“What? Wait,” he says.
“I can’t.” I end the call. I need to go to Avery. I swing my front door open and pause.
Chapter Fifty
Avery
I wait a few moments at the entrance to Bennett’s apartment door. The snow is falling and the temperature has dropped. A wide-eyed Bennett watches me like he’s seeing an illusion.
“You’re here,” he says.
“Yes,” I say as a cloud of my breath puffs in front of me.
“I was just coming back to your place,” he says slowly.
“May I come in?” I ask, my teeth chattering.
“Yes . . . sorry.” He takes a step back to let me inside. “You’re freezing.”
“I am.” He seems hesitant and I don’t blame him. He said he would stick by me no matter what, and he’s kept true to his word. It’s me who has faltered.
“I want to take you in my arms and warm you up,” he says carefully.
“So take me, Bennett. I’m yours,” I say.
“You’re mine?” he asks.
“Yes. I was overwhelmed by . . . well, you know,” I snicker. “What are the chances?”
“It’s a lot to take in, but you do work with wounded vets. I’m not surprised my brother ended up enlisting. He probably didn’t have money to go to college, and it’s a respectable thing to do for someone who has nothing,” he says, his face falling at the word nothing. His eyes look vacant.
I step up to him, wrap my arms around his lower back and press my head into his chest, taking in his heady scent.
He wraps me up in his arms, his body heat warming me. “It feels so good to hold you.”
Oh, Bennett. The feeling is mutual.
He pulls his head back. “I hope this isn’t weird, but would you tell me about him?”
“No, it isn’t weird. Of course you’d want to know,” I say.
Bennett guides me to his couch and uses the throw blanket to cover me. He says he’s going to make me a hot cup of tea and while he goes off, I think. Do I tell him everything? Every gritty detail? Do I give him the hero version I’ve always told Jess?
He returns with my tea and I take it from him, wrapping my hands around the warm mug. “Thank you,” I say.
He sits back beside me on the couch. “I’ve told you a little bit about how things were with Liam.”
“Avery, I don’t need you to sugarcoat. I met those people that raised him—they were bottom-feeders. He probably didn’t have a better time than I did with complete strangers.”
“He said they were okay. He went to school. Had lots of friends. Was popular,” I say, thinking back to how I had this big crush on him. “He was the life of a party. Everyone wanted to be around him.”
Bennett doesn’t say a word as my memory drifts to the past. “I was this hollow version of myself. Drinking a lot at parties. I just wanted to feel something, anything. And Liam was a sweet talker. When I found out I was pregnant with Jess, I continued going to school, but once my stomach began to grow, I was shunned so I went to night school instead. I wasn’t the only pregnant teen there,” I say, thinking back to how tired I was and how hard it was to finish my degree.
“Liam went to school and worked in the local grocery shop. We lived with Aunt Bee and Uncle Jim. Then when he graduated, he said he wanted a better future for me and Jess, so he enlisted. I worked in a pharmacy as a cashier and he was off in bootcamp. I had Jess in daycare. Life was hard. I was basically a single mom from the start. Liam was good with her when he was there, but he had a hard time with his emotions. Like, they were locked inside him, and he got frustrated a lot. He didn’t expect to get tied down at such a young age, but he didn’t abandon us. He wanted to give us the best life he could. Then he was deployed. When he came back, he was even more withdrawn,” I say.
“I can understand that. Some of the things we see . . . it’s too much for anyone,” Bennett says sadly.
“I figured that and so I never held it against him. We had this thing where we would say we were each other’s family. He knew I had his back and he had mine. We weren’t crazy in love or anything, but a friendship formed from the most unlikely circumstances and I knew I could count on him. I didn’t have family of my own, so he became everything to me.”
I place my tea on the coffee table and Bennett takes my hand and brings it to his lips. “I’m happy he had you and Jess,” he says.
“I was happy, too. I mean, I always did dream of this romantic love affair with a man who would sweep me off my feet, but I knew what I had with Liam was stable and dependable. At least when he was around. For many years I lived on my own with Jess in a brownstone and then when Liam was killed, Aunt Bee and Uncle Jim said that I should come home to them. I was a mess and I worried how his death would affect Jess. Aunt Bee and Uncle Jim were okay when we first moved in. They weren’t demanding of me at all. They gave us free boarding and I bought food but Aunt Bee cooked too,” I explain.
“So, what happened? When did things change?” Bennett asks.
I interlace my fingers, feeling uncomfortable and a little stupid for staying in a bad situation for so long.
