Zack

by Sawyer Bennett

  I wanted Kate to move in with me. End of story.

  Ryker wanted her to stay there because, in his words, "It's her job, Zack. She's a live-in nanny."

  Whatever.

  Kate ended up being the voice of reason. She had looked at Ryker and said, "I want to live with Zack. I love him and want to be with him."

  Yeah...I may have been a little childish when I lifted out of my chair, leaned across the table, and pointed at him while taunting, "In your face."

  Kate, however, was not amused by that, and she had me sitting back down in my chair with just one glare. Then she said to me, "But that's not fair to Ryker. That is my job and I can't leave him in the lurch."

  Ryker--smug bastard--smirked at me but didn't want to risk Kate's wrath, so he kept quiet.

  Finally, she suggested two options. She could stay at Ryker's until he could interview and hire another nanny, which would not leave him high and dry. Or, she suggested, she would move in with me and watch Violet and Ruby over at our house when needed.

  Ryker and I both agreed that was the best choice, for now. I'm not sure how that's going to work in the long run, especially once Kate starts back to school, but we'll figure it out.

  "Did you have a point to clarifying all that 'I love you' stuff?" Kate asks, and gets me back on track again.

  "Yeah...I did. So back to the serious discussion. I want to have you appointed as Ben's legal guardian in my absence."

  "Okeydokey," she says, and I don't have to look at her to know she's got a genial smile on her face. "It's probably good in case I need to take him to the doctor's or get him out of school or something when you're traveling during--"

  "No," I tell her...cutting her off. "I mean legal guardian if something happens to me. If I were to die, you would get guardianship of Ben."

  From my peripheral vision, I can see Kate's head snap my way, and she lets out a gasp. "You want me to take Ben if something were to happen to you?"

  I turn briefly to look at her, squeezing her hand again in reassurance. She looks terrified, so I give her a gentle smile before turning back. "Well...yeah. I mean, you're raising him right along with me. He loves you, you love him, I love both of you. I trust you. Why shouldn't it be you?"

  Kate is silent...digesting my words.

  "Of course, I'll need to talk to my parents and Gina's. My parents will be okay with it, but I'm not sure about Gina's. I'd need to assure them that you will keep them involved with Ben and--"

  "Why not Delaney?" Kate blurts out.

  "Delaney is a great choice," I agree, "and she would be my secondary guardian if something happened to you. But I've already talked to her about this and she's in agreement it should be you as primary."

  "I don't understand," Kate murmurs so softly I can barely hear her. But I do hear the emotion in her voice.

  "Baby...this is the right thing for everyone. Trust me on that," I tell her gently.

  "Okay," she whispers, and then makes me want to pull the car over and kiss the fuck out of her when she says, "But nothing better happen to you; however, if it did...I'd protect him with my life and love him more than anything else in this world."

  Fuck...fuck, that gets me right in the breastbone and I have to blink back tears quickly, because fucking hockey players do not cry.

  --

  I'll have to admit...this is a nice wedding. I used to hate them. Hated everything they represented to me. Pointed out to me all the ways in which I was a failure.

  Not this one, though.

  Sutton looks drop-dead gorgeous in her frothy wedding dress and Alex looks like he's going to eat her alive in said dress. They look so happy together, oozing out love, radiating joy. If I was a girl, I'd definitely cry.

  It's a small evening wedding. Just Garrett as Alex's best man and Olivia as the maid of honor. It's being held in the outdoor gardens of the Omni Hotel downtown, and Sutton and Alex kept it small and intimate. Just close friends and family. There will be a larger party in the hotel ballroom after the nuptials that will include not-so-close friends and distant relatives.

  Kate and I sit with our fingers laced together and resting on my thigh as Alex slips the ring on Sutton's finger. I look down at our hands...hers slender and pale in mine.

  So trusting and sure of me. No doubts. No hesitations in allowing me back in.

  Leaning to my right, I dip my chin and whisper in her ear, "I cannot wait until we get married."

