Friends with Benefits (Friend Zone Series Book 3)

by Nicole Blanchard

  I crossed to the bed, my eyes on her face, afraid I’d see her slip away right in front of me. “How is she?” I asked Layla. I studied the dark smudges under her eyes and the hollows in her cheeks I hadn’t noticed before.

  “Hey, Tripp. She’s okay now that she’s resting. The doctor says she can go home tomorrow if there are no complications.”

  I swallowed hard. “Thanks for being here for her.”

  Layla got up and pushed her hair away from her face. Her eyes were red. She must have been crying. “Of course. She’ll be glad to see you’re here when she wakes up. I’ll give you two some time. Please call Charlie or me if there’s anything you need.”

  “I will. Thanks again.”

  Layla paused after putting her purse over her shoulder. Then she moved forward and wrapped me in a hug. “I’m so sorry, Tripp.”

  A tide of sorrow welled up inside me. “Me, too,” I said.

  There was nothing else to add, so Layla left. I dumped my duffle on the small couch in the room, then took Layla’s place in the chair by the hospital bed. Ember’s hand looked so limp and pale when I took it into my own. She was the strongest woman I knew, but in the bed, hooked up to a half-dozen machines, she seemed fragile. The fear that I could have lost her at any moment, too, was overpowering.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Ember

  “Are you sure you don’t mind having a girl’s night while we pack up? I hope I’m not killing your fun.”

  Charlie lifted a beer. “You provided sustenance. It doesn’t matter where we’re at, as long as we’re together.”

  “Don’t make me cry,” Layla said, then hefted the box she was carrying onto a stack of them at the front door. “I can’t believe we’re all leaving this place. It won’t be the same.”

  Charlie nodded. “It was fun while it lasted.”

  It was, I thought, as I looked around the apartment, which was in various stages of disarray. I’d had a lot of hard times here, but there were a lot of good times, too. The girls had lived here their whole lives. They’d said their first words and taken their first steps here. It was bittersweet, but time for a change.

  In the weeks since my stay at the hospital, I’d recovered. It hadn’t been easy, but Layla and Charlie had helped. Charlie had taken time off work to be my own personal nurse for a few days. Layla had stopped by after school to take care of the girls when Tripp’s parents weren’t watching them. School and my own work had been understanding. Within two weeks, I had been back in the swing of things. It was almost like it had never happened.

  Except it had, and I was forever changed.

  “End of an era,” Layla agreed. “How is the new place? Do the girls like it?”

  Since I was finishing the program at school and was going to be making more money, I thought it was time we left the apartment for something with a little more room to grow. The girls needed something closer to school, and they needed their own rooms. While I had been taking it easy on bed rest, I had scanned the classifieds and found a nice, albeit older, three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a bit of land and a fenced-in backyard. It was on the girls’ school route, so they could get on the bus right in front of the house. What they loved most of all was that they got their own space. Of course, more often than not, I found them curled up asleep together, but they were happy, and that was all that mattered.

  “They love it. They’re trying to convince me to get a puppy now that we have a backyard.”

  “A puppy!” Layla squealed. “I want a puppy.”

  “Don’t gang up with them. It’s already hard enough to resist their charms. They’ve been doing all sorts of extra chores all week trying to get in my good graces.”

  “It’s working, isn’t it?” Charlie asked with a big grin. She shoved back the dirty blonde hair that was falling out of her long braid.

  I groaned and grabbed my own beer. I’d provided a couple of six-packs and snacks in exchange for their help. “Yes. They’ve even made their own chore chart of how they’d divvy up the extra chores for a puppy. Down to who will walk it on which day and whose room it gets to sleep in. That one caused a bit of an argument.”

  Layla munched on a handful of chips and salsa before asking, “Have you heard from Tripp at all?”

  The smile fell from my face. I sucked down half of my beer before I answered. “He texts every now and then when he can. He’s been practicing nonstop and traveling to games. The hope is he can still participate in this year’s draft, but we won’t know until August for sure.”

