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
“Hot damn. That is good news.”
“Everything’s going our way, my friend.”
“So it seems. Have you heard any more about why Mary is leaving the company?”
“Nothing yet, but I’m working on that. I’ve got Cameron talking to Patrick to see if he can shed any light.”
“There’s a story to be had there. Mark my words.”
“Oh, I know it.”
“What’re you hearing about Coleman?” Elmer asked, scowling.
“Grayson heard from the doctors that he had the transplant. I guess it’s a waiting game now.”
Elmer grunted in response. “Still can’t get over the gall of that guy coming to kids he abandoned, looking for one of them to save his life.”
“Desperate times, I suppose.”
Elmer scowled at that. “Anyway,” he said, “since the last time we talked about our little project, I’ve done some digging into the situation our friend Wade finds himself in with a woman he wants but can’t have.” Elmer withdrew sheets of paper from an envelope and placed them on the table in front of Linc. On the pages were copies of newspaper articles about a huge heroin bust that had gone down in Caledonia County. It had been all over the news for days now.
“What the heck does that have to do with Wade?” Lincoln asked as he scanned the headlines.
“I have reason to believe that the woman our Wade has set his sights on is mixed up with this guy.” He pointed to the photo of a man identified as the ringleader of the drug operation.
“How do you know?”
“The day Caden was born, Wade drove me to Burlington. He told me just enough to give me the gist. I put the rest of it together on my own. The question now is what’re we going to do about it?”
“We’re not doing anything. I don’t want my son mixed up in something like this.”
“I hate to tell you, but he’s already mixed up in it. The boy is miserable, wondering if the woman he cares about is safe. He’s been even more withdrawn than usual lately, and that’s saying something where he’s concerned.”
“Yeah, it’s true. He has been.” Linc leaned in, lowering his voice. “Look, this has been fun, helping the kids along to happily ever after, but I won’t have my son involved in anything dangerous or illegal.”
“We’re talking about true love here, Linc. Doesn’t he at least deserve a chance to find out if she’s suddenly single?”
“What if she’s mixed up in it?” Linc asked, gesturing to the newspaper articles.
“There’s no mention of a woman named Mia anywhere in the documents relating to the case. I read every article that’s been printed about the bust, as well as the police reports and the indictment. She’s not involved.”
“I don’t know about this one, Elmer. I’ve got a bad feeling about it.”
“I’ll confess that I’m not entirely comfortable with it myself. What do you say we keep an eye on the situation?”
“I could live with that.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”
* * *
Thank you for reading Every Little Thing! I hope you loved Grayson and Emma’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. It’s always so fun to return to Butler and revisit the Abbotts, the Colemans and, of course, Elmer and Fred the moose! Much more to come from Vermont! Next up, I hope to sneak in a novella called Can’t Buy Me Love, about Patrick and Mary. Turn the page to see the cover of Can’t Buy Me Love and a link to get more information. The next full-length book will feature Wade Abbott and will be called Here Comes the Sun. Make sure you’re on my newsletter mailing list at marieforce.com to keep up with all the news from Vermont.
When you finish reading Every Little Thing, join the Every Little Thing Reader Group at to talk about the book with spoilers allowed. Make sure you’re also a member of the Green Mountain Reader Group at to keep up on news about the series. Some of you have asked if the group name will change to reflect the new Butler, Vermont series name, and the answer is no, because Facebook doesn’t allow us to change the name of groups with a membership as big as we have in the GM group. So the group name will remain the same even as the series shifts toward Butler, Vermont.
A big thank you to my HTJB team, Julie Cupp, Lisa Cafferty, Holly Sullivan, Isabel Sullivan, Nikki Colquhoun, Cheryl Serra, Ashley Lopez and Courtney Lopes, as well as my beta readers, Anne Woodall and Kara Conrad, and my editorial team of Linda Ingmanson and Joyce Lamb. I so appreciate everything you all do to keep things running smoothly while I write the books. Thank you as always to Sarah Spate Morrison, Family Nurse Practitioner, for her help with all things medical—dislocated elbows and premature babies and bone marrow transplants—oh my!
And to my readers, thank you for following me from Green Mountain to Butler. I promise we’re just getting started with this series, and there is a lot more to look forward to from Vermont. I always love to hear from you. Get in touch any time at [email protected].
xoxo
Marie
* * *
RELEASE WEEK GIVEAWAY!
