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Lily still looked embarrassed and sat quietly at the kitchen table as the dads set the table and dished up the large steaks.
Everyone had taken their seats and were about to dig in when Dillon hollered from the front door.
“In here, son,” Adam called.
Dillon entered the kitchen and sniffed appreciatively. Then his gaze settled on Lily, and without saying anything further to anybody, he headed straight for her, inserted himself between her chair and Michael’s and kissed her long and hard.
“Everything go okay today?” he murmured.
She smiled and nodded and Dillon reluctantly pulled away from the table to go take a seat down at the end.
Holly cleared her throat and everyone looked in her direction. “I just want to say, before we all eat, how wonderful it is to have my family home again. I miss my children when they’re gone
. ”
“And a big welcome to the newest addition to our family,” Adam said as he held up a glass in Lily’s direction. “To Lily. ”
“To Lily!” the rest chorused.
Lily looked as if she was battling tears. Her eyes glistened, and she raised her table napkin to wipe at her face several times.
Dinner…was just like old times. Loud. Boisterous. Seth was a little worried at first that they’d overwhelm Lily, but she looked to be enjoying herself as her gaze bounced back and forth between the noisy conversations.
Seth’s homecoming dominated the dinner conversation. Though his mom had been the most vocal, it was obvious that his dads were every bit as thrilled that he was coming home. Adam smiled every time he looked in Seth’s direction, and he wrapped an arm around Holly and held her close as they surveyed the gathering at the table.
At one point, Adam leaned over to kiss the side of Holly’s head and murmured something in her ear. Her face lit up, and she smiled down the table, her face glowing in happiness.
Seth looked to his brothers and found the same satisfaction on their faces. The same contentment. Only Callie seemed withdrawn, her smile strained. He could see the shadows under her eyes and faint pain in the depths.
It had to be hard when everyone else was so happy and she was dealing with whatever had driven her to seek refuge.
“Are you ladies sober enough to make it back into the living room?” Ethan joked.
“Oh we’re fine,” Holly said in exasperation.
“Hate to eat and run,” Seth said as he rose. “But we really need to get on the road. The snow was coming down pretty hard and we don’t want to get stranded. ”
“It might be better if you stayed over,” Adam said, concern darkening his voice. “It’s after dark and it’s been snowing for a while now. ”
“We’ll take Michael’s Jeep and leave mine and Seth’s trucks here,” Dillon said. “We have a lot to talk about and work out. We’ll visit again soon. ”
Dillon stood and walked to stand behind Lily. He clasped her shoulders and rubbed gently. “You ready?”
She glanced up at Seth and then Michael and nodded.
There was a chorus of hugs and goodbyes, and Seth smiled as Callie and his mom both fussed over Lily. The women joked and laughed about their afternoon together, and then Holly recruited the dads to help bring all of Lily’s packages out to the Jeep.
“Are you sure there’s going to be room for all of us?” Dillon joked as he and Seth stood back watching all the bags being stuffed in the back. “How much of our money did Mom spend today, anyway?”
“You don’t want to know,” Callie said cheekily. Then in a lower voice, “Don’t give Lily a hard time about it. It was like pulling teeth to get her to agree to all the stuff, and she needed everything. ”
Dillon pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. “Thanks for doing it for her. You’re the best. ”
“I like her, Dillon,” Callie said in a low voice. “So do Mom and the dads. Don’t fuck this up. ”
Seth chuckled next to Dillon. “Leave it to Callie to take us all to task. ”
Michael bundled Lily into the front seat and then motioned for Seth and Dillon. “Come on you two, before Lily freezes to death. ”
Seth and Dillon brushed the snow from their shoulders and heads and climbed into the Jeep.
“Did you have fun today?” Seth asked as Michael pulled out of the drive onto the snow-covered road.
Lily turned and smiled. “I did. Your mom and sister are so great. ”
“How did it go at the doctor?” Dillon asked. “Did you get everything you need?”
Lily ducked her head and Seth shot Dillon a glare for embarrassing her.
“I did,” she said in a low voice. “It’s good timing actually. I start the pills the first Sunday after my last period. That’s day after tomorrow. ”
Seth reached up and squeezed Lily’s shoulder. “As long as you feel like you have what you need, honey. ”
It took longer than normal to make the drive through town and up to Dillon’s place. When they stomped onto the porch to shake the snow from their boots, Dillon opened the front door to let them all in.
“Give me a minute to get a fire built,” Dillon said.
“I’ll make some hot chocolate,” Seth said.
“That leaves you and me to snuggle on the couch,” Michael said to Lily.
She smiled and kicked her shoes off and piled them with the others by the door. Then she padded across the floor and curled into the plump cushions of Dillon’s sectional.
Seth heated milk and then added the chocolate mix to the cups. He wasn’t sure whether Michael or Dillon would want a cup, but he made enough for the four of them. He arranged the mugs on a tray and carried it into the living room where a hearty fire already blazed in the hearth.
Dillon and Michael were sitting on either side of Lily, and she looked adorable all but lost between the two men and the fluffy cushions.
