Colters' Promise (Colters' Legacy #4)(15)

Fuck it, but this was for the birds. It was time to get their asses home and figure out what the hell was wrong with their woman so they could make it right.

LILY tugged her sweater tighter around her waist as she walked through the small grove of aspens behind the cabin. She loved this trail, especially in fall when the leaves burned gold and were so brilliant to look at that it made her eyes hurt.

She should have taken her heavier coat but she hadn’t planned on going this far. She’d only meant to sit awhile on her bench and stare at the vista through Rose’s memorial.

It had begun to snow, adding another thin layer to the ground cover that crunched beneath her boots. They weren’t due for any heavy snow, at least not today. She hadn’t checked the extended forecast to know what lay beyond.

The last several days had been good because Holly had kept Lily busy with teaching her how to cook. But the downside was that Lily was no closer to knowing how to break the news to her husbands because she hadn’t had time to think.

She was always around someone. She hadn’t had any time alone to just be. To think and consider. To face her fears and resolve to share her secret with the men she loved.

She took her hands out of her pockets and blew on them to warm the tips. She hadn’t brought her gloves either, but she wasn’t so cold that she was compelled to return to the cabin. Not yet.

There was a point she wanted to reach, where she could look out and see forever. Over the valley and down the ridge. The most beautiful country she’d ever seen.

This was her home. She had to constantly remind herself that it was hers. She had a place in the world.

And now so would her child.

She paused, taking that last step, and then rested her hand on the trunk of an aspen as she peered out, taking in the breathtaking view.

After a moment, she leaned her back against the tree and soaked in her surroundings. The crisp, clean smell of the air. The scent of pine. The tickle of snowflakes as they drifted lazily down, melting on her cheeks.

Her breath came out in a fog, and after a while, her breathing slowed and evened out. For the last few days, she’d existed in denial. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about the baby, much less dwell on the details. Boy. Girl. Who would it look like?

She’d busied herself with Holly and immersed herself in family, putting on a brave front, not allowing them to see her worry or fear.

But it hadn’t helped. She had decisions to make. She had fears to face. All she had to do was reach out and ask for help. Seth, Michael, and Dillon loved her. She had no doubts there. They’d do anything in the world to make her happy, and they’d help her work through her conflicting emotions about her pregnancy.

She just had to muster the nerve to blurt it all out.

With a resigned sigh, she pushed off the tree and started retracing her steps back to the cabin.

As she drew nearer, she frowned. She could swear she heard her name.

She quickened her step through the aspens but stopped when she heard the distinctive call. It was Seth and he was yelling her name.

Worried that something was wrong, she jogged through the snow, taking care not to slip as she headed down the incline.

She came to an abrupt halt when she broke into the clearing and saw all three of her husbands spread out behind the cabin, obviously looking … for her.

CHAPTER 8

MICHAEL was the first to see her. He turned, did a double take, and then charged toward her, calling to his brothers the entire way.

Lily’s breath caught in her throat and her pulse accelerated wildly. There was fierce determination—and worry—in her husbands’ gazes and she knew that no matter whether she was prepared or not, the time had come. There was no way around it.

Michael ran up to her, took her arms in his hands. “Lily! What on earth are you doing up here? We were worried sick. You aren’t even dressed for the cold.”

Even as the questions poured out, he pulled her into his side, wrapping as much of his coat around her as he could while providing her with his body warmth.

His worried gaze cut to his brothers as they ran up, snow kicking up from their boots.

Dillon stood back a little hesitant. “Lily?”

She sent him a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, Dillon. I just went for a walk through the aspen grove. It’s such a beautiful day.”

Seth frowned. “You aren’t dressed to be out tromping around in the snow. You don’t even have a coat or gloves.”

She shrugged. “I hadn’t planned on going that far. I went to sit out on the bench and got the urge to take a walk. I was just heading back. I haven’t been out that long.”

“Well, let’s get you back inside,” Michael said. He propelled her toward the house, still holding her tightly against his side.

With a sigh she settled against him, letting his solid strength seep into her body. She leaned her head against his chest and blinked away the snowflakes trapped on her eyelashes.

It was, as she’d said, a truly magnificent day. She loved winter on her mountain. She loved the cabin that Dillon had built himself and later added on to when it had been decided that they would all live here.

Now she looked at it with different eyes. Holly and the dads’ cabin … it was where all the Colter children had grown up. There was a strong sense of home there. You couldn’t walk into their house without being swamped by love. History. The sense of family. There were pictures everywhere. Of Seth, Michael, and Dillon, and then Callie, who’d come along later and had been a surprise.