  To think of Tripp not playing ball...the thought simply didn’t compute. He was meant to play. I couldn’t picture him doing anything else. God knows, he must be feeling horrible. I couldn’t even imagine. Having him show up at the hospital during the most important game of his life to be with me was exactly what I was afraid he’d do. Give up his dreams for me. I wouldn’t allow him to make the same mistake twice.

  Charlie grunted, her eyes on the dishes she was packing into a box. “I’m just saying, if he was willing to leave that game to be with you, girl, he’s a keeper.”

  “Let’s not talk about it for a while. Thinking about it too much makes my heart hurt.”

  Which was exactly my problem. This whole arrangement was supposed to be so that feelings didn’t get involved. We were supposed to come out on the other side unscathed, without any strings. Somehow everything had gotten so tangled that we were both at risk for getting hurt.

  They were both annoyed with me but acquiesced to my request. For the next few hours, we finished boxing up the rest of the kitchen and moved to the bedrooms. By the time the moon was high in the sky, we were all a little dusty, drunk, and exhausted, but the apartment was finally all in boxes. There were surprisingly few of them, considering the four years I’d lived there.

  Charlie and Layla tried to convince me to let them stay, but I shooed them away. The weeks after the miscarriage had been hard, and I found that I often needed space to deal with my feelings. Tripp had stayed with me in the hospital until I was released forty-eight hours later. To be honest, I wouldn’t have made it without him. He hadn’t pushed, hadn’t demanded. He had simply been there to help. When I had learned that he’d left the game for me, I’d been furious, but he’d stubbornly insisted I was more important.

  I hadn’t known whether to be flattered or supremely pissed off. Anger was easier, so I had gone with that. While I had healed, he had given me space to work through my feelings. Which had only pissed me off more. I hated that he knew what I wanted without me even having to request it. Who was he to think he knew what I needed?

  That’s why, when he knocked on my door after the girls left, I was fuming. If it weren’t for the glass of wine I’d been refilling after we ran out of beer, I’d have answered the door with shouts. Instead, I opened it and lifted a brow.

  He looked good. Too good. He must have flown in straight after the championship game on a red-eye instead of staying with the team. I’d already heard from various sources on social media that they’d won.

  “Hey, Ember,” he said and shifted from foot to foot. He was still carrying his backpack and luggage, so he hadn’t even gone back to his own apartment yet. I refused to let that soften me toward him.

  I took a long swallow of wine for courage. It hurt so good to see him. If he’d wanted to prove how much I needed him in my life, he’d done a damn good job of it. That didn’t mean I had to be happy about any of it.

  “Glad to see you made it back,” I said.

  He nodded. His expression was so downtrodden it made me want to take him into my arms. “I wanted to come see you.”

  “Now you’ve seen me,” I said.

  “Can I come in?”

  If I were a stronger person, I would have said no. But I missed him, so I moved back so he could come inside. “I was just about to go to bed,” I said.

  “I understand. I just wanted to see how you were doing. Make sure you’re okay.”

  Dammit.
r />   Why did he have to be so nice? “I’m fine.”

  He sat on the couch next to me, but he could have been back in Omaha for how uncomfortable it felt. Why was this so weird and awkward? Could we get back to the place we were in before we lost the baby? Did he want to? I didn’t know.

  But I wasn’t going to be a coward about it anymore. If I’d learned anything through this experience, it was that life was short, and it was important to nurture the good things while you had them because they could be taken from you at any moment. Before Tripp, I’d resisted enjoying those things simply because they could leave. But now, I knew it was better to fall and fall hard because that’s what made life worth living.

  I choked back my stubborn defenses and let go of my anger. “Tripp, I’ve spent this time apart thinking about all the things you ever said to me. While you were gone, I got to experience what life was like without you, and I didn’t like it. You make me happy, even when you’re pissing me off. You’re my best friend, and I don’t want to be apart anymore.”

