by Molly O'Hare
“You murdered someone?” Mildred practically screamed in the lobby.
“Keep your voice down, little girl,” Barbra sneered towards Holly. Mildred’s outburst seemingly ignored as Barbra focused all her attention on her.
“Have you met me?” Holly pointed at herself. “I don’t keep my voice down. It’s not in my DNA.”
“Just like having any sort of class isn’t in your DNA.”
“Get off your high horse, Barbs.” Holly rolled her eyes.
“Can you not handle the truth?” Barbra smiled, as she straightened her posture.
Holly’s brow shot to the ceiling. The smug look on Barbra’s face made her skin crawl. Why in the hell would Barbra act proper all of a sudden? This woman really did have a few loose screws.
Shaking her head, Holly stated, “You’re seriously not making any sense, you crazy halfwit.”
Barbra chuckled before placing her hand on her upper chest, smiling.
Holly’s eyes went round as she instinctively took a step back. Clearly, Ben’s mother had snapped. If the insane look in her eyes wasn’t telling enough, the bipolar behavior was the nail in the coffin.
“You think I am the one that’s crazy?” Barbra’s mouth twisted into a smile. “Do you really think someone like my Benjamin, who is so far above your class would ever truly want to be with someone like you?” She laughed a little higher pitched than before. “You’re nothing but an experiment, my dear Holly.”
The holier than thou demeanor coming from Barbra made Holly’s eye start to twitch.
“I guess every man should slum it with a ghastly cow like yourself, before he marries someone closer to his status.”
Holly bit her bottom lip. Sure, she didn’t believe the words out of Barbra’s mouth, but that didn’t stop the pang of not being good enough that coursed through her body. Holly whole heartily believed in Ben. He made his feelings towards her clear, but when she’d spent her whole life being looked down upon or being the clumsy one that is there for comic relief, those negative feelings had become ingrained in her. Even if she knew they weren’t true, words like that still hit her where they can hurt the most.
“Oh, I see my words have some merit.” Barbra popped her hip with glee. “You don’t think someone like my Benjamin would really be with anyone who looked or acted like you. That’s right; he’d never muddy our family tree by adding you and your degenerate DNA into it.” Her eyes brightened. “I must say, though, I am quite surprised. Here I thought you foolishly believed you were meant for him. Obviously, you do have some intelligent brain cells inside of you. You understand you’re so far beneath him, you’re lucky he even remotely pitied you,” Barbra announced, with a smile.
The smug look on her face, made Holly’s blood boil. Sure, there were times she couldn’t help but wonder why an Adonis like Ben wanted her, but in the end, especially after last night, she knew he was her one. Somewhere along the pages written for them, it was spelled out they were meant to be together. Who was Holly to question what the universe decided?
She clenched her fists.
She wasn’t, and she was damn sure going to make sure Barbra took her judgmental, bitch of a self, and high tailed it out of there.
Clearing her throat, Holly looked Barbra firmly in the eyes. With the tightest smile she could muster, she said, “Funny you should mention that, Barbra. Did you know your son asked me to move in with him this morning?”
“Suck on them apples!” Mildred exclaimed from behind her.
Holding up her hands to stop Barbra from speaking Holly continued, “Not only did I say yes…” Holly took a step closer to the seething woman. “Ben has already muddied your family line. Do you want to know how? By consummating our new living arrangements by nutting inside me so many goddamn times, and might I add without protection. If he didn’t knock my ghastly cow self up, there is something seriously wrong.”
Barbra’s mouth opened with disgust, before snapping shut. Her eyes honed in on Holly. “If he did, then you’re both fools. No one will ever take him seriously as a Richman if he’s ever lumped together with you. I hope for your sake and his, you’re not, as your degenerate self likes to put it, knocked up.”
Holly hardened her stance about to tell Barbra Richman off once and for all when an angry voice cut her off.
