Colters' Lady (Colters' Legacy #2)(61)

Adam shook his head. “I swear son, I don’t know whose kid you are, but I’d lay odds you must be mine. Well, except for the tattoos and that goddamn earring. Still baffles me where the hell you came from. I used to swear your mother found you somewhere. But you think like me and you’re as thick headed and as stubborn as me.

“Let me give you a little piece of advice, and you can do with it what you will. Don’t wait until you feel like the time is more legitimate. I held back because I worried it would cheapen the moment if I said it too soon. And maybe I had convinced myself that it wasn’t really love yet. All I know is that I almost lost your mother without ever telling her how much I loved her. I still regret to this day that I was too damn stubborn to give her the words until it was almost too late.”

“I feel a little ridiculous. I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. Not so hard and fast and deep. I feel like I’m in way over my head.”

Adam smiled. “Yeah, I know that feeling. But Dillon, what are you waiting for, anyway? Approval? From whom? You’ve never given a rat’s ass what anyone thinks in your life, including me and your mother and your other dads. You’ve always gone your own way, marched to the beat of your own drum and f**k anyone who tries to tell you different. I can’t imagine you holding back because you’re worried about timing or something equally absurd.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” Dillon grumbled. “And yeah. I’ve never cared what anyone else thinks. Until now. I care what Lily thinks. I don’t want to f**k this up, Dad.”

Adam put his hand on Dillon’s shoulder. “You won’t, son. Lily seems like such a sweet girl. It’s obvious she cares a lot about you and Seth and Michael. She has a heart of gold, but she’s been beaten down by life. It’s up to you to bring her back up and get her back on her feet. How better to do that than to offer her something she needs more than anything else in the world? Your love.”

Dillon blew out his breath. “I really hate it when you’re right. It’s even worse when you make so goddamn much sense.”

Adam chuckled. “It infuriates your mother too. Not that I get to be right too often around her, mind you.”

“You and the dads taught me a lot growing up,” Dillon said quietly. “If I can be half the man you and the dads are, I know we can make this work. I couldn’t have asked for a better childhood. I don’t know if I’ve told you lately, but I love you, Dad. I wouldn’t change a thing about our family.”

Adam swallowed, and his eyes glittered suspiciously as he hauled Dillon into a huge bear hug. He slapped Dillon on the back.

“We better stop this mushy shit before the others find us. You know they’d never let us live it down.”

Dillon cracked a grin. “Thanks, Dad. For giving me perspective, I guess. And you’re right. There’s not a damn good reason in the world to wait when I know what’s in my heart.”

He started to turn to head back to find the others when his dad reached out to grab his arm.

“Dillon, I know me and Ryan and Ethan give you a hard time about what a little shit you were when you were young, but I want you to know something. I knew you were special from the day you were born. You scared the ever-loving crap out of us and gave your mother all kinds of trouble during the delivery. And from that day forward, you were never easy.

“But I could never be prouder of you. You grew up strong and independent with a firm set of values, and you are fiercely loyal. You have an unwavering sense of justice, and I’ve always known that when you love, you’d love with all your heart and give unreservedly of yourself. Of all my children, I’ve always known that you were the steadiest. I love you, son.”

“Well goddamn, Dad. If you make me cry, I’m going to kick your ass.”

Adam laughed and then shoved Dillon toward the door. “Let’s go find your brothers and see when we can wrap this up for the day. I have a sudden urge to go find your mother and tell her how much I love her.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Knock, knock!”

Lily turned from the pile of art supplies she was organizing to see Holly standing in the doorway of Dillon’s office. Even the cat picked her head up in greeting but then quickly curled into a tighter ball on the floor beside Lily before closing her eyes again.

“Hey!” Lily said with a broad smile.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” Holly said.

“No, of course not. Come on in. If you can find your way around the mess.”

Holly picked her way around a few boxes and came to stand beside Lily. “With the guys all over at Michael’s sorting out construction details, I thought you could use some help and some company.”

It was all Lily could do not to squeeze the other woman to death. “Thank you. Just the company is nice.”

“I see Dillon went a little overboard,” Holly said with a laugh.

Lily gave a rueful nod. “Yeah, it’s all great stuff, though. I’ve just been going through and drooling over it all. I didn’t expect him to do this. He’s crazy!”

Holly laughed. “You’ll find that Dillon does nothing in half measures. Have you eaten? If you want to take a break, I noticed that Dillon left lunch in the fridge. Even I can handle warming something up in the oven.”