“It was slow. Aunt Bee would ask me questions about money that Liam left behind. What type of payout we got from the navy. Stuff like that. I was naïve. I truly thought she was concerned for mine and Jess’s future but then slowly, she began to ask about private life-insurance policies. Liam and I had never discussed it. Aunt Bee suggested I hire someone to look into it and they did in fact find a policy.”
Bennett hisses. “Why do I not like the sound of this?”
I give him a sympathetic look. “I told myself that they weren’t interested in the money. Around the same time, I told Aunt Bee I wanted to go college. She said she’d help me take care of Jess and that felt like such a relief. I was always worried. Kids get sick a lot, and I had no clue what I was doing. Having Aunt Bee around at the beginning was helpful in the sense that I didn’t feel so alone,” I say. “Now, looking back on it, I see she was like a crutch for me. I leaned on her, but I didn’t need her. She didn’t even give me any real help, but it was the thought of having someone there for me that eased my anxiety,” I say and look at Bennett. I shake my head. “I’m probably not making sense.”
“You’re making perfect sense, sweetheart. Go on,” he says softly.
“Anyway, I went back to school. Life was super busy between studying and raising Jess. Any money that I got from Liam’s death I put into a trust for Jess. When Aunt Bee found out, she slowly changed. I’m not a complete idiot,” I huff. “I suddenly understood Aunt Bee and Uncle Jim didn’t have good intentions, but I was busy, and the thought of moving and having no one didn’t sit well with me. Somehow, the years passed, and I found myself stuck in a cycle I didn’t know how to break. I got my degree. Began to make good money, and then I told myself I should save to buy a house and in the process, my baby girl grew up and I didn’t move forward.”
“It’s easy to get stuck, Avery. Trust me I’ve been there. Yeah, I had the navy and the SEALs I worked with are my brothers, but I missed out on so much, too. I think I was scared to find the right woman because that meant commitment. The word alone sent my blood pressure sky-rocketing,” he says.
I laugh.
“Commitment meant marriage, which would mean kids. I didn’t think I deserved that. I told myself I wouldn’t be a good father or husband. Listening to how my brother struggled makes the argument in my head that much stronger,” he says.
I sit up and look into his eyes. “Bennett, you’ve been an amazing boyfriend and you are so good with Jess.”
“You didn’t let me finish.” His lips tilt up in the slightest of smiles that completely melts my heart.
“Sorry.” I grin. “You were saying?”
“Before the explosion, I never dreamed I would have what I have with you, but now I can’t imagine my life without you and Jessy. It makes me feel guilty that I am getting what was once my brother’s, but I feel hon
ored, too. Do you know what I mean?”
Tears fill my vision. “I do. You’ve been perfect.”
“You’re my perfect match. That’s why. There is no effort involved in loving you. I just feel and act in a way that my heart tells me too. And I hope I can make you happy,” he says.
“You make me so, so happy. Always follow your heart, Bennett. I love you,” I say, reaching up and pressing my lips to his.
“I love you too, sweetheart.” He kisses me back with every fiber of his being. This time when we make love, it isn’t rushed. It’s two bodies moving together; it’s two hearts entwined. After Bennett comes inside me, he falls to my side and gathers me up in his arms.
“We are home, baby,” he says.
“I know.”
Epilogue
Avery
One year and a half later
Bennett and I recently moved to Virginia Beach. It was the right choice for Bennett, Jess and me. Jess and I had nothing holding us back in Jersey, once she graduated high school. Jess is starting at Duke University this fall. She had gotten into Yale but said that she felt like it was more my dream than hers. I never wanted to get in the way of my baby’s dreams. She had her heart set on Duke and it’s only a three-and-a-half-hour drive so when I’m missing my baby, I can hop in a car and see her and vice versa.
“Mom, you look stunning,” Jess says, standing behind me as I look in the mirror.
I take a deep breath. “I seriously thought this day would never come,” I say, palming my cheeks.
“Don’t do that,” Nat says, swatting my hands away. “You’ll mess up your makeup.”
I place my hands in my lap, feeling so calm and serene. Bennett and I decided to follow tradition and get married at Quinn’s grandmother’ beach house in Corolla. This place holds special memories for us and this time of year, the view is breathtaking.
There’s a light knock on the bedroom door. Catherine, Ashton, Nat and Charlie are all in here with me. They are my bridesmaids while Jess is the maid of honor.
“I’ll get it,” Charlie says.
The men are downstairs watching the kids, so it must be one of them asking for help.
Charlie opens the door. “You shouldn’t be here,” she tells Mark.
She begins to close the door, but Mark stops her. “Wait. Avery . . . can we talk?” he asks, his tone serious.
“Um . . . okay,” I say, watching him carefully since I know he’s a jokester.
“Avery,” he begins. “I know you and Bennett are highly against having me officiate the ceremony . . .”
