by Maya Banks
“Sleep then, love. I’ll wake you when we get to the plane.”
DESPITE her protests, Max carried her, wrapped in the blanket from his SUV, onto his jet. He made sure the pilot had warmed the interior and was ready to go the moment they arrived.
Within minutes they took off and Max didn’t wait long to unbuckle her and pull her into his arms once more. He carried her back to the lounge area to a comfortable leather couch, and he settled onto it, holding her against his chest.
She dozed for most of the flight. Max woke her up once to give her more medicine when he noted that she was once again shivering and then she drifted back off, snuggled deeply into his embrace.
By the time they landed in New York, some of the bone-deep chill had worn off. Callie felt wrung out, but at least she wasn’t so cold she couldn’t function. What she needed most now was a bath to wash off all the sweat and the sticky sensation. But she didn’t want to delay even a moment in going to get Lauren.
It amused Max that she insisted the pilot remain on standby. They wouldn’t be more than a few hours—over her dead body were they going to remain in a city with the asshole loose who’d beaten Lauren.
Even sick, grumpy, having a sore throat, and feeling like complete crap, she was a woman on a mission.
Max whisked her into a waiting car and directed the driver to take them to the apartment where he’d relocated Lauren.
“And you’re sure she’s okay?” Callie asked anxiously as she watched traffic drive through melting puddles of snow.
Max put his hand over hers. “Relax, dolcezza. I get hourly reports from the men I hired to guard her. She goes nowhere without their protection. No one gets into her apartment without their knowledge and consent. She’s safe.”
She blew out her breath. Yes, if Max had hired someone to protect his sister, he would have hired only the best. Still, she’d feel much better when Lauren was back home with them in the midst of Callie’s loving family.
At times like this, a girl needed family above all else. Callie was going to make sure Lauren had it.
Thirty minutes later, they pulled up to an apartment building.
“I don’t suppose I can convince you to remain in the car where it’s warm and dry while I go collect Lauren,” Max said.
Callie shook her head emphatically and Max chuckled.
“I didn’t think so. Well, come on then. Let’s hurry. I want you back home where I can take better care of you.”
Max got out and helped Callie onto the sidewalk before tucking her firmly under his arm. They hurried toward the building, where Max scanned a security card to gain access.
As they headed toward the elevator, Max pulled out his cell phone, punched in a number, and then put the phone to his ear.
“This is Wilder. I’m coming up with my wife.”
Max ushered her onto the elevator, suddenly all business. He was tense and his face was set in stone. Already he was preparing for battle. A battle he didn’t intend to lose. Callie put her hand on his arm and gently squeezed.
His expression softened and he pulled her closer to him. He brushed a kiss across the top of her head, then squeezed her back.
The elevator opened and they stepped into the hall. When they rounded the corner, they were met by two very broad-shouldered, intimidating men. Callie instinctively stepped closer to Max.
These weren’t the polished, suave, security detail–type men in suits she’d expected. They were rough around the edges. Looked mean as hell. Were as big as damn mountains. But the upside? Callie couldn’t imagine anyone in their right mind fucking with these two. That included Lauren’s loser of an ex-boyfriend.
“How is she?” Max asked in clipped tones.
One of the men scowled. “Hasn’t left her apartment since she arrived.”
Max swore under his breath. “Has she been eating?”
The second man nodded. “We’ve made sure of it. She’s not too happy with us—or you—at the moment.”
Max grimaced, then turned to Callie. “Callie, this is Liam Prescott and Noah Sullivan, the two men I hired to oversee Lauren’s safety.” He glanced back at the two men. “This is my wife, Callie.”
“Ma’am,” Liam said as he dipped his head respectfully.
Callie swallowed and continued to stare at the two boulders. Yes, boulders. It was the only word to describe them. They were hard as stone and had muscles in places Callie had never imagined muscles to be.
“She probably hasn’t left her apartment because she’s scared to death of them,” she whispered to Max.
Liam chuckled. “No ma’am, she’s not afraid of us. She’s pissed. There’s a difference. I’d rather have her pissed off than in danger though.”
Noah shrugged like it didn’t matter to him one way or another.
Callie cleared her throat. “Well, um, we’ve come to take her home with us. I mean, not that you aren’t doing a good job—I’m sure you are—but she belongs with family.”
A smile quirked the corner of Liam’s mouth. “We don’t bite, Mrs. Wilder.”
Max silenced him with a glare.
“Let’s go, Max,” Callie said impatiently.
Max motioned her ahead and Callie gingerly walked by the two mountains and knocked lightly on Lauren’s door. A moment later it swung open, and Lauren was there with a disgruntled look on her face.
“I ate, okay?”
Then she stopped and her eyes went wide with surprise. “Callie! What are you … I thought it was them … Max?”
Callie pulled her petite sister-in-law into a hug and squeezed her fiercely. When she let her go, Max held out his arms and Lauren went into his embrace.
“Are you all right?” he asked her quietly.
She nodded as she pulled away. “Come in. Both of you.”
The two mountains took their positions by the door and Lauren closed the door with a sharp bang.
