by Force, Marie
“I want to be clear,” Wade said. “I’m doing this for one reason and one reason only—because I want to. Not because of the legal case or to get her free of him, but because, from the moment I met Mia, I’ve wanted to be with her, and now…” He gazed at her. “I’m going to marry her as soon as possible. Today, if we can make it happen.”
“And then what?” Linc asked.
“What do you mean?” Wade replied.
“What happens after you say ‘I do’ and he finds out she’s married someone else?”
“I’m going to get Gray involved with the legal end of things,” Wade said. “He can file for a restraining order and advise us on other things we can do to keep Mia safe until after the trial, when we hope he’ll be sent away for a long time.”
“If you report the fact that he beat you,” Linc said, “they’re apt to revoke his bail.”
“You wouldn’t have to get married if they put him in jail,” Molly added.
“What if they don’t?” Mia asked. “Brody… He… He isolated me. My mother, the only real family I have, lives in New Mexico with her third husband, and I’ve lost touch with the friends I had before I met him. His efforts to control me started slowly. Over time, my friends stopped calling, and the only new friend I made in years is Wade. I stopped contacting him after a while because I was afraid Brody would find out and think it was something it wasn’t. I… I didn’t want him to cause trouble for Wade.”
“So what’ll happen when he finds out you’re married to Wade?” Max asked. “Won’t he cause trouble for Wade then?”
Molly wanted to thank him for asking what she most wanted to know.
“I don’t suppose there’s anything he can do after we’re married,” Mia said, glancing at Wade.
“He could have my brother killed to get him out of the way,” Max said bluntly. “If he would beat a woman the way he did you, burn down someone’s home and threaten people, I’d be concerned about what he’d do to the man who took the woman he considers his from him.”
Molly felt like she was going to be sick.
Mia’s face had gone pale. “I… I don’t think…”
“That’s not going to happen,” Wade said emphatically. “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself and Mia.”
Lincoln cleared his throat, and all eyes turned to him. “I want to say something, and I want you to listen to me, son. I totally and completely understand why you want to do this. You care for Mia, and she’s obviously in a bad spot. After hearing what she’s been through, I want to help her. I want to get Gray over here and find out what we can do from a legal standpoint to protect her from this guy. There’ve got to be things we can do, short of you two getting married.”
“I’m sure there are things we can do, and we will do all of them—after we’re married.” Wade stood and offered a hand to Mia. “Let’s get going. We’ve got things to do.”
Molly stood. “Wade—”
“I heard you,” Wade said. “I heard everything you all said, and I appreciate your concern. I’m going to marry Mia—today. I really hope we can count on your support.”
“We’ll always support you both,” Lincoln said, “but you have to understand why we feel the way we do.”
“I understand,” Mia said. “And I’m so sorry to have dragged Wade and the rest of you into my nightmare. If I’d had anywhere else to go…”
Wade put his arm around her. “You did the right thing coming to me, and we’re going to get you free of him. Let’s go see my aunt Hannah about a marriage license.” To his mother, he said, “Later, we’ll have a real wedding and have everyone there. Today is about legalities.”
As she watched them go, a jolt of panic made Molly want to chase after them and try to talk some sense into her son. Her husband’s tense expression told her he felt the same way.
“This is totally F’d up,” Max said softly. “He can’t marry her. He barely knows her.”
“You heard what he said,” Linc said. “Not only can he marry her, he fully intends to.”
“What can we do?” Max asked, expressing the same desperation Molly felt.
“There’s nothing we can do,” Linc said. “Your brother is thirty-one years old and has the right to do whatever he wants, even if we don’t agree.”
“Linc…” Molly stared at him imploringly.
“We can’t stop him, honey,” he said gently. “All we can do is support them and hope for the best.”
Molly had never felt so anxious or afraid.
Wade helped Mia into his truck. It wasn’t like him to disregard his parents’ advice or do something that obviously upset them. He tended to toe the line and do what was expected of him, so he understood that his plans had shocked and dismayed them, especially after they heard the circumstances under which Mia had sought him out.
He got where they were coming from, and if the roles had been reversed, he’d probably say the same things. But they had no way to know how he’d felt about Mia from the day they met, and how he’d suffered over not knowing if she was safe after she’d stopped contacting him.
Now that she had sought him out and asked for his help, there was nothing that would stop him from helping her, not even his parents’ obvious disapproval.
“I’m really sorry,” she said as he backed the truck out of his parents’ driveway.
“You have no reason to be sorry.”
“Your parents are very upset, and rightfully so. They don’t know me from Adam, and here I am showing up, asking their son to marry me so I won’t be forced to marry a violent drug dealer.”
Wade reached over to take her hand. “They have no way to know about the bond we’ve shared from the beginning, because I never told them about you. If I had, this wouldn’t come as such a shock to them. My sisters Hannah and Ella won’t be surprised. They know how I feel about you and how upset I’ve been since you stopped calling me.”
“I’ve caused you so much heartache. Maybe it would be better if you took me to the airport and I disappeared.”
