by Toni Aleo
There was Lucy’s goal.
“Fuck yeah!”
As his boys wrapped him up in a hug, he somehow met Jude’s gaze. He was just grinning, nodding his head as he headed to his bench. Benji wasn’t sure what that meant, but he didn’t feel comfortable about it.
But he didn’t have time to worry about Jude because as soon as the next line went out, the Kings scored again—in the end, winning the game. Benji hated losing, hell, everyone did, but it really sucked since it was the Kings, Jude’s team, that had kicked their asses.
Defeated, the Assassins headed back into the locker room. And when he sat, Coach came in with the usual get-your-shit-together speech. When he called Benji out, saying he wasn’t in the game, he was right. Between fucking Jude and the fact he was still thinking about what had happened in AA, he didn’t know what to do. He needed to figure it out. Because things were happening.
Lucy had called her dad once they had gotten in the car and told him to get her a court date. It was only to get the parenting plan revised, but apparently, Rick’s lawyer said they would be asking for full custody. His heart hurt remembering how hard Lucy had cried in his arms. She didn’t want to do this—she didn’t want to put Angie through it, and Benji got that—but Rick was a douche and needed to be put in his place. He knew it would turn out in Lucy’s favor, but he worried about what that would do to Angie if Rick stuck around. He seemed like he already had one foot out the door, only hanging in to hurt Lucy, and that was mind-blowing to Benji.
How do you claim to love someone but be a complete asshole and not want to support what they love? Especially someone as amazing and sweet as Angie. Benji did not believe for a second that she had been bad or mouthy. She was always so good, yeah, a little nutty, but she was a kid and did normal kid stuff. Didn’t Rick want a relationship with his daughter? Or was he too concerned with hurting Lucy because he couldn’t control her? Benji didn’t know, but he sure as hell worried about Lucy’s sanity and Angie’s heart.
It wasn’t fair.
Life wasn’t fair. If it were, Ava and Leary would be alive. But then, would he be where he was now? It was just all such a mindfuck because, while he didn’t wish away his time with Ava and Leary, he couldn’t fathom his life without Lucy and Angie. Maybe this was his normal, though. Maybe this was how his life would always be. Feeling bad for one thing, but happy about another. Could he live with that regret? If it was really regret. He wasn’t sure. But one thing was for sure, he would talk to Lucy about it.
“Paxton, Johansson, you two are up for an interview,” one of the media folks said, and Benji rolled his eyes.
He didn’t like doing interviews.
Vaughn, though, he loved them, but today he looked pissed.
“You good?” Benji asked as they walked together to the hall.
“Don’t want to do this today.”
Benji could only nod as the media guy stopped him and Vaughn went ahead. Brie Soledad, the Assassins’ new locker-room broadcaster stood with her mic up at her mouth, talking about something. She was adorable; Benji had always thought so. At one time, he had wanted to holler at her, but that was while he was actually searching for what turned out to be Lucy. Watching as Vaughn towered over her, Benji wanted to laugh. She was so little, maybe five feet, with big, blue eyes and long, brown hair that had blond at the ends. She was on the thicker side, almost like Elli Adler, but she pulled it off and all the guys liked her. She was nice, but apparently Vaughn forgot that as he stood before her, his hands on his hips, annoyance rolling off him.
“Tough game, Vaughn. Tell me, what could your team have done to win tonight?”
“Well, Brie, don’t know if you were actually watching the game, but we weren’t playing,” he said simply, and her eyes widened as Benji held back his laughter. “We fucking sucked out there. The defense was off, the offense wasn’t even doing anything. We can’t win games playing like that. We have to be better.”
And then he walked away.
Like he had dropped the mic.
Poor Brie looked stunned, and all Benji could do was laugh. Vaughn was in so much trouble. As he expected, Benji’s interview was very short and then he headed down the hall. The media team was tearing a new one into Vaughn, just as Jude Sinclair was heading toward him.
“Hey!” he called out and Benji paused.
