by Maya Banks
They were all tired. The last few days had been nerve-racking as they’d waited for their mother to be released from the hospital. Now that she was finally home, the dads had banished all the children to their own homes to get some much-needed rest.
“This pregnancy seems to be kicking her ass,” Seth said in a low voice. “Even before the thing with Mom, I mean. I’m as nervous as hell over this. I don’t want her getting so beat down that she feels even for a moment like she did with Rose.”
Dillon’s expression grew fierce. “That ain’t going to happen. I don’t care if I have to sell the damn pub or have Callie take it over so I can spend every waking moment with Lily. I don’t want her to ever feel that kind of despair again.”
“I second that,” Michael said somberly. “She’s had a hard time coming to grips with this. I don’t think she was ready. Hell, I’m not even sure how she managed to get pregnant. I know birth control isn’t foolproof but it still has a pretty damn good success rate.”
“No sense belaboring that point now,” Seth said. “What’s important is how we make her feel from this point forward. I don’t want her to doubt, even for a moment, our commitment to her and our child. I want her to go into the delivery room knowing that she has absolutely nothing to worry about this time.”
Dillon nodded his agreement. His jaw was set into a fierce line and Seth knew he was probably already planning the next seven months and beyond. It wouldn’t surprise Seth whatsoever if Dillon did let the management of the pub go. However, he doubted Max would ever allow Callie to take over the running of it full-time, and in this instance Seth would fully support his brother-in-law. Callie didn’t need to be stuck behind the damn bar every night, nor did she need to be dragging home at all hours of the morning.
He’d had his doubts about Max being the dominant force in his relationship with Callie. It had pissed him off, truth be told. But Max adored and worshipped Callie, and it was hard to find fault with the hard-ass when he would cut off his right arm before ever allowing any harm to come to Callie.
“Has she been sick in the mornings?” Michael asked.
Michael often left early, before everyone else was out of bed, so he wasn’t around when Lily began her day. His workday started early at his veterinary clinic but he always made it a point to be home by the afternoon. It was a schedule they worked out together. Dillon, more often than not, worked evenings at the pub when things were busier. Callie covered some nights for him so he wasn’t always away from home. Seth could be called out at literally any hour of the day or night. His traditional hours were eight to five, but it was rare for him to stick to that schedule. As sheriff he was on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, rain or shine, holiday or not.
But they’d arranged it so that someone was always home with Lily, and now Seth was more grateful than ever that they’d taken those steps.
Dillon grimaced. “Some, yeah. The problem is that she’s been sick at all intervals of the day.”
Seth nodded. “Smells seem to do her in more than anything. Painting’s been hard for her in the past few days because the paint nauseates her.”
“She walked by the cat litter yesterday and had to run for the bathroom to puke her guts up,” Dillon said wryly.
Michael frowned. “What the hell is she doing near the cat litter anyway? She’s not supposed to be changing litter when she’s pregnant. I swear I’m going to get rid of that damn cat.”
Seth snorted in amusement. As if Michael would ever get rid of Lily’s precious cat. The stray had been dumped at the clinic on a day when Lily had been helping Michael, and she’d given Michael puppy dog eyes, and voilà, the cat found a new home. With them. And it had been with them ever since.
“I didn’t say she changed the cat litter,” Dillon said with a scowl. “I said she walked by it. As in, by the mudroom where the litter is. The cat had just taken a dump and it did Lily in.”
So deep were they in their discussion that they hadn’t realized that Lily had awakened. Only when she moved to sit up did Seth notice.
Her eyes gleamed with amusement and a soft smile curved her lips. She leaned her elbow on the arm of the couch and rested her face in her palm as she stared at her husbands.
“If you could only hear yourselves,” she teased. “Like a bunch of mother hens.”
Dillon moved toward the couch until he loomed over her. “I highly doubt a mother hen thinks how much she’d like to see you naked right about now.”
She arched one dark brow and then her smile broadened.
“Or what kind of vulgar, indecent things she’d like to do to you,” Michael offered as he went to sit beside her on the couch.
She laughed and then her gaze found Seth’s. “And you? Not going to add your two cents?”
His let his gaze stroke silkily over her until she was well aware of just what occupied his thoughts. “My brothers talk too damn much. While they’re telling you what they want to do to you, I’m going to be showing you.”
To prove his point, he pushed forward, pulled her to her feet before Dillon or Michael could react, and swept her into his arms, heading for the bedroom.
She laughed out loud at the what-the-fuck looks on his brothers’ faces and it hit Seth right in the gut. She sounded and looked so damn beautiful. She looked happy. Her eyes were full of joy and warmth. The worry was gone, even if the signs of her fatigue were still etched in the lines of her face.
He pressed his lips to her forehead and closed his eyes as they entered the bedroom. How much had his life changed over the last year and a half? Not only had he found the love of his life in Lily, but he was closer than ever to his family. Surrounded by his brothers, his sister, and his mom and dads.
Now his child would grow up sheltered by the love and support of his family. The same love he and his siblings had been given as children.
“Seth, are you all right?” Lily asked softly.
