He shrugged. “Good.”
I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. He was a moody prick, but he’d never been one to keep his relationship with a woman so close to the vest. That meant he was really into Sid.
“Who the fuck is this?” Liam muttered, staring at the screen of his vibrating cell phone. He slid his thumb across the screen and answered it.
“Yeah,” he said after a few seconds. “I remember you, Riley.”
There was silence as he listened.
“Yeah, I found out a while back that she’s pregnant . . . No, I don’t know who he is.”
I tried to look disinterested, though my heart was pounding hard. What the hell was Riley doing calling Liam? That fucker was old news.
“If you can find out, call me,” Liam said. “I’m dying to get my hands on the guy . . . Yeah, I know you’re a good guy . . . Wait, what? You want me to tell her she should marry you? Do you know my sister? She’s got a mind of her own.”
I clenched my hand into a fist under the table. That bastard. He’d proposed to Charlotte? That pissed me off, not only because he needed to fuck off, but because she hadn’t told me.
Liam rubbed his temple. “Yeah, man, I do appreciate you calling to ask for my blessing. Our dad’s not in the picture. But I only met you the one time, you know?”
There was silence as he listened. “I don’t know if she’s with the guy. She won’t tell me . . . okay, yeah. And you let me know if you find anything out, too.”
He hung up and exhaled deeply.
“What’s up?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
“My sister’s ex wants to marry her and raise her kid as his own.”
My fist was numb. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “Oh, yeah? What’s she think about that?”
Liam shrugged. “All I care about is finding the asshole who knocked her up and then disappeared.”
“He disappeared?”
“I haven’t met him and neither has our mom. I think she’s ashamed of the guy. He’s gotta be married or something.”
“What a douche,” Killian muttered.
I kept quiet, filling my mouth with beef lo mein to avoid standing up for myself. This wasn’t the time or the place.
I had to get to Charlotte. I wouldn’t confront her at work, but I’d be waiting at her place when she got home later. This fucker Riley would not take what was mine. He didn’t realize he was messing with a guy who was mild-mannered most of the time but lost his shit when the people he loved were involved. I loved my kid and was on my way there with Charlotte, whether I wanted to be or not. I wasn’t about to let some asshole who’d hurt her step in and take her from me.
Charlotte
Big, wet snowflakes filled the air, blocking the view of my apartment from the street. I put my head down and followed the path of the sidewalk to the door, clutching a bag of groceries.
I made it inside and shook the snow from my hair, balancing the sack of food on my hip as I dug through my purse for my apartment key.
“Charlotte.”
Bennett had been sitting on the stairs to the second level of the building, and he was walking toward me now.
“Hey,” I said, smiling. “This is a nice surprise.”
“Did Riley talk to you today?”
I furrowed my brow. “Yeah, why?”
The door to my apartment opened and my mouth fell open in shock when I saw who was on the other side.
“Mom?”
“Charlotte!” She beamed and held her arms open.
The bottom of my paper grocery sack gave way and a can of beans fell onto my foot.
“Ouch.” I cringed and watched helplessly as oranges, cereal, and more cans scattered on the floor. And, of course, there had to be a dozen eggs in there, which were now cracked and spilling out of their package.
“Dammit,” I said softly, bending down.
“Hey, I’ve got it,” Bennett said, easing me back up by the shoulders. “Go inside.”
“Is this the new man?” my mom asked, coming out into the hallway.
Fuck! I wasn’t ready for this. My eyes filled with tears. She’d tell Liam and he’d murder Bennett the week before Christmas.
“Mom,” I said, sighing, “this is . . . Christopher.”
Yes. Christopher. Using his middle name would buy me some time.
“Well, hello, Christopher.” She stepped out into the hallway, her tone more like a cougar on the prowl than a mother.
“Hi,” Bennett said, extending his hand. She shook it and eyed him from head to toe.
“What happened here?” James appeared in the doorway, taking in the spilled groceries.
“You know what a klutz I am,” I said.
He smiled. “Let me clean this up. I owe you one for making me breakfast this morning.”
He ushered us all into the apartment, not making one off-color remark or obnoxious comment. Who was this guy, and what had he done with my annoying roommate?
“I’m making chicken and noodles for dinner,” my mom announced when I walked into the kitchen.
Hell yes. I loved her chicken and noodles, and comfort food sounded perfect right now. But that was partially because of her unannounced visit.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Oh, Michael and I are working through some issues,” she said, not meeting my eyes. “I needed a break so I thought I’d come see my kids for Christmas.”
“Oh.” More like, “Oh, shit,” but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.
“And I can get to know Christopher while I’m here,” she said, giving him a huge smile.
“Come sit down,” Bennett said to me, wrapping an arm around my back. “You look tired.”
He led me into the living room, sat down in my recliner, and then put his hands on my hips and moved me onto his lap.
“You don’t look tired,” he said softly in my ear. “You look like you’re about to be sick.”
I laughed a little at that. My legs hung over the side of the chair, and he cradled an arm around my back. I relaxed against him.
“Did Riley propose to you?” he whispered.
