Page 33 of Navy
Snaking an arm around Gia’s waist as she walked past me, I pulled her into my chest, smiling as she looked at me with wide eyes. “Good luck, sweets, show them what you’re made of.”
“You’re not upset that we’re messing with your brothers?” she whispered.
“Fuck no. I can’t wait to see their faces when you whip their arses.”
Dimples on display, her smile was so wide. Rolling to her tiptoes, she pressed her lips against mine, then with a wink, she left me to join the ladies.
“You’re a goner, brother,” Hawk chuckled.
“I so fucking am, Hawk, and I’m not unhappy about it. Come on, let’s get this competition going. I can’t wait to see the shoot off between you and Hope.”
“Me either, brother. I have a feeling she’s going to give me a run for my money. Not that it matters; our charities win either way,” Slapping my shoulder, he walks to the booth that’s been set up for us.
We all take a couple of practice shots before we start getting serious.
We’re all finished when Gia goes, the pride that fills me when she takes her stance and shoots. The cheers from the ladies and the astounded looks on my brothers’ faces when she gets all three her shots in the bullseye.
“Wait until you get to the clay pigeon round,” Tristan remarks. “Gia is no slouch at that.”
“We’ve been had,” Onyx laughs. “Jesus, we’re in so much trouble between your Old Lady, Cally, Avy, and Molly. From now on, if anyone give us trouble, we’ll just unleash the Old Ladies on them. And Rea can patch them up.”
Somehow, the brotherhood had all congregated on one side of the room and the ladies on the other. Tristan and Derek were tallying up the totals to let us know who the winner of that round was.
Pulling up a chair, Derek climbs on it, “Are you all ready?”
The ladies start whooping and hollering, and I can’t hold in the laughter that bursts from me, setting the brothers off.
Derek and Tristan grin at them, “Quieten down, ladies. Here’s the winners for this round. The brothers won by one point.”
“Ugh,” Molly grumbles glaring our way. Draco chuckles at her look.
“You’re not finished yet, ladies, it’s only a point,” Tristan points out.
“Hey, whose side are you one,” Rogue laughs.
Tristan smiles but doesn’t answer.
We all traipse outside after the ladies, and the brotherhood is again surprised at Hope’s set up. I did warn them, but I guess they didn’t believe me.
We lose the next one to the ladies. Gia shines in this round and I’m proud as fuck of her. Then it’s on to the sharpshooting, which most of us don’t do well in that one, then it’s up to Hawk and Hope. They battle it out and I can tell how impressed Hawk is with how well Hope shoots.
It was a fun-filled morning, full of laughter, teasing, and heckling. Gia hadn’t stopped smiling all morning. I was so fucking happy that she’d settled in with the Old Ladies. I’d had a feeling she would, it was hard not to like them.
We’d patiently waited as Hawk and Hope finished off. Tristan and Derek called it a tie but by then none of us really cared, the charity of choice made bank, and we’d all had a good morning doing something bonding, a helluva lot of fun, and I’d got to watch my girl shine.
CHAPTER 19
GIA
It was late and my eyelids were heavy, and I knew I’d have to go up to bed soon, but I was reluctant to leave while everyone was still sitting around talking.
We’d had a busy day of fun and bonding. I’d never in all my life met people like this. After the shoot out this morning where both Hope and Hawk amazed me at their skill, and you could see mutual respect between the two when they’d pitted their skills against each other. Followed by a hectic lunch where everyone seemed to talk at once or over each other, children included. I wondered how any of them knew what was actually being said, but they all seemed to follow what seemed like a dozen conversations at once. After being in solitude for nearly a year, it was a little overwhelming, but I’d loved it too. The respect, affection, teasing, and love shown by everyone was clear to see.
After lunch, as promised, Molly showed the children that were interested how to throw knives properly. It seemed that Cairo, Blaze, Bond, and Sam had spent the morning with them, setting up an area in the barn they’d been sleeping in.
Bas had told them there was a storm coming in so the children couldn’t sleep in the barn because it wasn’t completely weatherproof. There had been moans and groans but as a whole they’d all behaved and collected their stuff, including bedding and camp beds and had set up in the large playroom, where they’d proceeded to have a movie night as the heavens opened and the thunder and lightning rolled in.
Tristan appeared at the back of the couch I was sitting on with Navy and leant on the back of it to talk to us.