by Maya Banks
“Looks like strep to me. Of course, I can’t do a test here, but that throat looks bad and, regardless, you need an antibiotic, so we’re going on the assumption you have strep. Start the antibiotics immediately and by tomorrow afternoon you should start feeling better.”
While Dr. Burton phoned in the prescriptions, Max left the room for a moment. Callie snuggled back into the pillows, already feeling the chill returning. A few minutes later, Max came back and spoke to Dr. Burton briefly before showing the other man out.
The next thing Callie knew, Max was back, holding more ibuprofen in his hand.
“Take these, dolcezza. Your fever is returning.”
She swallowed them down and then sighed in contentment when he sat beside her and pulled her back into his arms.
Then she frowned. “How am I supposed to get the antibiotics?” Obviously Max would have to go into town to get the prescription filled, but the selfish part of her whined at the idea of him leaving.
“I called your mother. Well, actually I called your dads first and they said your mom was in town with Lily, so I then called your mom and asked her to pick up your medicine on her way back. She’ll be by in a little while to see you.”
“Mom’s awesome,” Callie croaked out.
Max smiled tenderly down at her. “Moms are the very best when you’re sick.”
She wasn’t so absorbed in her own misery that she’d forgotten Lauren. She’d thought of her all afternoon. Lauren was sweet and shy, so different from Max’s dominating personality. It sickened Callie that Lauren had been abused by some asshole she’d trusted.
“Max?”
He swept his hand over her hair, smoothing it from her forehead so he could see her eyes.
“I know you wanted to give Lauren time, but I really think we should go get her.”
“You’re sick, Callie. I don’t think you should be going anywhere.”
“You heard the doctor. If I start on antibiotics today, by tomorrow afternoon I’ll be feeling better. We could leave for Denver in the morning, take an afternoon flight, and be in New York by tomorrow night. We could be back home with Lauren by the day after tomorrow, and you and I would both feel better.”
Max sighed and she knew he was close to caving. His thoughts had been consumed with his sister. Callie knew it, and that he was deeply worried. He was torn between the thought that Callie needed him here and that his sister was wounded, frightened, and alone.
Callie sat up and touched Max’s cheek. “I’ll be fine, Max. Lauren is more important than some stupid bug I’ve caught. I know I won’t feel better until she’s here with us where we both know she’s safe, and if I’m that adamant, I can’t even imagine how you’re feeling. I know you wanted to be gentle and considerate with her, but now isn’t the time for that. I vote we go in and don’t come back without her.”
Max smiled then and pressed his lips to her forehead. “That’s what I love most about you, dolcezza. You’re frighteningly fierce when you set your mind to something. You’d make most men tremble in their boots.”
“So we’ll do it?”
“Yes. Provided you start your antibiotics immediately and you don’t worsen overnight. I’ll arrange for my jet to arrive in Denver in the morning, refuel, and be on standby when we get to the airport in the afternoon.”
“You’re doing the right thing, Max. She needs to be surrounded by people who love her right now even if she thinks she wants to be alone.”
He stroked his hand through her hair, idly fingering the strands. “I just want my sister back. The woman I saw a few days ago isn’t the sister I remember. She’s changed so much just since I saw her last.”
His fingers tightened in her hair and his expression grew darker. “I hate that bastard for what he did. Not just for the physical damage he did, but because he crushed her spirit. She’s a shadow of her former self, and I guess my fear is that she won’t get that spirit back.”
“She will. She just needs time. My dads and brothers will baby her, as will you. She’ll see that all men aren’t bastards. In time she’ll trust herself again.”
“You’re right, of course. Now, for a time, let’s focus on you. Are you hungry? Would you like some hot tea for your throat? Tell me what it is you want and I’ll make it happen.”
“Oh, Max, you should know better than to give me that much leeway,” she teased.
“On the contrary,” he murmured. “I mean every word. You’re my life. Your happiness and well-being are everything to me. I don’t like to see you not feeling well. Now, are you hungry?”
