by Maya Banks
Adam swallowed, and his eyes glittered suspiciously as he hauled Dillon into a huge bear hug. He slapped Dillon on the back.
“We better stop this mushy shit before the others find us. You know they’d never let us live it down.”
Dillon cracked a grin. “Thanks, Dad. For giving me perspective, I guess. And you’re right. There’s not a damn good reason in the world to wait when I know what’s in my heart.”
He started to turn to head back to find the others when his dad reached out to grab his arm.
“Dillon, I know me and Ryan and Ethan give you a hard time about what a little shit you were when you were young, but I want you to know something. I knew you were special from the day you were born. You scared the ever-loving crap out of us and gave your mother all kinds of trouble during the delivery. And from that day forward, you were never easy.
“But I could never be prouder of you. You grew up strong and independent with a firm set of values, and you are fiercely loyal. You have an unwavering sense of justice, and I’ve always known that when you love, you’d love with all your heart and give unreservedly of yourself. Of all my children, I’ve always known that you were the steadiest. I love you, son.”
“Well goddamn, Dad. If you make me cry, I’m going to kick your ass.”
Adam laughed and then shoved Dillon toward the door. “Let’s go find your brothers and see when we can wrap this up for the day. I have a sudden urge to go find your mother and tell her how much I love her.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Knock, knock!”
Lily turned from the pile of art supplies she was organizing to see Holly standing in the doorway of Dillon’s office. Even the cat picked her head up in greeting but then quickly curled into a tighter ball on the floor beside Lily before closing her eyes again.
“Hey!” Lily said with a broad smile.
“I hope I’m not interrupting,” Holly said.
“No, of course not. Come on in. If you can find your way around the mess.”
Holly picked her way around a few boxes and came to stand beside Lily. “With the guys all over at Michael’s sorting out construction details, I thought you could use some help and some company.”
It was all Lily could do not to squeeze the other woman to death. “Thank you. Just the company is nice.”
“I see Dillon went a little overboard,” Holly said with a laugh.
Lily gave a rueful nod. “Yeah, it’s all great stuff, though. I’ve just been going through and drooling over it all. I didn’t expect him to do this. He’s crazy!”
Holly laughed. “You’ll find that Dillon does nothing in half measures. Have you eaten? If you want to take a break, I noticed that Dillon left lunch in the fridge. Even I can handle warming something up in the oven.”
Lily checked the clock on Dillon’s desk, and her eyes widened. It was already past two. “Yeah, I could eat. I’ve been lost in my own little world here.”
“Come on then. We’ll tackle the oven together, and I promise not to burn Dillon’s kitchen down.”
Lily laughed and followed Holly out of the office and into the kitchen.
“Sit, sit,” Holly urged. “I want to be able to say I was able to prepare my daughter-in-law at least one meal. It’ll give me bragging rights the next time my husbands make a smartass crack about my cooking.”
The casual way she said daughter-in-law jolted Lily. She froze in the process of getting onto the barstool and stared at the other woman, but Holly continued on as if what she’d said was the most natural thing in the world.
Holly turned at that moment and a frown creased her brow. “What’s wrong?”
Lily eased onto the barstool and looked down at her hands for a moment.
Holly turned the oven on and stuck the casserole dish inside and then walked over to stand across the bar from Lily.
“Lily, what is it?”
“You said daughter-in-law,” she croaked.
Holly’s face softened and then she smiled gently as she leaned on the countertop.
“I know I’m getting way ahead of myself, but I know my boys. I know their fathers. When they love, they love passionately. With their whole heart. Up to now, no one has captured that heart. Until you.”
Lily swallowed as her chest tightened and emotion crowded in so full and heavy. She didn’t even know what to say.
Holly reached across the bar and laid her hands over Lily’s. “I’m going to ask you something that’s none of my business, and feel free to say so. I know how my boys feel about you. But how do you feel about them?”
Lily glanced up to see worry and concern in Holly’s eyes. But also understanding. It was that understanding that prompted Lily to be completely honest even as the idea of saying aloud all that was in her heart terrified her.
“I love them,” she whispered. “Is that stupid? I mean, three men?”
“No, honey,” Holly said gently. “It’s not stupid, but then look who you’re talking to.”
Lily laughed as she realized just how dumb of a question it truly had been.
“Oh God, Holly. I’m so terrified. I feel like I’m on the edge of a cliff with one foot in the air about to tip right over the edge.”
Holly walked around the bar and slid onto the barstool next to Lily. She wrapped her arm around Lily’s shoulders and squeezed.
“I might be the only woman in the world who knows exactly how you’re feeling.”
“My heart tells me I love them, but my mind asks how it’s possible to love three very different people at the same time.”
“The heart has an endless capacity for love,” Holly said. “As a woman you love your family, your children—especially your children—your friends, and you love your husband or lover. Who’s to say you can’t love three men with all your heart and soul? I mean, really, who makes the rules?”
“Seth told me he loved me,” Lily blurted.
