With a sigh, she climbed out of the SUV and headed toward Callie’s front door. The entire front of Callie’s house was decorated in bright, colorful Christmas lights. A large wreath hung on the door, and framed in the huge picture window stood the tree, ablaze with over a thousand white lights. Callie had always loved Christmas. Every bit as much as Holly did. It warmed Holly through that her daughter had her own home just a short distance away from her parents. She missed her babies when they were away and of all her children, Callie had spent the most time away from home. Now she was back where she belonged and Max would keep her centered. He’d calmed her restless spirit and had given her a safe haven.

As she reached the steps, the porch light came on and the door opened, revealing Max.

“Hello, Mrs. C. Come in, come in. Here, let me take your coat.”

“Hi Max,” Holly said, leaning up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. Her son-in-law’s acceptance into the family hadn’t come without hiccups, but he’d proven himself a dozen times over since he and Callie had married.

Max took her coat and ushered her inside to the living room, where a fire blazed in the hearth.

“Mom!” Callie cried as she hurried over.

Holly caught her daughter in her arms and hugged her tightly. “Hi, baby. How are you?”

“I’m good. What brings you over? Would you like some hot chocolate or a glass of wine?”

“Nothing for me, thank you,” Holly said. “Where’s Lauren? I’d hoped to see her while I was here.”

Callie and Max exchanged pained looks.

“She’s in her room,” Callie said with a sigh.

Holly glanced at Max. “Would you mind if I went to see her?”

Max wiped a hand wearily over his face. “I’d be grateful for whatever you could do for her. I feel so damn helpless. I want to help her but I don’t know how. She’s hurting and I’m powerless to stop it.”

Holly impulsively went to him and enfolded him a big hug. In her mind, no one ever got too old for a motherly hug, and judging by his reaction, he didn’t think so either.

He hugged her back, squeezing a little tighter than normal.

Holly drew away and patted his cheek affectionately. “I know you don’t feel like you’re helping her, Max, but I promise you she appreciates you just being here and for going to New York to fight for her. She’s adrift. She feels isolated and alone. She’s afraid, ashamed, angry. It just takes time to heal and to regain your confidence.”

“If she can be as half as strong as you are, Mrs. C, she’ll be just fine,” Max said, clear love in his voice.

“I wasn’t very strong in the beginning,” Holly said ruefully. “Adam, Ethan, and Ryan made me strong. Their love made me strong. Just like our love is going to make Lauren strong again. We simply have to make her see it.”

“Thank you,” Max said sincerely. “For caring about my sister.”

Holly smiled, reached over to squeeze Callie’s hand, and then headed toward the stairs. “I’ll be back down in a bit, Callie. If your fathers call, tell them I’m with Lauren. They’ll understand.”

She climbed the stairs and turned to the left, away from the master suite and down a hallway where the other bedrooms were located. At the end, she encountered the closed door of Lauren’s bedroom and knocked softly.

“Lauren? It’s Holly Colter. Can I come in for a few minutes?”

A long moment later, the door opened and Lauren stood there, surprise and confusion reflected in her dark, wounded eyes. Holly wanted to cry as she took in how changed the lovely young woman was from the last time Holly had visited with her.

She looked infinitely fragile. Haunted. Callie had said she’d been wearing scarves and long sleeves to cover the bruises, but she wore no such things now, and even days after her attack, there was still evidence of bruising. Much fainter now. Yellow and green instead of black and blue, but the marks were there.

“Hi,” Holly offered softly.

Lauren smiled but swallowed nervously. “Hi, Mrs. Colter. I didn’t realize you were coming over.”

Holly flashed a bright, cheerful smile, determined not to show any pity or anger over Lauren’s condition. “Oh, I pop in all the time. I wanted to see how you were doing. I’ve been dying to see you again.”

Guilt crept into Lauren’s eyes and she gripped the door a little tighter.

“Can I come in?” Holly asked again.

Lauren hastily glanced back and then opened the door wide. “Of course. I’m sorry.”

Holly sailed past her, her heart aching at the change so evident in the young woman. Spying the two chairs by the window, she headed in that direction and perched on the edge of one. She leaned over to pat the other and motioned for Lauren to sit.

Lauren gingerly settled onto the opposite chair, her unease rippling from her in waves. Holly grasped Lauren’s hands and squeezed comfortingly.

