Bennett (On the Line Book 2)

by Brenda Rothert

  She looked at someone behind me and I turned. Liam was approaching.

  “Let’s go,” she said to me. “I’m not talking to him right now.”

  “Charlotte,” I said softly. “Come on, he means well. He loves you.”

  “He’s got a funny way of showing it.”

  I tipped her chin up so she’d meet my eyes. “I’ve got two sisters. Bet I’d have done the same thing.”

  “In a doctor’s office?”

  “Eh . . . maybe in the parking lot so I could find a big rock to beat the guy with.”

  She looked at Liam. “Are you sorry?”

  He shrugged and sneered at me. “I’m sorry you’re carrying his kid.”

  “You told me I was like a brother to you,” I said to Liam.

  Liam narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, you were.”

  I felt that hit harder than any of the rest. He walked out of the police station then, not looking back.

  Charlotte

  Bennett stared up at my spinning ceiling fan, lying in my bed with his hands behind his head. Liam knew now, and we could spend as many nights together as we wanted with no fear of being caught. But there was no joy in it, because Bennett was a million miles away.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, closing my laptop and turning to him.

  “I hate that I came between you and Liam.”

  “You didn’t.”

  He looked over at me skeptically. “If not for me, you guys wouldn’t be pissed at each other right now.”

  “Maybe not over this, but we’d probably be pissed at each other over something else. We’ve always been this way. It’s because we’re both strong-minded.”

  “Strong-minded?” He laughed softly.

  “Yes. What’s funny?”

  “Nothing.” He turned on his side, cringing from the pain in his ribs, and leaned up on an elbow. “You know he and I will work this out, right?”

  “Why would you even want to? Look what he did to your face.”

  “Babe, I get beat on all the time. That’s hockey. We settle shit with our fists. That fight between Liam and me needed to happen.”

  Bennett’s eye was still swollen and purple. I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t bothered by Liam’s low opinion of him. Or, apparently, his trip to the police station today and the community service he now had to do.

  “He owes us both an apology.”

  “For standing up for his sister?”

  My eyes bulged with anger as I sat up in bed. “I didn’t need standing up for, Bennett!”

  “I know that. But that’s how Liam is. He cares about very few people, but the ones he loves, he loves with everything.”

  “He thinks you’re not good enough for me.”

  “You’re his sister. No one’s good enough for you in his eyes. And since your dad split when you guys were young, he probably feels a fatherly responsibility to look out for you.”

  I had to ask him the question that was nagging at me. “Does he know something I don’t? Do you see other women on the road?”

  “No. There haven’t been any other women since you.”

  I exhaled with relief. “So what are you saying? That I should just forget what he did today?”

  “No, but you should forgive him for it. He’s my best friend and I know him well. He shoots from the hip. Hell, I kind of like that about him. And life’s too short for holding grudges.”

  His expression was earnest. I sensed a deeper meaning to what he was saying, but I didn’t want to push. I liked knowing Bennett was opening up to me because he wanted to, not because I was forcing him to.

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll think about it.”

  “How many people in this world do you love?”

  “Is that a rhetorical question?”

  “Nope. How many? Would you need both hands to count them?”

  I thought about it for a second. There was my mom, Liam, the baby, and maybe . . . Bennett. Not that I was ready to admit that. I cared for other people, but love was a strong word. My mom had no family other than me, Liam, and her husband. My circle was small.

  “I could count them on one hand,” I admitted.

  “Then don’t let this come between you and one of those people. I think we’ve got something great going, and I don’t want this clouding our relationship.”

  I smiled and met his eyes. “We have a relationship.”

  “I know, right? I can call you my girlfriend now.”

  “I’m still calling you my baby daddy.”

  “Hey, works for me.”

  I leaned down and kissed him gently. “I’ll call my brother tomorrow and make nice.”

  “Thanks.”

  I switched off my bedside lamp and snuggled my back against Bennett’s chest.

  “What a day,” I said. “A marriage proposal, a fistfight, and a trip to the police station. If I didn’t feel weird going to the shooting range while pregnant, I’d have relieved some stress there earlier.”

  “And I thought today’s excitement would come from finding out the baby’s sex,” Bennett said, wrapping an arm around my middle.

  “We’ll just have to wait a little longer.”

  “I like Wren, by the way.”

  “Yeah?” I said. “She’s great. A little intimidating at first, but great.”

  “Hey, when Riley asked you to marry him, did you tell him you’ve got a man?”

  “I did.”

  “Good.”

  I snuggled closer against him and he made a low groaning sound.

  “You keep rubbing your ass against my dick like that and I’m not letting you go to sleep.”

  I smiled, my eyes drifting closed. “Tonight, I’m too tired. But I think we should find out if morning sex is our thing in about eight hours.”

  “It’ll be our thing.”

  “You think?”

  “I know.”

  Bennett

  Vereshkova was a beast. He played hard but also seemed to take everything in stride.

  “Your wrist okay?” he asked during a water break from ice time.

  “Yeah, it’s wrapped.”

  “Orion’s gonna kick my ass if you hurt it worse than it already is.”

