Maya Banks - Colters’ Lady

“And a big welcome to the newest addition to our family,” Adam said as he held up a glass in Lily’s direction. “To Lily.”

“To Lily!” the rest chorused.

Lily looked as if she was battling tears. Her eyes glistened, and she raised her table napkin to wipe at her face several times.

Dinner…was just like old times. Loud. Boisterous. Seth was a little worried at first that they’d overwhelm Lily, but she looked to be enjoying herself as her gaze bounced back and forth between the noisy conversations.

Seth’s homecoming dominated the dinner conversation. Though his mom had been the most vocal, it was obvious that his dads were every bit as thrilled that he was coming home. Adam smiled every time he looked in Seth’s direction, and he wrapped an arm around Holly and held her close as they surveyed the gathering at the table.

At one point, Adam leaned over to kiss the side of Holly’s head and murmured something in her ear.

Her face lit up, and she smiled down the table, her face glowing in happiness.

Seth looked to his brothers and found the same satisfaction on their faces. The same contentment.

Only Callie seemed withdrawn, her smile strained. He could see the shadows under her eyes and faint pain in the depths.

It had to be hard when everyone else was so happy and she was dealing with whatever had driven her to seek refuge.

“Are you ladies sober enough to make it back into the living room?” Ethan joked.

“Oh we’re fine,” Holly said in exasperation.

“Hate to eat and run,” Seth said as he rose. “But we really need to get on the road. The snow was coming down pretty hard and we don’t want to get stranded.”

“It might be better if you stayed over,” Adam said, concern darkening his voice. “It’s after dark and it’s been snowing for a while now.”

“We’ll take Michael’s Jeep and leave mine and Seth’s trucks here,” Dillon said. “We have a lot to talk about and work out. We’ll visit again soon.”

Dillon stood and walked to stand behind Lily. He clasped her shoulders and rubbed gently. “You ready?”

She glanced up at Seth and then Michael and nodded.

There was a chorus of hugs and goodbyes, and Seth smiled as Callie and his mom both fussed over Lily. The women joked and laughed about their afternoon together, and then Holly recruited the dads to help bring all of Lily’s packages out to the Jeep.

“Are you sure there’s going to be room for all of us?” Dillon joked as he and Seth stood back watching all the bags being stuffed in the back. “How much of our money did Mom spend today, anyway?”

“You don’t want to know,” Callie said cheekily. Then in a lower voice, “Don’t give Lily a hard time about it. It was like pulling teeth to get her to agree to all the stuff, and she needed everything.” Dillon pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. “Thanks for doing it for her. You’re the best.”

“I like her, Dillon,” Callie said in a low voice. “So do Mom and the dads. Don’t fuck this up.” Seth chuckled next to Dillon. “Leave it to Callie to take us all to task.” Michael bundled Lily into the front seat and then motioned for Seth and Dillon. “Come on you two, before Lily freezes to death.”

Seth and Dillon brushed the snow from their shoulders and heads and climbed into the Jeep.

“Did you have fun today?” Seth asked as Michael pulled out of the drive onto the snow-covered road.

Lily turned and smiled. “I did. Your mom and sister are so great.”

“How did it go at the doctor?” Dillon asked. “Did you get everything you need?” Lily ducked her head and Seth shot Dillon a glare for embarrassing her.

“I did,” she said in a low voice. “It’s good timing actually. I start the pills the first Sunday after my last period. That’s day after tomorrow.”

Seth reached up and squeezed Lily’s shoulder. “As long as you feel like you have what you need, honey.”

It took longer than normal to make the drive through town and up to Dillon’s place. When they stomped onto the porch to shake the snow from their boots, Dillon opened the front door to let them all in.

“Give me a minute to get a fire built,” Dillon said.

“I’ll make some hot chocolate,” Seth said.

“That leaves you and me to snuggle on the couch,” Michael said to Lily.

She smiled and kicked her shoes off and piled them with the others by the door. Then she padded across the floor and curled into the plump cushions of Dillon’s sectional.

Seth heated milk and then added the chocolate mix to the cups. He wasn’t sure whether Michael or Dillon would want a cup, but he made enough for the four of them. He arranged the mugs on a tray and carried it into the living room where a hearty fire already blazed in the hearth.

