Colters' Promise (Colters' Legacy, #4)(32)

“Make love to me,” she whispered, in turn seeking each of her husbands’ gazes. “Show me your love.”

Seth put both hands on the bed and lowered himself until their faces were just an inch apart and her lips delectably close. “If I have my way, you’ll know our love every single day for the rest of our lives.”

*

MAX slipped from the warmth of his bed, reluctant to leave Callie. She was exhausted and worn down both physically and emotionally, and she’d only just gotten over her bout with strep throat. Having her mother in the hospital and seeing how frightened her fathers had been had shaken Callie to the core.

Now that Holly was back home, the family breathed easier. The collective sigh of the entire town could be heard through the mountain air. Holly Colter was home. All was well.

But Max was driven to make Christmas extra special. More so than it would already be. He knew the Colters, and especially Holly, were thrilled to have all their children home for the holidays.

He and Callie had traveled last Christmas. He’d taken her to Paris and London, where they’d marveled at the Christmas lights and festivities, and then they’d gone on to Germany, where they’d spent days just absorbing the atmosphere.

Callie had been born a free spirit. It was how he’d met her. She’d been backpacking in Greece and he’d been there for a short vacation of his own. As soon as he’d laid eyes on her, he’d known that she would alter his life forever.

He hadn’t reacted well. It was shame he’d forever live with. He’d very nearly messed up the best thing that had ever happened to him, but thank God for Callie’s forgiving spirit because he’d messed up not once, but twice.

Yes, he and Callie both liked to roam. They were restless and eager to explore new places. But one thing he’d realized in the time he and Callie had been married was that she belonged here. With her family. On this mountain. In her meadow, the place where she’d been born. Callie’s Meadow.

And oddly, he found himself craving the return to the warm embrace of the Colter family when he and Callie were away. It had been he who’d suggested that they spend this Christmas with family. Not just Callie’s family anymore, but his own. And now Lauren’s.

He crept from the bedroom, knowing that if he wanted to get done what he’d planned, it would take care and precision. But most of all, time. Time that was fast running out as Christmas approached.

When he reached the office in the corner of the downstairs level, just off the living room, he picked up the phone and began making calls. Money was no object. The work would have to be done at night. By the time he was finished, he was short a hefty amount of cash but he was satisfied that he’d been assured that what he wanted would be done.

Now, however, he needed to go make damn sure that Callie’s dads didn’t end up shooting someone for trespassing in the dead of night.

If he hurried, he could make it back in time to cook breakfast for his girls. He smiled as the word simmered in his mind. His girls. The woman he loved more than anything and his baby sister. Both here and safe with him. Family.

He went for his coat, grabbed the keys to the Range Rover, and headed out the door. Normally he’d make the walk across the meadow to the Colters’ cabin, but he wanted to make it back before Callie and Lauren got up.

A few minutes later, he pulled up to the Colters’ cabin and slid out of the car. He was almost to the door when it opened and Ethan called out a greeting.

“Morning, Max. What brings you out so early?”

Max took the extended hand and shook it before following Ethan inside, where it was a good deal warmer. Already a fire blazed in the big stone hearth and the room was alive with the twinkling Christmas lights strung from the tree and along the mantel.

It just felt like home in this big, cozy cabin that had once housed hunters when the Colters had operated a guide service for elk hunting.

“How is Holly?” Max asked.

Ethan was quiet for a moment and his hand shook as he raised the cup of coffee he was holding to his lips. After he took a sip, he turned his gaze on Max. “She’s doing better. She’s happy to be home. She doesn’t like to be away for long and being in the hospital was driving her crazy.”

“I bet,” Max replied. “I’m glad she’s home, and I know Callie is super relieved.”

“Yeah, we all are,” Ethan said quietly. “She scared the hell out of us. It’s a sobering wake-up call when you realize just how close you come to losing someone or how easily they can slip away.”

But Max knew. He knew all too well because he’d come so damn close to losing Callie that it still hurt him to think about it.

Adam walked into the living room, his head rearing back in surprise when he saw Max standing there.

“Anything the matter, son?” Adam asked.

Max was a grown man, but it still gave him a ridiculous thrill when Adam called him son. It made him feel included. Like another of the Colter brothers. His place certainly hadn’t always been assured in this family. He was lucky Callie’s dads and brothers hadn’t wiped the earth with him and ripped his nuts off. It certainly wasn’t because they hadn’t wanted to.

But now there was warmth and acceptance, and Max soaked it in. With the passing of his mother, he and Lauren had been left alone in the world. Having the Colters was something he treasured greatly, and he’d go to any lengths to protect what he now considered his. They had his loyalty and his love.