She picked up her menu and scanned the unending amount of meat options. “What do you think I should order, the eight-ounce peppercorn or the—”
“You really love them, don’t you?”
Her head swung up. “What?”
Ron reached for his beer, took a big gulp, then set the glass down on the rustic wood tabletop. The entire restaurant had a cookhouse-type feel to it, masculine to the core, with animal heads mounted to the wall and country music coming out of the speakers.
“You love them,” he repeated. “Dylan. And Aidan.”
“Yes. I do.”
Her father shifted in discomfort. “Those boys adore you.”
She smiled. “I know.”
He harrumphed. “Still don’t get how it’s ever going to work, Claire-Bear.”
“We’ll make it work,” she said simply.
“It’s not that easy.”
“Yes, it is. I know it doesn’t make sense to you, but it works, Dad. It really does. And I hope that in time you’ll be able to accept it, and them.”
Ron paused for a moment, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “Well, they do know their football. It might be nice to get their advice next season about my fantasy lineup.”
Claire burst out laughing. “Oh, Dad, I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.” He sounded choked up as he said the words.
Their heart-to-heart was interrupted by the arrival of their waiter, a burly man with a buzz cut and a goatee. “Excuse me, but the rest of your party has arrived.”
Claire glanced over her shoulder in confusion. Her jaw dropped when she spotted Dylan and Aidan advancing on their table.
With her mother sandwiched between them.
Her father looked equally stunned. “Nora?” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”
Claire’s mother tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear, looking hesitant. “Claire’s…um, Claire’s friends arranged for me to fly in.” Nora suddenly smiled. “I flew in a Coast Guard helicopter. It was very exciting.”
Claire noticed that Aidan and Dylan were fighting grins. She also noticed that her father looked extremely nervous as he rose from his chair and walked around the table toward her mom.
“You’re here,” he said gruffly. “What does that mean?”
Nora shrugged. “Well, right now it means we’re all going to sit down and have a nice dinner.”
“And afterwards?” Ron pressed.
“Afterwards, we go home.”
Claire had never seen such an enormous smile overtake her father’s face.
From a discreet distance, the waiter cleared his throat, then glanced at Claire’s dad. “Will your friends be staying?” he asked expectantly.
“They’re not our friends,” Ron said curtly.
Claire froze.
But her dad wasn’t finished. “This is my wife,” he informed the waiter. “And these are my daughter’s boyfriends.”
* * *
“I can’t believe you guys did that,” Claire declared as the three of them walked into the apartment later that night.
Her parents had already left to make the long drive north, but not before Claire’s mom had hugged not only Claire goodbye, but Dylan and Aidan too. And her father had actually shaken their hands. She was still in disbelief over it.
“We figured your dad needed a little push,” Dylan said with a grin. “He was taking his sweet-ass time winning your mom back.”
She dropped her purse on the couch, then took Dylan’s face between her hands and kissed him deeply. A second later, she gave Aidan the same loving reward.
“I love you guys so much,” she murmured.
She hadn’t thought it was possible to love one man this much, let alone two, and yet her heart was so full it was about to overflow.
“We love you too,” Aidan told her.
“So damn much,” Dylan added. His green eyes gleamed with sinful promise. “With that said, you have a ten-second head start before we chase you down, strip you naked, and have our way with you.”
“Try to make it to the bed in time,” Aidan advised. “Because we’re going to be fucking you wherever we catch you. Against the wall, on the floor, the kitchen counter…choose wisely, baby.”
She coyly fluttered her eyelashes. “But what if I’m not in the mood?”
Their faces took on pained expressions.
“Are you seriously not in the mood?” Dylan demanded.
She shrugged.
They both went quiet for a moment, and then Aidan flashed that dimpled grin she loved oh-so much.
“Then I guess we’ll just have to fuck each other until you come to your senses.”
Claire threw her head back and laughed. “Well, at least you’re honest. But luckily for you, I’m more than in the mood. In fact, I’m so in the mood I’m going to come the instant you put your hands on me.” She slanted her head. “I have exactly ten seconds before you have your way with me, huh?”
“Yup. Starting now.” Dylan narrowed his eyes. “One.”
“Two,” Aidan warned.
Claire took off running.
Epilogue
Six months later
“What the fuck is he doing in there? Buying the whole damn store?” Dylan grumbled.
Claire shared his impatience. Aidan really had been in that flower shop for a while. At least twenty minutes had passed since he’d ducked inside after insisting they stop and buy flowers for Claire’s mother.
The three of them had flown into the Bay Area earlier that morning to spend the day with Dylan’s mom. It was Shanna’s birthday, so they’d taken her to one of the fanciest restaurants in the city for brunch, a two-hour affair that gave new meaning to the word awkward because not only had Chris been present, but he’d brought his latest girlfriend along. Stephanie Lowenstein was a thing of the past, having dumped Chris a few weeks after they’d returned from Claire’s honeymoon—which Ron McKinley had sent Chris the bill for, much to Claire’s amusement.
“Oh, and I totally forgot to ask you,” Dylan suddenly said. “What did Tanya say when you two went to the bathroom together? You came back to the table looking like you’d won the lottery.”
