Maya Banks - Colters’ Promise

A tiny, defenseless life lay nestled there underneath her fingers. Already precious. And loved. Loved so very much.

She hugged herself and rocked back and forth, willing the fear to dissipate. She was strong. So much stronger than before.

But no matter how strong she was now, she wouldn’t survive another loss.

The peal of her cell phone disturbed the peaceful solitude. She jumped and then reached into her pocket for the phone. It was her mother-in-law’s ringtone and Lily’s pulse ratcheted up.

Someone had probably seen her at the doctor’s, and Holly was likely calling to see if everything was okay. Lily wasn’t ready to divulge such unsettling news. She needed time to come to terms with her pregnancy before she blurted it out to her family.

Family.

She closed her eyes, wrapping herself in the comfort and knowledge that she had the best family in the entire world. They loved her and she loved them dearly.

With shaking fingers, she hit the button to receive the call and put the phone to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Lily, dear, it’s Holly. How are you?”

“F-fine. I’m fine. How are you?”

“I’m on my way over, actually. I hope you’re home! I didn’t even think to call before I left. You know how I am. Once I get an idea in my head, I act. And to be honest, I was more focused on being able to get past the husbands without the third degree. You know how they are about me driving myself into town.”

Lily smiled, picturing Holly rolling her eyes as she always did when she talked about the three older Colter men.

“Yes, I’m home.”

“Oh good,” Holly breathed. “I have a huge favor to ask.”

Lily let a sigh of relief. Her mother-in-law wasn’t calling because she knew Lily had been to the doctor.

She stood rapidly, still holding the phone as she headed toward the back door. It wouldn’t do for Holly to see the mess Lily was in. She’d latch on and there’d be no avoiding the issue.

She wiped frantically at her face even as she murmured a good-bye to Holly. She tossed the phone onto the counter and then headed into the bathroom.

She had about fifteen minutes to make it look like her world hadn’t just been tilted on its axis.

LILY smiled broadly at herself in the mirror. She grimaced and then let her lips fall. The smile looked exactly the way it felt—fake and forced. When the doorbell rang, she sighed and turned away.

Makeup did wonders, though Lily didn’t normally wear much—and she didn’t have much on now. Just enough to disguise the signs of grief that had ravaged her face earlier.

She hurried to the door, putting on a genuine, warm smile before opening it.

Holly bustled in from the cold, immediately pulling Lily into a huge hug. Holly wasn’t a large woman by any stretch, but she hugged like a bear. Lily felt it to her soul and closed her eyes as her mother-in-law soothed and patted and made Lily feel like she was bathed in sunshine.

“Are none of those boys of mine home today?” Holly asked when she finally released Lily.

Lily shut the door, took Holly’s coat, and shook her head. “Dillon went in early because Callie was working the bar last night. He never likes it when she does and neither does Max. Max called, wanting him to at least make sure she didn’t sleep on the couch in the office, so I’m sure he went in and made her go home.”

“Ah,” Holly said. “Well, Max is home so he’ll take care of that, I suppose.”

“I’m so glad they’ll be here this Christmas.”

Holly’s entire face lit up. “Oh yes, me too. My whole family here for Christmas. I’m so excited, I can’t stand it.”

As they entered the living room, Lily paused and turned to see Holly staring intently at her.

“Are you all right, Lily? You look a little pale.”

Lily swallowed and forced a brighter smile. “I’m fine.”

Holly frowned but didn’t pursue the matter, and now Lily worried that she’d mention her concerns to her sons. Impulsively, she reached for Holly’s hand and squeezed, feeling better for the contact.

“Holly, I’m fine. Now tell me what favor you need. You know I’d do anything for you.”

Her mother-in-law turned, took both of Lily’s hands in hers, her eyes dancing with excitement. “I want you to teach me how to cook.”

Lily’s mouth dropped open. Of all the things that Holly could have said, this was the farthest thing from Lily’s mind. She stared at Holly for several long seconds before she finally found her tongue.

“What on earth for?”

Holly sighed, let go of Lily’s hands, and then settled on the couch. Lily took a seat next to her, tucking one leg underneath her and rotating so they faced each other.

“It’s been a running family joke for years that I can’t cook and that my husbands have always provided the meals for our family—which is totally true, mind you. It’s never bothered me, but this year … This Christmas I’d like to put the food on the table for my family and know that I made it. I want this year to be special. So much has changed in our family in a short amount of time, and for the first time in a long time we’re all going to be together. Last year, Max and Callie spent Christmas overseas. But this year all my babies will be at home where they belong.”

Lily leaned over to put her arm around Holly. She squeezed and then smiled. “Of course I’ll help. When I’m done, you’ll be able to prepare the best holiday meal the Colters have ever tasted.”

Holly beamed and then threw her arms around Lily, hugging her tight. “I knew I could count on you. Now, where do we start?”

Holly’s bright enthusiasm was a balm to Lily’s soul. Some of her fear and melancholy lifted away as she focused on a way to make her mother-in-law happy.

“Well, it depends on what you’d like to serve. Are we going traditional with a bird, dressing, and the fixings? Or do you want to go for wow factor?”

Holly pulled away, a pensive frown on her face. “I kind of like wow, but maybe that’s too much to expect in such a short amount of time.”

“Oh, I don’t know. What if we did something creole?”

“Oh yum. There’s a Cajun restaurant in Denver that I love. The husbands take me there when we’re in the city.”

“Hmm, okay. How does a pan-seared catfish fillet covered with crawfish étouffée sound?”

“Like my mouth is watering!”

Lily grinned. Holly’s excitement was infectious. “For starters, we could do a lobster bisque and crawfish-stuffed shrimp. I have an awesome recipe for homemade rolls that won’t take any time in the bread machine. Then we’ll have the fish and étouffée as the main course. For dessert, I’m thinking caramel Heath bar pie.”

“Has anyone ever told you what a culinary genius you are? Dillon has always been the master chef in the family but you, my dear, he can’t hold a candle to.”

“Oh, I love it when you stroke my ego. I’ll love getting to take credit for getting Mama Colter to create a perfect meal. Dillon will be bitter forever. He keeps swearing he’s going to get you into the kitchen.”

Holly snorted. “Dillon and I would never make it together. I’d murder my own child before it was over with.”

Lily rose. “Well then, let’s go shopping. We have groceries to buy and a kitchen to mess up. We’re on a tight timeline here. We only have until the guys get home from work, and if they catch us in the kitchen or see the kitchen in a mess, they’ll want to know what on earth we’re up to.”

Holly shot to her feet, an excited smile lighting up her face. “Thank you, Lily. I can’t wait!”

“You’ll have to find a way to get over here every day until we get this right,” Lily cautioned. “You’ll have to think of something to say to the dads so they don’t get suspicious.”

“Oh, I’ll handle them,” Holly said airily, mischief sparkling in her eyes. “Tomorrow is Saturday so I’ll come over in the morning and make the boys go over to their fathers’.”

CALLIE stirred, tried to swallow, and grimaced. She opened her eyes to see Max staring intently down at her, his lips set in a fine line.

“Your throat hurting worse?”

She nodded. “Need something to drink.”

He leaned forward, holding her tightly so she didn’t slide from his lap, and retrieved the glass of water sitting on the coffee table.

She drank greedily, trying not to flinch at the discomfort it caused her throat. Her fever had broken and she was damp with sweat. Where before she’d been freezing and sure she’d never get warm again, now she was hot, aching, and twitchy all over.

When she was done drinking, she lay limply on Max’s chest, her eyes closed in exhaustion. It was ridiculous really. There was no reason for her to feel so weak, but she couldn’t do battle with a kitten at the moment.