They were interrupted by the peal of Max’s cell phone. Unlike her, he didn’t have a ringtone for everyone. It drove her crazy because she liked to know who was calling even before she looked at the display screen.
He put the phone to his ear. “Hello, Mrs. C.”
Callie smiled at the mention of her mother.
“No, actually we were just discussing whether she was hungry. Hang on. I’ll ask.”
He put the phone to his shoulder and turned to Callie. “Your mom wants to know if you’d like some of Lily’s chicken noodle soup.”
Callie’s mouth instantly watered. “Oh my God, yes. Please.”
Max chuckled and picked the phone back up. “That’s a yes. All right. Be careful and we’ll see you soon.”
He put the phone back down. “She’s on her way. She’s swinging by to pick up your medicine and then she’ll be up.”
Thirty minutes later, Holly breezed through the door without knocking and shooed Max back when he started to rise. She set the container of soup on the coffee table, then bent over to give Max a hug and a kiss.
She perched on the edge of the couch and enfolded Callie in her arms. “Sorry you’re sick, baby. I brought your medicine and some of Lily’s soup. You should be feeling better in no time with Max here to take care of you.”
Callie smiled and snuggled into her mother’s embrace. No matter how old she got, she’d never be too old for her mother to baby. There just wasn’t anything better than a mother’s hug and unconditional love. She sighed and squeezed before finally relinquishing her grip on her mom.
Then she glanced back at Max, her gaze questioning. Slowly he nodded, understanding what she was asking.
“Mom, Max and I are going to New York tomorrow to bring Lauren home.”
Holly’s brows came together. “But you’re sick. Maybe Max should go. You could stay with me and your dads, or if you prefer, I’ll come stay here with you.”
Callie shook her head and then put her hand over her mother’s. “Mom, she’s been abused. The guy she was with … He hurt her terribly. She didn’t want to come back with Max, but I think if I go back with him, together we can convince her to return here. She needs to be surrounded by people who love her.”
Holly’s eyes were stricken, and then anger lit fire in their depths. Her fingers curled around Callie’s hand and tightened. “Bring her home. We’ll take care of her and we’ll kick the ass of anyone who ever tries to hurt her again.”
Max smiled and leaned forward to kiss his mother-in-law on the cheek. “I can see now where Callie gets her ferocity. You, Mama Colter, are the best, and Lauren and I are lucky to have been swept into your fold.”
Holly dug into the bag she’d tossed down beside the soup and shook out one of the antibiotic pills. “Here, baby. Take your medicine so you can get to feeling better. Now that everyone will be home, we’ve got Christmas to hold, and we’re going to make the most of it.”
CHAPTER 5
SOMETHING was bothering Lily. Seth watched her from the doorway of her studio as she tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth. She dabbed paint with her brush, but he could see the distant look in her eyes that told him she wasn’t really focusing on her painting.
She’d been quiet and distracted for a few days now, and it was driving Seth—and his brothers—crazy.
Lily wasn’t much of a complainer and she rarely bothered to volunteer information when
something was wrong. Seth, Michael, and Dillon usually had to drag it out of her.
They’d actually been delighted once when they’d managed to piss her off enough that she’d lit into them with both barrels. His ears still stung from the dressing-down she’d given them, but they’d grinned the entire time she was doing it until she’d realized they were smiling, and then she’d given them bewildered looks and demanded to know what was so funny.
Seth had pulled her into his arms, peppered her beautiful face with kisses, and then explained to her that it was okay to unload on them. About anything at all. No matter how insignificant she thought it was. That was what they were here for. To be her rock. To protect her. To love her. Always.
He still marveled at the miracle she was. At how content he and his brothers were. She’d given them so much and they were just as determined to give back to her.
Dillon appeared at the doorway and frowned when he saw Seth staring in at Lily. “Mom’s here to see Lily and we’ve been banished to go watch football with the dads. I smell a rat.”
