Rushing the Goal
Page 111
Nodding her head, she bit her lip as she gazed into his eyes. She couldn’t do this to him. It wasn’t fair. He was such a good guy. Any girl would be so lucky to have him, and here she was, with her nails in him while the clusterfuck of her life unfolded. “This is your chance, Benji. Before it gets to be too much.”
His brows touched as his lips curled. “Wait, what? No,” he said, holding his hands up and glaring at her. “Don’t tell me you’re saying this is my chance to get out.” She just looked at him and he shook his head, framing her face before pressing his nose to hers. “We’ve got this, we.”
As she leaned into him, nuzzling into him, she was surprised.
Surprised—because she was starting to believe him.
“I want cake by the ocean.”
Glancing over at Lucy as he drove to Audrey Jane’s, he smiled as the popular song by DNCE played. Her fingers were laced with his, and while she was off in a distant world, Benji knew they were going to be okay. Nodding his head, he said, “Hey, we’ll be in Florida in January, right? We’ll have cake.”
She exhaled a long breath. “Something to look forward to.”
“Yeah, it will be great,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I get to see you in a bikini.”
She looked over at him and he waggled his brows. Thankfully, she smiled. “Will you wear a Speedo?”
He scoffed. “Dick’s too big for that.”
Snorting with laughter, she brought his hand between both of hers in her lap. “Of course, how silly of me.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” he said and she laughed louder, her whole face bright as she leaned back in the seat, looking over at him.
“You’re great.”
He nodded. “I know.”
But the tension of the situation with Angie still weighed heavily on both of them. He knew she wasn’t his kid—he got that loud and clear—but that didn’t stop him from loving her as much as he loved Lucy. He may have fallen for Lucy first, but Angie was right behind her. Since the beginning, though, he had cared about her. He understood her, enjoyed her silliness. He thought she was an awesome kid, and his stress, his ache in his heart, was more caused not because of how much he hated seeing Lucy so upset, but because he was afraid Angie was scared. He wondered if she knew she couldn’t call Lucy. That Rick was keeping them apart.
It freaked him the hell out.
But he was going to stay strong for Lucy.
He would be her rock.
Turning into Audrey Jane’s, Benji smiled up at the cute little posh bakery that Audrey Odder had built from scratch. Rumor had it that she used to make cupcakes just for her family and then for Tate. He pushed her to open her own place, and she was prospering. Making all the cakes for the stars and professional athletes. She made fabulous sweets, and Benji’s favorite were her lemon cakes Crokmou that were inspired by Game of Thrones.
“I love Audrey’s cakes. She’s made Angie’s birthday cake for the last four years,” Lucy said as they parked beside River’s truck.
“Yeah, I gained like ten pounds over break eating her lemon cakes.”
She looked over at him, eyeing him. “The Game of Thrones one?”
He about melted at the mere thought of them as he nodded. “Yes.”
“So good,” she said, shaking her head as she got out.
“Best ever,” he agreed, getting out and locking up. “I should see if she could make me a birthday cake out of them.”
Lucy grinned. “That’s a good idea. Or I can. When’s your birthday?”
“Christmas.”
“Really?” she gushed, leaning into him, and he nodded.
“Yeah, when I was a kid, my mom was awesome about making Christmas one thing and my birthday another. Now, I just buy myself whatever big thing I want and call it good,” he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they headed toward the entrance. “Last year, since I turned thirty-two and I had no clue what I wanted, I took thirty-two disadvantaged kids from Erik Titov’s foundation shopping and bought them anything they wanted. It was really great.”
She beamed up at him as he pulled the door open. “That’s so awesome.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“Well, my friend, I can’t separate your day this year because my mother is getting married, but next year, I got you,” she said, flashing him a grin, and his lips curved.
“Wait? Did you just look to the future?”
She shot him a deadpan expression. “Shut up.”
“Lucy! Benji! Over here, sweeties.”
Lucy’s shoulders fell at the sound of her mother’s cheerful voice, and Benji had to hold in his laughter. He knew she didn’t want to do this, but he didn’t care. He loved cake, and he really liked Autumn and River.
“You owe me,” she muttered as she turned to face them. Grabbing a hold of her butt, he nuzzled his nose in her ear.
“Oh, I got you later,” he whispered and she giggled as they headed toward a grinning Autumn and River. Before they could reach them, Audrey Odder appeared, her face bright as she wrapped Benji up in a tight hug.
“Benji! I didn’t know you were coming in. You should have called. I would have had some lemon cake ready.”