He looked around. He wasn’t sure, but he’d thought maybe the guy wouldn’t talk to him. Pressing his finger to his chest, he said, “Me?”
“You’re the one dating my sister, right?”
Benji nodded, a smile pulling at his lips. “I am.”
“Awesome. Well, then, yes, you,” he said holding his hand out and Benji took it. “How’s the chest?”
“Stings.”
“I bet,” Jude laughed, and he looked so much like Lucy. The whole Sinclair resemblance was a bit scary. He’d thought that Jayden and Lucy could be twins, but Jude looked so much like his brother, Benji was now convinced their genes were some scientific marvel. “Hate that we can’t get together. Get to know each other.”
Benji nodded. The Assassins’ bus would be leaving soon for San Jose. “Yeah, but we have the wedding.”
Jude gagged visibly and then nodded. “So you’re going?”
“I am,” he said, nodding his head.
“Awesome, my mom loves you. Like, I think she wants to marry you instead of River,” he joked and Benji laughed.
“She’s awesome.”
“She is,” he added, his face clearly full of love for Autumn. The same look Lucy always got for her mom. “But, yeah, it was great winning against you,” he said with a wink.
Benji rolled his eyes. “We’ll get you next time.”
“Yeah, yeah. But, hey,” he said, looking Benji right in the eyes. “Don’t hurt my sister, okay?”
Benji wanted to laugh as he held Jude’s green gaze. “Not that I would, but I’m pretty sure she’d kill me if I did.”
“Oh, no doubt,” he laughed, nodding. “She sure would. But, really, please don’t. Not only do you seem like a good guy and I don’t want you to be killed since my mother talks about you all the damn time, but Lucy’s had it rough. From what I hear, you make life great for her and for Angie. Those two…it’s been hard, and I want you to keep doing that. Hell, I’ll pay you to keep doing that.”
That made Benji laugh as he shook his head. “I don’t want your money, bro. Don’t worry, I love your sister, and I’m going to do everything I can for her so she can always be happy.”
Jude’s eyes were wide as he held Benji’s gaze. “You love her? Lucy?”
Not realizing he had said that, he smiled. “I do. She doesn’t know that, though.”
“Oh, okay, because I don’t think she loves anyone, not even me.”
“Who could? You’re a dipshit,” Jayden said, coming up to them and putting his arm around Jude’s neck. “I don’t even love you.”
As they tussled with each other, Benji watched and he shook his head. These Sinclairs were crazy. When they broke apart, Jude scoffed. “Whatever, dude. I’m your favorite.”
“No, Lucy is,” he said with a wink for Benji and he smiled.
“Ha, well, did you hear? Paxton here loves our sister.”
Jayden looked to Benji and he shrugged. “It’s true.”
“Well, duh, I knew that from the rip. Question is, does Lucy love you?” Jayden asked, shaking his head. “I told you, I don’t know if she knows how to love.”
Benji wasn’t sure and was unable to answer as Jude shook his head. “Well, for her sake, let’s hope so. She told me she loved me yesterday, and I think she meant it,” Jude said and they laughed. “Maybe our sister’s cold, dead heart is coming back to life.”
“You guys are too hard on her. She’s really great,” Benji said. He knew they were tough on her. It was some weird Sinclair thing they all did, but he felt he needed to defend her. They both looked at him like he was crazy, though.
“Shit, he is in love,”
Jude laughed, smacking Benji on the back.
“Right? Scary. You should see them together. It’s like Mom and River, just less gagging ’cause I want Lucy to be happy,” Jayden added with a grin on his face.
Jude liked that and nodded. “Cool. Let’s hope it works.”
“It will,” Benji said confidently.
He just hoped he was right.
“Now, Mom, Dad is coming and I know—”
But her mother held her hand up, her other one laced with River’s. “As long as he makes sure that piece of junk does not get our baby, then he can come to any game he wants. I’ll even invite him to my wedding.”
“Well, I mean, let’s talk that over for a second,” River said. Lucy nodded since that was the last thing she’d expected her mother to say, but she was thankful.
