by Force, Marie
“Oh, Wade!” Mia turned in a circle as she tried to take it all in. “This is incredible!”
They’d stepped into the toy department, which was full of board games, toy soldiers, wooden pull toys, picture books and musical instruments.
Wade nudged her forward, past cases of Vermont’s famous cheddar cheese. “My sister Hannah makes that jewelry,” he said, pointing to the display. “And my brothers Colton and Max oversee our family’s maple syrup operation.” Row upon row of maple syrup in every shade of amber lined another set of shelves. They walked past barrels of peanuts, coolers full of old-fashioned bottles of Coca-Cola and stopped at his dad’s prized Beatles memorabilia collection.
Mia leaned in for a closer look. “Are those original lyrics?”
“They are. My mom got them for my dad at an auction for their anniversary one year. That’s one of his most-prized possessions.”
“I want to look at everything.”
“You can come back anytime you want. But right now, we need clothes.” With his hands on her shoulders, he steered her to the women’s clothing department. “Get whatever you want. We just have to record what we take in the inventory system, or my sister Charley will have us killed.”
Mia laughed.
“No, really, she will kill us, and she’ll make it hurt, if we mess with her inventory.”
“I see how it is.”
“We’re all a little territorial about our parts of the business.”
“Where’s your part?”
“Pick out what you need, and then I’ll show you.”
She perused the racks and settled on a pair of jeans, an inexpensive cotton sweater, a couple of pairs of underwear, long johns and socks. “That should cover me until my stuff arrives.”
“That’s not enough,” he said. “Get more.”
“I don’t need more.”
“Either you pick it, or I will,” he said with a teasing glare.
“What would you pick for me?”
“Go look around while I shop.”
“Don’t go crazy.”
“I won’t.” He kissed her and sent her on her way to further explore the store.
Wade gave careful consideration to the available items, choosing a silky top that would cling to her curves, several silk nightgowns that were more for him than for her, two of the gorgeous hand-knitted sweaters from their Vermont Made line, more of the jeans she’d chosen for herself, five pairs of warm socks, sexy panties in every color they had, a matching hat-scarf-gloves set and the warmest parka they sold.
When he found her in the home goods department, her eyes bugged at the sight of his arms bulging with clothes. “Wade! That’s way too much! I don’t need all that.”
“It’s nothing much.”
She gave him the withering look perfected by wives the world over, and Wade felt something inside him settle. He had a wife.
“What?” she asked. “Why’re you looking at me like that?”
“Because I’m so damned glad you’re here with me.”
“You’re very sweet, but I still don’t need all that.”
“Maybe I need to give it to you.” He put the clothes on one of the checkout counters. “Hi, Evelyn.”
“Hi, Wade. I understand congratulations are in order.”
“Thank you. This is my wife, Mia.” He loved introducing her as his wife. “Mia, this is Evelyn. She’s worked here for forty years.”
Mia shook her hand. “That’s amazing! So nice to meet you.”
“You, too.”
“Would you mind charging this to my account?”
“Sure thing, Wade. No problem.”
“Come see my department,” he said to Mia.
“We’re not getting all that,” she said one more time, in case he hadn’t heard her the first two times.
Wade pretended not to hear her and led her around a corner devoted to books about Vermont and into the apothecary he’d poured his heart and soul into as the director of health and wellness. Dark wood shelves held unique products targeting every imaginable malady, from toe fungus to dry skin, from joint pain to wrinkles. “We offer tonics and elixirs, from pain relief to grooming, from hair loss to hair removal. You name it, we’ve got something for it.”
Mia perused the shelves, picking up bottles to read labels. She pumped a sample of one of their more popular lotions into her palm and rubbed it into her hands. Watching as her hands moved the lotion over her skin was unbearably erotic to Wade, who hung back to give her a chance to fully experience his hard work.
“We’re introducing a new line of sex toys this month,” he said, breaking a long silence.
She turned to him, her cheeks flushed with what might be embarrassment. “Really?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Was that your idea?”
“Hell no. It was my dad’s.”
“I have no idea what to do with that information.”
Laughing, Wade pushed himself off the wall he’d been leaning against and went to join her as she took the lid off a tin to sniff the contents, recoiling slightly at the strong scent of ointment for aching muscles. “That’ll cure whatever ails you,” he told her.
She wrinkled her pretty little nose. “It smells horrendous.”
“But it works like a charm. Want to try it?”
“You won’t want to come anywhere near me.”
“Trust me, that’ll never be the case.” He picked up the tin. “It’s even stronger than the other stuff I used. It’ll take the aches away.”
“I guess I’ll try it, but don’t blame me if you have to move out of your own house.”
“If you’re there, I’m not going anywhere.”
She rolled her lip between her teeth and looked up at him. “Could I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Why me?”
