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throat.
    She had to get it together. Her mom would know immediately that something had upset her, and while they’d reluctantly backed off when Callie had first returned home, she knew that wouldn’t last forever.
    By the time she pulled into her parents’ drive she had a semblance of her control back. Her hands no longer shook and her jaw had relaxed enough that the ache in her teeth had dissipated.
    She checked her watch and realized she had at most an hour at her parents’ before she had to return to town. Max didn’t make idle threats. She knew he was telling the absolute truth. He’d come to her parents’ and then all hell would break loose.
    Never had she chafed at being under Max’s dominance. But now his arrogance and confidence that she’d do as he commanded was like acid in her stomach.
    Willingly submitting and being blackmailed were two different matters entirely.
    She sat a moment in her car as she willed herself to contain her battered emotions. She pulled the visor down and checked her appearance in the mirror, and then, satisfied that she looked the best she could given the circumstances, she opened her car door and got out.
    She was halfway up the walkway with the bags of groceries when the front door opened and Ethan Colter stepped onto the porch.
    A genuine smile worked over her face when she saw his tall, lanky form that age hadn’t diminished one bit. Aside from the touches of silver at his temples and the smattering layered into the dark brown, time had been very good to him and he’d only grown more handsome with age. Her mom always said that she hadn’t thought it possible for her husbands to get more lethal than they were when she met them but they’d proved her wrong.
    “Hi Dad,” she called.
    He went to meet her and pulled her into a tight hug around the bags.
    “Hi baby girl.” He pressed a kiss to her temple and then drew away, taking the bags with him.
    They mounted the steps together and went inside. As she always did whether it had been one day or months since she’d last been home, she inhaled deeply and allowed the scent of home and comfort to surround her in its warm embrace.
    Adam was in the kitchen when she and Ethan trekked in, and his face lit up into a smile when he caught sight of Callie. He opened his arms and she walked into his hug.
    “Hey baby girl,” he said, echoing Ethan’s endearment. It was what she’d been called for as long as she could remember and it always brought a smile to her face.
    “Hi Dad. Where’s Mom and Ryan?”
    “Your mother is in her bedroom. I’ll call her. Ryan’s probably with her,” he added dryly.
    Callie suppressed a chuckle at the implication. Her parents were still so in love that it made her ache, and they evidently still enjoyed an extremely healthy sex life. Not that she wanted to dwell on that, but it warmed her heart that after so many years her mom still had her husbands solidly wrapped around her little finger.
    “So how have you been?” Ethan asked as he started putting away the groceries. “We haven’t seen much of you lately.”
    There was gentle reproach in his voice and she sighed. Sadness and relief warred with each other. Relief that she was home where she felt safe and loved. Sadness that she had put such a distance between her and the people who loved her most in the world.
    She stared at two of her fathers and felt something loosen inside. “Have I told you how glad I am to be home?”
    They both turned to look at her and love shone in their weathered expressions. Ethan came to stand beside where she sat on the barstool and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He squeezed and she leaned her head against his shoulder.
    “We’re glad you’re home too. We always miss you when you’re gone, and we worry.”
    She chuckled. “When don’t you worry?”
    Adam glared at her. “It’s a father’s prerogative to worry about his only daughter.”
    “Callie!”
    Callie turned to see her mom burst into the