Seth stared pensively at Lily as she looked up when she heard them talking. A soft smile removed the consternation that had been evident moments before.
“You’re staring.”
Seth relaxed, unable to remain thoughtful when her smile tugged at his heartstrings. “Is it a crime to stare at a beautiful woman?”
She shook her head but her cheeks darkened with a hint of color. No matter how often they told her she was beautiful, that she was their world, she always got shy when they gave her compliments.
“Mom’s here. She’s kicking us out. Know anything about that?”
Lily’s eyebrow arched. “What, she can’t come to visit me without you getting suspicious?”
Dillon snorted. “I don’t trust my mother when she’s smiling that sweetly at me. She patted me on the cheek and called me her baby. I know she’s up to something.”
Seth snorted at the image of their petite mother patting Mr. Badass on the cheek and cooing at him. “Mama’s boy,” he taunted.
Dillon flashed a grin. “Yeah, so? You’re just mad because she loves me better.”
Seth rolled his eyes and then Lily laughed. God, he loved that sound. She had the most beautiful laughter. It was a far cry from the sad-eyed woman he’d first seen in the line at a soup kitchen for the homeless. She’d been so somber and serious then. That she laughed and smiled so readily now made his chest tighten.
Lily got up and walked to him, sliding her arm around his waist even as he pulled her into his side. He kissed the mop of dark curls and rubbed his cheek over the top of her head.
“Come on. We don’t want to keep Mom waiting.”
Lily slid her hand into Dillon’s and tugged him along behind her and Seth as they made their way into the living room. They both were warm and vibrant against her. Strength. Comfort. Her entire world.
And there was Michael, sitting with his mom, but as soon as she and his brothers entered the room, his gaze found hers and was so full of love that her heart stuttered.
There was so much love in this family. That she’d found a place here in their midst still boggled her mind.
She belonged. This was hers. They belonged to her.
It would be all right. She just had to keep telling herself that.
“Lily!” Holly exclaimed as she rose. “I hope I didn’t disturb your painting.”
Lily accepted her mother-in-law’s warm hug and returned the embrace with one of her own.
“You’re never a bother. I’m glad you’re here. Do you know if Callie is feeling better?”
She marveled at just how innocent the exchange seemed. She could barely suppress her grin. So far, things had gone off without a hitch. It truly looked as though Holly had popped in for a visit and wanted to spend time with her daughter-in-law.
Holly’s expression sobered for a moment. “She and Max are flying to New York this afternoon. They left for Denver this morning.”
Dillon scowled. “What the hell? She’s sick. She doesn’t need to be flying all over the damn country. I knew I shouldn’t have let her work the bar while Max was gone. He hates it and so do I.”
Holly sighed as Seth and Michael both gave frowns of disapproval as well.
“It was necessary. There are issues with Lauren. Max didn’t want Callie to go either, but she insisted, and she was right to do so. Lauren needs them. She needs all of us right now.”
Lily’s brow furrowed at the sorrow in Holly’s voice. “What happened?”
Holly’s lips turned down. “She was abused by a man she trusted.”
Lily’s husbands’ frowns turned to deep scowls. If there was one thing the Colter men held true to, it was that women were to be cherished above all things. It was a principle passed from fathers to sons and was evidenced in the way the Colter women were coddled, pampered, and protected.
“Damn,” Michael muttered.
It was common knowledge in the family that Holly had escaped an abusive husband many years earlier. It was what had brought her to the Colter men. They’d nearly lost her to the bastard, and the subject of abuse was always bound to make any of the Colter men immediately snarly.
Holly stared at each of her boys in turn, love warming her eyes. “She’ll need us all. We’re her family now. All she has left is Max. Max said she’s ashamed and doesn’t want anyone to see her or know what’s happened. I’m counting on you boys to spoil her rotten and make her feel at home.”
“You know we will, Mom,” Dillon said, his face still dark with a frown. “Damn it, but that sucks. She’s a little bit of a thing.”