“Pains in my ass,” Lauren muttered as she turned away. “Now, what are you two doing here? Not that I’m not thrilled to see you.”
Callie studied her sister-in-law closely and didn’t like what she saw. Behind the façade of normalcy was an exhausted, shadowed woman with fear in her eyes. Callie’s heart ached for her.
There were deep smudges underneath Lauren’s eyes, and she looked much thinner than the last time Callie had seen her. Her arms and neck were covered by the long-sleeved shirt and scarf she wore, but Max had told Callie about the dark bruises that marred her skin.
“We came to take you home,” Callie said firmly.
Lauren’s lips twisted unhappily, but before she could launch a protest, Callie held up a hand to silence her.
“This is not up for discussion. Max and I both agree you need to be with family. My parents are dying to get their hands on you. My brothers will spoil you rotten.”
Lauren shook her head but Callie wasn’t giving up.
“You need us, Lauren,” she said softly. “Everybody needs their family. Especially when something terrible happens. I should know. I shut mine out when I should have been wallowing in all their love and support. Come home with us. I’m not leaving without you.”
Max spoke up for the first time. “She’s right, baby.” His voice was tender and coaxing. “And you know how fierce Callie is when she’s set her mind to something. She’s sick with strep throat and a hundred-and-four fever but hell if she wasn’t getting on a plane to come bring you home.”
Lauren smiled faintly. “My brother sounds afraid of you.”
Callie grinned. “That’s because he’s a smart man.”
Lauren’s expression grew more troubled. “I don’t know about this.”
Callie took her hands and squeezed. “There’s nothing to know or think about. There’s nothing for you here. Come home with us and heal. There’s no better place to be than surrounded by the Colters.”
Tears gathered in Lauren’s dark eyes and her lips trembled. Then finally she nodded. “Okay. I’ll come.”
CHAP
TER 7
I’M starting to get worried,” Dillon said bluntly.
He folded his arms over his chest and stared over the bar at his two brothers seated on bar stools. Seth and Michael had come into the pub during their lunch hour on the day the pub was closed.
Usually Dillon would be home. With Lily. Usually if Seth was free for lunch, he came home to be with Lily. If Michael wasn’t busy at his practice, he would be with her.
But today, they had agreed to meet at Mountain Pass, away from Lily. To discuss … her.
“She’s not herself,” Dillon continued, eyeing the unease on his brothers’ faces. It was an unease he distinctly shared. Something wasn’t right, and it was high time to figure out what the hell it was.
“No,” Michael said wearily. “She isn’t. She puts on a good front, but when she thinks we aren’t looking, she seems … sad. Worried.”
Seth leaned his forehead against the edges of his palms and blew out a deep breath. “God almighty, I don’t know what it could be, but it scares the hell out of me. What if … what if this whole thing isn’t working for her anymore? What if she isn’t happy with the arrangement?”
Seth had voiced the question uppermost in Dillon’s mind. He’d pinpointed Dillon’s number one worry, and judging by the look on Michael’s face, Seth had nailed Michael’s primary concern too.
“Shit,” Dillon muttered.
Michael shook his head, his lips set into a fine line. “No. That can’t be it. It can’t. Lily …”
“Lily what?” Seth demanded. “Lily’s happy? I think we all know that isn’t true right now.”
“We don’t have to assume worst-case scenario,” Dillon pointed out.
“Why the fuck are we sitting here talking about worst-case scenarios?” Michael asked in disgust. “We should be asking her what’s wrong. This speculating is making me crazy.”
“Because we’re all afraid of the answer,” Seth said quietly.
Dillon blew out his breath. “Yeah. Right there. Scared shitless, and I don’t mind admitting it.”
“Do you think Mom knows what’s up?” Michael asked. “She’s been over there a lot lately. I don’t know what they’re up to. Could be nothing. But Mom doesn’t usually come over and kick us out.”
“Could be anything,” Seth said. “She might be working on a Christmas present for the dads. There are a lot of explanations for why Mom would be coming to see Lily all hush-hush.”
Dillon clenched his fist in frustration. “So we’re back to square one. Which is that we have no idea what the hell is going on with the woman we love, no idea how to fix it, because again, we have no idea what it is and we’re all too chickenshit to ask. Have I got it about right?”
Michael gave a disgusted sigh. “That about sums it up.”
“So what do we do?” Dillon asked.
He hated how fucking helpless he felt. Like his entire life was on the line and he had no control over how it turned out. He knew his brothers felt the same because their expressions said it all.
They’d all secretly feared that the relationship wouldn’t work out. It was their number one fear.
Though their fathers had a very nontraditional relationship with their mother, it had never occurred to them that they would follow in the same path. It hadn’t been discussed. No one had ever suggested it. They’d certainly had relationships, flings, whatever the hell you wanted to call them, with other women, and they damn sure hadn’t ever called any of the others up and asked him if he was up for a foursome.
Seth had been the first to make that connection with Lily, but it hadn’t meant that his was any more intense than Michael’s or even Dillon’s own. From the moment Dillon had laid eyes on her, he’d known without a doubt that she was his and that he’d go to any lengths to possess her.