“I thought I told you to stay away from Holly!” Ben’s baritone voice bellowed through the library’s entrance. The tension in the room escalated to where you could cut a knife with it.
Holly’s eyes snapped to Ben, after hearing his voice. The anger radiated from him. His jaw appeared tense as his eyes burrowed into his mother’s face. If he had been a cartoon, she would’ve sworn there would have been smoke coming out of his ears.
Holly swallowed before she focused on Ben’s eyes. The hatred she saw there made her stomach bottom out. She’d never seen him this angry, hell she’d never see anyone this angry before.
“Benjamin, what a pleasant surprise,” Barbra, cooed. Holly didn’t miss the slight back step Barbra took away from Ben, though.
He held up a paper bag, before turning to Holly. “I realized Holly didn’t bring a lunch today, and I wouldn’t be able to get away from the clinic later. I wanted to make sure she had something to eat.” His words were harsh, but the gesture of caring for her wellbeing melted Holly’s heart. How had she end up so lucky to have a man like Ben?
“Question is,” Ben continued. “Why are you here? I didn’t fathom for a second, you’d actually be foolish enough not to believe me. I truly thought you were a smart woman. I guess the ivy league diploma is all for show then, right?” He took a step toward his mother, his body now towered over her.
If Holly didn’t already know Ben wouldn’t physically hurt another human being, she’d be scared for Barbra’s life. “She was just leaving,” Holly said trying to defuse the situation.
“No, she wasn’t!” Mildred made her way towards Ben. “This crazy buffoon showed her face here whining about how everything falling apart is Holly’s fault and how you were only with her out of pity.”
Holly’s eyes shot daggers toward Mildred. Didn’t the old coot understand it was best to defuse these types of situations rather than add lighter fluid on it? Mentally hitting herself on the head, Holly rolled her eyes.
Of course not.
This was Mildred after all. The old bat lived on drama like this.
* * *
Ben’s eyes darted to Holly’s briefly. When he saw the acknowledgment that Holly didn’t believe Barbra’s bullshit, he physically relaxed.
He’d never been more thankful in his life than he was at this moment. If he hadn’t decided to bring Holly a lunch, he would have never walked in on this situation. And, by the stance Holly made, he walked in at just the right moment.
Plus, he knew how Holly didn’t like confrontation and how she would rather handle everything on her own. Case in point, how she tried to break up with him rather than telling him his bitch of a mother threatened her.
He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt if he’d never shown up at the library, he wouldn’t have heard about his mother making an appearance.
Ben’s eyes narrowed on Holly.
As soon as this situation was dealt with, he was having a talk with her. He knew she could handle her own, but being in a serious relationship meant not having to handle everything alone. And, he damn well was going to remind her of that.
Images of Holly bent over her desk with her ass in the air, as he made her promise to always talk to him rushed into his mind. Her ass would color nicely as she promised him she’d always come to him.
Pushing those thoughts into the back of his head, he turned his focus on to his mother. Right now, he had bigger things to deal with.
He’d hoped Barbra would’ve heeded his warning. Like he’d told Holly last night, Barbra did give birth to him, and there was some sort of twisted honor in that. However, he now knew exactly what Barbra was all about. If she had to go down, she was going
to take everyone else around her down, too.
Ben finally understood exactly what he needed to do. It no longer mattered they shared the same bloodline.
Moving to stand in Barbra’s space Ben’s eyes hardened. “I never thought you would be this stupid. I guess, I was wrong. Coming after someone who had nothing to do with your mistakes, is deplorable. Threatening her job, her father, and even her man.” He pointed at himself, before shaking his head. “Deep down I always knew you were absolute trash.”
“Do not speak to me that way, Benjamin. I’m your mother.”
“Like I told you yesterday. Not anymore.” He held out the bag of food. “Take this, Holly.”
Holly grabbed it only to throw it in Mildred’s outreached arms.
“Free lunch? Don’t mind if I do,” Mildred announced, snatching the bag from the air.
