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“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 wanderlu
st, 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.
“We’re as young as we want to be,” she said.
Adam lifted a brow at that. “Are you feeling your years, baby? Because I have to say that you damn sure don’t look like a woman in her fifties. ”
She blushed to her toes at the hungry look in his eyes. “I was just reminding myself that age is just a number. It’s all in how you feel, and you know what I feel?”
“What?”
The question came from all three men.
She smiled and kept smiling, the grin growing bigger until her cheeks hurt. “I feel loved, and as long as I feel as loved as I do, I’ll stay young forever. This whole episode made me realize that there’s still a lot I want to do, and I don’t want to miss out on anything. Maybe after we take a trip we can get together with Max and Callie. Plan a family trip for us all. Us, Max and Callie. Even Lauren. Seth, Michael, Dillon, and Lily. Think how much fun it would be to take a big family vacation. We haven’t done that since the children were young. ”
Ryan’s eyes went soft. “We’ll take you wherever you want to go, sweetheart. I can’t imagine a better time than one spent with my family. But first we’ll take our trip. Just us, a beach, and a sunset somewhere. ”
“Gets my vote,” Ethan said.
Adam’s eyes gleamed with mischief as he stared at Holly. “Just think how easy it’ll be to pack. You won’t even have to bring a suitcase. ”
Her brows puckered up as she glanced questioningly up at him.
He leaned over and kissed away the lines on her forehead. “You don’t have to pack if you’re going to stay naked for the entire time, and that damn sure gets my vote. ”
CHAPTER 16
LILY sat on the edge of her bed, her bottom lip firmly between her teeth as she stared sightlessly toward the closet. Anxiety ate a hole in her stomach. It was Christmas Eve. They were due at her in laws’ soon—they should have already left.
They’d decided to tell the entire family tonight. At dinner. A surprise. A wonderful Christmas present.
She closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure she was prepared. She almost wished she would have gone a quieter route. Told Holly and Callie first. Then maybe the dads. Then she wouldn’t have to face everyone at once.
But neither did she want to deprive her husbands of their special moment. They were over the moon. Cautious. Worried about her. But over the moon ecstatic at the thought of having a child. She knew they wanted several. As many as she was comfortable having.
And maybe she did too. She loved the Colter family. Loved everything about them. She wanted it for her family. Her husbands. Her children.
If only she could move past this paralyzing fear that gripped her every time she dwelled more than a moment on the growing life inside her.
“Lily?”
She glanced up to see Dillon standing at the door. His stance told her he’d been standing there awhile. Watching her. Probably worrying.
He walked in without saying anything further and slid onto the bed next to her so that their thighs were touching.
“Everything okay?”
She nodded, hesitated a moment, and then sighed. “I’m just nervous. Maybe a little scared. I know everyone will be happy, but they’ll be worried too. I’m afraid they won’t want to be too excited because they won’t know how well I’m taking it. I don’t want to suck the joy out of this moment for them like I did with you. ”
Dillon frowned and turned more fully toward her so he could capture her with his glare. “You did not ruin the moment for me. You’ve got to cut yourself some slack, Lily. You took a hit. You weren’t expecting to become pregnant. It wasn’t something we planned. Under the circumstances, I think you handled it quite well. ”
She smiled wanly. “Thanks for saying that. ”
He caught her hand and squeezed. “Mom and the dads are going to be overjoyed. Of course they’re going to worry about you. They love you. They know what you’ve been through. But they’ll know when you tell them. They’ll be able to see it in your eyes. Nothing will ruin that moment for them. Learning at Christmas that they’re going to have their first grandchild will be a memory they’ll hold forever. And you’re the one who’ll give that to them. ”
