by Toni Aleo
“It won’t do anything. He’s an idiot. We just have to deal with him,” he said as the waiter came up. “Can I get the check?”
“Benjamin! No! We’re paying,” Autumn said, but Benji waved her off.
“Our gift to you,” he said, bringing Lucy into his side.
“But it’s your birthday.” Autumn frowned as Benji smiled at the stack of presents the Sinclairs had brought for him.
“But I want to do this for you,” he said, sending her a pleading look, and thankfully, she agreed, shaking her head.
“Fine, fine,” she said, waving him off. “But we are taking you to dinner one night this week.”
“Done,” he agreed, holding his card up, but the waitress shook her head.
“Actually, Mark Sinclair paid for dinner and told me to tell you guys merry Christmas and congratulations.”
The table went quiet as Benji smiled. “Well, thank you, then.”
“Absolutely. Can I get anyone anything else?”
Everyone declined as Autumn cleared her throat. “Well, that was nice of him.”
No one really agreed as Lucy leaned on her forearms. “Yeah, it was, Mom.”
“Lucy, really?” Jace said and she shrugged.
“He is honestly going above and beyond for Angie. Really. Maybe he’s trying to mend fences.”
But the boys didn’t look convinced. Jayden announced, “Well, if he gets that guy gone, then maybe I’ll consider thinking that. But until then, he’s dead to me.”
“Me too,” Jace and Jude said. Benji looked to Lucy, her face full of apprehension. He knew the upcoming court date wasn’t for another three weeks, but it was weighing heavily on her. He wished he could alleviate some of the burden, but she wasn’t like that. She only leaned when she needed to, and so far, she was good.
But when she wasn’t, he’d be there, and he’d bear the burden of all of it as long as Lucy would let him.
“My mom thought you were going to propose to me.”
Wrapping his arms around Lucy’s waist as Angie played with the new indoor hockey set Benji had gotten her, he kissed her shoulder. “Did you want that?”
She shook her head. “God, no, we aren’t ready.”
“No?”
“No, crazy. Jeez,” she said, gawking at him. “Plus, I love my new bracelet and earrings. I’ve never had diamonds before, I didn’t even have an engagement ring.”
He made a face. “No?”
“Nope, we were poor,” she said with a grin. “Plus, I never needed it. Angie was my main concern, or maybe I knew that Rick wouldn’t last. I don’t know,” she laughed, leaning her head against his as she drank in the stunning set he had gotten her. When he saw it, he knew she’d love it, and while she thought it was too early for them to be engaged, it hadn’t stopped him from picking out a ring for her.
Not that anyone knew that.
He hadn’t bought it, but he found the one he wanted for her. It would fit her hand perfectly, a simple three carat diamond in a platinum band. He knew she’d love it, but he’d wait until he knew she wouldn’t say no.
Kissing her jaw, he said, “Well, I’m getting you a ring.”
“Later.”
“Later? Like, how later?”
“Why do you need times for everything?”
He grinned. “So I can do it before then,” he said with a wink and she laughed.
“I don’t know, a year?”
He made a face. “No.”
“No? You can’t just say no.”
“A year is too long.”
“You are crazy. It’s been little over two months, Benji. That’s like ten weeks,” she stressed and he shrugged.
“When you know, you know.”
She made a face. “So you’d marry me tomorrow?”
“Hell, I’d marry you right now. I mean, it would be an excellent bonus birthday present…” he said and she made another face.
“You’re insane.”
He grinned as she cuddled into him. “But I’ll admit, it’s sorta cute.”
“And hot, right? You want to bang me?”
She sputtered with laughter. “I always want to do that.”
Smiling against her hair, he kissed her head as he held her. He wasn’t playing. He’d marry her that second; all she had to do was say yes. Until then, though, he’d hold her, he’d love her, and life would be good. As they watched Angie bat the ball with her stick into the wall, he held her tightly. She whispered, “Benji?”
“Yeah, baby.”
“I’m worried about court with Rick.”
“Don’t, it’s three weeks away.”