Holly smiled. “I’m not surprised that he’d be the first. He might be the oldest, but he’s so unlike my Adam in that regard. Adam…he’s hard sometimes, and he doesn’t easily share what’s in his heart. Seth is more open and honest. Dillon?” She sighed as she mentioned her youngest. “That boy is completely unpredictable. And Michael is so intense and focused. He tends to be more analytical.”
Lily nodded. “I still feel like I’m getting to know all of them and their personalities. That’s why I ask myself how I can know I love them.”
“I’m going to tell you something right now. If you wait to completely know someone, you’ll wait forever. Sometimes you have to lead with your heart. Even after so many years, my husbands still do things that surprise me. I didn’t know them any longer than you’ve known my boys, but I took a chance. I took the leap and I’ve never regretted it. Not once. Life is about taking chances. Sometimes they bite you on the ass, but sometimes you find pure perfection.”
“This is going to sound stupid,” Lily said in a low voice.
Holly chuckled. “I think we’ve already established that nothing about how you feel or react to this situation is stupid. Normal, yes. Stupid, no.”
“I didn’t tell him I loved him.”
Holly paused, waiting for Lily to continue. When Lily remained silent, Holly rubbed her hand up and down Lily’s arm.
“Did you not say it back because you were unsure?”
“This is where the stupid part comes in,” Lily muttered. “I didn’t tell him for two reasons. Well, maybe three. One, I didn’t want him to think I was just saying it because he said it. Two, I was so surprised. I wasn’t expecting the words and I was overwhelmed. And three…I felt guilty.”
“Guilty?”
“I didn’t want to tell him first. I mean before telling Dillon and Michael. I didn’t want them to feel like my feelings were stronger for Seth. It all sounds so ridiculous but I love them all or at least I feel about them in a way I’ve never felt about anyone else. And it’s different but the same. I don’t have a favorite. Will they bel
ieve that? That I love them differently but the same?” She shook her head. “Did any of that even make sense?”
Holly hugged Lily to her. “You could be me thirty-plus years ago, honey. And you know, it was actually harder for me to square my feelings with myself than it was with each of my husbands individually. There’s a lot of trust that has to go into a relationship like this. You have to trust that they’re all going to make a firm commitment to you and that they’re going to love you with every part of themselves. But in turn, they have to trust that you’re going to love them with everything you have, individually and together. Does that make sense? There’s only so much you can do. The rest is up to them. You love them. They have to accept that love and trust in it.”
Lily smiled. “It makes perfect sense. Thank you. I’ve been so worried, not over the relationship itself. They make it seem so…normal. But I’ve worried about handling it the right way. What if I make a mistake? It seems so important to get it all right in the beginning.”
“Oh, you’ll make mistakes,” Holly said cheerfully. “And believe me, so will they. It’s very much a discovery process that you tackle along the way. But the most important thing is that you’re committed to making it work. As long as each of you has resolved within yourself that this is what you want and that you’ll do whatever it takes to make it work, the rest will take care of itself.”
“You should probably check the oven,” Lily said as she sniffed the air.
“Oh shoot! Trust me to get sidetracked. I tell you this is why I stay out of the kitchen.”
Holly hurried around to the oven and took out the casserole. She placed it on a large potholder on the counter and leaned over to inspect it.
“I think it’s perfect! You’re my witness, Lily. I not only did not burn down the kitchen, but the casserole is done to perfection.”
Lily laughed, and in that moment the sun seemed to shine a little brighter through the kitchen window. It was okay. She was happy. She could make this work. Her future had taken an abrupt right turn from its path of just a few weeks ago. And the only obstacles to overcome were those that were self-imposed.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Michael wiped an arm over his sweaty brow and put down the hammer he’d been wielding. A check of his watch told him that it was late. He and his brothers and dads had spent the entire week tearing out and rebuilding.
He had shoved all his appointments to the mornings so he could have the afternoons to work with his family on the new clinic, and as a result he was tired and to the point he needed a break.
They needed another week at least to finish the front, which would become the new reception area. They had one exam room completed and the rest could be built on a more relaxed schedule since Michael could use one temporarily.
He had barely seen Lily for days—a situation he planned to remedy in short order.
“You knocking off?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah, I think we should all call it a day,” Michael said. “I’m ready to go home, see Lily and maybe have dinner together.”
“Not a bad idea,” Ryan piped in. “Things have gotten so desperate that Holly and Callie have taken over the kitchen.”
Ethan shuddered and everyone laughed.
“No reason to kill ourselves,” Adam said by way of agreement. “Michael still has the clinic he’s working out of now.”
Michael nodded. “Lily’s home alone right now. Dillon’s working the pub to give Callie a night off and Seth has been tied up in meetings with his deputies all day.”
“Then I’d say you better get your ass home and take care of your woman,” Ethan teased.
They spent the next fifteen minutes putting away equipment, and then Michael said goodbye to his dads and got into his Jeep. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel as he drove through town past the pub to the turn-off leading up to Dillon’s house. His house. He was going to have to get used to the fact that Dillon’s house was now their house. All of theirs.