  Kate literally jerks so hard she elbows the woman sitting next to her. After a hushed apology, she turns those wide blue eyes--sans glasses tonight--to me in stunned astonishment with her mouth hanging open.

  She takes a breath, getting ready to say something, but I just put my forefinger in front of my lips and rather loudly give her a "shhhh." Her face flames red as a few people turn to look at us and I can't help the grin on my face as I turn away from her to watch Sutton put a ring on Alex's finger.

  --

  I'm mellow. I've had a few mixed drinks without any worries since Kate and I decided to stay in the hotel tonight rather than have to worry about driving home after the reception. She's not so mellow, as apparently champagne makes her babble more than usual.

  "And God...I just about died when as soon as Sutton's stepfather walked her down the aisle and turned her over to Alex, the way he grabbed her and kissed her. Right then and there...before the ceremony even started. So romantic."

  I pull her in closer to me as we rock together on the dance floor, the strains of "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley floating around us.

  "And who says romance is dead?" I ask her as I run my lips across her temple.

  "You do," she says tartly. "Dropping that on me at the ceremony."

  "Dropped what on you?" I ask vaguely, knowing damn well what she's talking about.

  I can't see her, but I can feel her eye roll. "That whole 'I cannot wait until we get married' crap."

  "That was not crap," I say with offense...which I ruin with a snort.

  "What the hell, Hell on Skates? We've only known each other five months," she points out.

  "Relax, baby," I cajole, and then dip my face a little lower to run my lips over the soft skin of her neck. "I'm not proposing or anything."

  She goes slightly stiff in my arms over my rebuke, so I rub her back softly. "But I will," I tell her with a chuckle. "You won't see it coming and it's going to be fantastic. And you won't say no."

  "You're awful cocky," she mutters.

  "No," I tell her as I dip her down low and touch my mouth to hers. "I'm just sure that I have found the most fabulous woman in the world and now that I've found her, I'm going to tie her to my side for eternity."

  I pull her up straight and her hands come up to circle around the back of my neck. She presses in close, a move that sets my blood on fire and makes my heart swell with love for her.

  "I love you, Zack," she murmurs with genuine truth in her words.

  And here is the truth of what I know.

  I found what was missing in my life. She's in my arms right at this moment. I love her with all my being and she will be my wife one day. We will have children of our own, and Ben will be the best big brother in the world. My life will be happy and whole, and it is all because of this amazing woman.

  Stroking Kate's cheek tenderly, I lower my forehead until it rests against hers and say, "I love you too, Kate."

  I want to shout out a very special thank-you to Denise Sprung at Shh Mom's Reading for providing me with support and inspiration for this series, as well as photos of hot hockey players. And to Sue Grimshaw...your support of my career has meant the world to me. You make me feel on top of the world and I'm so glad you're in my life.

  BY SAWYER BENNETT

  Cold Fury Hockey Series

  Alex

  Garrett

  Zack

  Ryker (coming soon)

  The Off Series

  Off Sides

  Off Limits

  Off the Record

 
Off Course

  Off Chance

  Off Season

  Off Duty

  The Last Call Series

  On the Rocks

  Make It a Double

  Sugar on the Edge

  With a Twist

  Shaken Not Stirred

  The Legal Affairs Series

  Objection

  Stipulation

  Violation

  Mitigation

  Reparation

  Affirmation

  Confessions of a Litigation God

  The Forever Land Chronicles

  Forever Young

  Stand-Alone Titles

  If I Return

  Uncivilized

  PHOTO: MARIE KILLEN

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author SAWYER BENNETT is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all the stories that were floating in her head. Her husband works for a Fortune 100 company that lets him fly all over the world while she stays at home with their daughter and three big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Bennett would like to report that she doesn't have many weaknesses, but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

  sawyerbennett.com

  Facebook.com/BennettBooks

  @BennettBooks

  The Editor's Corner

  Summer is here! Are you ready to take the vacation of a lifetime with Loveswept? Come on, let's go places...