He framed her face and gazed down at her. “I’ve had good reason to ask myself that question many, many times over the last couple of years. All I know is that from the first time you said hello to me, I’ve been unable to think of anyone but you.”
Mia curled her hands around his wrists. “I’ve felt the same way. You have no idea how many times I wanted to ask you to take me home with you.”
Hearing that, Wade ached with what might’ve been for all the time he spent missing her. “I would’ve. All you had to do was ask.”
“And I knew that. I always knew that.”
“So why didn’t you ask?”
“At first it was because I was too afraid of what Brody might do if I tried to leave him. Later, it was because I’d begun to suspect he was dealing drugs and wanted to finish what I’d started. And mostly it was because I didn’t want to put you in the middle of the nightmare that was my life.”
“It means a lot to me that you thought of me when you had so many other things to think about.”
“I thought of you constantly. You were like an oasis in the desert, and if I just kept moving forward, I might one day get to you.”
“You’re here now, and that’s what matters. I know there’re a lot of difficult days still to come, with the trial and everything, but let’s try to compartmentalize that into a box that we only open when we have to. There’s no need to let that color everything for us in the meantime.”
“I love that idea.”
“I would like to take my new wife on a honeymoon.”
“You would? Really?”
“Anywhere she’d like to go.”
“She’s never really been anywhere, so she’ll leave that up to her husband to decide.”
Wade nuzzled her neck. “Let me give that some thought and get back to you. I’ve got to be here the next couple of weeks for the launch of the new product line—and the catalog photo shoots.” He grimaced at the thought of “modeling” for the catalog.
Mia covered her mouth with her hand as her eyes lit up with laughter.
“You aren’t laughing at me, are you?” he asked, glowering playfully at h
er.
“Would I laugh at you?”
“Yes, I believe you would.”
She flattened her hand on his chest, the scent of the lotion wafting between them. “I haven’t met all your siblings and cousins, but if they look anything like you, I can see why your father wouldn’t bother to look outside the family for models.”
Though he was ridiculously pleased by the compliment, he couldn’t let her see that. “You’re either with me or against me on this topic. You can’t have it both ways.”
“I do want my new father-in-law to like me…”
“Seriously?”
She laughed out loud this time. “I can’t wait to see your photos. I bet you’ll be the sexiest one of all.”
“I can’t believe my own wife would turn on me this way.”
“I’ll try to find some way to make it up to you.”
“You’re going to have to try very hard.”
“I can do that.”
When she looked at him that way, he’d give her anything she asked for—even copies of his modeling photos. “So, about the ice skating… You still want to go?”
“Only if you do.”
He wanted to go home, take her to bed and keep her there until sometime next week. But even more than that, he wanted his family to get to know her and hopefully begin to understand why he felt about her the way he did. “Let’s go, then.” Luckily, it was still freezing out, so the outing wouldn’t last more than an hour or two before the cold would drive everyone inside.
Wade gathered up the bags of clothes he’d chosen for Mia and followed her to his truck.
“I told you I don’t need all that.”
“I heard you.”
“So why do we still have all that?”
“Because I want you to have it. Consider it a gift from your husband.”
“My husband is very generous, but he needs to know that the woman he married doesn’t require gifts and excess to be happy.”
“Your husband is happy to hear that, but he wants to know if his wife has ever been showered with gifts and excess before.”
“No, but—”
“Then how does she know she doesn’t like it?”
“She never said she wouldn’t like it. She said she doesn’t need it.”
Wade put the clothes in the backseat and then held the passenger door for her. “That’s good to know, but she’ll need to allow her husband to spoil her a little after waiting so, so long to have the chance.”
Her face went soft and her eyes glistened as she looked up at him. “That’s very sweet of him.”
Wade kissed her because he couldn’t resist. “He wants to give her everything.”
“He’s already given her so much—his name, his protection, his support, his friendship.”
“That’s just the start of what he wants to give her.”
She shivered, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or the emotion zinging between them. “Sometimes I worry I’m going to wake up, still trapped in my old life, wishing with all my heart that I could be with you.”
“You’re wide awake and I’m right here, right where I’ve wanted to be since the day I met you.” He kissed her again, losing himself in her sweetness and the feeling of utter completion that came over him every time he touched her or kissed her.
Her arms wound around his neck, and her tongue tangled with his.
He had to remind himself of where they were, that anyone could see them, not that he cared. But he didn’t want to subject her to the Butler gossip machine—any more than he already had. Reluctantly, he drew back from the kiss in slow increments. Her damp, swollen lips made him want to forget all about the skating and take her home.
Instead, he helped her into the truck and kissed her once more before closing her door and going around to the driver’s side while aching from wanting her. He turned the key and was met with a clicking sound. “What the…” He tried again, but the engine didn’t turn over. “Great.”
“Pop the hood,” Mia said, jumping out of the passenger side before he could ask her what she was doing.