“What if, by some crazy chance, he gets her?”
“Then we will fight for her back, but I highly doubt that I will happen.”
“It scares me,” she whispered and he nodded, kissing her head.
“Don’t be, I got you.”
She let out a long breath, fisting his shirt as she looked up at him, her chin touching his. “Sometimes, it's hard to find words to tell you how much you mean to me. Most of the time, I don't say anything at all because I don’t share the way you like to,” she said and he smiled, getting lost in her eyes. “But I hope you know that having you and Angie is what I live for.”
His lips curved even more as he dropped his mouth to hers. “I know exactly how you feel.”
Her eyes shone with love as she cupped his face. “Merry Christmas, Benji.”
“Merry Christmas, my love,” he said before pressing his lips to hers.
“Benji! Come on, let’s play! You said you’d be my goalie,” Angie whined and then she stomped her foot. “Ugh! All you do is kiss.”
Grinning against each other’s lips, they pulled apart as his heart burst in his chest. “I’m being beckoned.”
“I know.”
“But I love you.”
“I love you more, birthday boy.”
And what a feeling that was.
Court day.
Benji had been waiting for this day for weeks. He was ready to get it over with. Shut Rick up and get what Lucy had been wanting, what Angie needed. As he watched Angie kick her legs back and forth in the chair she was sitting in between Lucy and her grandpa, Benji’s stomach was a mess. He was surprised how, even though he was ready for this, he was nervous. Probably because Lucy was so anxious. While she looked beautiful in a modest dress that came to her knees with black tights, her hair up in a nice bun, he didn’t miss the way she had bitten her nails almost to the quick. Or how she kept moving her fingers together, lacing them, unlacing them, and then sitting on them. She was freaking out, and it was killing him not to be able to touch her.
Angie, though, she was just watching. Taking in everything about the room and the judge and drawing. No cares in the world. Like her mother, she looked adorable in a yellow dress that really made her his little ray of sunshine. Her hair was down, straight along her shoulders. She glanced back at him, and he smiled. She grinned before she mouthed, “This is boring.”
Nodding his head, he pressed his finger to his lips, and she turned back around as the judge spoke. “Counsel, this court date was set to alter the parenting plan for Angela Hart, parents, Lucy Sinclair and Rick Hart?”
Lucy’s dad stood, clearing his throat. “Yes, sir. Ms. Sinclair would like to change and add a few things to the plan.”
“That being?”
“The biggest issue we are having now is that Angela does not want to go to her father’s anymore. For the past two months, on Mr. Hart’s weekends, he has physically forced her to go to his house. We would like to add to the plan that if she doesn’t want to go, she doesn’t have to. She is at an age where her wishes should be taken into consideration.”
It was downright disgusting is what it was. It had taken everything out of Benji not to rip Rick apart the last time. He was mad the whole weekend and actually said sorry to some of the guys he knocked into on the ice. It was painful, and he hated seeing Angie being put through that.
The judge nodded as he looked up at Angie. He was a big man with a heavy beard and thick bifocals. “Angela, you don’t want to go to your father’s. Why is that?”
Mark looked down at Angie, and she looked from him to the judge. “He’s mean,” she said in a very small voice.
“Mean, how?”
“He is always yelling at me, telling me I’m a bad kid, that my sister is better. He’s really mean about my mom and Benji—”
“Who’s Benji?”
“Benjamin Paxton, Ms. Sinclair’s significant other,” Mark said then, glancing up at the judge.
The judge nodded. “Has he laid a hand on you, Angela?”
Angie looked down and Benji’s heart stopped. She looked so pained as Lucy’s gaze shot to her, her eyes full of concern before Angie nodded. “Sometimes.”
Red-hot rage.
Lucy drew in a sharp intake of breath as she looked down, shaking her head. Angie hadn’t told them that. Why hadn’t she told them? Glancing over at Rick, who was watching them with narrowed eyes, Benji wanted to get up and beat him stupid. He completely understood Angie needing her butt spanked when she misbehaved. Lucy had had to do it before and it sucked and killed him a bit inside, but he doubted that Rick had reason to discipline her. Why? He had her for two days every other weekend. She shouldn’t even have time to be bad if he was loving her the whole time.
