Colters' Lady (Colters' Legacy #2)(75)

“Damn right we want you,” Dillon bit out. “We’re not your pansy-ass ex-husband, Lily. We don’t throw out weak accusations and hide behind guilt. Living with us may not always be easy, but I’ll be goddamned if we don’t give it everything we have. We’ll love you unconditionally, and you’ll always, always have our full support.”

“Even if I don’t want more children?” she asked quietly.

Michael squeezed her tighter to him and brushed his mouth across her forehead. “Honey, I can only imagine the horrific grief you feel at your loss. I can’t even wrap my brain around it. I won’t say I understand it, because I’ve never experienced anything of that magnitude. But even if we never have children, we’re still going to love you and want you with us. In time, and when some of the rawness is gone, you may decide that children are something you want. And we’ll support you one hundred percent. We can change diapers, burp and feed babies with the best of them. Every single one of us had a hand in raising Callie.”

“It will be different this time, Lily,” Seth said. “You never ever have to fear that you’ll be alone with a baby to take care of. If we decide in the future that children are something we want, then we’ll tackle it as a unit. Family. You’ll not only have us, but you’ll have Mom and Callie and the dads. You have a big family who loves you now. We support you unconditionally. That’s what family is about.”

“Oh God,” she whispered. “I’ve been so afraid. I’ve shut it all out because I didn’t want you to know. I knew you had to eventually, but every day I told myself I just wanted one more day. And then it turned into one more day and another and another. I kept telling myself later. I’d tell you later, but I didn’t want to ruin something so perfect and the first real joy I’ve felt since the birth of Rose.”

Michael kissed her again and Dillon rubbed his hand over her back.

“Now about the condom,” Seth hesitantly began. “Honey, you have to know we’re so damn sorry. We’d never do anything to hurt you or that went against your wishes. But I need you to know something okay? Look at me.”

Her gaze drifted to Seth, to the fierceness on his face.

“I need you to hear this. If it ends up that you got pregnant, that your birth control wasn’t effective yet, we are going to be there for you every single step of the way. We’ll handle this together, and I guarantee you that there’ll be no shortage of people to watch over our child every minute of the day so that you can rest and recover. I swear it, Lily. On my life.”

Dillon and Michael both nodded and some of the awful tension eased just a tiny bit in her chest.

“Okay,” she whispered. “I believe you.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

“She’s been this way for a goddamn week,” Dillon swore.

The three brothers were gathered in the kitchen while Lily had secluded herself in Dillon’s office painting. She’d spent most of her days there, coming out at dinner, even smiling and making casual conversation. But there were shadows under her eyes, and pain still lurked in their depths.

“I want to marry her,” Michael said bluntly. “As soon as possible. I think we should ask her now.”

Seth raised an eyebrow. “You really think now is good timing?”

“It’s what we all want,” Michael said. “And the thing is, I want to do it now, before she knows if she’s pregnant or not. If it turns out that she’s carrying our child, I don’t want her to ever think that we married her for any other reason than we love her and want to spend the rest of our lives with her.”

“He raises a good point,” Dillon said. “I’d rather do it now, before we know one way or another. That way we can face the outcome together.”

Seth grimaced. “I hope she’s not pregnant. She has a lot of healing to do before we can even think about children. I have no doubt that we’d support her every step of the way, but I want her to have our child because that’s what she wants more than anything. Not because a goddamn condom broke.”

“I agree,” Michael said quietly.

“It would seem we have a ring to buy, and we need to figure out the best way to pop the question,” Dillon said. “I have to admit, I never expected the day I asked a woman to marry me to be a group effort.”

Seth snorted. “I hear that. But I don’t regret it, and maybe you two need to hear this because this is going to take a hell of a lot of patience and sacrifice on all our parts. I love Lily and I know you two do as well. I’m okay with that. I never thought I would be. I’ll be honest. But she makes it all okay. I want her and I want her to be happy. I think the three of us can do that.”

“Well damn,” Dillon said. “Big brother’s getting all mushy. You’re going to have me tearing up in a minute. I think I feel one getting ready to fall.”

Seth rolled his eyes. “You’re such an ass**le.”

Michael laughed. “Just like old times. Dillon and Michael against Seth. It’s a wonder you survived to adulthood.”

“I can still kick the crap out of you two shitheads,” Seth threatened. “And now you don’t have Mom to hide behind like a bunch of damn girls.”

Dillon flipped up his middle finger.

“Okay, you two, enough. We have a ring to buy and a proposal to work on. I want this to be perfect for her. Her first husband was a complete f**kwad,” Michael said.