“It wouldn’t be better. If you think there’s been heartache before, that’s nothing compared to what would happen after having you here with me and us talking about getting married. I’d never get over it if you ran away, so please don’t do that to me.”
They drove in silence the short distance to his aunt’s house, but his mind raced with thoughts and details and an almost desperate need to permanently bind himself to her. He’d certainly never had such a thought about any other woman, which was why he felt so certain he was doing the right thing by marrying her.
He pulled into his aunt Hannah’s driveway and cut the engine. “She’s apt to say some of the same things my parents said. It won’t matter, so please don’t worry that I’m going to change my mind, okay?”
“Okay,” she said with a sigh.
Wade got out of the truck and went around to help her out, guiding her over the snow-packed sidewalk that led to his aunt’s mudroom. He and his siblings had been walking into the Colemans’ house all their lives, so he pushed open the door and stepped into the cinnamon-scented house where his aunt had raised his eight cousins. They kicked off their boots and hung their coats on hooks.
He was surprised to see Ray Mulvaney sitting at the kitchen table, having a cup of coffee with his aunt.
“Hey, Wade,” Hannah said. “Come on in. This is a nice surprise.”
He kissed his aunt’s cheek. “Hi, Auntie. This is Mia. Mia, my aunt Hannah and Ray Mulvaney. His daughter Lucy is engaged to my brother Colton, and his daughter Emma is engaged to my cousin Grayson.”
“Pleased to meet you both,” Mia said, shaking their outstretched hands.
Hannah gasped when she caught sight of the bruises on Mia’s face. “Honey… Good God. What happened to your face?”
“That’s part of why we’re here,” Wade said. “I need a favor.”
“Sure thing,” Hannah said. “Whatever I can do for you.”
“I need a marri
age license.”
Chapter 6
“May this marriage be full of laughter,
our every day a day in paradise.”
—Rumi
Mia watched the shock register on his aunt’s face as well as Ray’s. Like Wade’s parents, they had to be wondering who the hell this woman was who’d suddenly appeared and wanted to marry their son and nephew. And how could she blame them? If her son came home with a bruised and battered woman and wanted to marry her to save her from the man who’d hurt her, she’d feel the same way they did.
“You’re getting married?” Hannah asked, visibly stunned.
“That’s the plan. Can you help me out? I know it’s a Saturday, but our situation is somewhat urgent.”
“Are you… I mean, it’s none of my business, but is there…”
“She’s not pregnant.” Wade smiled at her. “Not yet anyway.” He went on to explain why they were getting married and why they wanted to do it right away.
Listening to him, Mia felt overheated and lightheaded at the same time. The thought of being pregnant with his child filled her with a powerful sense of yearning. In the twelve hours since he’d come home to find her on his doorstep, he’d been more devoted to her than anyone had ever been, and it wouldn’t take long for her to become addicted to the way he made her feel—safe, protected and adored.
After what she’d been through with Brody, she ought to be fearful of becoming involved with another man, but she already knew Wade was Brody’s polar opposite, and she wasn’t strong enough to walk away from the help he offered, even if she knew that would be best for him. She’d once been a strong person, but Brody had systematically chipped away at her self-esteem until she questioned her every instinct except for the one that had led her back to Wade.
Mia could only hope she hadn’t made another huge mistake by involving him. If anything happened to him because of her… She shuddered.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“A little.” That was better than telling him she was so afraid for him that she felt sick.
Wade got up and put another log on his aunt’s woodstove. “Can you issue us a license, Aunt Hannah?”
“I, um… What did your mother have to say about this?”
“She’s not thrilled, but she and my dad understand that I’m old enough to make my own decisions, and my choice is to marry Mia right away.”
The statement was met with a long silence.
Wade never blinked as he met his aunt’s gaze.
Then she sighed, stood and said to Ray, “Excuse me for a minute. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time,” Ray said.
“If you’ll both come with me.” Hannah led them through the mudroom, where she unlocked a door Mia had missed on the way in. From there, they were taken into her office, which had another door on the far side that Mia assumed was how the public accessed the town clerk’s office.
Hannah sat at her desk, fired up her computer and requested Mia’s date of birth, her parents’ names, place of birth and Mia’s address.
“I don’t know my father’s name or place of birth. I know nothing about him.”
“Okay,” Hannah said, making a note.
“Use my address for her,” Wade said.
His aunt glanced at him but continued to type. “Have either of you ever been married?”
“I haven’t,” Wade said, grinning at his aunt.
“I was. Once.”
Wade glanced at Mia, surprise registering in his expression.
“It was a brief moment of madness a long time ago, and we’ve been divorced for eight years.”
“Normally I’d require proof of the divorce.”
“I don’t have it, but I could request a copy of the divorce decree.”
“How long would that take?” Wade asked Hannah.
“A week or more at best.”
“I don’t want to wait that long. She said she’s divorced. Isn’t that enough?”
“I’m going to take your word for it because I trust you, Wade.”
