Rushing the Goal
Page 89
She laughed. “I was hoping to maybe see you today.”
“Well, I have like an hour before I have to go to the rink. Come over,” he demanded, waggling his eyebrows, and she chuckled, shaking her head.
“I can’t. I have to get to this restaurant before the delivery gets there. Then I’ve got to get Angie and then go home and work.”
“Home? Jayden’s?”
“That is where I live.” He made a little grumbling noise and she rolled her eyes. “Oh, goodness, are you pouting?”
He gave her a dry look. “Wouldn’t it be easier to walk from here to your office?”
“Benji, we are on week three. I am not moving in with you.”
They had been having this conversation a lot the last three days. Ever since she said she was going to get a hotel for her and Angie after walking in on Jayden and Baylor banging, he had been very persistent about her moving in with him.
“See, it wouldn’t even have to be with me, like, in my room. I mean—”
“Please, if I lived in the same house as you, I’d be in your bed and you know it.”
He paused, nodding his head. “This is true, but I don’t want you getting a hotel.”
She let out a breath. “I know, I’m not. Jayden already said he’d glue me to the house. He’s psycho, but I swear, I see him banging his wife one more time—”
“You’ll move in with me?”
She gave him a deadpan look. “Do I really need to throw the kid card up? Remember, I have one of those? She needs stability. I already feel like I’m fucking up by living with Jayden, but I can’t dip into my savings. I almost have enough. And I’m definitely not taking money from anyone for an apartment,” she added, since Jude had just called asking if he could pay for an apartment. But she wouldn’t let him. She’d be damned. “With Rick and everything, I just feel better saving the money. Angie’s with family, so we are okay for now. But if we move in with you, because it’s we, you know that?”
He glared. “No, I completely forgot you had a child. Not that you don’t bring it up all the time or anything.”
She glared back. “If we don’t work out, then I’ll be moving out. And that’s not good for Angie. At least now, I know we are good. If that happened, no telling what would happen.”
Letting his head fall back, he moaned like a bored teenager. “That won’t happen, though.”
“You don’t know that.”
He gave her a look. “Maybe I do.”
“How?” she laughed and he smiled before shrugging.
“’Cause I do.”
Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “Whatever, Autumn Sinclair.”
His brows came in. “What does that mean?”
But she shook her head, no reason to bring up that little doozy her mother had predicted. “Nothing.”
He eyed her and sat up, leaning into the phone. “Just think of how fucking great it would be? We could wake up together, eat breakfast together, you could go right out the back door to your office while I take Angie to school. We could be together. All the time.”
She laughed. It would, and it would be so much easier, but she just wasn’t ready for that. “I promise, I’m not that cool. You don’t want to spend all your time with me.”
“Negative woman. I think you’re the coolest and I want you. Now. All the time.”
“I swear you’re like the chick in this relationship,” she teased and he laughed.
“Maybe, but admit it. You’d love it here.”
“In my dream home where the orgasms are endless? Um, yeah.”
He threw his hands up. “See!”
“But…” she said and he held his hand up.
“But don’t you think it just makes sense? We find each other, we click, you’re homeless—”
“I’m not homeless!” she complained and he laughed.
“You are without a home, and I have one. I feel it’s fate.”
Rolling her eyes, she smiled. “I want this to work, Benji. I do. And I want us to be sure. We have to think of Angie. Don’t rush it. If this is it for us, if it’s fate, then we have forever.”
He paused, sucking in a breath and then letting it out. “I don’t like admitting when you’re right.”
“Another reason I can’t move in. Let’s be real. I’m always right, and you haven’t accepted that yet,” she teased and he rolled his eyes, running his hand down his face.
“Babe, I’m dying. I miss you.”
Her lips quirked as she looked over at him for a second before looking back at the road. It sucked only seeing him on the phone, but she had to work. Now that she was getting the office back up and running, she would be hiring another designer. To afford to do that, she had to work. “I miss you too, I do. But I’m coming over tomorrow, and let’s be honest, I probably won’t leave till Sunday when I get Angie. Gotta figure out how I’m going to explain that to my brother.”
“You act like everyone doesn’t know about us.”
She pursed her lips together. “I don’t want to admit it and have them be right.”
“You’re impossible, you know that?” She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed. “Anyway, are you coming to the game tomorrow?”
