Colters' Gift

CHAPTER 10

LAUREN had always been a little overwhelmed by the Colter family. Not in a bad way. They’d been nothing but loving and accepting of her from the very start.

But they were just so . . .

Everything. They were everything she’d imagine in the perfect American family. What most people dreamed of. Closeness. Tight-knit. Fiercely loyal.

Except that they hardly fit the picture of the typical American family.

When Max had first begun to tell her of Callie’s family, Lauren had thought he was playing a joke on her. How ironic that now Lauren found herself in a similar situation, and moreover, it was one she wanted to be in.

The Colters had opened her eyes to a whole new world. One that was filled with love and acceptance. It was a world she much preferred over her old one.

As she and Liam and Noah got out of the rental they’d driven from Denver to Clyde, Lauren grew nervous. Would it be evident to everyone that Liam and Noah were more than just bodyguards hired by her brother?

Liam whistled. “Nice place they have here. It looks like a postcard.”

And indeed it did.

The log cabin was nestled against the mountain, surrounded by aspens and pine and afforded a beautiful view in every direction.

She pointed to the meadow in the distance where a stream cut through the land. Spring had come, bringing with it bountiful flowers and lush greenery. It was a place that calmed the senses and signaled peace. She took a deep breath, sucking in the pine scented cool air.

“That’s where Max and Callie live. Across the meadow in the house Max built for Callie. It’s not a long walk and there’s a worn trail that leads to their property. Callie’s property,” she amended.

The land had been a bone of contention between Max and Callie. It had once belonged to Lauren’s stepfather, the man who’d raised her and Max, and after he passed, her mother had sold it to the Colters. Max had believed the elder Colter brothers had taken advantage of her mom and had fully intended to do whatever necessary to get the land back. Even if it meant deceiving Callie in the process.

She shook her head. Her brother had very nearly screwed up the best thing that had ever happened to him. He was at peace now. Maybe it was what the land and the Colters had done for him. Maybe it was what would do the same for her.

The front door opened, and Ethan Colter stepped out, a smile broadening his features.

“Hello, Lauren! Come on in.”

Lauren relaxed, smiling back at the older man. She hurried toward the door, eager to be back in the bosom of the Colter family. She always looked forward to her visits here, no matter how frequently she came.

Liam and Noah followed closely behind, and when she got to the porch, Ethan enfolded her in a huge hug.

In the beginning she’d been hesitant around the loving, demonstrative family, even though it was in her nature to be just as affectionate. But Joel had taught her reserve and it was a hard lesson to forget.

“It’s good to see you, honey,” Ethan said.

She squeezed back. “And you.”

She turned to Noah and Liam standing a few steps back. “Ethan, this is Noah Sullivan and Liam Prescott. Noah and Liam, this is Ethan Colter.”

Ethan immediately extended his hand to Noah and then to Liam.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Noah said.

“Come on in, all of you. Holly is dying to get her hands on you. I’ll warn you now. Just take whatever comes. My wife is used to getting her own way. She’ll likely interrogate you and then smother you with hugs.”

He smiled indulgently, his love for his wife softening his eyes and expression.

Lauren pushed by Ethan, eager to be inside. As soon as she stepped into the living room, it was like coming home. Memories of the previous Christmas when she’d been so unsure of her place in the world, and in this family came to mind.

Warmth, love and peace washed over her, cradling her in their soothing embrace.

“Lauren!”

Holly Colter surged up from her place on the couch between Adam and Ryan Colter, and she rushed over, pulling Lauren into a fierce hug that was even bigger than the one Ethan had given her.

Behind her, Adam and Ryan rose, their gazes drawn to Noah and Liam. There was wary reserve and sharp appraisal in their stares. Lauren smiled as the force that was Holly Colter surrounded her, making her feel love and concern that had extended to one who wasn’t Holly’s own. Not that Holly would ever draw that distinction. She’d made it clear from the day she’d come to see Lauren, when Lauren had still been in seclusion at Max and Callie’s home, that she considered Lauren one of her children.

“It’s so good to see you, baby,” Holly whispered. “How are you? Are you okay?”

Lauren pulled away. “I’m fine. Truly. You don’t need to worry about me. Noah and Liam have promised to take care of me.”

Holly frowned a little as she looked past Lauren to the two men behind her. Then she pushed past Lauren, and Lauren turned to see what was in store for Noah and Liam.

“I’m Holly Colter,” she said. “Max told me about you, but I wanted to set eyes on you myself and make sure that you were the kind of men I can trust to take care of my baby.”

Liam’s lips twitched into a smile while Noah looked a little more wary.

“I’m very pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Liam said solemnly. “And I promise to take very good care of Lauren. Noah and I are going to make sure that no one ever hurts Lauren again.”

There was a flicker of response in the Colter brothers’ eyes. Adam’s eyebrows went up a notch while Ryan’s eyes narrowed.

