Wilson was glad they’d reached the courthouse. He pulled into a parking spot and turned off the car before glancing at Jayden. "It is a matter of death, Jayden. This stays between us, okay?"
"What?"
"My son and his partner are part of an underground railroad for abused women and their children, women who can't go through traditional avenues to get away from their abusers. Their house is a stop on that railroad."
"Holy shit!"
"I have got to get the attention off of Will and Hector, or all their hard work will be for nothing. Too many people are depending on them." While that was true, it wasn't the only reason Wilson was working so hard to make all of this happen.
He felt bad about lying to Jayden but not enough to stop his plans. He'd tell him the truth once he had the man firmly tied to him and then just hope Jayden wanted to stay married to him.
Jayden slumped back in his seat. "Well, I guess that explains why you've gone all out for this thing."
"Yes, well…" Okay, so he felt a little guilty. "It seemed like a good idea when you mentioned it."
That was the story he was going with.
"So, what can I do to help?"
Wilson grinned. "Marry me."
Chapter Thirteen
Jayden leaned his head against the passenger side window. He'd admire the view, except it was dark outside and they were driving through the countryside headed to some cabin Wilson was using.
They were finally through with the long list of errands Wilson had for them, and Jayden was exhausted. His feet ached. His head ached. His damn brain ached.
Between appointments and signing stuff, he'd been mulling over the things Wilson had told him. After filling him on the whole underground situation, Jayden had stopped protesting just about anything Wilson wanted, not because he felt guilty but rather because he understood the magnitude of what Wilson was trying to protect. Jayden wanted to help protect it. It was a good cause. Much better than trying to get his next byline.
"I need to make a couple of phone calls when we get to your cabin."
"Yeah?" Wilson glanced at him. "Phone calls to who?"
"Well, I need to check my messages for one. I'll bet I have like a gazillion from Marv, and he's probably screaming at me in each one of them."
"Don't you have your cell phone on you?"
"Yes, but the battery died a couple of hours ago. I didn't have time to charge it when I went back to my apartment." He'd planned on it, but he'd been too tried when he got home to plug it in. "Luckily, I forgot to take my bag out of my car so I still have that. It's just back at the bar."
"Do you want to swing by and get your car?"
"Could we?" He needed to check his email. "I'd really like to take a shower. I never got the chance to change."
Wilson chuckled. "I thought those clothes looked familiar."
"Yeah, after I left, I drove back to the city and fell asleep in them. The next morning, I didn't have time to change before I was headed back this way." And he'd been running ever since.
"Well, you still look good if that counts."
Jayden felt his cheeks flush. "Thank you."
"The Blaecleahs have lent me their cabin for as long as I need it. I think you'll like it there. It's very cozy."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Jayden whispered. His resistance to Wilson was fading with each breath he took. Just sitting next to the man in the car was driving him insane, and it had been that way all day long.
"We have a meeting with Mrs. Blaecleah in the morning at ten to go over the arrangements for the wedding and reception. We're meeting the minister at her house, as he's married to one of her sons. We're having lunch with Chester Helmond. It's more of a tasting actually, as he's going to be serving us several different dishes so we can decide what we want served at the reception."
Jayden frowned at the man. "When did you have time to plan all of this?"