He released an audible sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Hannah printed the form and asked them both to sign it. “After you’re married, the officiant will sign here,” she said, pointing, “and then return it to me within ten days of the wedding. You can be married anywhere in Vermont by a judge, justice of the peace or licensed clergy member.”
“I’m going to get Gramps to do it today,” Wade said.
Hannah folded the form and put it in an envelope before handing it to Wade.
“Thanks again for this. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. I just hope you both know what you’re doing.”
“We do,” he said, kissing her cheek. “Come on, Mia. Let’s go see my grandfather.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Coleman,” Mia said before Wade could lead her from the office.
“Call me Hannah, and you’re welcome.”
They donned their coats and boots in the mudroom.
“See you, Ray,” Wade called.
“Bye, Wade. Congratulations to both of you.”
“Thank you,” Wade said, smiling broadly at Mia.
He was so damned handsome when he smiled like that.
“He’s the first one to congratulate us,” Wade whispered. He held the door for her and followed her to the truck.
She hoped that Ray wouldn’t be the only one to congratulate them, but she had a feeling the good wishes might be few and far between.
“What the hell just happened here?” Hannah asked when she rejoined Ray in the kitchen.
“Seems to me that you just issued a marriage license for your nephew and the woman he’s crazy about.”
“You mean the woman we’ve never laid eyes on before today?”
“It’s a little odd. I’ll give you that, but he sure seems happy.”
“Yeah, he does.” Hannah stewed over it for a minute. “I need to call my sister. Do you mind?”
“Go right ahead. This is the most excitement I’ve had since we saw that action flick last week.”
“I prefer my Saturday mornings a little less exciting,” she said.
“Good to know.”
Hannah had butterflies in her belly—and not for the first time since Ray Mulvaney moved to Butler with his daughter Emma and granddaughter, Simone. He immediately began seeking out her company—and giving her butterflies with the way he looked at her. It had been a very long time since any man had looked at her the way Ray did.
She dialed Molly’s number and waited for her sister to answer.
“I thought I might hear from you,” Molly said. “I assume Wade has been there?”
“Come and gone.”
“Did you give him a license?”
“I did, and I hope it was the right thing to do.”
“As Linc said, there’s not much else we can do but support him, as he’s very determined to go through with this.”
“It’s not like him to be impetuous.”
“I just talked to my Hannah, and she told me that Wade told her about Mia back when she was first starting to date Nolan. Hannah wasn’t at all surprised to hear he’d jumped at the chance to marry her.”
“That gives me some comfort.”
“Me, too, but the fact that she’s running from an obviously dangerous man is what worries me most. How will he react to hearing she married someone else? Max came right out and asked what’s to stop this guy from murdering his brother when he finds out Wade married Mia.”
“Oh, my Lord.”
“I know. It’s very frightening, but he seems so…”
“Happy?”
“Yes! He’s usually so serious and quiet, and today I saw a side of him I’ve never seen before.”
“I saw it, too. I suppose we’ll have to hope for the best.”
“While preparing for the worst.”
“One thing all our kids know how to do is take care of themselves. Wade is no exception.”
> “I sure hope you’re right.”
“When have you known me not to be?”
Molly responded with a huff of laughter. “I walked right into that.”
“Let me know if you need anything. I’m here.”
“Thanks, Han. Talk to you later.”
“How’re they holding up over there?” Ray asked.
“She’s worried but resigned. They do reach an age where we can’t tell them what to do anymore.”
“Very true.”
“So, in case you hadn’t heard, it seems that my nephew Wade is getting married.”
“How about I take you out to dinner to celebrate?”
Hannah felt her face get very warm, which happened often when he was around. “That would be lovely.”
Wade drove to his grandfather’s house and wasn't surprised to see Elmer’s driveway already plowed. Even the sign outside the house had been cleared of snow.
“Justice of the peace, notary public, free advice,” Mia said, reading the sign. “He’s a jack of all trades.”
“He really is,” Wade said. “Especially the free advice.”
When she laughed, he glanced over at her.
“What?” she asked.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh like that.”
“I haven’t had much reason to laugh in the last few years.” She looked down at her hands, which were encased in gloves she’d borrowed from him. “You must wonder why I stayed…”
He put the truck in park and turned to face her. “I don’t wonder. Obviously, you stayed because you were afraid to leave. I don’t think less of you for that. You did what you had to in order to survive, and I’m extremely thankful that you survived and were able to get out and that you came to me. Why do you think I told you how to find me?”
“You have no idea how hard I clung to that information. I had it memorized a year ago. I kept waiting for an opportunity. Then when he got arrested, everything got worse, if that’s possible. The DEA had infiltrated his organization, which took him totally by surprise. He was so infuriated. They froze his assets and had him on an ankle monitor after he was arraigned. He wanted me with him all the time, I think because he knew I could bury him with the things I’ve seen and heard. A week ago, after a meeting with his lawyers, he started talking about how we were going to get married so I couldn’t be forced to testify. That’s when I knew I had to get out of there before…”