He refocused his attention to see Lily staring up at him, her blue eyes shadowed with worry. Then he smiled. He honest to God wanted to spin her around in a dozen circles and do something crazy like let out a series of whoops, but it wasn’t the smartest thing to do with a pregnant woman who had a queasy stomach.
“Yeah,” he said huskily. “I’m just so damn happy.”
He laid her on the bed with a gentle bounce. Dillon and Michael stood to the side as if waiting for him to finish his piece. Hell, what else was there to say? How could you possibly put words to indescribable joy?
“I love you,” he said. “I hope you know that.”
The worry faded, replaced by warmth and answering love. “I love you too, Seth. I hope you know I trust you.” She moved her head to include his brothers in her gaze. “I trust all of you. I know you’ll help me through the pregnancy and afterward. Our child will be so loved. I don’t doubt that even for a moment.”
“That’s good,” Michael said as he moved onto the bed beside her. He lay on his side, head propped in his palm as he gazed down at her. He put his hand over her belly, cupping protectively as if he were sending a silent message, a pledge of protection. And love.
“Make love to me,” she whispered, in turn seeking each of her husbands’ gazes. “Show me your love.”
Seth put both hands on the bed and lowered himself until their faces were just an inch apart and her lips delectably close. “If I have my way, you’ll know our love every single day for the rest of our lives.”
* * *
MAX slipped from the warmth of his bed, reluctant to leave Callie. She was exhausted and worn down both physically and emotionally, and she’d only just gotten over her bout with strep throat. Having her mother in the hospital and seeing how frightened her fathers had been had shaken Callie to the core.
Now that Holly was back home, the family breathed easier. The collective sigh of the entire town could be heard through the mountain air. Holly Colter was home. All was well.
But Max was driven to make Christmas extra special. More so than it w
ould already be. He knew the Colters, and especially Holly, were thrilled to have all their children home for the holidays.
He and Callie had traveled last Christmas. He’d taken her to Paris and London, where they’d marveled at the Christmas lights and festivities, and then they’d gone on to Germany, where they’d spent days just absorbing the atmosphere.
Callie had been born a free spirit. It was how he’d met her. She’d been backpacking in Greece and he’d been there for a short vacation of his own. As soon as he’d laid eyes on her, he’d known that she would alter his life forever.
He hadn’t reacted well. It was shame he’d forever live with. He’d very nearly messed up the best thing that had ever happened to him, but thank God for Callie’s forgiving spirit because he’d messed up not once, but twice.
Yes, he and Callie both liked to roam. They were restless and eager to explore new places. But one thing he’d realized in the time he and Callie had been married was that she belonged here. With her family. On this mountain. In her meadow, the place where she’d been born. Callie’s Meadow.
And oddly, he found himself craving the return to the warm embrace of the Colter family when he and Callie were away. It had been he who’d suggested that they spend this Christmas with family. Not just Callie’s family anymore, but his own. And now Lauren’s.
He crept from the bedroom, knowing that if he wanted to get done what he’d planned, it would take care and precision. But most of all, time. Time that was fast running out as Christmas approached.
When he reached the office in the corner of the downstairs level, just off the living room, he picked up the phone and began making calls. Money was no object. The work would have to be done at night. By the time he was finished, he was short a hefty amount of cash but he was satisfied that he’d been assured that what he wanted would be done.
Now, however, he needed to go make damn sure that Callie’s dads didn’t end up shooting someone for trespassing in the dead of night.
If he hurried, he could make it back in time to cook breakfast for his girls. He smiled as the word simmered in his mind. His girls. The woman he loved more than anything and his baby sister. Both here and safe with him. Family.
He went for his coat, grabbed the keys to the Range Rover, and headed out the door. Normally he’d make the walk across the meadow to the Colters’ cabin, but he wanted to make it back before Callie and Lauren got up.
A few minutes later, he pulled up to the Colters’ cabin and slid out of the car. He was almost to the door when it opened and Ethan called out a greeting.
“Morning, Max. What brings you out so early?”
Max took the extended hand and shook it before following Ethan inside, where it was a good deal warmer. Already a fire blazed in the big stone hearth and the room was alive with the twinkling Christmas lights strung from the tree and along the mantel.
It just felt like home in this big, cozy cabin that had once housed hunters when the Colters had operated a guide service for elk hunting.
“How is Holly?” Max asked.
Ethan was quiet for a moment and his hand shook as he raised the cup of coffee he was holding to his lips. After he took a sip, he turned his gaze on Max. “She’s doing better. She’s happy to be home. She doesn’t like to be away for long and being in the hospital was driving her crazy.”
“I bet,” Max replied. “I’m glad she’s home, and I know Callie is super relieved.”
“Yeah, we all are,” Ethan said quietly. “She scared the hell out of us. It’s a sobering wake-up call when you realize just how close you come to losing someone or how easily they can slip away.”
But Max knew. He knew all too well because he’d come so damn close to losing Callie that it still hurt him to think about it.
Adam walked into the living room, his head rearing back in surprise when he saw Max standing there.
“Anything the matter, son?” Adam asked.