  “I won’t.”

  He held his water bottle over his face and squeezed, letting the cool liquid run down his cheeks and into his hair.

  “Your mechanics are great,” he said. “What’s holding you back?”

  I pulled away the towel I was wiping my face with and gave him a confused look. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to tell me?”

  “It’s nothing to do with your game. I think it’s mental.”

  “Mental?” I couldn’t keep the defensiveness from my tone. “I’ve never wanted to make it to the next level so much. I’ve got a kid on the way.”

  “Maybe that’s it. Too much other stuff on your mind to stay focused on your game.”

  “I’m focused.”

  He smiled. “Where’s the fire, man?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Some motherfucker called me unfocused, I’d clock his ass.”

  I scoffed. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I need. I’ll assault an NHL player who happens to be my coach’s best friend.”

  “Bah.” Niko waved a hand. “Let’s get back on the ice, then. What gets you going? Makes you want to kick some ass?”

  “The only ass I’d like to kick right now is my own.”

  He threw back his head and laughed. “Why?”

  “You really want to know?”

  “Fuck yeah. Hit me.”

  I sat down on the bench. The arena was empty other than the two of us. Might as well get it off my chest.

  “I got a woman pregnant during a one-night stand, not realizing it was my teammate’s younger sister. My best friend. He hates me now. That’s how I fucked up my wrist—fighting with him. And Charlotte, his sister . . . I’m crazy about her. But I’m torn up over Liam. I get why he’s pissed, but damn, am I really the worst guy in the
world for his sister? What if this affects our play? What if he jumps my ass instead of an opponent’s? He’s still seeing red. I don’t want him losing his spot on the team over this.”

  Niko sat down next to me and nodded. “Yeah, that’s some heavy stuff. You’ve been good to his sister?”

  “I have. And I will.”

  “Then I’m not following. Why do you want to kick your own ass over this? Sounds like you need to kick his.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe he’s right and I’m not good enough for her. I make shit money, and I’m on the road all the time.”

  “So let that drive you. My fire came from a desire to do better for my family, too.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. My parents.” He looked away from me, staring at the wide expanse of ice in front of us. “You know, my wife and I are trying to get pregnant, but we haven’t been able to. You tell anyone that and I’ll slice off your sac.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “We both want a baby really bad. She feels inadequate and I do, too. We’ve had to lean on each other a lot. I’m pretty sure based on how much I want a kid that if I had one, like you will soon, I’d do anything for him.”

  “I feel that way, man. I really do.”

  “So dig hard and find that burn to be their hero. This is your future, you know? All of you.”

  I nodded.

  “The harder you hit, the harder you’re fighting for your dream, man. That’s how I see it. It isn’t just technical skill in this game. You’ve got to have something in you that you can feed off of.”

  “I never thought of it that way. I guess I need to channel my feelings better.”

  “Exactly. Often this game comes down to who wants it the most.”

  A new sense of calm settled over me. It was laced with an underlying energy I now knew exactly where to focus. I turned to Niko with a wry smile.

  “My mechanics are good, like you said. I knew that. Figured this was really about letting Liam cool off after yesterday. But I think Orion sent me here for this talk, didn’t he?”

  “He’s a smart dude. He knows you’re right on the edge of making it.”

  I took in a deep breath and let it out. “All right.”

  Niko clapped me on the shoulder. “We’re gonna go back out there and you’re gonna kick my ass, got it?”

  “Yep. Thanks, man.”

  “You got it.”

  “Hey,” I said. He turned to me. “It’ll happen for you and your wife, one way or another. Keep the faith.”

  He smiled, his eyes glassy. “Thanks.”

  I slid over the wall and back onto the ice, picturing Charlotte holding our bundled infant in her arms. No more worrying about what might not happen in my career. It was time to just make it fucking happen.

  Charlotte

  A pile of clean, unfolded laundry blocked most of the couch in Bennett and Liam’s apartment. Liam swept it all to the floor.

  “Have a seat,” he said.

  “Is that Bennett’s laundry?”

  “Well, let’s see . . . there’s only one slob living here and it’s him, so yeah.”

  I sighed, sat down and reached for a T-shirt from the pile, folding it, and setting it next to me. I folded in silence for a couple minutes.

  “You come to clean up after Bennett?” Liam asked.

  “You know why I came.”

  “To chew my ass out?”

  I shook my head. “Much as I wanted to yesterday, no. I came to make peace.”

  “There’s always been peace between us, Charlie. It’s Bennett I’ve got issues with.”

  “Why?” I picked up a pair of Bennett’s boxer briefs to fold and Liam rolled his eyes.

  “You know why. He treated you like a meaningless whore.”

  “Liam,” I said in a scolding tone, “how do you know that?”

  “He knocked you up upon meeting you.”

  I shook my head. “You want to hear a tough truth? He wanted to leave that night. It was me who persuaded him to come home with me and stay.”

  “Just stop right there,” Liam said, cringing. “I don’t want the details.”

  “We were both irresponsible that night.”

  “Did he know?” There was vulnerability in my brother’s eyes when they met mine. “Did he know that night that you’re my sister?”