“Why?”
She shrugged. “He said I was bad.”
“Were you?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Okay,” the judge said, writing some things down. “Other changes.”
“If we cannot get Article One changed about the visitation, then we would like to add that Mr. Hart has to allow communication between Angela and her mother—”
The judge looked up at Mark. “What do you mean?”
“Since the end of November on Mr. Hart’s weekends, he will not allow Angela to call her mother or for her mother to talk to her while she is in his custody.”
The judge looked over at Rick, as did everyone else. “Is there a reason for this, Mr. Hart?”
Rick leaned back in his chair. He was wearing a dingy white button-down with black pants, his hair brushed to the side. Heidi was nowhere to be seen, which surprised Benji. Wouldn’t she want to support him in this matter? Lucy had said she didn’t expect Heidi to be there, that she didn’t care about Angie anyway. Benji guessed she was right, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He got that Angie wasn’t Heidi’s, but she should love her. It was the right thing to do. Clearing his throat, Rick shrugged. “It’s my time, I don’t think Lucy should get to talk to her.”
“She’s her mother,” the judge reiterated.
“And I’m her father,” Rick spat back, and then his lawyer cut him a look that had Rick snapping his mouth shut.
The judge let out a long breath before waving his hand. “Continue, counselor.”
“Thank you, sir,” Mark said, moving a piece of paper around. “We ask that he should honor Angela’s wishes for her extracurricular activities. Angela is very active in the hockey community and has practice on Fridays from five to seven, and games on Saturdays. We ask that the new pickup time be at seven thirty on his weeks to allow for that. Also, he needs to either take her or allow her to be taken to games on weekends she is in his custody.”
The judge nodded, writing down the items. “Next.”
“We have submitted that Angela suffers from ADHD and is medicated, per her doctor’s orders. It has been brought to our attention that Mr. Hart will not give her the medicine she needs when she is with him. Angela has said that he locked her in a room with nothing to do, unmedicated, on one of his weekends. I have documentation from her therapist on that matter, sir,” he said, walking up and handing the judge the paper. The judge’s face reflected his annoyance as he looked over the paper and then back to Angie.
“Is this true, Angela?”
Angie nodded. “Yes.”
Scratching his head, he looked to Rick and then back to Mark. “Anything else?”
Mark glanced to Lucy and she was biting her lip. She looked as if she were going to cry, but instead, she shook her head. Mark sucked in a deep breath and shook his head. “At this time, no, sir. But if Mr. Hart proceeds with the threats he has made against my client, her significant other, and myself, then we will have more changes.”
The judge was a little taken aback as his head tilted to the side. “Threats?”
“Yes, sir. All documented,” Mark said, walking to the judge and hanging him another sheaf of papers.
He let out a long breath as he read the documents, and Benji figured he was frustrated. Like everyone else. Looking over at Rick’s lawyer, the judge asked, “Mr. Holloway, do you need a moment to speak with your client on the requested changes to Angela Hart’s parenting plan?”
The lawyer didn’t hesitate. “No, sir. My client does not want to change the parenting plan. He only wants to alter the physical custody of Angela Hart.”
The judge leaned on his hand. “How do you mean?”
Rick’s lawyer swallowed hard. “Mr. Hart would like to request full physical custody of Angela Hart.”
Benji looked at the judge as Angie asked Lucy, “What does that mean?”
But Lucy shook her head, holding Angie’s hand as Mark stood. “Judge, obviously we have a problem with that.”
“I’d say,” the judge said, letting out another breath. “Mr. Holloway, reasoning?”
Standing too, like Mark, he nodded, holding a sheet of paper in his hand. He was a small man, kind of scrawny, not sure of himself. Unlike Mark, who stood proudly and took up the whole room with his presence. It was hard not to appreciate the guy, not that Benji would make that public knowledge if he was around a Sinclair.
