Bennett (On the Line Book 2) (27 page)

“Nope. You can sit down and relax while I make dinner.” I looked over at my roommate. “Liam said he wants to help.”

“Yeah, I can make dinner
and
not make a wreck out of the kitchen in the process,” he said, pulling out a chair at the table for Charlotte.

“Be my guest,” I said, offering him the knife.

He narrowed his eyes at me and got another knife to peel potatoes.

“Liam, what’s going on with you?’ Charlotte asked. “It’s been way too long. Tell me everything.”

He talked about him and Keri, hockey, and the community service he’d done at the injured veterans charity. Charlotte talked about the nursery and baby names she liked. I said very little, which was fine by me. After all these months, I was realizing that Liam might never get past his anger toward me over Charlotte. I’d live with that if I had to, as long as their relationship was okay.

In a way, I’d traded Liam for Charlotte. I wasn’t sorry. It would’ve been nice to have them both, but Liam thought I was unworthy of his sister. I’d thought it was a knee-jerk reaction at first, but time had proven me wrong. He genuinely thought I was a dirtbag, which meant we’d never really been friends anyway.

Charlotte

W
e were about ten minutes into the trip home from Bennett’s parents’ house before I could put into words how I was feeling.

“Your family is amazing,” I said softly. “You have what I always wished Liam and I could have.”

He glanced over from the driver’s seat and smiled. “You’ve got ’em now, babe. They loved you.”

“Your mom just talked to us about us and the baby the whole time. There was no drama about her own life. My mom’s gotten a little better about it, but it used to be that every conversation ended up revolving around her.”

“My dad told me not to let you get away. He said you’ve got the one-two punch—smart and stunning.”

“Aw . . .” My cheeks warmed. “I never really knew life with a dad. I’m so glad our son will have one like you.”

Bennett’s coffee-with-cream eyes softened. “Thanks, babe.”

I adjusted my hips in the car seat to get less uncomfortable. That was my best hope these days. Something Bennett’s mom had said popped into my head.

“Your mom told you when we were leaving that she has a feeling she’ll be seeing more of us soon . . . What did she mean?”

Bennett looked uncomfortable for a second, his lips pressed together. “She was saying she thinks I’ll be getting called up soon.”

“Called up . . . that’s good, right? To an NHL team?”

He nodded. “It would probably be Indy, but it could be Chicago. They’re looking for a winger and my parents know that.”

“And they live right there, so that would be good.”

He glanced over. “It would be if you’d come with me.”

Oh
. She’d said
us
because she assumed we’d all be moving if Bennett got called up. My stomach rolled with nervous realization.

“I can see by your face that wasn’t what you were thinking,” he said, his disappointment clear.

“Well, I . . . I mean, there’s my job and my apartment, and I just . . . that would be a huge thing. I don’t think I could just leave my life behind like that. Couldn’t you . . . I guess not.”

“What?”

“I guess I assumed you’d still live in Fenway but travel with the new team, but that’s stupid, isn’t it?”

“No, not at all. It’s just that the hockey off-season is so short that I’d only be there for a couple months before camp started.”

“Right.” The sick feeling was getting stronger. I leaned my head back against the car seat.

“Relax, babe. I haven’t gotten called up and the season’s almost over. If we win tomorrow night, we clinch a playoff spot.”

“That’s exciting,” I said weakly.

All I could think about was Bennett leaving. He’d become so important to me. I loved him. And his professional success would mean the end of our relationship.

He squeezed my knee. “If we make the playoffs I’ll be crazy busy for the next few weeks. But after that, I’ll be all yours. No more traveling until next season starts. I can pick up a gig at the local lumberyard and work days or evenings.”

I swallowed against the tightness in my throat. “That sounds perfect. Right when the baby is due.”

“I’ll always be there for you, Char. Let’s not worry about something that may never even happen, okay?”

I took a deep breath. “You’re right. Okay.” I cleared my mind of the worry that was gripping me. “Are you nervous about the game tomorrow night?”

