Hot SEAL, Confirmed Bachelor- Cynthia D'Alba Page 0,42
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Chapter Eight
Holly had barely stopped her car when Katie flung open the back door and raced up the sidewalk to meet Hillary. Holly hadn’t had the luxury of a close first cousin when she’d been Katie’s age, so she was glad her daughter had Hillary in her life. Not that Katie really needed a babysitter, but it was nice to have her brother and his wife so amenable to Katie staying over so often.
She pulled three bottles of wine from the floorboard and headed into the house. It was close to six, and she was surprised to not see Benjamin’s truck already there. Today had been the great Long-Blackwell shoot-off. She’d wanted to go, but she’d been informed by her brothers that this was a penis-only event.
Of course, she’d put twenty on Ben to win because she thought he would. Still, she felt like a Long traitor to not back her dad or one of her brothers. It wasn’t until her mother put twenty on Ben that she felt okay with her bet. Heck, if her mother could bet on Ben, so could she.
The guys had ended up moving their meeting time to two. That was four hours ago Surely, they’d finished by now. How long did it take to shoot a few bullets at a target?
“Mom?” she called as she entered. “Diana? Bethany? Anyone here?”
“In the kitchen,” her mother replied.
She made her way back and found the three women sitting at the family banquette, glasses of wine in front of each of them.
Bethany patted the seat beside her. “We saved you a seat.”
Holly put the wine on the table and sat. “Where are the guys? It’s getting late.”
Her mother shrugged. “No clue. We heard from Patrick about an hour ago. Danny was out in the first round. Lawrence was up and Robert was next. Your SEAL is kicking their asses.”
Holly’s lips twitched. “I can’t believe those fools challenged him to a shoot-off. His damned ego is big enough without him kicking the collective asses of all the males in my family.”
“It’s not over yet,” Diana said.
“What’s for dinner, Grams?” Katie asked from the doorway. “We’re all starving.”
“Yeah,” Harvey said, “dying.”
Her mother stood. “I doubt you’ll die anytime soon. I was waiting for the men to get here.”
“What do you think is happening?” Hillary asked.
“I think Ben is winning,” Katie said.
“I don’t,” said Hillary. “I bet my dad shoots better than anyone.”
“But Ben’s a SEAL,” Katie replied.
Hillary put her hands on her cocked hip. “So? Dad’s a cop, and Pops’s a cop.”
“Enough,” Patricia said. “How about we make each of you a plate and you can eat in the playroom and watch TV?”
That won universal approval from the four kids.
“Think we need to call Blind Harry’s and see what’s happening?” Holly asked.
“Not on a bet,” Bethany replied. “I’m not starting my married life checking up on Lawrence.”
Holly winced. “It’s not really checking up on them, right, Diana?”
Her sister-in-law responded with a shrug. “Honestly, I’ve been married to your brother so long that I don’t give his comings and goings much of a thought. Do you have any idea how many dried-out dinners we ate before I gave up trying to wait on him? In my humble opinion, we should eat without them while the food fresh.”
Her mother chuckled. “That’s a good idea. What do you say? Wait or eat?”
“Eat,” Diana said.
Bethany nodded. “Agreed.”
Three pairs of eyes looked at Holly, who threw up her hands. “I’m starving.”
Before they could put their plan into action, a loud commotion came from the living room.
“Oh, dear. I think they’re drunk,” her mother said.
The women hurried into the living room and came to an immediate stop at the vision in front of them.
Ben wore his usual cargo shorts and SEAL T-shirt, which stretched tightly across his expansive chest and wide shoulders. The sleeve bands were snug over bulging biceps. The only difference in his usual attire was the large, gold Burger King crown on his head. Well, the goofy smile was different, too. She’d seen him happy before, but tonight was different. The look in his eyes was one of pure joy.
Beside him, Patrick sported a similar grin, but no crown. Nope, he was draped with a runner-up sash.
Holly glanced at her mother, Diana, and Bethany. All of them had their hands over their mouths, grins peeking out from behind the fingers.
“Um, I’m not sure what to say,” Holly began. “Congratulations?”
Ben picked her and swung her around as she squealed.
“Our boy Ben here kicked ass,”