  He pulled me into his arms. “It was killing me not having you there. We won, and I didn’t even care. All I could think about was getting back to you.”

  I punched him in the stomach. “Next time, don’t make me stay away.”

  “You won’t get a chance. You’re obligated to go to all of my games for the rest of your life.”

  “Does that mean we’re done with this whole space thing? ‘Cause, honestly, it sucked. I’m not a fan.”

  “Totally done. I was a shit for thinking I knew what was best for you.”

  “You’re forgiven as long as it never happens again.” I let myself relax and enjoy the feel of him around me again. I wasn’t going to cry. I wasn’t going to cry.

  When I’d had my fill, I got back to my feet. “Be right back.” I went to my room and retrieved a small bag from one of the boxes. “I wanted you to have this.”

  “Em,” his voice cut off as he dug inside the gift bag and pulled out a little onesie. It was a Florida Falcons jersey for a newborn with WILDER stitched on the back.

  “I thought you would think it was a cute way to tell your parents.”

  “You— When did you get this?”

  I lifted a shoulder. “When I first found out. I meant to give it to you when I told you, but I was so emotional about the twins that I completely forgot. You don’t have to keep it if you don’t want to.”

  “No, I want it.” His voice sounded like it had been mixed with gravel. He tugged me down so that I straddled his lap. For a moment, all he could do was hold me. “I want it more now than I’ve ever wanted anything. Will you be with me? I don’t want to spend any more time apart.”

  “Yes,” I said without hesitation. “Yes, that’s what I want.”

  “Then, you’re stuck with me.”

  “Is that a rule?” I asked with a smile.

  He kissed me. “That’s the only rule.”

  Epilogue

  Ember

  Three Years Later

  They won.

  I couldn’t believe it.

  I’d never seen a real-life demonstration of the phrase, “the crowd went wild,” until that moment. Cheers erupted so loudly that it made my head ring. Popcorn was tossed into the air like confetti. Sprays of soda and beer poured down like droplets of rain, soaking my navy and gold Florida Falcon’s jersey with the name WILDER embroidered carefully between my shoulder blades.

  Tillie and Molly jumped up and down beside me. They were older now and understood more of the game, but they were mostly excited because everyone else was.

  “He did it!” Tillie shouted. “Tripp won!”

  “Can we go see him?” Molly asked. “We should tell him congratulations.”

  I thought about saying no, that it might be too crowded to navigate down to the field, but Layla motioned for me and said, “Go for it. Everyone else is.” Dash was by her side, clean-cut in a pair of slacks and a partially unbuttoned collared shirt, uncaring that he was covered in beer and greasy popcorn.

  “Get your man,” Charlie shouted, then whooped. Liam scooped her into a crushing hug and spun her around.

  They were right, of course. I should go get my man.

  “We want to go,” Molly said.

  “Yeah, he’s ours, too.”

  I couldn’t refute that. From the moment he’d moved in with us, they’d staked a claim as good as my own. Sometimes, even better. To say they had him wrapped around their little fingers was an understatement. He was a slave to those girls. I loved him a little more every time I saw them together playing tea, or playing with our new Boston Terrier, Frank, or the three of them all piled up on the couch passed out after a long day of playing on the Slip ’N Slide in the tiny patch of grass in our fenced in backyard.

  Each girl grabbed hold of one of my hands, and I hollered above the din for them to stay behind me. Like I did when I got to a particularly crowded scene at work, I barreled through the crush of people like I was a two-ton elephant instead of a 5’6” woman. The girls pressed close to my back, and I kept a stranglehold on their little hands.

  We made it to the railing where fans were simply jumping off straight onto the field and flooding around the players near the home plate. I paused for a moment, considering, then decided, what the hell. You only live once. Picking my way to an empty section at the railing, I scoured around me for the perfect spot where the girls and I could access the field without breaking our legs from the significant drop to the grass.