Holly stared at them for a long time, and then she smiled broadly. Then she pulled the much larger Liam into a huge hug and patted him on the back.

“I think I like you, Liam.”

Then she turned to Noah as if she hadn’t yet made up her mind about him.

“And what have you got to say, young man?”

At that Ethan chuckled while Adam and Ryan smothered their smiles of amusement. Noah looked befuddled as the much smaller woman took him to task.

He looked like he’d rather take on a group of terrorists than answer to her.

“I care very much about Lauren’s safety,” Noah finally said. “And as Liam said, we’re here to protect her. You can trust us with her safety. Someone will have to go through us to get close to her.”

Holly gave him the same frank appraisal she’d given Liam and then she smiled.

“You’ll do.”

Then she hugged him just as enthusiastically as she had Liam and then promptly ordered him and Liam to have a seat.

Once satisfied that Noah and Liam were taken care of, she turned back to Lauren.

“Lily and the boys are on their way over now, and I expect Max and Callie at any moment. I prepared lunch today,” she said proudly.

Adam gave her an indulgent smile.

Ryan took his seat on the couch across from where Liam and Noah had taken their seats. And sent them both a look of amusement.

“After more than thirty years, our wife has taken it upon herself to learn how to cook. She made Christmas dinner for us all without burning the kitchen down, so we’ve agreed to turn her loose on occasion. What’s she’s prepared is anyone’s guess, so I hope you brought the antacid.”

Holly sent a glare in Ryan’s direction. “Oh hush. You’re going to scare them and have them thinking I’m going to poison them.”

Ethan ruffled her hair affectionately. “Not too long ago, that would have been the truth. I have the fire extinguishers on standby.”

Noah and Liam both wore peculiar expressions, as if they weren’t sure how seriously to take the bantering. Lauren just laughed and hugged Holly again.

“I think you’re a wonderful cook, Mama C. I’ll be happy to eat whatever you fix.”

Holly beamed and patted Lauren’s arm. “I always knew you were my favorite child. Come into the kitchen with me. We can talk while I finish up and we’ll leave the men out here to do whatever it is men do when they’re together.”

Then she sent another glare in her husbands’ direction. “You don’t say another word about my cooking. You’ve liked what I’ve cooked just fine.”

Ethan put his arm around her. “Sweetheart, you’ve only cooked twice more since Christmas. Give us time to adjust. We’re too used to having the fire department on standby when you venture into the kitchen.”

Holly shook her head then reached for Lauren’s hand. “Come on. I’ve got nothing left to say to these men.”

Lauren allowed herself to be dragged into the kitchen, though she felt a brief moment of guilt for pitching Noah and Liam to the wolves. They’d probably get grilled by the Colter men. Hopefully the others would arrive soon. At least Noah and Liam knew Max and Seth already.

But on the other hand . . . If she was truly going to entertain having a relationship with Noah and Liam, the Colter family was going to be something they would have to get used to, because the Colters were too important to Lauren.

They were her family.

“Sit and keep me company,” Holly said, steering her toward the L-shaped bar that curved from the kitchen counters.

Lauren slid onto one of the leather stools and propped her elbows on the counter.

“So what are you cooking today?” Lauren asked.

Holly grinned, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “I’m totally cheating. Lily brought me three pans of lasagna yesterday, premade. All I have to do is pop them in the oven and voila, a mouthwatering Italian dinner. I have bakery rolls from town and bag salad from the store.”

Lauren laughed. “I won’t breathe a word.”

Holly took the lasagna from the fridge and slid them into the double-wall oven, set the timer and then came back to the bar and peered across it at Lauren.

“So tell me about Noah and Liam. I sense there’s more to this whole thing than their being some random strangers Max hired to protect you.”

Heat crept into Lauren’s cheeks and she fidgeted nervously on the stool.

“Why do you say that?” Lauren asked curiously.

Holly smiled. “Baby, the way those men look at you tells its own story. And the way Liam talked about people going through him and Noah to get to you? If you were just a job, they would have had some polished spiel they regurgitated for every client. There was passion in his voice and I absolutely believed him when he said he wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.”

Lauren sighed. “I wanted to talk to you about them.” She dug her fingertips into her temples and rubbed.

Holly’s look turned to one of concern. “What is it, Lauren? You know you can talk to me about anything.”

“They want a relationship with me. Like the one you have with your . . . husbands.”

Holly’s eyes widened a bit and then her brow furrowed. “Isn’t it a bit soon? Didn’t they just arrive?” Then she broke into a wry smile. “Like I can talk. Adam, Ethan and Ryan took one look at me and decided I was the one. They never looked back. It was the same when Seth first laid eyes on Lily. People laugh at the idea of love at first sight, but I’ve certainly witnessed it firsthand. Over thirty years later, here I am, still just as much in love with those old fools as I was as a starry-eyed naïve girl in my twenties.”