Wade popped the hood and got out as she propped it open and began to tinker with the engine. “Um, excuse me. What’re you doing?”
“Checking your engine? Ahh, this is it. Your distributor cap is frozen.” She removed the distributor, knocked some ice off the wires and put it back in place. “Try it now.”
Astounded, Wade got in the truck, and it fired right up.
Mia dropped the hood, brushed off her hands and got back in. “What?” she asked when she found him staring at her.
“How’d you do that?”
“I know a thing or two about cars.”
“So I see. Where’d you learn?”
“My grandpa had a garage. He let me hang around, and I paid attention. There’s almost nothing I can’t fix.”
“I’m extremely turned on by this information.”
Mia laughed. “Is that all it takes?”
“Honestly, if you’re breathing, I’m turned on, but this… This is a whole other level.”
She flashed a pleased smile. “Good to know.”
“Seriously—very impressive.”
“I do what I can for the people.”
“You sure you still want to go skating?”
“Uh-huh. Why? You don’t?”
He took her hand and placed it over the hard ridge of his erection.
“Oh…”
“Yeah, all your fault.”
“I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m really not.”
Wade huffed out a laugh as he drove them out of the parking lot, hoping his situation would be under control before he had to face his family.
Chapter 12
“Be happy for this moment.
This moment is your life.”
—Omar Khayyam
This is what happiness feels like, Mia thought. Holding hands with Wade while he drove them through town on the way to go skating with his family. She’d loved seeing the store that he’d always spoken about with such affection, and particularly his department, which she knew he was intensely proud of.
He’d talked about his work during their coffee dates, and she’d recognized his passion long before she’d seen it for herself.
They rounded a curve in the road, and Wade slammed on the brakes, the truck fishtailing for a wild second.
“Holy crap,” Mia whispered at the sight of a gigantic moose blocking the road.
“Mia, meet Fred, the town moose.”
“He’s… huge.”
“Yep.” Wade laid on the horn, but other than a perturbed glance in his direction, Fred didn’t budge. “We could be here awhile.” He put the truck in park and turned to Mia. “Want to make out some more while we wait?”
“He’s watching us.”
“So?”
“I’ve never made out while a moose was watching me.”
Grinning widely, Wade said, “First time for everything.” He released her seat belt and reached for her.
She came willingly into his arms, happy for any chance she got to be close to him, to kiss the lips she used to obsess over after seeing him. Those short hours together had never been enough, and now that they were together and married, they could finally make up for all the time they’d lost.
Every time he kissed her, he managed to erase every thought from her head that didn’t involve him and the way she felt whenever he touched her.
A loud, indignant moo interrupted the kiss.
Mia pulled back and startled at the sight of the moose’s face pressed against the windshield.
Wade cracked up laughing.
“It’s not funny! He’s coming after us!”
“Nah, Fred’s a pussycat. He wouldn’t harm a fly.”
Unconvinced, she snuggled in closer to Wade.
He laid on the horn again and opened the window. “Move it along, Fred. We’ve got somewhere to be.”
“Close the window!”
�
��You should see my sister Hannah. She walks right up to him like he’s a dog.”
“That’s insane. He could kill her.”
“That’s what Nolan says every time she does it.” He bumped his nose against hers. “More kissing, please.”
“I can’t while he’s watching.”
Wade groaned and hit the horn again. “Be a pal, Fred. Move it or lose it.” All at once, Wade’s eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. “What the…”
Mia sat up straighter, trying to see what he was looking at. A tiny moose on new legs came bursting from the bushes by the side of the road.
“Holy…”
“Um, Wade? Is Fred a girl?”
“I… I swear I’ve seen him with antlers.”
“Well, he/she doesn’t have them now.”
“This is going to be the biggest news to hit Butler in a decade.”
“Bigger than our impromptu wedding?”
“Well, maybe second to that, but right up there.”
Fred uttered another loud moo and began moving forward as the little moose scrambled to keep up.
As soon as they were clear of the road, Wade helped her back into her seat. “Put your seat belt on.” He shifted the truck into Drive and headed for the lake that was located about a mile down Hells Peak Road from his parents’ home. They traversed the one-lane covered bridge that preceded the right-hand turn onto Hells Peak.
“I love that covered bridge,” Mia said.
“We used to play cops and robbers on it when we were kids. The boys were always the cops, and the girls were the robbers.”
“Something tells me the girls prevailed.”
“They played dirty. They still do.”
“I can’t wait to meet them all.”
“It’s going to be overwhelming. You know that, don’t you?”
“I think so.”
“I have nine siblings, Mia. Nine.”
Laughing, she said, “So I’ve heard.”
“That’s a lot.”
“Yes, it is. I can’t even imagine what that must’ve been like when you were kids.”
“One word: chaos. Utter chaos.”
“But you love them, right?”
“Very much so, but I love them a whole lot more now that I don’t live with them anymore.”
“But working with them is okay?”