Ben reached for his phone. “Goodbye, Barbra.” Using all his control, he took a step away from her. He knew at this point it was best to call Douglas and let him take care of the next steps. There was no turning back for Barbra.
“You fucking bitch!” Holly’s words caused Ben to spin around only to see his stubborn girlfriend jump for Barbra as his mother lunged for him. “Don’t you ever touch him!” Holly screamed.
Ben dropped his phone, rushing towards the two women, as Holly pinned his mother to the ground.
“I’ll have you arrested!” Barbra hollered.
Ben grabbed Holly by the waist pulling her off his mother. Which only resulted in Holly flailing around in his arms, kicking and punching the air. “Let me go, Ben!”
“No.” He did his best to hide his laugh as Holly’s narrowed eyes directed at him after he placed her on the floor. When Holly’s eyes snapped behind his shoulder, he turned his head to see his mother staring at them.
“Yes,” Holly demanded. “If this piece of garbage is already going to press charges, at least let me get one good hit in.” Holly’s eyes swam with something he’d never seen before. In his whole life, no one had ever shown they’d cared enough to protect him the way Holly’s was doing right now. Hell, Ben had never seen Holly so up in arms.
Realization dawned on him.
Holly would risk going to jail in order to protect him. Her father, Waffles, her job, were all thrown out the window the moment he could have potentially been in danger.
Damn, that was hot.
But, also stupid as hell. Didn’t Holly understand she could lose everything, and over his mother? Even if she had tried to jump on him, his mother never stood a chance. What’s the most she could have done, tried to pull him to the ground? And then what? He’d had to wrestle Great Danes that weighed more than his mother on more than one occasion.
Holly could have gotten hurt. Not him. She thought she’d take care of it on her own. Narrowing his eyes at her, he glared.
“Let me go, now!” she pushed at his chest.
He loved how even though it would not have ended well, she wanted nothing more than to protect what was hers. He fought his chuckle. “I’m not letting you hit her,” he said.
Holly started bouncing around him without taking her eyes off of her target. Her determination made him smile. When she turned her glare on him, he closed his mouth biting his tongue.
God, he was lucky.
“Why not?” Holly crossed her arms over her chest.
“Yeah, why not?” Mildred chimed in.
How had these two not gotten into more trouble? Ben thought, shaking his head. He saw Mildred from the corner of his eye trying to egg Holly on.
“I am pressing charges.” Barbra stood, before fixing her skirt.
“No, you’re not,” Ben announced.
“Why, yes I am.” With her words, Barbra smoothed her hair before pulling out her phone.
“I will kill you where you stand!” Holly’s voice echoed through the lobby.
“I’ll hold her down!” Mildred happily offered to help.
For Christ’s sake!
In fear of letting Holly go, he decided he needed to end this once and for all. Quickly turning to face his mother, while he kept Holly securely behind him, he spoke, “I will only say this once, Barbra. You have twenty-four hours to leave. Leave this town, and everything you know behind. I’ll see to Richmond Industries being handed over to the board. You’ve got one chance to make it out of here without ending up in a jumpsuit. One phone call and everything gets sent to the proper people.”
Barbra’s eyes hardened.
“And to make myself clear one final time, I can and will destroy you. I will be all too happy about it too.”
For the first time since battling his mother, Ben saw the resignation in her eyes. This time, she knew he wouldn’t hesitate in putting an end to her.
“Fine.” She moved closer to him. “You want me gone, you’ve got it. I’m gone. But, listen to me, little boy, the moment you allow someone like her into your life, you lose everything.”
“The only person losing everything here is, you.”
Barbra sneered.
“You have twenty-four hours.”
With a huff, Barbra turned on her heel ready to exit. When she made it to the door, she turned to Holly. “I hope you’re happy knowing you’re destroying a family.”
Ben moved into Barbra’s line of sight. “No, Barbra, she’s made a family.”