  New York Times bestselling author Kathy Clark takes us to Colorado in the first two books of her new Denver Heroes series, After Midnight and Cries in the Night. Fans of Nora Roberts will adore this series of pulse-pounding romance. South Carolina is our next stop for New York Times bestselling author, Sawyer Bennett's Cold Fury novel Zack--get ready for a very emotional ride. Head to Florida in Falling Fast by USA Today bestseller Tina Wainscott, where first love and long-awaited redemption smolder. Then enjoy a little western romance from USA Today bestseller Maggie McGinnis in Once Upon a Cowboy. Jennifer Chance's Rule Breakers series turns up the heat as a wealthy playboy and a beautiful con artist engage in a high-stakes game of seduction in Risk It. And author Charlotte Stein releases Never Loved, the first novel in the Dark Obsession series, which tells the story of a beautiful wallflower who falls for a chiseled street fighter--and learns just how dangerous love can be.

  Plus a special treat for romance fans--welcome to Vegas in Play Me, the entire series from New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff is now on sale as one book! Sebastian and Ethan--Oh My!

  Travel the country with Loveswept and stay tuned for more in July, because next month's travels are just as exciting!

  Happy Romance!

  Gina Wachtel

  Associate Publisher

  Read on for an excerpt from

  Ryker

  by Sawyer Bennett

  Available from Loveswept

  Prologue

  Ryker

  It all seems to happen at once.

  The washing machine starts shaking hard during the spin cycle, and while I'm able to easily ignore the way it bangs up against the dryer while I braid Violet's hair, I can't help the full body cringe when I hear the liquid laundry detergent that I had sitting on the top fall and hit the tile floor.

  Yup...that resounding splat was the sound of the plastic splitting open and I can clearly see in my mind the slick blue detergent leaking out onto the floor. I can imagine it clearly because I did the same damn thing last week. Overloaded the machine because I'm too lazy to do two loads when I can cram it all into one, causing the machine to tip off balance and dislodge all the crap I had sitting on top.

  My fingers, however, never miss a beat. They keep grasping and crossing over the thick, dark locks of Violet's hair while she quietly hums a song to herself, swinging her little legs back and forth happily. At age seven, she's the quiet one...the dreamer. I don't have to see her face at this moment to know that there will be a tiny smile and a far away look in her gray eyes as she spins another epic fantasy story she's creating in her beautiful head.

  "D-a-a-a-d," Ruby shrieks from upstairs.

  It's a sound that once used to cause all the hair to stand up on my arms and more than once caused me to go tearing after the call of my youngest daughter thinking she was being murdered by an intruder. I've since come to recognize that particular shrill cry as one of excitement and wonder, and I can't help but grin over what Ruby is possibly in to now. At almost five years old, she refuses to accept the concept of a well-mannered, indoor voice and goes balls to the wall in everything she does.

  "Is the house on fire, Rubes?" I call back.

  Her little voice shouts back to me in a squawk. "No."

  "Have aliens landed?" I keep my voice just loud enough to carry up the stairs but still decibels below her own.

  "No," she yells, and there...right there...that's a little giggle from her.

  "Did Timmy fall down the well?"

  "No, Dad...but you have to come here," she yells, and to give her credit...it's toned down just a bit. When I don't answer her right away, she calls down in a sweet voice that makes my heart pitter patter. "Please, Dad."

  Brilliant, little brat. Throwing in some manners to throw me off my game.

  "I'll be right there," I tell her as I finish the last of Violet's braid and manage to efficiently bind it with a hair elastic. Leaning over, I place a kiss on her head. "All done, Dreamy Dwarf."

  Violet leans her head back and gives me an upside-down grin. I love the sprinkle of freckles on her nose and it compels me to kiss her again.

  "Do me a favor," I tell her as I turn toward the living room. "Get the cereal and milk out for me while I go see what your sister needs?"