He hadn’t cared that Seth had already staked a claim or that she was in town because she’d come with him. There was no way he could walk away from her and settle for a relationship as her brother-in-law. Oh hell no.
It had taken some discussion between the brothers before they’d realized that they had a huge problem. They were all in love with the same woman and none of them were willing to take a step back.
No one in their family so much as blinked an eye. Hell, no one in the town of Clyde would have been surprised. But Lily?
This wasn’t normal to her. It wasn’t something she’d been exposed to all her life. They’d come at her like fucking bulldozers.
Maybe now she was having some serious second thoughts. Maybe she didn’t like having to juggle three men in a relationship.
It was automatic for Dillon to think back, to try to figure out if he or one of his brothers had been demanding. Expected too much from her. But no, they were always so careful. Because they feared overwhelming her, because they feared pushing her too far.
Fuck it, but this was for the birds. It was time to get their asses home and figure out what the hell was wrong with their woman so they could make it right.
LILY tugged her sweater tighter around her waist as she walked through the small grove of aspens behind the cabin. She loved this trail, especially in fall when the leaves burned gold and were so brilliant to look at that it made her eyes hurt.
She should have taken her heavier coat but she hadn’t planned on going this far. She’d only meant to sit awhile on her bench and stare at the vista through Rose’s memorial.
It had begun to snow, adding another thin layer to the ground cover that crunched beneath her boots. They weren’t due for any heavy snow, at least not today. She hadn’t checked the extended forecast to know what lay beyond.
The last several days had been good because Holly had kept Lily busy with teaching her how to cook. But the downside was that Lily was no closer to knowing how to break the news to her husbands because she hadn’t had time to think.
She was always around someone. She hadn’t had any time alone to just be. To think and consider. To face her fears and resolve to share her secret with the men she loved.
She took her hands out of her pockets and blew on them to warm the tips. She hadn’t brought her gloves either, but she wasn’t so cold that she was compelled to return to the cabin. Not yet.
There was a point she wanted to reach, where she could look out and see forever. Over the valley and down the ridge. The most beautiful country she’d ever seen.
This was her home. She had to constantly remind herself that it was hers. She had a place in the world.
And now so would her child.
She paused, taking that last step, and then rested her hand on the trunk of an aspen as she peered out, taking in the breathtaking view.
After a moment, she leaned her back against the tree and soaked in her surroundings. The crisp, clean smell of the air. The scent of pine. The tickle of snowflakes as they drifted lazily down, melting on her cheeks.
Her breath came out in a fog, and after a while, her breathing slowed and evened out. For the last few days, she’d existed in denial. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about the baby, much less dwell on the details. Boy. Girl. Who would it look like?
She’d busied herself with Holly and immersed herself in family, putting on a brave front, not allowing them to see her worry or fear.
But it hadn’t helped. She had decisions to make. She had fears to face. All she had to do was reach out and ask for help. Seth, Michael, and Dillon loved her. She had no doubts there. They’d do anything in the world to make her happy, and they’d help her work through her conflicting emotions about her pregnancy.
She just had to muster the nerve to blurt it all out.
With a resigned sigh, she pushed off the tree and started retracing her steps back to the cabin.
As she drew nearer, she frowned. She could swear she heard her name.
She quickened her step through the aspens but stopped when she heard the distinctive call. It was Seth and he was yelling her name.
Worried that something was wrong, she jogged throug
h the snow, taking care not to slip as she headed down the incline.
She came to an abrupt halt when she broke into the clearing and saw all three of her husbands spread out behind the cabin, obviously looking … for her.
CHAPTER 8
MICHAEL was the first to see her. He turned, did a double take, and then charged toward her, calling to his brothers the entire way.
Lily’s breath caught in her throat and her pulse accelerated wildly. There was fierce determination—and worry—in her husbands’ gazes and she knew that no matter whether she was prepared or not, the time had come. There was no way around it.
Michael ran up to her, took her arms in his hands. “Lily! What on earth are you doing up here? We were worried sick. You aren’t even dressed for the cold.”
Even as the questions poured out, he pulled her into his side, wrapping as much of his coat around her as he could while providing her with his body warmth.
His worried gaze cut to his brothers as they ran up, snow kicking up from their boots.
Dillon stood back a little hesitant. “Lily?”
She sent him a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, Dillon. I just went for a walk through the aspen grove. It’s such a beautiful day.”
Seth frowned. “You aren’t dressed to be out tromping around in the snow. You don’t even have a coat or gloves.”
She shrugged. “I hadn’t planned on going that far. I went to sit out on the bench and got the urge to take a walk. I was just heading back. I haven’t been out that long.”
“Well, let’s get you back inside,” Michael said. He propelled her toward the house, still holding her tightly against his side.
With a sigh she settled against him, letting his solid strength seep into her body. She leaned her head against his chest and blinked away the snowflakes trapped on her eyelashes.
It was, as she’d said, a truly magnificent day. She loved winter on her mountain. She loved the cabin that Dillon had built himself and later added on to when it had been decided that they would all live here.