Squeezing her, he pulled back, grinning down into her beautiful, wide face. She had lost a lot of weight since the birth of her son, but she still had that round face that made you crave cupcakes. Or maybe it was the way she smelled. Like sugar and happiness. He wasn’t sure; he just knew he really enjoyed her cupcakes.
His brows touched as his lips curled. “Wait, what? No,” he said, holding his hands up and glaring at her. “Don’t tell me you’re saying this is my chance to get out.” She just looked at him and he shook his head, framing her face before pressing his nose to hers. “We’ve got this, we.”
As she leaned into him, nuzzling into him, she was surprised.
Surprised—because she was starting to believe him.
“I want cake by the ocean.”
Glancing over at Lucy as he drove to Audrey Jane’s, he smiled as the popular song by DNCE played. Her fingers were laced with his, and while she was off in a distant world, Benji knew they were going to be okay. Nodding his head, he said, “Hey, we’ll be in Florida in January, right? We’ll have cake.”
She exhaled a long breath. “Something to look forward to.”
“Yeah, it will be great,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I get to see you in a bikini.”
She looked over at him and he waggled his brows. Thankfully, she smiled. “Will you wear a Speedo?”
He scoffed. “Dick’s too big for that.”
Snorting with laughter, she brought his hand between both of hers in her lap. “Of course, how silly of me.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” he said and she laughed louder, her whole face bright as she leaned back in the seat, looking over at him.
“You’re great.”
He nodded. “I know.”
But the tension of the situation with Angie still weighed heavily on both of them. He knew she wasn’t his kid—he got that loud and clear—but that didn’t stop him from loving her as much as he loved Lucy. He may have fallen for Lucy first, but Angie was right behind her. Since the beginning, though, he had cared about her. He understood her, enjoyed her silliness. He thought she was an awesome kid, and his stress, his ache in his heart, was more caused not because of how much he hated seeing Lucy so upset, but because he was afraid Angie was scared. He wondered if she knew she couldn’t call Lucy. That Rick was keeping them apart.
It freaked him the hell out.
But he was going to stay strong for Lucy.
He would be her rock.
Turning into Audrey Jane’s, Benji smiled up at the cute little posh bakery that Audrey Odder had built from scratch. Rumor had it that she used to make cupcakes just for her family and then for Tate. He pushed her to open her own place, and she was prospering. Making all the cakes for the stars and professional athletes. She made fabulous sweets, and Benji’s favorite were her lemon cakes Crokmou that were inspired by Game of Thrones.
“I love Audrey’s cakes. She’s made Angie’s birthday cake for the last four years,” Lucy said as they parked beside River’s truck.
“Yeah, I gained like ten pounds over break eating her lemon cakes.”
She looked over at him, eyeing him. “The Game of Thrones one?”
He about melted at the mere thought of them as he nodded. “Yes.”
“So good,” she said, shaking her head as she got out.
“Best ever,” he agreed, getting out and locking up. “I should see if she could make me a birthday cake out of them.”
Lucy grinned. “That’s a good idea. Or I can. When’s your birthday?”
“Christmas.”
“Really?” she gushed, leaning into him, and he nodded.
“Yeah, when I was a kid, my mom was awesome about making Christmas one thing and my birthday another. Now, I just buy myself whatever big thing I want and call it good,” he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they headed toward the entrance. “Last year, since I turned thirty-two and I had no clue what I wanted, I took thirty-two disadvantaged kids from Erik Titov’s foundation shopping and bought them anything they wanted. It was really great.”
She beamed up at him as he pulled the door open. “That’s so awesome.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“Well, my friend, I can’t separate your day this year because my mother is getting married, but next year, I got you,” she said, flashing him a grin, and his lips curved.
“Wait? Did you just look to the future?”
She shot him a deadpan expression. “Shut up.”
“Lucy! Benji! Over here, sweeties.”
Lucy’s shoulders fell at the sound of her mother’s cheerful voice, and Benji had to hold in his laughter. He knew she didn’t want to do this, but he didn’t care. He loved cake, and he really liked Autumn and River.
“You owe me,” she muttered as she turned to face them. Grabbing a hold of her butt, he nuzzled his nose in her ear.
“Oh, I got you later,” he whispered and she giggled as they headed toward a grinning Autumn and River. Before they could reach them, Audrey Odder appeared, her face bright as she wrapped Benji up in a tight hug.
“Benji! I didn’t know you were coming in. You should have called. I would have had some lemon cake ready.”
Squeezing her, he pulled back, grinning down into her beautiful, wide face. She had lost a lot of weight since the birth of her son, but she still had that round face that made you crave cupcakes. Or maybe it was the way she smelled. Like sugar and happiness. He wasn’t sure; he just knew he really enjoyed her cupcakes.