  I don't bother waiting to see what she does, because Violet has become my metaphorical right hand over the last few months. While she still loves for me to braid her hair and help with her homework, she's also relished taking on a bit of a caretaker role since the girls moved in with me permanently this past summer.

  They've been here almost six months and I actually feel like I know what in the hell I'm doing now. It wasn't always like that and thank God for Kate's help or I would have gone insane in those first few months of becoming a single parent of two little girls. Kate patiently helped me establish a routine, taught me how to braid hair, to distinguish excited shrieks from cries of pain, and most importantly...how to conduct the perfect princess tea party.

  I skirt my way through the living room, bending over to pick up one of Ruby's dolls from the floor and bound up the stairs taking two at a time. I find Ruby in the bathroom that she and Violet share, bent over the toilet and peering at something.

  She shares the same dark hair and gray eyes as Violet, except her locks spring out everywhere in a mass of tiny curls. I have no idea where that came from, but assuming it's a rogue strand of ancestral DNA from either me or my soon-to-be ex-wife, Hensley. Both of us as well as Violet have fairly straight hair, so Ruby is definitely dipping into the family gene pool with her wild curls, but damn...they totally fit with her personality.

  "What's up?" I ask, as I walk over to the toilet.

  She straightens up, shoots me a grin, and points. "Look...a spider."

  I cautiously take a step forward and lean over, grimacing as I look in the bowl.

  And holy shit...a spider the size of a T. rex is floating on the surface, all eight legs spread out, bent and poised to look as if it's ready to leap out and attach itself to my face. I suppress a full spinal shudder and reach a tentative hand toward the handle to flush it.

  Two things happen almost simultaneously that take at least three years off my life.

  The spider somehow manages to skitter across the water, the beast so large it actually creates waves, and Ruby shrieks at me, "No. Don't kill it, Dad."

  It is with a major blow to my pride--as a man, as a dad, as a six-foot, six-inch professional hockey player nicknamed The Brick because I'm as big and tough as a brick wall--that I jump backward at least
two feet from the monster-infested toilet and banshee-crying sprite, causing my hip to slam into the corner of the sink.

  "Shit," I curse loudly and Ruby's eyes go round, followed by her lips.

  "Oh, Dad...that's a bad word."

  No shit.

  I smile at her as I rub my hip. That's definitely going to leave a bruise. "Sorry, Rubes. I'll put a dollar in the swear jar."

  She merely nods her acceptance of my apology and turns worried eyes back to the toilet.

  "You have to save it," she implores.

  Yeah...that's not going to happen. Not now. Not ever.

  "Sure, baby," I tell her as I take her by the shoulder and turn her toward the bathroom door. I swear the spider glares at me with a million red, evil eyes. "Go on down and get breakfast. Violet's fixing your cereal. I'll get the spider out."

  "Okay," Ruby says as she pulls away from me, but continues to give me instructions. "But let it out the front door and I'll bring it some food later."

  "Sounds like a plan," I assure her as she disappears down the stairs. When I hear her feet hit the bottom landing, I turn toward the toilet, intent on a quick flush to put me out of my misery.

  Except that when I look in the bowl, the fucking thing is gone.

  I'll just go ahead and admit it. Spiders just scare the living hell out of me. I have no clue why, and while I would battle the biggest, baddest monster to the death for my daughters, I'd much rather flush a little spider down the toilet.

  I immediately scramble backward out of the bathroom, grabbing the doorknob and shutting it quickly behind me. My heart is racing a million miles an hour, the thought of that furry hell beast now loose in my house.

  Just one more thing on the list of things I still need to do today.

  Get the girls dressed and ready for school.

  Take the girls to school.

  Clean up the spilled laundry detergent.

  Finish the laundry.

  Arm myself with a can of hairspray and a lighter to torch the rogue spider in the bathroom.

  Pick up my dry-cleaning.

  Workout.

  Team practice.

  Pick up the girls from Kate and Zack's house.