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“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 would 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.