Lily nodded her agreement, wincing at the image of some man knocking Lauren around. They’d all met Lauren only once—at Callie and Max’s wedding—and she’d been a beautiful, shy young woman, so different from Max’s overpowering presence and quiet confidence.
Michael’s arm came around Lily, and he pulled her into his side. He squeezed almost as if he knew how much she needed his comfort and support. And oh God, she did. More than anything she needed to know that everything would be all right. That he and his brothers would be right here, with her. Always.
“When will they be back?” Seth asked quietly.
Holly shrugged. “I’m not sure. You know how your sister is when she sets her mind to something. She won’t be coming home without Lauren and it won’t matter what Lauren thinks she wants.”
Michael chuckled. “Takes after Dillon. Both stubborn hardheads.”
Dillon curled his lip at his brother.
Holly rolled her eyes. “Okay boys, time to clear out.”
Michael’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I don’t trust you.”
Holly lifted both eyebrows in mock dismay. “What a thing to say to your mother! Go on now. All of you shoo. Your fathers are expecting you.”
“It’s sad that even when I’m thirty-three years old, my mother can still make me feel ten,” Seth grumbled as he got his coat out of the closet.
He tossed jackets to Michael and Dillon, then headed back toward Lily.
Without a word, he hugged her up tight and squeezed until she was breathless. Then he kissed her, his hand lingering on her cheek.
“Be back later, baby.”
Lily kissed Dillon and Michael and watched as they shuffled out the door. Then she turned to her mother-in-law. “Ready to get to work?”
CHAPTER 6
THIS is ridiculous,” Max muttered as he drove down the interstate. “I never should have let you talk me into this.”
Callie huddled in the blanket Max had wrapped around her and adjusted the heater vent to hit her more squarely.
“I just took some more ibuprofen. My fever will break soon,” she said, trying to control her chattering teeth.
“You can barely talk,” Max said. “And your throat hurts. You have chills and fever and you have no business getting on a plane. I should check you into a hotel and have your dads or brothers come get you.”
“
Don’t you dare,” Callie growled. “I can lie down on your plane same as I can lie down at home in my bed. What’s the difference?”
“The difference is you’d have someone to fuss over you, you’d have a more comfortable bed, and you wouldn’t be out in the cold and snow.”
She made a disgruntled sound and burrowed deeper into her blanket. “Lauren needs us both. I can use my sickness as a trump card. If she starts arguing, I’ll feign weakness and be pitiful. Then she’ll have to come so you can whisk me back home to my sickbed.”
Max shook his head. “You’re diabolical.”
She grinned around her quivering lips. “You love that about me.”
He shot her an amused look. “I love you more when that evil streak isn’t aimed at me.”
For a moment she stared at him, suddenly struck, as she was so often, by how much she adored this man. Was he perfect? Oh hell no. He’d made his fair share of mistakes. But he’d done everything in his power to make up for those mistakes. He showed her every day how much he loved and adored her. He took care of her. He showered her with affection. She was one spoiled woman and she loved every minute of it.
“Do I even want to know what you’re thinking?” he asked with a resigned sigh.
“I love you,” she said softly.
His eyes darkened and his fingers tightened around the wheel. “I love you too, dolcezza. I give thanks every day that you are able to love me after all we’ve been through.”
She smiled and reached over to lace her fingers through his. He raised her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her palm.
“What’s done is done. It does neither of us any good to dwell on the past. Not when our future is so very bright.”
Max gripped her hand for a long moment and he swallowed almost as if he wanted to speak but couldn’t. When he finally spoke, it was to change the subject entirely.
“Are you comfortable? Perhaps you should sleep for a while. We still have an hour and a half until we get to the airport.”
She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes, willing to let him veer into neutral territory. She knew he still lost sleep when he remembered how close he’d come to losing her. “I think you’re right. I feel like a wet noodle. I want to be rested for when we meet Lauren.”