Claire had to grin. “She didn’t say anything important. I just remembered something I’d heard about her from one of the country-club wives. Apparently Chris’s new love has made the rounds at the club, sleeping her way through all the men she thinks will elevate her social status.” A laugh slipped out. “I can’t imagine her sticking with Chris for much longer, not once she realizes it’ll be years and years before he makes partner.”
“So you’re saying my brother’s in for an imminent dumping?”
“Very imminent, considering the way she was checking out every other man in the restaurant.” Claire arched a brow. “Should we warn him?”
Dylan shrugged. “Warn who?”
His lack of sympathy didn’t surprise her, but she still wished Dylan would be more open to mending this rift with his older brother. Despite the fact that he’d brought his bimbo to brunch today, Chris had actually made an effort to speak not only with Dylan, but Claire and Aidan, whom he’d completely ignored when they’d visited over the summer.
Claire knew he still didn’t approve of their relationship, but frankly, she didn’t care what Chris thought. She loved Dylan and Aidan, and had every intention of spending the rest of her life with them. Although no pregnancy had resulted from her night in Chicago with Aidan, and she was now on the pill, she definitely saw children in their future, and she wanted her kids to be surrounded by family.
Whether she liked it or not, Chris was still Dylan’s family, and so she was making an effort for Dylan’s sake, and would keep doing it until his relationship with his brother returned to a place both he and Chris were comfortable with.
Aidan was in the same boat with his dad; although he’d forgiven Tim for keeping the truth about his mother from him, their relationship was still strained, but Claire was hopin
g that would change when Tim and Veronica visited them in San Diego next month.
“Claire?”
She froze at the familiar voice. Frowning, Claire turned around and found herself staring at Barbara Valentine, her former boss.
As usual, Barb wore one of her tailored suits paired with expensive high heels, and her expression flickered with wariness as she glanced from Claire to Dylan and then back at Claire.
“Barb,” she said coolly. “It’s nice to see you.”
Not.
“Good to see you too, darling.” The older woman paused for a beat. “I heard you’re back in the consulting game.”
“Yeah, I’m starting up my own firm. It’s still getting off the ground, but I’ve already secured a few clients.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Barb’s eyes shifted to Dylan, visible appreciation on her face. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?”
“Boyfriend,” Claire corrected. “This is my boyfriend, Dylan.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Barb practically purred out the words, and Claire couldn’t blame the woman for her blatant ogling. Dylan looked sexy as hell today in cargo pants and a snug green polo shirt that matched his eyes. With his blond hair slightly rumpled and his chiseled good looks, he made a seriously appealing picture.
So did Aidan, who chose that exact moment to stroll out of the shop with a bouquet of daisies in his hand. His eyes narrowed slightly when he spotted the willowy older woman in their midst. “What’s going on?” he asked Claire.
“Nothing, just catching up with my old boss,” she told him, fighting a smile.
“Hello,” Barb greeted him, her focus now on Aidan’s dark good looks and muscular body. “And you are?”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t introduce you.” Claire shot the woman a saccharine smile. “This is my boyfriend, Aidan.”
Barb looked startled. Her gaze moved from Dylan to Aidan to Claire. “Oh. I see.”
Her smile widened. “Anyway, it was really good to see you, Barb, but I’m afraid we have to go. My parents are expecting us for dinner.”
She fluttered her fingers in a careless little wave. As she and the boys shuffled past Barb, Claire glanced over her shoulder, choked down a laugh at the envious expression on Barb’s face, and gave her former boss a wink.
Then she laced her fingers through Dylan’s, slid her other hand into Aidan’s waiting palm, and the three of them walked away.
The End
* * *
UP NEXT: a BONUS novella! This short story serves as a prequel for As Hot As It Gets, offering a sexy little taste of what to expect from everyone’s favorite southern boy…
A Little Bit of Hot
A sexy short story from New York Times and international bestselling author Elle Kennedy!
Getting dirty? He’s down with that.
At twenty-eight, Jackson Ramsey is more than ready for marriage and a couple of rugrats. Instead, his SEAL teammates have all found love, while he’s still playing the field. When his friends offer to set him up, Jackson figures what the hell? It’s not as if he has anything to lose, right?
But the one woman he has sparks with—his neighbor’s smart, sassy, green-eyed gardener—wants nothing to do with him. Luckily, a Navy SEAL knows a thing or two about the art of pursuit…
Warning: This very short freebie does not include a happily ever after. Be prepared to commiserate with a sexy SEAL on his journey for love. But don’t worry—he’ll find it soon in As Hot As It Gets!
A Little Bit of Hot
An Out of Uniform Novella
1
Jackson Ramsey was a man on a mission.
He marched into the bar, scanned the room, and once he’d locked in on his target, he moved toward it with military precision. He didn’t pause to smile at a passing waitress, didn’t break his stride to approach the three lovely females waving at him from a nearby booth. He simply strode to the table where his teammates were hunkered down, stole Cash McCoy’s beer right out of his hand and planted his ass in the last empty chair.