She paused. “Shit. I forgot you had a game. Do you want me to?”
“Well, I have like an hour before I have to go to the rink. Come over,” he demanded, waggling his eyebrows, and she chuckled, shaking her head.
“I can’t. I have to get to this restaurant before the delivery gets there. Then I’ve got to get Angie and then go home and work.”
“Home? Jayden’s?”
“That is where I live.” He made a little grumbling noise and she rolled her eyes. “Oh, goodness, are you pouting?”
He gave her a dry look. “Wouldn’t it be easier to walk from here to your office?”
“Benji, we are on week three. I am not moving in with you.”
They had been having this conversation a lot the last three days. Ever since she said she was going to get a hotel for her and Angie after walking in on Jayden and Baylor banging, he had been very persistent about her moving in with him.
“See, it wouldn’t even have to be with me, like, in my room. I mean—”
“Please, if I lived in the same house as you, I’d be in your bed and you know it.”
He paused, nodding his head. “This is true, but I don’t want you getting a hotel.”
She let out a breath. “I know, I’m not. Jayden already said he’d glue me to the house. He’s psycho, but I swear, I see him banging his wife one more time—”
“You’ll move in with me?”
She gave him a deadpan look. “Do I really need to throw the kid card up? Remember, I have one of those? She needs stability. I already feel like I’m fucking up by living with Jayden, but I can’t dip into my savings. I almost have enough. And I’m definitely not taking money from anyone for an apartment,” she added, since Jude had just called asking if he could pay for an apartment. But she wouldn’t let him. She’d be damned. “With Rick and everything, I just feel better saving the money. Angie’s with family, so we are okay for now. But if we move in with you, because it’s we, you know that?”
He glared. “No, I completely forgot you had a child. Not that you don’t bring it up all the time or anything.”
She glared back. “If we don’t work out, then I’ll be moving out. And that’s not good for Angie. At least now, I know we are good. If that happened, no telling what would happen.”
Letting his head fall back, he moaned like a bored teenager. “That won’t happen, though.”
“You don’t know that.”
He gave her a look. “Maybe I do.”
“How?” she laughed and he smiled before shrugging.
“’Cause I do.”
Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “Whatever, Autumn Sinclair.”
His brows came in. “What does that mean?”
But she shook her head, no reason to bring up that little doozy her mother had predicted. “Nothing.”
He eyed her and sat up, leaning into the phone. “Just think of how fucking great it would be? We could wake up together, eat breakfast together, you could go right out the back door to your office while I take Angie to school. We could be together. All the time.”
She laughed. It would, and it would be so much easier, but she just wasn’t ready for that. “I promise, I’m not that cool. You don’t want to spend all your time with me.”
“Negative woman. I think you’re the coolest and I want you. Now. All the time.”
“I swear you’re like the chick in this relationship,” she teased and he laughed.
“Maybe, but admit it. You’d love it here.”
“In my dream home where the orgasms are endless? Um, yeah.”
He threw his hands up. “See!”
“But…” she said and he held his hand up.
“But don’t you think it just makes sense? We find each other, we click, you’re homeless—”
“I’m not homeless!” she complained and he laughed.
“You are without a home, and I have one. I feel it’s fate.”
Rolling her eyes, she smiled. “I want this to work, Benji. I do. And I want us to be sure. We have to think of Angie. Don’t rush it. If this is it for us, if it’s fate, then we have forever.”
He paused, sucking in a breath and then letting it out. “I don’t like admitting when you’re right.”
“Another reason I can’t move in. Let’s be real. I’m always right, and you haven’t accepted that yet,” she teased and he rolled his eyes, running his hand down his face.
“Babe, I’m dying. I miss you.”
Her lips quirked as she looked over at him for a second before looking back at the road. It sucked only seeing him on the phone, but she had to work. Now that she was getting the office back up and running, she would be hiring another designer. To afford to do that, she had to work. “I miss you too, I do. But I’m coming over tomorrow, and let’s be honest, I probably won’t leave till Sunday when I get Angie. Gotta figure out how I’m going to explain that to my brother.”
“You act like everyone doesn’t know about us.”
She pursed her lips together. “I don’t want to admit it and have them be right.”
“You’re impossible, you know that?” She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed. “Anyway, are you coming to the game tomorrow?”
She paused. “Shit. I forgot you had a game. Do you want me to?”