“I love hearing about you and the dads,” Lauren said wistfully.

Holly leaned across the bar and took Lauren’s hands in hers. “Back to Noah and Liam. You’ve talked about this? Already I mean?”

Lauren shook her head. “Yes, we’ve talked, but it’s not like I just met them. Max hired them when I was still in New York City. Before he and Callie came to bring me here. They started out a giant pain in my butt.”

Holly laughed. “Sounds like a typical start to a relationship to me.”

“According to them, the attraction was there from the beginning.”

“And what about you?” Holly asked softly.

“I noticed them,” Lauren hedged.

Holly laughed again. “Kind of hard not to notice those two. They tend to stand out in a crowd. I figure Dillon’s going to get along with them just fine. They’ll be comparing tattoos and earrings. I swear I don’t know where that child of mine got his tastes.”

“How hard is it, really?” Lauren asked in a quiet voice. “I’m scared of messing up. I’m drawn to both of them. I love the idea of having these two wonderful men both devoted to me. But I’m using your husbands and Lily’s husbands as measuring sticks. I don’t want to go in with unrealistic expectations. Am I crazy for wanting this? To agreeing to try it with them?”

“Oh, sweetie, you’re overthinking this. There’s really one question to ask. Do you love them?”

Lauren dropped her gaze. “I don’t know. It’s so soon after Joel. What if I’m just latching on to the first opportunity after a really bad relationship? I don’t want to use them.”

“Okay, let me rephrase the question. Could you see yourself eventually falling in love with them?”

“Oh yes,” Lauren breathed.

Holly squeezed her hands. “Do they love you?”

“I think they could. Maybe they do. I’m not sure. But they act like I’m the most important person in the world to them. They’re so loving and patient and gentle. They aren’t trying to rush me.”

“Then that’s all that’s important. If you can see yourself falling in love with both men and they both care about you, everything else will work itself out.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Lauren said. “I just keep thinking of everything that can go wrong. What if one of them gets jealous? What if I don’t spend exactly the same amount of time with both of them?” Her face went beet red with heat. “What if I have sex more with one than the other? It all makes my head hurt.”

Holly walked around the bar and slid onto the stool next to Lauren.

“You’re taking far too much on your shoulders, baby. Listen to me. You can only control what you do. You can’t be responsible for how they react or what they do. In a lot of ways, the relationship is much harder on the men than it is the woman, and in some aspects it’s more difficult for the woman.”

“You’re confusing me,” Lauren said in amusement.

“The men have to form a bond. I know it sounds silly. In my case, the men were brothers. Trust was already there. Trust is very important between the men so they’re working on the same page. When you have a case like with Noah and Liam, that friendship and trust has to be there so that jealousy doesn’t become an issue or they’re not always wondering if the other is trying to get you to agree to kick one out of the relationship.”

“That makes sense,” Lauren agreed.

“And the way it’s more difficult for a woman, is that she has multiple personalities to learn and work around. The men are working with one woman. She’s their focus. But the woman’s focus is split between two, or in my case, three men. She has to know what makes each of them tick. And sometimes it’s a delicate balance juggling those different personalities because each man has his own set of desires, and what he wants from the relationship. One might need one thing from you while the other needs something entirely different. It can be exhausting, especially in the beginning when you’re learning.”

Lauren nodded again. “I knew I could count on you to make perfect sense, Mama C. But you know, it’s kind of exciting when everything is all shiny and new and when the mere thought of a relationship makes you breathless. They give me . . . hope. I’m almost afraid to believe, because I don’t know what I’ll do if it doesn’t work out.”

Holly cupped Lauren’s face in her hands. “Just take it one day at a time, baby. It’s all you can do. But let me tell you. Those two men are the luckiest guys on earth to have you and they don’t need to forget it. You are a beautiful, intelligent, loving young woman and one I’m very proud to call my daughter. And you are, you know. You may not bear the Colter last name, but that’s the only thing that sets you apart from one of my own.”

“Hey, Mom!”

Lauren whirled around to see Callie burst into the kitchen, a sunny smile on her face.

Holly’s expression softened, and she hopped off the stool to go hug her youngest child. Except that according to Holly, Lauren was one of her brood, which actually made Lauren the youngest.

It did heart-stopping things to Lauren to fully comprehend that she had a place in this wonderful family. God, it made her want to tear all up, and if that wasn’t just stupid after so many months, she didn’t know what it was.

As Callie was hugging her mom, Lily Colter walked in behind them. Seven months pregnant, Lily still moved gracefully despite the bulge on her small frame. She was a petite woman with delicate features.

As Lauren glanced around at the women gathered in the Colter kitchen, she realized that this was a room full of women who’d survived unimaginable tragedies, dangerous situations and heartbreak. It was one thing they all had in common.

