Let It Be (Butler, Vermont #6) - Marie Force Page 0,37
in a rage.”
Charley closed her eyes and allowed herself to wallow in the comfort only he could provide.
“How long am I going to have to live without you?” he asked.
“Two days and one night.”
“That’s a really long time. I’d better make sure I inject you with a good dose of my special Charley-Taming Elixir tonight so you’re fully declawed before you spend all those hours with your siblings.”
She shook with silent laughter. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Under normal circumstances, yoga was Wade’s answer to anything stressful or upsetting, especially when his wife, Mia, was in Boston visiting her dad. Tonight, yoga wasn’t doing it for him. He wished Mia was home so he could vent to her about the many ways his afternoon had been seriously fucked up.
Instead, he went through the motions while his mind raced and his heart ached for his poor dad. No amount of stretching or breathing was going to help him find his Zen tonight. He gave up after half an hour and was coming out of the shower when the house phone rang.
Hoping it was Mia calling, he ran for the extension in the bedroom and picked it up right before the call would’ve gone to voicemail.
“Why are you out of breath?” his wife asked.
“I was running from the shower to grab the phone.”
“Ah, okay. I was hoping you hadn’t found a new wife to replace me since I’ve been away.”
“Nah, it took me a long time to find the wife I have. I think I’ll keep her for a while longer.”
Her laughter made him smile as he yearned for her. He was so far gone over her that spending even one day without her was almost unbearable, and she’d been gone three days already. Because they were so busy at work in the final Christmas rush, he hadn’t been able to go with her to celebrate an early holiday with her dad and his family. She’d felt guilty leaving her job at the warehouse when they were so busy, but they’d all wanted her to be with her newfound family for their celebration over the previous weekend.
By the time he got back from Philly, it’d be five days since Wade saw Mia, the longest time they’d spent apart in the year they’d been together. But he knew she needed the time with the dad she’d only recently reconnected with, and he loved the bond she’d formed with Cabot.
“So guess who’s been here a couple of times?” she asked.
“Who?”
“Your cousin Izzy.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep. My dad isn’t saying much on what’s going on there, but they’ve definitely seen each other since the wedding.”
“Wow, that’s cool. I thought she’d been working in Europe the last few months.”
“I guess she had been, but she’s back now and was here for dinner last night.”
“Very interesting.”
“What goes on there?” she asked.
“You won’t believe it.”
“That sounds worrisome.”
“We found out today why my dad doesn’t ever talk about his family.” Wade told her the story, giving her the highlights—or lowlights, such as they were.
“Oh my goodness, Wade. What’s your dad going to do?”
“He’s going there. We all are. Tomorrow.”
“Wow. How’re you feeling about that?”
“Conflicted. On the one hand, I get why my dad needs to go. On the other hand, I want him to tell them all to fuck off after the way they treated him.”
“I can see both sides of that. Your dad tries to do the right thing, and in this case, that means going there because his dad asked for him. But a part of him must want to tell them to fuck off, too.”
“I’m sure he does, but he won’t. That’s not who he is.”
“And thank goodness for that, right?”
“I suppose so.”
“I’m sorry you’re upset and I’m not there to hug you.”
“Talking to you helps.”
“When will you be back from Philly?”
“Day after tomorrow, probably pretty late.”
“I’ll be there when you get home.”
He hated that he wouldn’t be there when she got home. “I’m counting the minutes. Are you having fun?”
“Lots of fun, as always. I met more of my dad’s friends today at the holiday party he had at his office this afternoon. He seems to have an endless number of friends. And I had lunch with my cousin Caroline. She was asking about Max.”
“Was she now?”
“Yep.”
“Anything in particular?”
“Just whether he’s met anyone new since June. I told her I didn’t think so, but I honestly wasn’t sure. She seemed disappointed that she doesn’t hear more from him.”
“Is that something I need to tell him?”
“If you find