Colters' Lady (Colters' Legacy #2)(63)

Holly hugged Lily to her. “You could be me thirty-plus years ago, honey. And you know, it was actually harder for me to square my feelings with myself than it was with each of my husbands individually. There’s a lot of trust that has to go into a relationship like this. You have to trust that they’re all going to make a firm commitment to you and that they’re going to love you with every part of themselves. But in turn, they have to trust that you’re going to love them with everything you have, individually and together. Does that make sense? There’s only so much you can do. The rest is up to them. You love them. They have to accept that love and trust in it.”

Lily smiled. “It makes perfect sense. Thank you. I’ve been so worried, not over the relationship itself. They make it seem so…normal. But I’ve worried about handling it the right way. What if I make a mistake? It seems so important to get it all right in the beginning.”

“Oh, you’ll make mistakes,” Holly said cheerfully. “And believe me, so will they. It’s very much a discovery process that you tackle along the way. But the most important thing is that you’re committed to making it work. As long as each of you has resolved within yourself that this is what you want and that you’ll do whatever it takes to make it work, the rest will take care of itself.”

“You should probably check the oven,” Lily said as she sniffed the air.

“Oh shoot! Trust me to get sidetracked. I tell you this is why I stay out of the kitchen.”

Holly hurried around to the oven and took out the casserole. She placed it on a large potholder on the counter and leaned over to inspect it.

“I think it’s perfect! You’re my witness, Lily. I not only did not burn down the kitchen, but the casserole is done to perfection.”

Lily laughed, and in that moment the sun seemed to shine a little brighter through the kitchen window. It was okay. She was happy. She could make this work. Her future had taken an abrupt right turn from its path of just a few weeks ago. And the only obstacles to overcome were those that were self-imposed.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Michael wiped an arm over his sweaty brow and put down the hammer he’d been wielding. A check of his watch told him that it was late. He and his brothers and dads had spent the entire week tearing out and rebuilding.

He had shoved all his appointments to the mornings so he could have the afternoons to work with his family on the new clinic, and as a result he was tired and to the point he needed a break.

They needed another week at least to finish the front, which would become the new reception area. They had one exam room completed and the rest could be built on a more relaxed schedule since Michael could use one temporarily.

He had barely seen Lily for days—a situation he planned to remedy in short order.

“You knocking off?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah, I think we should all call it a day,” Michael said. “I’m ready to go home, see Lily and maybe have dinner together.”

“Not a bad idea,” Ryan piped in. “Things have gotten so desperate that Holly and Callie have taken over the kitchen.”

Ethan shuddered and everyone laughed.

“No reason to kill ourselves,” Adam said by way of agreement. “Michael still has the clinic he’s working out of now.”

Michael nodded. “Lily’s home alone right now. Dillon’s working the pub to give Callie a night off and Seth has been tied up in meetings with his deputies all day.”

“Then I’d say you better get your ass home and take care of your woman,” Ethan teased.

They spent the next fifteen minutes putting away equipment, and then Michael said goodbye to his dads and got into his Jeep. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel as he drove through town past the pub to the turn-off leading up to Dillon’s house. His house. He was going to have to get used to the fact that Dillon’s house was now their house. All of theirs.

Dusk was settling over the house when he pulled up to park. Seth wasn’t home yet, and he was glad though he probably shouldn’t be.

But he wasn’t going to waste time feeling guilty that he’d have a few moments alone with Lily. Dillon and Seth both had had their moments while Michael was going between his practice and the construction on his new clinic.

When he entered the house, the first thing that registered was that it smelled absolutely amazing. His stomach growled. It had been hours since he’d last eaten, and he was positively salivating over the spicy aroma in the air.

He followed the smell to the kitchen where he found Lily humming as she tended a skillet on the stove. The cat was on the counter licking her paw and watching Lily with interest. Every once in a while, Lily paused and reached over to scratch the cat’s ears.

Smiling, he crept up behind her and then slid his arms around her waist, his lips going to her neck.

“Mmmm, hello,” she said as she twisted in his arms.

She offered her mouth, and he didn’t resist being pulled down into a sweet kiss.

“I’m not sure what’s better, the smell or the taste of you,” he murmured.

She smiled. “You’re home early. I wasn’t sure when to expect you and Seth so I started, but it can be held for whenever.”

“What you making?”

“Chicken and sausage gumbo. You like?”