His eyes lit up. “Not nervous. Excited. It’s a pretty kick-ass time to be the new team captain. We’ve got something to prove. It’s been too long since our team’s had our shit together enough to be in contention for the playoffs. Eight years since we’ve made it. Sid and Orion put us there, and we’re not letting this season end now.”

“I can’t wait,” I said, feeling the excitement myself. I’d picked up a men’s 2X hoodie in Flyers blue to wear. It was the only size I could fit over my belly.

Whether I was watching Bennett’s games in person or on my computer, I always hoped for him to play his best. I wanted his dream of playing in the NHL to come true. But now that I knew that meant he’d be leaving me, it was hard to want it. I wasn’t the sort of woman to let go of the life I’d built so I could follow a man. But in this moment, with the glow of meeting Bennett’s family still warm inside me, I kind of wished I was.

Bennett

There was fire running through my veins as I waited for the puck drop. This was it—make it or break it, and we had to make it. Every bruised rib and sleepless night away from Charlotte had brought me here and I wasn’t squandering it.

Killian was watching from the owner’s box. He’d given me a salute when I glanced up there. The only thing that was missing from this night was him, but I was proud of him for moving up to Indy. It meant a lot that he was here, even if he was off the ice.

As soon as the puck was dropped, we came out hitting hard. I’d given the guys a pre-game locker room talk about having no regrets. Tonight was about giving our all plus a little more, so we’d know at the end that there was nothing to wish we’d done better.

I could hardly hear Orion’s yelling over the roar of the crowd. And damn, was that nice. These fans deserved a win tonight for sticking with us.

In the dreams I’d been having about this game, it lasted forever. I played for hours and hours with no line changes until I collapsed on the ice and the other team skated around my limp body to score.

But in reality, it flew past me. I was so busy trying to be everywhere, see everything, and keep all the guys fired up that the clock got away from me. We had less than a minute left and were up 3–2, and all I could think about was securing a win with one more goal.

They got in a strong final shot and Shuck dove to the ice, deflecting the puck. I cried out and pumped my fist in the air.

And then . . . it was over. The guys crowded around me, half of them yelling and the other half crying.

“Fucking shit! Fucking shit!” someone screamed next to my ear.

Sticks were dropped to the ice as we embraced each other. I shed a few tears myself. It felt damn good to hear our fans celebrating.

“Hell yeah,” Orion said behind me. I turned and opened my arms to him.

“Nice, Captain,” he said.

“It was you, Coach.” My voice was thick with emotion.

“It was
us
.”

We milked our on-ice celebration for every second we could get. As soon as we hit the tunnel to go to the locker room, I saw my girl. I’d asked an usher to bring her down after the game for me, and there she was.

Tears streaked Charlotte’s cheeks and her smile lit up her whole face. I bent to kiss her and she grabbed my face and held me close for a second.

“Congratulations,” she said softly. “I’m so happy. So proud of you. I love you, Bennett.”

“I love you, too. I hope you’re up for a celebration dinner with the guys.”

“Absolutely. Wouldn’t miss it.”

I touched my forehead down to hers. “It means everything that you’re here with me for this.”

“To me, too,” she said.

A photographer was shooting photos of us. Usually, they weren’t allowed in the tunnel, but Keri must’ve made an exception for this.

Charlotte saw Liam and went to hug him. I soaked in the moment for a few seconds. I knew in my heart that this was probably my last season of hockey. I needed to get a better job now that I had a family.

I was going out on one hell of a note, though.

Charlotte

I
waddled into the courtroom with as much dignity as I could muster. The status of my pregnancy was the source of much chatter among the courthouse staff. There was an office pool going to guess my due date and the baby’s weight. The date I was fine with, but having people seriously wager money that I would have a ten-pound baby was a little insulting.

Yes, I was big. But I was two days from my due date, and Bennett had a large frame. Some ladies in the county recorder’s office had felt his shoulders and biceps one day when he came to the courthouse to pick me up for lunch, claiming it was only to estimate my baby’s size. I’d accused him of liking the attention and he hadn’t denied it.