Because she was legit losing her shit.
She hadn’t wanted to invite her dad to the game—she’d much rather keep it strictly professional—but he was going above and beyond for Angie. After fighting Rick’s lawyer about court dates, he finally got one that was good for both parties. Apparently, Rick was leaving for Christmas, which was good for Lucy since Angie wouldn’t have to go to his house after this next time before the new year.
But she did have to go.
Lucy couldn’t bring herself to tell her.
Her father had tried everything, talking to Rick’s lawyer and even Rick himself, but he wouldn’t just let her be. He was forcing her to come to his house, and it scared Lucy to her core. Especially with Benji being gone. Stress was eating her alive, and she was so worried. She wasn’t sure how, but during all this, she was still working to her full potential.
She had hired a new designer, Meg Patterson, and Meg had taken on a lot of the work. That was great because Lucy could focus on Benji’s design. She had maybe three more days on it, and while it was coming out perfectly to her specs, she was nervous he would hate it. She was sure he’d lie and say he loved it, but still, it worried her.
And she was so troubled about Angie.
Angie just wasn’t herself. She was withdrawn and scared, and it was killing Lucy. The only time she was the child Lucy recognized was when she was on the ice or talking to Benji. Did Angie blame Lucy for the Rick thing? Did she hate her mother because she knew she had to go back? Lucy wasn’t sure because when they went to therapy on Wednesday, Angie only spoke about how she loved Lucy and didn’t want to leave her. Lucy was a mess for sure, but her only saving grace was calls from Benji.
He was just so damn good to her. He did everything to make her laugh. To joke with her, to turn her on, and to tease her. He was everything she could ever need and she missed him dearly. She was ready for the next seven days to zip by so she could hold him.
Hug him.
God, she needed a hug from him.
“Oh, baby, come here,” her mother said before pulling her into her arms and kissing her hard on the cheek. “It’s okay. Don’t worry. You are amazing, Lucy, and such a good mom. Please remember that.”
Lucy’s mouth curved as she closed her eyes. It wasn’t Benji’s hug, but it was pretty damn close. Benji had told her almost the same thing that morning, but there wasn’t a time these days when she didn’t need to hear it. Especially when Rick was singing a different tune.
“I love you, Lucy Lane.”
“I love you, Mom,” she said softly, hugging her tightly. When River’s hand came to rest on her back, she looked up at him, smiling as his lips turned up. “You too, Riv.”
He smiled gently, patting her back. “Back at you, sweetheart.”
Sucking in a breath, she let it out slowly, still holding her mom. “I wish Benji was here.”
She didn’t miss the little happy giggle her mother did before she wrapped her up tighter in her arms. “You should marry him.”
“Calm down, woman,” she said, breaking out of her arms and shaking her head. Pinning River with a look, she said, “Ask the woman to marry you, and now she’s marrying all of us off.”
River scoffed. “Don’t act like she hasn’t been trying to marry you off the whole time I’ve known you.”
“Touché,” she said as she saw her father walking through the doors with his child bride on his arm, Ellen. “Shit, he’s here,” she muttered as he came toward them. Her father was a handsome man; there was no denying that. He was tall, with dark hair and green eyes. His face was weathered from the stress of his job, but he was still a good-looking man. When he met Lucy’s gaze, his eyes shone with love. Still. It was insane, and it made her heart hurt. She had loved that man with everything inside of her. He had been her rock through the divorce from Rick, and he’d loved her so much. She was his little girl. But he’d betrayed all of them and she couldn’t let it go.
Coming to a stop before them, he smiled, his whole face lighting up with the movement. “Hey, everyone.”
“Hey, Dad,” Lucy said, tucking her hands into her coat pockets as her mother was stone-faced.
“Mark.”
“Autumn, you look great, a lot slimmer. Are you not feeding her, River?”
He meant it as a joke, but River didn’t even crack a smile. “She eats just fine.”