Dusk was settling over the house when he pulled up to park. Seth wasn’t home yet, and he was glad though he probably shouldn’t be.
But he wasn’t going to waste time feeling guilty that he’d have a few moments alone with Lily. Dillon and Seth both had had their moments while Michael was going between his practice and the construction on his new clinic.
When he entered the house, the first thing that registered was that it smelled absolutely amazing. His stomach growled. It had been hours since he’d last eaten, and he was positively salivating over the spicy aroma in the air.
He followed the smell to the kitchen where he found Lily humming as she tended a skillet on the stove. The cat was on the counter licking her paw and watching Lily with interest. Every once in a while, Lily paused and reached over to scratch the cat’s ears.
Smiling, he crept up behind her and then slid his arms around her waist, his lips going to her neck.
“Mmmm, hello,” she said as she twisted in his arms.
She offered her mouth, and he didn’t resist being pulled down into a sweet kiss.
“I’m not sure what’s better, the smell or the taste of you,” he murmured.
She smiled. “You’re home early. I wasn’t sure when to expect you and Seth so I started, but it can be held for whenever.”
“What you making?”
“Chicken and sausage gumbo. You like?”
He sighed. “I love. It smells fantastic and I’m starving.”
She touched his cheek and smoothed her palm over the roughness of his evening shadow. “Go shower and relax. I’ll serve it up as soon as you’re done.”
He kissed her again and held onto her for a long moment, simply savoring the delight of coming home to his woman in the kitchen cooking for him. It probably made him a throwback Neanderthal from the stone ages, but hell, what man wouldn’t be completely and utterly satisfied?
“Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be back,” he said as he pulled away.
He hurried through his shower, amazed at how reinvigorated he felt just knowing he was going to spend the evening with Lily. The ease at which they’d all embraced their new living arrangement still surprised him.
It was as if Lily had always been a part of them. Or that maybe they’d been waiting for her all along.
He shook his head over that tidbit. Who was he to argue with fate?
He went back into the kitchen where Lily had set two places at the bar. She was just dishing up the delicious-smelling gumbo over bowls of rice when he slid onto his stool. She shooed the cat off the counter and then put the bowls on the bar.
“So how is the construction going?” she asked when she sat down beside him.
He waited to answer her, savoring that first spoonful of the spicy warm broth. “Damn, this is good.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”
“To answer your question, it’s going well. Faster than I imagined. The dads have been great. They’ve devoted almost all of their time to the project, and Seth and Dillon have been pitching in when they can. I wouldn’t even be past the planning stages if it weren’t for them.”
“Nice to have so many males who are good with their hands,” she said with a mischievous smile.
He laughed at the naughty innuendo. “Lucky for you, that is indeed the case.”
“I’ve missed you,” she said simply.
He put his spoon down and pulled her toward him, kissing her, their tongues warm from the gumbo. “I’ve missed you too. It’s why I’m home now. I couldn’t wait to see you any longer.”
Her smile was shy but her eyes lit up in pleasure. His stomach turned over with giddy satisfaction that he’d given her such joy.
“You must be sore,” she said in a casual voice as they resumed eating. “I thought maybe after supper we could go into the living room and I could give you a massage.”
If someone struck a match under his ass it would have nothing on the heat that scorched over his body as h
e imagined her hands on his skin.
“Why, Lily, are you trying to seduce me?”
Her eyes widened innocently. “Where on earth would you get that idea? I’m just trying to be a good girl and offer her man some comfort after a hard day at work.”
He grinned at the sassy tone of her voice. She’d relaxed so much in the time she’d been with him and his brothers. She’d lost the guarded, troubled look in her eyes, and the shadows had been chased away by new light. She teased them and got back at them every time they gave her shit. She gave as good as she got.
It was an amazing thing to watch. She’d blossomed in front of their very eyes.
He hurried through his meal, which was a crime, really, given how fantastic it tasted, but he’d lost any and all interest in eating the minute she talked massage.
She, on the other hand, took her time, and he knew she was deliberately teasing him.
“Just so you know, I don’t get mad, I get even,” he growled in her ear as he got up to take his bowl to the sink.
She laughed but didn’t look overly worried.
He stood to the side, waiting until she finished. As soon as she pushed her spoon away, he collected the bowl and added it to his own in the sink.
“I should probably do the dishes,” she said, casting a dubious glance at the sink. “I’d hate for them to be left for Dillon to do when he gets in.”
“Fuck Dillon,” Michael said. “You have more important things to take care of. Namely me.”
Her eyes danced as she pretended to consider the matter, and then with an exaggerated sigh, she said, “Okay, okay. Go into the living room and get comfortable.”
He started shedding his clothing as soon as he got past the doorway. By the time he made it to the couch, he was naked. Behind him, Lily burst out laughing.
“Just what kind of massage do you think this is?”
“I want your hands everywhere,” he growled.
She sauntered over, a sassy smile curving her lips. Then she licked them and his cock surged upward.
“Where oh where should I start?”
