Page 285 of The Defiant Curse

“Oh, she was making eyes at the man. This should end well,” she joked.

Elizabeth shrugged.

“I’m accustomed to it. I stopped worrying about someone stealing my man about seven kids ago.”

Ethan just laughed.

“First, I’m right here, and second, cheating on my wife isn’t something I’ve ever contemplated. One, because she’s sexy, and two, because I’ve seen her beat the living hell out of people for funsies. I’m not dumb. I like my face not broken.”

She snorted.

“I mean, that is a good deterrent. Then again, would I even have to do that?”

Michael smiled the second she said it. Oh, his mom just tagged him in.

“Nope. The first husband that makes Mom cry has a whole lot of other issues. Basically, a platoon. I’ll be at the front.”

Ethan pointed.

“Not shocked. Her badassery brought all the boys to the yard, and those boys are Marines.”

Yes, yes, they were.

As their drinks came, Graham had a beer and switched it with Finn’s drink.

“Hey! I’m the designated asshole,” he said.

Graham clued him in.

“You’re off duty. I’ll drive,” he said. “I’m not feeling the booze tonight.”

His best friend knew why.

“I can skip it too.”

Graham patted him on the back.

“It’s all good, Laddie. Drink up. You have a good time. My fun is later when I watch all you idiots stumble into the castle. I am NOT cleaning up puke. There’s your one warning.”

Elizabeth toasted them.

“Here’s to our family who has seen us at our best and our worst, and can’t tell the difference.”

Blackhawk clinked his glass off of hers, and was amused.

Wasn’t that the truth?

As they kicked back the beers, Elizabeth looked around the pub, taking it all in.

Honestly, she was impressed that other than a few looks, no one was saying shit to them. No one had called the media, that she could tell, and it appeared they were having a peaceful dinner.

As they were waiting on their food, they put in another order for a round, and that was when she saw people approaching.

Uh-oh.

As the two older men headed their way, she saw Michael go on alert.

“Incoming,” he stated, putting his beer down to protect his mother and father—if need be.