  Fortunately, a compassionate person had somehow gotten a gate open with access, and I made a beeline for it before we could get swamped with more people. Once on the field, the girls and I made a break for it, sprinting along with dozens of others toward the diamond. The players stood out in a mass of navy, several being thrown up on shoulders and toted around. Camera flashes damn near blinded me, but I didn’t lose focus. I had eyes only for Tripp.

  The crowd began to part when I was within a few feet, and Tripp appeared on its edge. I don’t know if it was the sudden chill around the stadium or a sense of foreboding, but I slowed to a walk as I came closer. His teammates ringed around him in a half-circle. The hell?

  Tillie and Molly were giggling and ran to Alex, who was on the opposite team. I’d asked Tripp what it was like playing against his friend once, and he had said they had a hell of a good time playing up the friendly rivalry. Off the field, they were still as thick as thieves when they weren’t working. Alex scooped up the twins, one in each hand, and smiled at a couple of blondes nearby. He loved the girls, but he also loved that they were a chick magnet. Naturally. Three years and he hadn’t changed, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  My eyes went back to Tripp, who’d made it to me, finally. He hadn’t even said a word yet, and I was already near tears, dammit. “I’m so proud of you,” I choked out.

  He pulled me into his arms, and I pressed my face into the humid material of his jersey. I didn’t care. I loved him when he was all dressed up, and when he was a sweaty mess. I loved him, no matter what.

  “Thanks, baby.” He pulled back and cupped my cheek with a hand. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” I tugged his head down so he could hear me over the shouting and screaming. “Congratulations.”

  He kissed my cheek. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “Lies,” I said, but I was laughing as I kissed him.

  The crowd around us muted to a barely-noticeable buzz. He deepened the kiss for one hot, furious moment, and when he released me, my head was buzzing, too. His hands dropped to mine.

  A hush descended, and the contrast to moments before was almost deafening. My heart tripped. I glanced around nervously and found the twins grinning from ear-to-ear. “What’s going on?”

  Tripp squeezed my hands reassuringly.

  Then, he got down to one knee.

  A quick bark of high-pitched laughter burst from my lips. Then I snapped my
jaws closed, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. When I cracked them open again, he was still there, kneeling before me.

  “What’s happening?” I whispered. My heart thundered so hard that I could feel it beating in the tips of my fingers and throughout my chest. He wasn’t... No, he couldn’t be.

  Tripp merely smiled. “Ember. I promise to follow our rules for the rest of our lives together. Plus, one more. I promise to communicate with you, even when it’s hard. I promise to be honest at all times, even if it hurts. I promise that our family—you, me, the girls—and the lives we make together will always be my priority. I promise to love you for as much time as we have together on this earth. And finally, I promise to make each day better than the last...if you’ll have me.”

  A box appeared in his hand. I may have blacked out for a second, so I wasn’t sure where it came from. He let go of my hand to open it, revealing a beautiful halo-cut engagement ring.

  “Holy shit,” I whispered, struck dumb. Those around me who were close enough to hear my surprised exclamation laughed.

  He was shaking when he took my hand with his free one. Looking into my eyes, his bright with unshed emotion, he said, “Ember, will you marry me?”

  I was crying. Dashing the tears away with my fingers, I tried to say yes, but the words wouldn’t come around the lump in my throat. My feet bounced because I couldn’t stay still, and I was trembling as much as, if not more than, Tripp. All I could do was nod.

  The world erupted into cheers again, and Tripp surged to his feet to take me into his arms. Over the crowd, which now pressed in around us, I could hear Tillie and Molly screaming and cheering. I saw flashes of faces, Layla and Dash, Charlie and Liam. Tripp’s parents. Phones winked and flashed as people revolved around me.

  Tripp set me down on my feet amongst the crowd, which was still in a crazy mass around us. “You aren’t saying that because I put you in a tough spot in front of everyone, are you?’