Seth nodded. “That she is. She’s currently on a tear about the arrival of her first grandchild. Dillon, Michael and I just try to stay out of her way.”
“Thank you, Seth,” she said solemnly, when he lifted his hand away. “I appreciate your kindness more than you know. I don’t know what I would have done without all of you and especially your mom.”
His expression was serious. “You’re family now, Lauren. We take family very serious. You can come to us for anything, anytime. We want you to be happy here.”
She raised her head when another customer came in. “Let me go get this customer. Your food should be up in just a sec and I’ll get it out to you.”
Seth smiled and nodded and then called out a greeting to the person who’d walked in. Lauren was still learning the people of the town, but she prided herself on knowing most of their faces, even if she hadn’t put names to everyone yet.
Small-town life wasn’t ever anything that had appealed to her in the past, but she’d grown to love Clyde and all its inhabitants. They’d embraced her. Made her feel welcome. She’d only been here since just before Christmas and already it was like she’d lived here all her life.
She sighed a little as she walked away from Seth and warmly greeted the man at the next table. Seth was a good man. As were both his brothers Dillon and Michael.
The Colters were . . . Well, they were different. There were no two ways about it. Seth’s parents, or “the dads” as he called them, were not that standard set of parental figures. Holly Colter was married to three brothers and in turn their three sons were married to one woman. Lily.
Callie, the baby of the bunch, was the only one who had what could be deemed a traditional relationship. She was married to Lauren’s brother, Max.
The hell of it was that Lauren envied all three women with all her heart. Holly, Lily and Callie. Maybe even especially Holly and Lily.
Each woman had three men completely and utterly devoted to their happiness and well-being. They loved Holly and Lily, and their devotion ran so deep that sometimes it hurt Lauren to look at them.
What would it be like to be cherished and adored by three men? To have that kind of relationship where she would be the heart and foundation, the very core of it all. She couldn’t even fathom being so loved, but she wanted it with all her heart.
Old feelings of insecurity crept to the surface. And with it, accompanying shame and humiliation. She’d been so desperate to find love that she’d found herself in a relationship she never should have been involved in. Worse, she’d remained in it when it had been clear that she didn’t belong.
She had only herself to blame for remaining. She couldn’t be blamed for his actions, but she sure as hell could take responsibility for not standing up for herself sooner.
Shaking off the cloud of sadness that hovered over her, she busied herself with the rapidly filling diner. For the next few hours, she barely had time to breathe, much less dwell on her past mistakes.
Besides, she was beyond that now. The future was what she made it. Here in this tiny Colorado mountain town, she’d found her niche. A new life. A brand new beginning where the mistakes of the past wouldn’t continue to haunt her.
Chapter 2
NEW YORK CITY
WE’VE been at this for months and still don’t have a single goddamn lead,” Liam Prescott bit out.
His partner, Noah Sullivan, grimaced. “You aren’t telling me anything I don’t know. But here’s the thing. We didn’t imagine those bruises on Lauren. And we damn sure didn’t imagine how terrified and ashamed she was. Still gets my gut all into a knot every time I think of how she looked the first day we met her.”
Liam’s lips drew back into a snarl as he pulled the SUV into a tight parking spot outside of a brownstone divided into apartments. He sat for a long moment, his big hands curled around the steering wheel as he stared up at the number above the archway to the front door of the building.
“This better turn up something,” he said. “We’ve exhausted all our options. It’s like this guy doesn’t exist.”
Noah got out and Liam followed. They walked up the steps and Noah buzzed the apartment. They waited