His mother’s lips curled as she growled. She looked him up and down once more before hastily leaving the building. Once the door shut behind her, he finally let his body relax.
“Well damn, who needs coffee when you get a show like that?” Mildred remarked before sticking a chip in her mouth.
Rolling his eyes, Ben made a mental note to have a pizza delivered at noon for Holly’s lunch. Moving to his discarded phone, he picked it up before he started thumbing through it.
“Umm, well thank you for the lunch, or what’s left of it,” Holly said looking at him. The uncertainty in her eyes broke him.
“Come here, Grace.” Instead of her normal protest at the name, she willingly walked into his arms. He smiled as he kissed the top of her head.
“Didn’t I say you make my life a freakin’ roller coaster?” Holly asked, resting her head on his chest.
“I think you might have mentioned it.”
“In case you didn’t realize what I was referring to…” She gestured to the doors, which made Ben laugh.
“I know, baby, but guess what?” He kissed the top of her head. “Sometimes a roller coaster can be fun, and the best part, from now on, we’ll get to ride these roller coasters together.”
“Until your crazy mother shows up again.” He saw the hint of panic in her eyes.
“Won’t happen.”
“What makes you so sure about that?” she questioned.
Holding up his phone, he said. “I might have fibbed on the twenty-four hour part.” Holly’s eyes widened before a smile spread across her face.
“My kind of man!” Mildred threw one of her fists in the air as she took a bite of Holly’s sandwich with the other.
“Mine too.” Holly stood on her tiptoes bringing her lips to his.
Chapter Twenty-One
Two Months Later
Ben sat on his knees on the newly finished porch watching as Holly played with the dogs in the backyard. When he heard the screen door shut, he didn’t need to glance to see that Henry had made his way out to him. Over the past couple of weeks, it’d become a routine.
Ben would work around the house, repairing what needed to be fixed while Henry guided him through every step. Holly would take care of the chores before feeding the dogs and packing meals for the week. She’d order them dinner, or Ben would help Henry cook on the grill.
After they ate, Holly would always insist on going out to the backyard to play with Ripley and Waffles, while Ben finished whatever project he had at hand. Somewhere along the evening, Henry would come out to the porch and sit next to Ben. Sometimes, they sat in silence, other times, Henry told stories of his past
.
The stories were always Ben’s favorite. He’d quietly work as Henry retold stories of his wife, his years working, and of Holly. The ones with Holly he liked the most.
Ben couldn’t help but picture a round faced Holly as she ran throughout the backyard, causing havoc as she tripped and stumbled on invisible objects.
From his spot on the porch, Ben glanced at the woman that had captured his heart. Currently, she sat on the ground while Lord Waffles ran around her in circles, all the while Ripley sat directly in front of her waiting patiently for Holly to throw the tennis ball.
A chuckle escaped his lips, as he gently shook his head at their antics.
This is what perfection was.
“One day, when I come out here, you’ll be out there with Holly playing with your children,” Henry stated.
Ben looked at him. Henry smiled wide as he watched Holly playing with the dogs.
“One day,” Ben agreed with a laugh. That was another thing he’d grown accustomed to. Henry’s not so subtle hints that he wanted to see both of them married, and with children. He couldn’t blame him, as the days went on, Ben wanted the same things, as well.
Every day, when he came home from the clinic to Holly in their kitchen trying not to burn the place down. Or, when he would walk in and she was curled on the couch with Twitch at her side, made him feel right.
Ben chuckled to himself thinking about night’s he’d come home to find Holly in the kitchen. He found out early on she was not a cook. Heck, she couldn’t cook if her life depended on it. Case in point, when they were moving her into his house, as a gesture to everyone that helped, she decided to sneak away and make everyone lunch. John, Ben’s friend, and Holly’s new dentist had offered to spend his whole weekend assisting Holly move in. She wanted to do something nice for him to show her appreciation.