“Oh, good, that’s good,” he said, looking to Lucy. “You remember Ellen, my wife?”
Ellen, with her big, blue eyes and even bigger breasts that were on display in the middle of a freezing cold rink—not that it was any of Lucy’s business—grinned over at her. Lucy tried to smile, she did, but it didn’t work. “Hey.”
“Hey! I’m so excited to see your daughter play. Mark talks fondly of her.”
Lucy nodded, taking in a breath. “Yeah, she’s amazing. Oh, they’re hitting the ice. Let’s go sit down,” she said, turning without letting anyone object. Her mother walked beside her with River on the other side as they climbed the bleachers. When they got to their normal spot, the one Benji hated, she sat down and turned her phone on to call him.
Before she could, though, her father cleared his throat. “Laney, before I forget, next week when you go to drop Angie off, make sure you call me, keep me on in your pocket so I can hear everything that goes down. If Angie doesn’t want to go, don’t make her—make him make her. You just stand there. I know it will be hard, but you don’t stop him.”
Lucy’s heart dropped, but before she could say anything, River asked, “How can she do that? That will be heartbreaking. Not to mention, unfair to Angie.”
Her father nodded, his face stricken. “I know, but it’s in the parenting plan. Lucy doesn’t have to force her to go, but she does have to drive her there and Angie has to be the one to say no. What Rick does is on him, which is why I want to be on the phone.”
Autumn took in a quick breath, tears in her eyes as Lucy’s own started to flood. When River’s hand came onto Lucy’s, she looked at him. “No worries, we’ll go with you. We’ll be with you. Don’t you worry.”
“I can’t stop him?”
Her father shook his head. “No, honey, no one can. It’s on him.”
“Even if he’s hurting her?”
“That’s why I’ll be on the phone.”
“She’ll hate me.”
“No, just talk to her,” he stressed as a tear rolled down her cheek and her heart ached.
“I can’t do it,” she whispered, and before her mom or dad could say anything more, she got up, heading down the bleachers as more tears threaten to fall. Her heart was pounding. It wasn’t even exchange day, but she was about to have a panic attack. She couldn’t watch Rick force her child to leave. She knew he would do it just to hurt her. And she couldn’t do anything about it? No. She couldn’t fucking do that.
Reaching the fresh air, she lifted her phone up and dialed Benji’s number.
When his face came over the phone, he was smiling, but then his grin disappeared as he stared back at her. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Angie?”
“No,” she cried, shaking her head just as her mother put her arm around her.
�
�Lucy, baby, what’s wrong?”
How she was able to tell him what her father said through her tears would always be a mystery, but she did, her heart breaking in her chest as what she had to do tortured her. How was she supposed to tell this to Angie? Wouldn’t that be betraying her daughter? “How am I supposed to do this, Benji? How? Tell me how?”
Shaking his head, he ran his hand down his face as he sucked in a deep breath. “Fuck, baby, I don’t know,” he pulled in a deep breath as she cried, leaning into her mother. “I can’t come in early—we have a game Friday night and Saturday afternoon, or I would be there,” he said and she nodded.
“I know.”
“I want to be there. Can River go? And your mom? Can you guys go, Autumn?”
“Yeah, we’ll be there, honey,” her mother said, but Lucy wanted Benji. He knew what to do, how to calm her and handle Rick. Her mother and River might fly off the handle, and then everything would be a fucking mess. Even though it already was.
“I can’t do this, Benji. Explain how I am supposed to do this.”
“Like the strong woman you are,” he said simply, holding her gaze. “You can do this. You will do this. You will be strong for Angie. You will tell her it’s only two days and then she’s back home with us for the rest of the month. She is as strong as you, baby. She’s got this. She was raised by you,” he said, his voice breaking, and Lucy swallowed a sob as he had to look away. Looking back at her, he tried to smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “She is the best thing in this world, and she’s got this. I know she does, as I know you have it. You hear me?”
Her lip wobbled as she nodded. “Yeah, I hear you. I wish you were here.”