Max was a grown man, but it still gave him a ridiculous thrill when Adam called him son. It made him feel included. Like another of the Colter brothers. His place certainly hadn’t always been assured in this family. He was lucky Callie’s dads and brothers hadn’t wiped the earth with him and ripped his nuts off. It certainly wasn’t because they hadn’t wanted to.
But now there was warmth and acceptance, and Max soaked it in. With the passing of his mother, he and Lauren had been left alone in the world. Having the Colters was something he treasured greatly, and he’d go to any lengths to protect what he now considered his. They had his loyalty and his love.
“No, not at all,” Max said. “I wanted to see how Holly was doing so I could let Callie know when she gets up. She was pretty tired and I wanted to let her sleep, but I know the minute she wakes up, she’s going to be worried about her mama.”
“That’s nice of you,” Ethan said. “I know Holly will appreciate your concern. We all do.”
Max glanced at both men. “I also wanted to discuss something with you. A little surprise I have in mind for the women in the family.”
At the mention of the women, Max had Adam’s and Ethan’s undivided attention. One thing he’d quickly learned in the two years he’d known this family was that the Colters treasured their women. They pampered them, spoiled them, and loved them beyond measure.
“What’s your plan, and do you need our help?” Adam asked.
Max smiled. “I won’t need your help, except in keeping the secret, of course. I will, however, need to make you aware that for the next several nights, you’re going to have a crew crawling all over Callie’s Meadow. I’ve made sure they’ll be coming late and leaving before dawn. Where I have it planned isn’t easily visible from the road so I think we’ll be safe. Plus, I know Holly won’t be getting out and about, and if Callie’s going to come over, I’ll make damn sure I drive her myself.”
Ethan grinned. “How well you know us. No, Holly won’t be lifting so much as a damn finger between now and Christmas so you certainly won’t have to worry about her finding out.”
“Okay, so tell us exactly what you’re doing,” Adam said.
Max smiled and then related everything he’d just spent the last hour setting up over the phone. When he was done, both Ethan and Adam were smiling broadly. Adam slapped him on the back.
“They’re going to love it.”
CHAPTER
15
DO you remember our first Christmas together?” Holly asked softly.
She was sitting on the couch, blanket hugged up all around her. Only her hands stuck out, clutching the cup of hot chocolate that Ryan had given her moments before.
The fire roared in the hearth and outside snow was falling at a steady pace. If she was feeling better, it would have been a wonderful day to get the sleigh and play. Her husbands would have heart attacks if she even suggested stepping foot outdoors.
Adam was sitting next to her while Ethan was on her other side. Ryan stood by the hearth, poking at one of the logs to stoke the flames.
Ethan’s hand went to her head, smoothing back her hair, his smile gentle and full of love. His eyes had a faraway look of remembrance.
“It was the best Christmas ever,” Ethan said.
Emotion glimmered in Ryan’s eyes as he settled into an armchair across from the couch. “Seth was just a baby and we were still reeling and so damn grateful to have you back in our lives.”
Adam’s arm tightened around Holly. A tremor raced up his body and she turned, smiling tenderly at him. He still hated the mention of the time they’d spent apart. He hated remembering the fear that they’d lost her, that she wasn’t coming back.
But she’d known. There was never a question that she’d make her way back home to the men who loved her.
“So many Christmases since then,” she said, her voice aching at the memories. “But you know what? I have a feeling this will be the best yet.”
Ethan smiled indulgently. “You say that every year.”
She pulled a face. �
�I didn’t say that last year when Callie and Max were in Europe. I hated that they were gone.”
“This year will be special,” Ryan said. “It’ll be nice to have our children home. All of them.”
Holly’s eyes glittered with tears that she didn’t try to hide. Her life was so full and wonderful. Each and every day. How many people could say that? How many people could say they were loved as Holly was loved?
She was surrounded by it. It enveloped her. Her husbands, her children. Those who’d joined the family. Max and Lauren. And Lily. Sweet, fragile Lily who’d turned her boys’ lives upside down.
“If you start crying, you’re going to hurt,” Adam said gruffly. “Doc said you’d be sore for a few days.”
“You just hate to see me cry,” she teased.
“That too.”
He kissed the side of her head. “I love you, you know.”
Her smile broadened. “Yeah, I know.”
She turned back to include Ryan and Ethan in her view.
“I think we should take a trip after Christmas.”
Ryan’s brows drew together and Ethan shot her a puzzled look. She couldn’t blame them. She was happiest when she was right here in her own home, surrounded by the people she loved. Callie was the one with wanderlust, always going, wanting to go, waiting for that next adventure.
“What kind of trip?” Adam asked hesitantly.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe someplace warm. Hawaii or some tropical island somewhere. Someplace private, maybe a private beach where we could just lounge and make love and stay naked all week if we wanted.”
Ethan blinked. “Well, hell.”
“I vote you stay naked,” Ryan drawled. “Maybe the rest of us will at least wear swim trunks, but you, sweetheart, I’d love to keep naked for as long as possible.”
Her heart fluttered and went soft. After all these years, they still thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. They still desired her. Still wanted her. That had never changed, never slowed. Their love had only gotten better and stronger with age.