Now that you’ve finished reading Every Little Thing, you’re e
ligible to enter to win this fabulous Vermont prize pack! Entries must be received by midnight Saturday, Feb. 18.
ONE grand prize winner will receive:
Butler, Vermont sweatshirt
Green Mountain pajama pants
Green Mountain fleece hat
Fred the Moose
Signed copies of all 6 books in the Green Mountain Series and Every Little Thing
Maple syrup and Moose Munch
Green Mountain charm bracelet
$100 gift card to the Vermont Country Store
$50 gift card to book retailer of choice
TWO runners up will receive:
Signed copies of all 6 books in the Green Mountain Series and Every Little Thing
Choice of a Butler, Vermont or Green Mountain apparel item
Fred the Moose
Green Mountain charm bracelet
Maple syrup and Moose Munch
$20 gift card to book retailer of choice
To enter to win this fun release week prize package, here's what you have to do:
* * *
1. Take a short 15-question quiz on the content of the book. All entries must be received by midnight on Saturday, Feb. 18.
2. Join my newsletter mailing list
Click here to take the quiz and enter the contest: http://marieforce.com/eltreleasecontest/
* * *
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Coming up next in the Butler, Vermont Series, Patrick and Mary’s story, Can’t Buy Me Love!
Find out more about Can’t Buy Me Love here: http://marieforce.com/cbmlsignup/
* * *
Other Books By Marie Force
Download A FREE Sample of Books by Marie Force
* * *
Love Always Boxed Set, First Books in Four of Marie’s Bestselling Series
* * *
Contemporary Romances Available from Marie Force
* * *
The Gansett Island Series
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 1-10.5
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 1-3
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 4-6
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 7-9
Book 1: Maid for Love
Book 2: Fool for Love
Book 3: Ready for Love
Book 4: Falling for Love
Book 5: Hoping for Love
Book 6: Season for Love
Book 7: Longing for Love
Book 8: Waiting for Love
Book 9: Time for Love
Book 10: Meant for Love
Book 10.5: Chance for Love, A Gansett Island Novella
Book 11: Gansett After Dark
Book 12: Kisses After Dark
Book 13: Love After Dark
Book 14: Celebration After Dark
Book 15: Desire After Dark
Book 16: Light After Dark
Gansett Island Episodes: Season 1, Episode 1
* * *
The Green Mountain Series
Book 1: All You Need Is Love
Book 2: I Want to Hold Your Hand
Book 3: I Saw Her Standing There
Book 4: And I Love Her
Novella: You'll Be Mine
Book 5: It's Only Love
Book 6: Ain’t She Sweet
* * *
The Butler, Vermont Series
(Continuation of Green Mountain)
Book 1: Every Little Thing
* * *
The Treading Water Series
10th Anniversary Treading Water Boxed Set
Book 1: Treading Water
Book 2: Marking Time
Book 3: Starting Over
Book 4: Coming Home
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Single Titles
Sex Machine
The Single Titles Boxed Set
Georgia on My Mind
True North
The Fall
Line of Scrimmage (New Edition Coming Soon!)
Love at First Flight (New Edition Coming Soon!)
Everyone Loves a Hero (New Edition Coming Soon!)
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Books from M. S. Force
The Quantum Series
Quantum Boxed Set, Books 1-4
Book 1: Virtuous
Book 2: Valorous
Book 3: Victorious
Book 4: Rapturous
Book 5: Ravenous
Book 6: Delirious
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Romantic Suspense Novels Available from Marie Force
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The Fatal Series
One Night With You, A Fatal Series Prequel Novella
Book 1: Fatal Affair
Book 2: Fatal Justice
Book 3: Fatal Consequences
Book 3.5: Fatal Destiny The Wedding Novella
Book 4: Fatal Flaw
Book 5: Fatal Deception
Book 6: Fatal Mistake
Book 7: Fatal Jeopardy
Book 8: Fatal Scandal
Book 9: Fatal Frenzy
Book 10: Fatal Identity
Book 11: Fatal Threat
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Single Title
The Wreck
About the Author
Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 contemporary romances, including the Gansett Island Series, which has sold nearly 3 million books, and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books, which has sold 1.5 million books. In addition, she is the author of the Butler, Vermont Series, the Green Mountain Series and the erotic romance Quantum Series, written under the slightly modified name of M.S. Force. All together, her books have sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide!
Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news.
Join Marie's mailing list for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter @marieforce and on Instagram. Join one of Marie's many reader groups. Contact Marie at [email protected].