“Oh, for crying out loud,” Charlie says, placing each of her hands on her hips. “You need to get over it.”
All of us in the room try to hide our smiles. “Thanks, Mark, but Bennett and I have chosen a minister. Is he not here?” My tone rises.
“Geez. What are you doing?” Quinn walks into the room and looks to Mark.
“He’s being a troublemaker,” Charlie says.
“Is the minister here?” I ask Quinn.
“He is. We are all ready,” he says.
Ashton walks up to him and gives him a kiss. Then he takes Mark by the lapel of his suit and drags him from the room.
“No, please . . .” Mark shouts. “It would be a dream come true.”
I roll my eyes and Charlie does the same. “I swear he’s normal most of the time,” she says.
“Okay, let’s get this wedding started.” Nat claps and orders us all downstairs.
The sun shines across a cerulean sky as I walk down the aisle, barefoot. Quinn is giving me away. It made sense, since him and Bennett are like brothers and Ashton and I have become so close. She is the one who found me my new job working in physical therapy at the local hospital. I love my job, and I can’t believe this is my life.
As I walk barefoot in the warm sand toward my soul mate, I truly feel like I belong with these people who have become my family. Jess stands at the altar, waiting for me. Her beautiful blond hair blows in the wind and there’s a slight smile on her face. Bennett looks to her and smiles, and then he looks at me and my heart melts. I hold his gaze as I walk toward him. This man completely upturned my life in the best way possible. I wasn’t truly living until I met him. I reach him and I notice that his mouth is slightly open. He looks in awe as he takes me in . . .
Bennett
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have this life. To find the woman of my dreams and be a father to her child. Being a part of their world has made me feel grounded and wanted. It is now that I know I belong to them and them to me. I was a wanderer before I met them but now, I have a family. We love and cherish each other. We are there for each other, and we know we will never be alone.
The minister begins to officiate the ceremony. I’m in awe. Avery looks like a fairy-tale princess, her hair running down her back in ringlets. Her wide brown eyes are filled with so much love that I’m brought to my knees. Last month, she told me we are expecting. It was the best damn news of my life. I’m going to have a baby.
A warm breeze brushes across my face. I think of Liam Montgomery, my brother. He was taken from this life too soon. I want to believe that he would be honored I am here to care of his family. I want to make sure his memory isn’t forgotten.
Avery and I exchange vows, and I thank the powers that be for saving me from the IED explosion, and for giving me a second chance at life and my only chance at love. Avery is it for me, and I plan to make her happy till the end of our days.
After I exchange vows with Avery, I turn to Jess. “I know you are eighteen and an adult already, but I like to think of myself as your dad, and I would love it if you would consider me the same way. So I’m wondering if you’d like to go through an adult adoption?”
“Really?” Her eyes turn so bright that my heart races with love for this kid.
I nod.
“I would love that. I knew something was special about you from the first time Mom brought you over for dinner, but since then, you have been so good to and supportive of me. I’d be honored to be your daughter,” she says.
I pull a necklace I bought out of my pocket, and Jess smiles while tears run down Avery’s face. I place the necklace around Jess’s neck and place a kiss on her cheek. Then I look back to Avery.
“You may kiss the bride,” the minister says.
I kiss my bride with everything that I am. I pour my love, my heart and my soul into the kiss. Our friends and their kids cheer in the background.
“I love you,” I say to Avery. “You are my forever.”
“Forever, baby,” Avery says, taking my hand in hers.
“Let’s party,” Jess shouts, and our guests head back to the house where we have set up a tent with tables, chairs, lots of food and a DJ.
“Toast,” Mark shouts two hours later, clinking a fork on his glass.
I turn to everyone. “We’re having a baby.” The announcement isn’t planned but feels right.
Avery slaps my shoulder, then rolls her eyes playfully. Everyone congratulates us, and I look around to see my friends and their children surrounding us with hearts filled with joy and love. I look up to the sky. How did I get so lucky?
THE END
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Irresistible by R.C. Stephens
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Mr. All Wrong: A Billionaire Romance
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Dirty Swedish Player: A Hockey Rom Com
The Truth About Us: A Brother’s Best Friend Standalone
Deceit: A Small Town Friend’s to Lovers Romance
About the Author
R.C. Stephens is a top 100 Amazon bestselling author. She has written ten romance novels and plans to continue to write many more.
When she isn't in her writing cave she is raising three lovely children with her adoring husband.
Her books are filled with humor, heartbreak, emotion and true love.
Born and raised in Toronto, she loves the winter, but Spring and Fall are her favorite seasons.
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Irresistible: A Salvation Society Novel Page 22