“I’ve never been good at being subtle so I’m going to just dive right in. Callie told me what happened to you.”

Lauren closed her eyes and her head bowed automatically. Holly moved one of her hands from Lauren’s and cupped Lauren’s chin, gently nudging it upward until Lauren was forced to look at her.

“Listen to me, baby,” Holly said in an achingly gentle voice. “This wasn’t your fault. It’s not your shame to bear. I know how you’re feeling. I understand all too well.”

Lauren’s eyes clouded. “How?” she cracked out. “How could you possibly know? Or understand? Your husbands would never …”

Holly shook her head. “No, they wouldn’t. Thank God for that. I thank God for them every single day. But you know what? I didn’t always have them. I was running from my first husband when Adam found me lying in a ditch. He took me home, and he and his brothers helped put me back together. They protected me, they loved me, and they gave me the strength to fight back when the time came.”

Lauren’s eyes rounded in surprise. “You … Someone—your husband—hurt you?”

Holly nodded. “Lauren, honey, you can’t hide from the world forever, and moreover, you can’t hide from the people who love you. My husbands and my sons are dying to spoil you rotten and treat you like an honorary daughter and sister. Hell, they spoil Callie shamelessly and she’s a married, grown woman. It’s bad enough Max gives her the moon, but her fathers and brothers do as well. I know it’s hard for you to trust right now, but in time your faith will be restored. Not all men are bastards. There are some really good men out there who’d die before ever hurting a woman.”

Tears filled Lauren’s eyes. “I just feel so stupid. And I’m angry with myself. I should have left him. I made excuses for him. I brushed off the warning signs. I just felt so damn alone and for a while he filled that emptiness inside me.”

“Oh, honey,” Holly said, pulling Lauren into her arms. She held her tightly and rocked back and forth. “It isn’t a crime to make a mistake. We all make them. Just because you gave your trust to the wrong man doesn’t mean you should punish yourself for the rest of your life.”

Lauren sighed and wiped hastily at her tears as she pulled away from Holly. “It sounds pretty stupid when you say it like that. What I mean is that I sound stupid and you make complete sense. I just wish it was that easy to believe, you know?”

Holly smiled and ran her hand over Lauren’s damp cheek. “The thing is, you don’t have to endure this alone. You’re surrounded by family, by people who love you. No one in this family thinks less of you. We’re worried about you. My boys want to go kick the little bastard’s ass, but we all just want you to be happy again. Venture out of your shell. We want you to feel safe here.”

This time Lauren hugged Holly and her slender body shook with sobs as she buried her face in Holly’s shoulder. For the longest time, Holly simply sat there and held her, rocking her back and forth as Lauren let go of the pent-up emotion.

“I miss my mom,” Lauren whispered.

“I know you do, baby. It’s times like these when a girl needs her mother the most. No matter how old you get, the need for your mother never goes away. I hope you’ll allow me to stand in for her.”

Lauren squeezed her fiercely. “I’d love that more than anything.”

Holly squeezed her back. “Not only do you have a stand-in mother, but you also have three fathers and three brothers in addition to Max, and you have two sisters too.”

Lauren lifted her head, her eyes wide in wonder. “I do, don’t I?”

Holly smiled. “You most certainly do.”

“Oh,” Lauren breathed. “Max and I are so very lucky. For so long it was just us three. Him, me, and Mama. And then just me and Max. I’ve always dreamed of having a big, loving, wonderful family that just surrounded me.”

“Well, I’d say you got your wish,” Holly said with an indulgent smile.

Lauren wiped at her face again and briefly looked down before returning her gaze to Holly. “Does the self-recrimination ever go away? I close my eyes at night and I’m just bombarded by humiliation. I cringe at the things I put up with. Don’t get me wrong, I’m furious with him. But I’m also angry with myself, and that’s harder to take.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself,” Holly said gently. “Give yourself time to heal. Distance always provides perspective. The guilt and self-blame will fade. You’ll be able to look back and know that the blame lies solely with him.”

“I hope you’re right,” Lauren murmured. “I hate wallowing in this cesspool of pity.”

“My advice? Get out more. Stop shutting yourself away from the world. Take long walks. It’s beautiful up here. Go to town. Buy something fun for yourself. Pamper yourself. Get a manicure. Whatever it takes to give yourself back the gift of confidence.”