“My client feels that Ms. Sinclair isn’t raising Angela the way he would. He feels she is spoiled and rude. That the diagnosis they have is fake—”
“I have paperwork saying otherwise,” the judge interjected and the lawyer nodded.
“Yes, but he feels that Ms. Sinclair paid to have that written up.”
The judge looked to Mark. “Where did you get this from?”
“I had the doctors and therapist fax the paperwork to me. The cover letter is attached and the medical professionals have affixed their seal to each page.”
Man, Mark Sinclair didn’t play.
Shifting the papers around, the judge nodded. “This paperwork seems accurate to me, Mr. Holloway. Anything else?”
Rick looked pissed, probably because the judge thought he was a joke. Or maybe that was just Benji’s feeling. He wasn’t sure, but when Lucy looked back at him hopefully, he smiled.
“We got this,” he mouthed and she nodded before looking up at the judge who was waiting for the lawyer to speak.
“Yes, sir. He has an issue with Ms. Sinclair’s boyfriend, Benjamin Paxton.”
Well, shit.
He knew Rick would bring him up, but it still made his stomach drop.
“Okay? What’s the issue with him? You know what? Wait. Angela, tell me about Mr. Paxton.”
Angie sat up and Lucy smiled as she leaned on the table, her little feet kicking. “Benji’s the best,” she said and the judge smiled. “He plays hockey with me, and he teaches me how to do different things. He leaves a lot ’cause he’s a pro hockey player, like, the best in the league. He had two Stanley Cup rings, and they are so huge! They don’t even fit my fingers. It’s crazy, but…” She paused, her little feet still kicking happily as she leaned on her hands. “He loves me so much, tells me all the time. And he plays with me, we have dance parties, and he picks me up from school—and he’s just great. I want him to marry my mom so he can be my dad.”
Sucking in a breath, she went to say more, but the judge stopped her as Benji’s heart took flight. To be that girl’s father would be an honor.
“So you like him?”
“Oh, yes, sir! I love him! He’s
amazing and so funny,” she giggled, looking up at Lucy, who beamed. Benji couldn’t stop grinning, his heart skipping a beat in his chest. When Angie glanced back at him, he winked, and she smiled so wide he could see the tooth she had lost the night before.
Man, he loved that little girl.
The judge nodded before looking back at Rick’s lawyer. Rick was fuming, his whole face red, as his lawyer fumbled with papers. “As you were saying, Mr. Holloway?”
Benji watched as he cleared his throat, holding the paper in front of him while Rick glared over at him. Benji rolled his eyes as the lawyer said, “Mr. Paxton is an alcoholic—”
“Recovering. He’s been clean twelve, going on thirteen, years, your honor,” Mark corrected and the judge nodded. “Hasn’t had any run-ins with the law. I have documentation of his stay at the Rehab Center of Chicago, documentation from his AA leader, who says he is a good man. Even letters from his boss and some of his fellow players. Everything is here if you need to see it.”
The judge motioned for him to bring it forward as he said, “Thank you. Mr. Holloway, next complaint against Mr. Paxton?”
“My client feels he is trying to steal his daughter. That he is trying to buy her off, to make her love him.”
Benji’s face twisted, matching the judge’s as he shook his head. “Proof of this?”
When the lawyer actually got up, Benji’s heart stopped as his eyes widened.
What the hell?
Lucy looked back at him, her eyes full of distress as Mark looked over at her. The lawyer said, “There was a savings account opened in her name where he makes regular deposits.”
The judge looked at the paperwork and then up at Mark. “Counselor?”
Mark looked over at Lucy and she panicked, looking back at Benji.
Leaning toward Mark, he said, “It’s for Angie, for college.”
She made a face as Mark cleared his throat. “Apparently, it’s an account that Mr. Paxton opened for Angela for when she goes to college.”
“Yeah, it’s to give me a great start when I’m older like he wished his daughter would have had,” Angie said then, everyone looking over at her. “Leary died when she was two, and Benji wants me to live all my dreams like he had wished for her. So we went to the bank, and Benji put a lot of money in it for me.”