Rushing the Goal
Page 163

“Really, Benji?” she cried, throwing her hands up. “How am I supposed to make you wait like I should? Who gets engaged so quick?”
“I married your brother and got pregnant all in a month or so,” Avery volunteered, tears dripping off her chin, and Lucy glared.
“You’re not helping. This is crazy! You’re crazy,” she accused, her grin taking up her whole face and he smiled.
“About you. Only you.”
“Benji! How am I supposed to say no?”
“You can’t,” he said simply. “Because you want to be my wife as much as I want you to be.”
“I do,” she challenged, her lips curving, and he nodded.
“You do,” he whispered as he leaned his head to hers. “Now, Lucy Lane Sinclair, the love of my life, will you marry me and make me complete?”
Looking deep into his eyes, she grinned from ear to ear as she pressed her nose to his. He almost thought she was going to say no just to be a brat, but when she slowly nodded, her nose sliding against his, he smiled as she whispered, “Guess you’re not the only one who can’t say no to the one you love.”
And Benji saw no problem with that.
None at all.
When Lucy opened her eyes two days later, Benji was fast asleep, his mouth parted, his lashes kissing his face as he drew in deep breaths before letting them out. Her hands were against his chest, the left one on top, her engagement ring sparkling in the sunlight that was streaming in across his beautiful body.
Holy crap, she was engaged.
To Benji.
And she couldn’t be happier.
While it was early, and people would think she was crazy to be engaged to someone she hadn’t even hit the four-month mark with, she really didn’t care. She was happy, and that was all that mattered. Of course, her mom was bubbling with excitement. Already planning the wedding Lucy wasn’t even ready to think about. She wanted to enjoy Benji and Angie. She wanted to take her time, have the wedding she dreamed about. The one she deserved. This time, she’d do it right.
With the man she loved more than anything she could ever describe.
Not even the fact that they were meeting Rick that afternoon for lunch could wipe the grin off her face. Could everything blow up in their faces when they showed him what her father’s PI had found? Yeah, it could. But would they be okay?
They’d be great.
“I really hate when you stare at me while I sleep,” he murmured and she grinned.
“But you’re so cute,” she giggled, cuddling into him, and he threw his arm around her, kissing her nose.
“Shh, I’m tired. Tell me we don’t have to get up yet. I don’t hear Angie. Surely, I have another hour.”
She laughed. It was so funny how he hated waking up. He and Angie were the same in that respect. “I don’t know.”
“Shh, go to sleep.”
“But I love staring at you and my ring,” she said and his lips curved then. He opened his eyes to meet her gaze. Taking her hand in his, he kissed the palm of her left hand.
“Are you happy, baby?”
“I am,” she answered automatically. And how could she not be? She was engaged to the most gorgeous and thoughtful man on the planet. Her daughter was happy and healthy, and hopefully, they could get the Rick thing taken care of that afternoon. Her business was thriving, her mom and River were blissfully happy, as were Jude and Claire, off in California doing big things. Jace and Avery were raising Ashlyn and totally in love, living the life they wanted. Baylor and Jayden were having a baby, and it brought tears to her eyes remembering hearing her brother’s voice break as he told her the night before. He was over the moon.
No, Lucy Sinclair was one happy woman, and nothing could change that.
“Good, go make me some breakfast,” he muttered against her lips and she scoffed.
“What?”
“I’m hungry.”
“You’re asleep!”
“Feed me.”
“Mommy! I’m hungry,” Angie said then, climbing into their bed and nuzzling her way between them. Wrapping his arm around Angie, he waved Lucy off.
“Go cook.”
“Benji!”
“Mommy, please. Bacon and eggs.”
“Really, guys?” she asked, but she was ignored as they fell back to sleep. “Brats.”
Getting out of bed, she reached for her robe, turning to put it on as she looked back at her bed where they lay. Angie’s head was against Benji’s face, her hair caught in his beard as they both slept soundly. As a contented sigh left her lips, she grabbed her phone and took a picture. It was too cute not to. When she navigated off her camera, the picture of her and Benji grinning at the camera with Angie behind them, holding the sign asking her to marry Benji appeared as her wallpaper. She almost couldn’t believe that had been only two days ago.
She still had that fluttery feeling. That unbelievable feeling of love.
Smiling, she headed down the hall, picking up hockey sticks from their nightly knee ball game and putting them back in Angie’s room. Walking downstairs, she started breakfast with a grin on her face. While she hated cooking, she loved Benji and Angie, so bacon and eggs it was. As she fried the bacon, it didn’t fail that Rick reared his ugly head into her mind, but she shook her head. She wouldn’t be nervous about their lunch.
It would go great.
When her phone rang, she looked over to see it was her dad. Unlike how she usually did, she didn’t groan as she answered. “Hello?”