My head shot up from its spot on his shoulder. “What? No, he called me a whore.”
“He what?” Bennett’s gaze darkened angrily.
“Why would you ask if he proposed to me?”
“I was at lunch with Liam today, and Riley called him and asked for his blessing to marry you and raise our baby as his own.”
“That asshole,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “He’s got a lot of nerve.”
“It was all I could do not to flip the fucking table,” Bennett said.
I reached up to his cheek and ran a hand over his dark brown stubble. He was here because he was worried I’d said yes to Riley.
“I wouldn’t marry him if he were the last man on Earth,” I said.
“What are you two young lovers in here whispering about?” my mom said, sitting down on the couch.
“Oh, just catching up,” I said.
“Charlotte, I’m impressed. That is one attractive man you’ve got yourself.”
“Well, we’re not . . . I mean, it’s early,” I said, my cheeks warming. “We’re still getting to know each other.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I’d say you’ve done that already.”
Bennett rubbed his hand in slow circles on my back. I snuggled closer to him, grateful I had an ally here for my mom’s surprise visit.
“Well, this is just perfect,” Mom said brightly. “We can all have dinner together. I called Liam. He should be here in fifteen minutes or so.”
“Oh, Christopher can’t stay,” I said, scrambling off of Bennett’s lap. “He has to get to work.”
“Where do you work, honey?” my mom asked him.
“I’m a . . . police officer,” Bennett said.
He stood up and Mom stood too, giving him a hug.
“I hate that you have to leave,” she said, holding on
to his neck. “You just got here.”
“Mom, two-second rule,” I said, tugging on Bennett’s arm.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“She’s only allowed to hug men I date for two seconds.”
“Honestly, Charlotte,” Mom said, sliding her hands off of Bennett. “I am not a cougar. I’m just a woman who can appreciate a good-looking man when she sees one.”
“Whatever, Demi Moore. Christopher has to go.” I hooked my arm through Bennett’s and led him to the door.
James came in, his hands a mess from the egg cleanup.
“Thanks,” I said.
“No problem.”
I walked Bennett to the back door of my building and opened it for him.
“Maybe this is meant to be,” he said. “Why don’t we just come clean? Liam’s less likely to go apeshit in front of his mom, anyway.”
“Soon,” I promised. “I don’t want us to tell him in front of my mom and James. He deserves to hear from just us. This is going to be a big shock to him.”
“Yeah. Okay.” Bennett pulled me into his arms. I closed my eyes and pressed my cheek to the soft flannel of the shirt he wore beneath his leather jacket.
“I’m so glad you came over,” I said softly. “I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.”
“Can we get together tomorrow night?”
“I’m leaving for a road trip in the morning.”
I groaned. “Damn.”
“I know. You gonna watch my games?”
I looked up at him. “You know I will.”
He leaned his face down to mine and kissed me, the warmth of his mouth on mine making my body respond eagerly. We kissed for a full minute before I pulled away.
“So let’s compare schedules on our phones and set up dinner for one night soon,” I said. “I’ll ask Liam to be there and we’ll tell him.”
“Okay.”
“Text me and call me from the road,” I said.
“I will.”
I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my cheek to his solid chest again.
“I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” he said. “But I’m glad you get to spend some time with your mom.”
“Me too,” I said halfheartedly.
Yeah, spending an open-ended amount of time listening to her bemoan the end of her third marriage would be great. Very festive. Merry Fucking Christmas to me.
Liam spent less than five minutes telling Mom about his season over chicken and noodles before he switched subjects abruptly.
“So how do you feel about Charlotte’s secret baby daddy?” he asked, giving me a pointed look.
“Secret?” Mom furrowed her brow. “Christopher seems great to me.”
“Christopher?” Liam shot me a dirty look this time.
“Christopher?” James asked, confused.
I looked at James in horror. If he revealed that he knew “Christopher” as Bennett, my secret would be revealed here and now.
“Yes, Christopher,” I said to James.
“Right.” He looked down at his plate.
“You met him?” Liam asked our mom. “Didn’t you just get here an hour ago?”
“He came home with Charlotte.”
“Well, at least someone gets to meet the asshole. What’s his last name? What’s he like?”
Mom looked at me. “I didn’t catch his last name.”
“Hmm.” I shoved a bite of food in my mouth to avoid answering.
“He’s cute as can be,” Mom said. “Tall. Over six feet. Very muscular. Dark brown hair and the nicest brown eyes. And his smile—”
“Mom,” I said, interrupting her. “I don’t want to talk about him now. I wasn’t ready for either of you to meet him, but you were here unexpectedly.”
“Will he be spending Christmas with us?”
“Great idea,” Liam said, arching his brows. “You should invite him over, Charlie. He and I can chat while I carve the turkey.”
“We’ll see.”
We definitely wouldn’t see. I wouldn’t be pressured into telling Liam about Bennett. His insistence only made me want to hold out longer.
“I just think it’s strange that you’re keeping him such a secret,” Liam said. “If he’s manning up like you say he is, he needs to meet your family.”