  “No. I wanted a one-night thing, and to be honest, I wasn’t interested in details like what he did for a living.”

  “Jesus, Charlie.” Liam ran a hand through his blond hair. “Do you know how fucking stupid that was? He could have had any number of STDs.”

  “I thought he used a condom.”

  Liam jumped up out of the chair. “He didn’t use a fucking condom? I assumed it broke. This just gets better and better.”

  “Look, it was a miscommunication.”

  He shook his head. “Stop covering for him.”

  “I’m not! And what is your problem with him, anyway? He’s your best friend.”

  “We live and travel together. I’ve seen too much. The guy’s never with a woman more than once.”

  “He’s been with me more than once.”

  He glared at me. “I don’t want to hear it, okay?”

  “What? You’d prefer to think I don’t have sex? Aren’t we closer than this? More real with each other?”

  “I just don’t want to picture you being one of his many conquests.”

  “You’re not being fair to him. He’s been amazing through this whole thing. He’s the kindest, most supportive man I’ve ever been with.”

  Liam arched his brows but said nothing.

  “You know he’s a good guy. I know you do. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be your best friend.”

  “I just don’t want to see you get hurt, Charlie.” He sank back into the recliner he’d stood up from. “I know Bennett will do right by his kid, but how can I know he’ll do right by you when I haven’t known him to commit to a woman in the two years I’ve known him?”

  “We aren’t getting married or anything. Things are still really early with us.”

  Liam’s face fell. “He didn’t even ask you to marry him?”

  “No! What, just because I’m pregnant? It’s not 1950, Liam.”

  “I just want the best for you.”

  “I know you do, and I love you for that. I’m happy, Liam. Happier than I’ve been in a really long time. Bennett and I are good and I’m excited about our baby. Please just be happy for me. For both of us.”

  He exhaled deeply. “I don’t think I can be happy about this right now.”

  “Do you know something I don’t?” My stomach churned nervously as soon as the question was out. “Is Bennett still seeing other women?”

  “No. He’d have a lot more than a sprained wrist right now if he was.”

  “Just try, okay? Try to see the good in him. There’s so much there.”

  “I’ll always be here for you,” Liam said, glossing over my question. “And my niece or nephew, too.”

  “I’ll always be here for you, too. But I’ll be deeply disappointed if you don’t stop being so pigheaded. This isn’t about a teammate screwing your sister. It’s about much more now. Try to see that.”

  I stood and carried Bennett’s laundry into his bedroom, setting it on his bed. His leather and cologne smell lingered in the room and I felt a pang for him. It would feel so good to sink against his chest right now and feel his arms wrapped around me.

  He was sitting out tonight’s Flyers home game, wearing plain clothes in the stands. I was going with him and he was staying at my place after. Hopefully, some time away from Liam would help cool him off.

  Bennett was right; I had too few loved ones to be estranged from my brother. This had to blow over, one way or another.

  Bennett

  The locker room was too quiet tonight. Something was up. And the timing sucked, because after sitting last night out, I was fired up to play hard.

  Killian sat down next to me on
the bench and started wrapping his stick.

  “So. You and Liam’s sister, huh?”

  “Yep.”

  “I’ve got to admit, you’re the last guy I’d have thought would hook up with a teammate’s sister.”

  I sighed heavily. “I didn’t know she was his sister when I slept with her.”

  “No shit?”

  “No shit.”

  He looked up from his stick and grinned. “He failed to mention that part.”

  “That’s a real nice dick punch. I’ll have to thank him for that.”

  “You know how he is. Ready, fire, aim. He’ll come around.”

  I looked around the locker room. No one would make eye contact with me.

  “Everyone knows, then?”

  “Probably.”

  I stood up. “Hey, assholes, I didn’t know she was his sister.”

  Everyone looked at me.

  “I didn’t fucking know,” I said again. “I wasn’t trying to be a prick or anything. And I really like her. Not one of you can say you’ve seen me so much as look at another woman in the past few months.”

  “Relax, man,” Killian said, standing up next to me.

  “That fucker’s got everyone pissed at me.”

  “No, you did that yourself,” Liam said from behind me.

  “Personally, I think it’s great,” Shuck said. “Congratulations, Bennett. You’ll be a great dad.”

  I just stared for a second, taken aback by our awkward goalie standing up for me. “Thanks, man.”

  Liam tried to stare Shuck down, but he just stared back.

  “Yeah,” Killian said to me. “Congrats, brother. I’m happy for you.”

  “This is bullshit,” Liam muttered.

  “You guys naming the kid Bennett Junior?” Killian asked.

  Liam’s nostrils flared. “Enough. I will fuck up the next person who says a word about this.”

  Killian didn’t take well to being pushed around since he was our team captain. He stood chest to chest with Liam.

  “I’ll say whatever I want,” he said. “Is this going to be a problem out there? Because I will fuck you up if this affects our game.”

  “It won’t.”

  I stood and faced Liam. “What is it you want from me, man? We both know I’m not some asshole who’s going to fuck her over.”