Lily had been married before she’d met Holly’s sons, and she’d suffered a terrible loss when her newborn baby had died of sudden infant death syndrome. Her husband had blamed her and divorced Lily. Devastated and grief stricken, Lily had walked away, living on the streets, homeless, until Seth, who’d then worked as a police office in Denver, had spotted her at a soup kitchen where he volunteered.

He’d taken her home and when his brothers had met her, they’d had the same instant recognition that Seth himself had felt. They all knew that she was the one.

Lauren firmly believed that Max had also known instantly that Callie was the one, but he’d been a lot more hardheaded than the Colter men, and the result had been nearly losing Callie forever.

It had never really occurred to Lauren how drastically her own life would have changed if Max and Callie hadn’t been able to work things out. Lauren would have never come to know the Colters. Never would have been a part of the family she now considered her own.

After Holly hugged and fussed over Lily, Lily broke away and came to give Lauren a quick hug. Concern darkened her blue eyes as she struggled to get onto the bar stool next to Lauren.

“Seth told me a little of what happened. Are you okay?” Lily asked anxiously.

Lauren smiled and nodded. “I’m fine. Noah and Liam won’t let anything happen to me.”

Lily’s eyes lightened but then gleamed, and she pursed her lips. “And speaking of Noah and Liam, you’ve got to give me the dirt on those two gorgeous hunks. God, they remind me of Dillon. Well him and Michael both. It’s like taking Dillon and Michael and producing their offspring.”

“Oh God, Lily. Really? I so don’t need that image branded into my brain,” Callie said with a groan as she took the stool on the other side of Lauren.

“All that long dark hair and tattoos on Liam?” Lily said. “That man is gorgeous and so dangerous looking.”

Lauren grinned and preened under the praise from the other woman. And she could even see how Lily made the comparison. Dillon Colter was the wild child. The one that seemingly broke the mold in the Colter family. He looked like a total badass but he had a heart of gold. He sported tattoos and an earring, but his hair was cut short and spiked on top. Michael was certainly more conservative, but his one rebellion seemed to be his hair, which he wore shoulder length. Liam seemed a good combination of both men.

“And Noah isn’t bad to look at either,” Callie broke in. “I’d certainly lick those arms of his. They’re huge! You can’t tell me those two don’t lift weights to have biceps that big. His tats are cool too. Definitely more subtle than Liam’s, but it just works for him. He has that quiet badass look to him.”

Holly chuckled as she walked back to the fridge. She pulled out the bag of lettuce, two tomatoes, a cucumber and a packet of shredded carrots.

“Better not let Max hear you talking about licking another man’s anything, Callie.”

Callie made a face. “It’s not like I really would. But it’s certainly tempting.”

“So what’s the story on those two?” Lily asked. “Am I the only one in the dark here? Seth said very little. Just that they were here to protect you. He nearly gave me a heart attack and then he had to spend the next half hour assuring me that someone wasn’t trying to kill you or something.”

Lauren put her hand over Lily’s. “I’m sorry he worried you. It’s really nothing. I’m more than a little embarrassed over it all. I kept important information from Max and from Noah and Liam. Max hired them months ago. Before I came here at Christmas. It was when I got the nerve to leave . . . Joel . . . and finally called Max for help. But I didn’t tell them the truth about who I was involved in.”

Callie wrinkled her nose. “Why?”

Lauren sighed. “I know it sounds stupid.”

“No, no,” Lily rushed to say. “We don’t think you’re stupid at all, Lauren. I’m so proud of you for having the guts to walk away from that jerk. But why would you protect him?”

Lauren shook her head emphatically. “I was never protecting him. I was trying to protect Max. And Noah and Liam. I knew if Max knew the truth, he’d go after Joel. He was furious at the time. And Joel was—is—involved in illegal activities. I doubt I even know the extent of it. He has many people on his payroll, including cops. If Max or Noah and Liam were to threaten him in any way, who’s to say he wouldn’t have them killed? It sounds dramatic and over the top, but you have to understand the kind of man Joel is. I honestly just wanted as far away from him as possible and I want to forget he exists.”

Callie wrapped her arm protectively around Lauren and squeezed fiercely. “Of course you do and I don’t blame you a bit. Besides, who wouldn’t want to be protected by two hunks like Noah and Liam?” she added cheekily.

Lily laughed and Lauren relaxed. She was surrounded by dear friends. Family. Women she cared deeply about and who loved her in return. This was what she loved most about being with the Colters. The freedom to be herself. To confide, discuss, laugh and joke.

No one told her how to act. Hugs were given as freely as breathing. Someone was always touching, showing affection. No one blinked an eye over it.

The ache inside her grew until she rubbed her chest to alleviate the discomfort.

How wonderful would it be if she and Noah and Liam could live right here in these mountains, surrounded by the family who’d made Lauren one of their own?