“You know what?” James said. “This is about the best chicken and noodles I’ve ever had.”
“Oh, thank you,” my mom said. “I’m looking forward to cooking for all of you while I’m here.”
“And how long might that be?” I asked.
She shrugged. “At least through Christmas. I’ll just share your bed.”
Great. There would truly be no escape.
I finished my dinner and feigned exhaustion, going to bed early. I needed time to process this day. Between Riley calling me a whore, apologizing, and apparently deciding he wanted to marry me, and my mom’s surprise visit, I was drained.
I climbed into bed, pulled the covers over my head and looked at my phone in the darkness.
Bennett: You know you taste like peanut M&M’s?
I smiled and wrote back.
Me: Sorry, they’re my bad habit.
Bennett: I thought I was your bad habit. ;)
Me: Well, I’ll admit you are habit-forming.
Bennett: As are you, gorgeous girl.
Me: I went to bed early to escape my family. What are you doing?
Bennett: Laundry. Have to put it all away so your brother doesn’t flip his Type A shit.
Me: I wish you didn’t have to leave tomorrow.
Bennett: Me too. I’ll be home Thursday night. I’ll come see you if your mom’s gone.
Me: She won’t be.
Bennett: Guess I won’t see you til the Friday morning dr. appt then.
Me: At the appt after this one, we get to find out if it’s a boy or a girl.
Bennett: I can’t wait.
Me: Me either. Guess I better try to sleep so my mom doesn’t find out I was blowing her off.
Bennett: Goodnight, Char. Dream about me.
Me: I just might. Goodnight.
Bennett
A kid sat next to me in the waiting room of Charlotte’s obstetrician’s office, his finger jammed up his nose. He kept digging around, pulling his finger out, glancing at it to see if he’d found anything, and then going back in. All while staring at me.
“Eli, don’t pick your nose,” his very pregnant mother said, looking at her phone.
The room was packed with women, babies, and a few men. An infant bundled up in a pink car seat carrier across from me made a cooing sound, and her mother stroked a finger across her chubby cheek and cooed back.
I’d totally be that dad. My dad had been hands-on, and I wanted to be the same way.
“Hey,” Charlotte said, unbuttoning her coat as she approached me. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, and I couldn’t resist standing up to kiss her.
“Hey,” I said. “How are you?”
“Pretty good. I’m gonna go check in.”
I sat back down and looked over at the kid next to me. He’d switched nostrils but was still staring at me.
We got called back before Charlotte was able to sit down by me. A nurse checked her weight and blood pressure, and then we were left alone to wait for the doctor.
“Ever done it in a doctor’s office?” I asked her, grinning.
“No, but I could use the stress relief right now.”
“What’s going on?”
She sighed deeply. “Just my mom. Michael cheated on her and went on a trip with his mistress. She’s agonizing over whether to leave him.”
“Why?”
“Exactly.” Charlotte waved her hands in the air for effect. “It’s a miracle I ended up with any sense of self-worth, because she has none. She says she’s worried about finding another man at her age. And when I tell her she doesn’t need a man, she looks at me like I just grew a second head.”
I
was about to respond when she switched subjects.
“And then . . . then she had the nerve to tell me I needed to lock things down with you before I get much bigger with this pregnancy. Yeah, I have to wear elastic pants now. You think I don’t know I’m showing? And that I’ll end up waddling before this is over?”
“You’ll still be hot, babe.”
She scoffed and folded her arms across her chest. “Don’t patronize me.”
“I’m not.”
“Why does she think I need to lock you down? Like I can’t handle things without a big, strong man to do the heavy lifting?”
“Char—”
The door to the room opened and Dr. Lansing stepped in.
“How are we, Charlotte?” he asked, glancing down at his clipboard.
“We’re pretty good.”
We listened to the baby’s heartbeat, and he talked to Charlotte about her diet and how she was feeling. It was a quick appointment, and Charlotte hustled toward the parking lot as soon as it was over. It was snowing, and she practically dove into her car.
“You in a hurry?” I asked, leaning down next to the open driver’s side door to look at her.
“Kind of.”
“You going back to work?”
It was 4:30 in the afternoon, which seemed late to go back in to a job that ended at five.
“No, I’m going to the grocery store.”
“Let me drive you. The roads may be slick.”
She gave me a look. “You think I can’t drive on slick roads?”
“Come on, Char. Let a big, strong man handle this.” I winked at her. “I just want to spend a little more time with you. I miss you.”
“Okay. Just make it snappy.”
I arched my brows at her, amused. “You hungry?”
“I want some chocolate peanut clusters. I’ve been fantasizing about them since I woke up this morning.”
I offered a hand and she took it, getting out of her car. Once I’d helped her into my car and cleaned the snow off of it, I drove us to the nearest grocery store.
“I feel really weird lately,” she said as I parked the car. “Maybe it’s just the stress of my mom’s visit, I don’t know. I started crying over a commercial on TV last night. Full sobbing.”
“Maybe it’s your hormones.”
She gave me a sharp look. “Let’s just get the peanut clusters.”
Bennett (On the Line Book 2) Page 10