Dillon and Michael were sitting on either side of Lily, and she looked adorable all but lost between the two men and the fluffy cushions.

Seth set the tray down on the coffee table and handed around the mugs. Then he leaned back on the couch and propped his feet up.

“You get everything ironed out, Seth?” Dillon asked.

Seth nodded. “Yeah, I’m going to go back to Denver tomorrow and tie up all my loose ends there.

Shouldn’t take me more than a few days.”

Michael turned to Lily. “Want to come hang out with me at the office while Seth does his thing? Lots of critters to see.”

Lily’s face lit up. “That sounds fun. I love animals.” As Seth settled back to sip at his hot chocolate, he looked around at a new family in the making, and despite his initial reservations, hope and anticipation, and most of all, satisfaction gripped him.

Three days later, Lily held a pitifully mewling cat in her arms while she waited for Michael to complete his assessment. She stroked her fingers over her ears and murmured nonsense words in an effort to soothe her.

The poor thing was bedraggled, cold and hungry to boot.

“What will happen to her?” Lily asked anxiously.

The cat had been dumped at the door of the clinic in a box a few minutes after Michael had closed the clinic. By the time they heard her plaintive wails, the cat had been half dead from the cold.

Michael grimaced. “We’ll feed her, make sure she’s healthy and no serious problems and then we’ll try to find a home for her. But I’ll be honest. I get a lot of castoffs here, and I simply don’t have the room to board them all. I usually have to call the shelter over in Gunnison.”

“But don’t they put animals to sleep if they can’t find homes?” She tried to keep the stress from her voice because she knew Michael wasn’t any happier about this than she was, and he was right, he couldn’t take in every stray that came across his doorstep.

Michael’s eyes softened. “They’ll try to find a home for her first. Euthanization is a last resort.” Lily looked down at the bundle of fur and felt tears crowding the edges of her eyes. She stroked the cat and felt the answering vibration of purring.

Then she looked back up at Michael, her expression pleading. “Couldn’t we take her? I mean home? I don’t want her to die just because someone didn’t want her anymore.” Michael blew out his breath and then looked between her and the cat. Then he lifted his gaze to hers again, his eyes troubled. He touched her cheek and softly caressed.

“Is that how you felt, Lily? Like no one wanted you anymore?” The ache grew in her chest as she struggled with her emotions. “Maybe I just didn’t feel like I deserved to have people to love me,” she whispered.

“Aw, Lily. You have such a big heart. I can’t imagine anyone not loving you, and furthermore, if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to make damn sure that not only do you know you deserve it, but that you expect it.”

She dropped her gaze to the cat who’d snuggled into her arms.

“She deserves a home and someone to love her too.”

“I have this feeling that you’re going to be impossible to ever win an argument with,” he said ruefully.

“I can’t think of a single reason to tell you no.”

Lily lifted her gaze back to Michael. “So I can keep her?” He dragged a hand through his hair and pulled it behind him in a makeshift ponytail. “Yeah, you can keep her. God help me. Dillon’s going to have a coronary.”

“Dillon doesn’t like pets?”

“More like the thought of a cat scratching up his custom wood is going to give him a seizure,” Michael said with a grin.

“I’ll take good care of her and keep her off Dillon’s wood,” Lily said solemnly.

Michael pulled her in and kissed her hair. “I’m just giving you a hard time, baby. We’ll pack her up after I’ve finished my exam. She’ll need worming I’m sure and we should treat her for fleas before we take her into the house. I have cat food here and we can bring a few bags home so she’ll have what she needs.”

“And a litter box?” Lily asked. “I don’t want her to be outside in the cold. She needs to stay inside.”

“And a litter box,” Michael agreed. “She can take up residence in the mud room.” Lily clapped her hands together in delight and then threw her arms around Michael, scaring the cat in the process. She leaped to the neighboring counter and stared suspiciously as Lily danced around the room, holding tight to Michael.

Michael laughed. “Easy there. You’re making me dizzy.”

“Thank you,” Lily exclaimed. Then she reached up and kissed him full on the lips.

He caught her against him, cradling the back of her head in his palm as he kissed her. His tongue slid along the seam of her lips, demanding entry. With a breathless sigh, she opened and let him in. His taste seeped into her mouth and floated through her veins until all she could breathe, smell or taste was him.