“Well,” Cash said dryly. “Looks like Rude Randy is here. Gimme back my beer, asshole.”
Jackson took a long swig before relinquishing the bottle. “Trust me, I need it more than you do right now.”
Across the table, Seth Masterson checked his tactical watch with a frown. “It’s only nine o’clock—thought you were picking her up at eight? What were you trying to do, set a record for the fastest date on the planet?”
“Honestly, I think that was the longest hour of my life,” he answered with a heavy sigh.
Dylan Wade snickered. “That bad, huh?”
“That bad,” Jackson confirmed.
The waitress he’d bulldozed past approached the table to take his order, and though he didn’t usually drink anything other than good ol’ fashioned beer, he opted for two shots of whiskey, which caused his teammates to raise their eyebrows in surprise.
Seth grinned. “Must’ve been worse than bad.”
“All right, let’s hear it,” Cash said with a laugh. “What happened on the date?”
Growing up, Jackson had never been much of a talker. The long line of Texan cattle ranchers he’d come from had no doubt programmed a whole lot of silent, brooding cowboy into his genetic code. But from the moment he’d met Seth, Cash and Dylan during SEAL training, he’d turned into a dang chatterbox. The boys were easy to talk to, and he had to admit it was nice having friends he could trust, who didn’t judge him the way everyone back in Abbott Creek did. He’d discovered at a young age that small towns were rife with judgment and disapproval.
“Well, everything was going okay at first,” he told the guys, leaning back in his chair. “I picked her up at her place, we were chattin’ in the truck, she was all dreamy-eyed when I opened every door for her and pulled her chair out in the restaurant.”
“This is the chick we’re talking about?” Dylan interjected. “The one you met at Savannah’s shop?”
He nodded, his mind returning to the sunny afternoon when he’d encountered the beautiful Kelly Ann in the flowershop owned by a teammate’s fiancée. The blonde’s Southern drawl had immediately drawn him in, reminding him of back home, but it had been her easygoing smile and earnest demeanor that won him over. He’d asked her out right on the spot, and had been looking forward to this date all week.
Another sigh lodged in his chest. “Anyway, we sit down and order. We’re talkin’ about our families, our jobs, the usual shit, but then I ask her about growing up in Georgia and suddenly she says she’s got a confession to make.”
Seth snorted. “What, did you find out she turned tricks in Georgia or something?”
“I doubt it, considering she’s not from Georgia.” He let out a groan. “Turns out she’s never even been to the south. She was faking the accent.”
His buddies hooted.
“So she starts apologizing and going on and on about how she heard my accent when I was talkin’ to Savannah in the shop and how she thought that if she pretended to be Southern it would be a good way to approach me. Y’know, ’cause we’d have something in common.”
Dylan’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “That’s totally nutso, but kinda sweet, if you think about it.”
“Yeah, not the end of the world.” Cash hooked a thumb at their resident smartass. “Masterson faked a Russian accent with that chick from the club a couple years ago and she still banged him again even after he confessed that he wasn’t Dracula.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “Dracula wasn’t Russian, dumbass.”
Cash waved a hand. “Same diff.”
“Don’t worry,” Jackson assured them. “I didn’t abandon ship when she told me.”
Nope, he’d been willing to overlook the tiny little fib because Kelly Ann was so dang cute. And besides, it really was sweet that she’d gone to such lengths just to meet him.
“Here you go, honey,” Roz the waitress announced, interrupting the discussion by dr
opping two shot glasses in front of Jackson. “Enjoy.”
He reached for one. “Thanks, darlin’.”
He threw his head back and inhaled the first shot, followed immediately by the second. The whiskey slid down his throat in a nice, slow burn and warmed his insides, but it didn’t succeed in vanquishing the frustration gathering in his body.
He picked up where he’d left off. “So our food shows up, things are good again—”
“Did she keep doing the accent?” Seth cut in, chuckling.
“Nah, all traces of the south were gone. Replaced with a northeastern accent. Boston, she says.”
“‘She says’?” Dylan echoed, a flicker of glee entering his eyes.
Jackson released a glum breath. “We keep chattin’, order some dessert, and then she cuts me off midsentence and says she has another confession to make. Boston accent—poof. It’s gone. She’s actually from North Dakota.”
There was a brief silence, and then all three men burst out laughing.
“And she’s talkin’ in this thick North Dakota accent,” he went on. “Like right out of Fargo.”
Seth started wheezing, slapping a palm on the table as he shook with laughter. “Oh sweet baby Jesus, this is awesome.”
Cash’s lips were twitching with laughter as he asked, “What was the explanation this time?”
“She wanted me to think she was sophisticated.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. “So I tell her, no biggie, darlin’. First dates can be stressful, people lie, that kind of shit. But apparently she took this as me giving her permission to own up to everything else, ’cause now she’s tellin’ me she’s not a bank teller like she said—she’s actually a cashier at a grocery store. She’s not twenty-seven, she’s thirty-five. Oh, and her name isn’t Kelly Ann. It’s fuckin’ Susan.”
Out of Uniform Box Set: Books 4-6 plus 2 Bonus Novellas Page 56
