Rushing the Goal
Page 164

“Hey, did I wake you? I just realized it was only eight.”
“No, I’m cooking breakfast.”
“Oh, good. I wanted to make sure you called me after the lunch. Let me know what is said.”
“Yeah, no problem. We are dropping Angie off with Baylor and Jayden before heading to meet him.”
“Okay,” he said as she put the biscuits in the oven. “So everything is good with you and Benji?”
Lucy smiled. “Yeah, they’re great. He asked me to marry him.”
Her dad let out a whoop. “You said yes, then?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Good, he’s a great guy.”
“I think so too,” she said, and she was surprised how unawkward it was to say that to her dad. Maybe she was still on her little, happy, glittery, pink cloud of engagement or something.
“Hey, you remember when you were like fifteen, I think, and we watched that movie, The Wedding Date, together.”
Lucy paused, leaning against the counter as a smile crept over her face. She was surprised he remembered that movie. But why was he bringing it up? “Yeah, I do.”
“You remember how it was such a big deal for your husband to ask me to marry you?”
Her breath caught as she stood up. “Yeah.”
“He asked, Lucy, and I said yes, even though it wasn’t really my place to anymore, but I did,” he said, his voice rough as Lucy’s eyes started to cloud with tears. “I’m really sorry, honey, for betraying you like I did. I know you looked up to me, and I really failed you. Hell, I failed you all, and I’m sorry. For as much as it’s worth, I really am.”
When a tear spilled over and rolled down her face, Lucy closed her eyes. Ever since she’d found out about her father’s whore on the side, all she’d wanted was an apology, for him to own up to what he did, and she finally had it. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Of course.”
“And thanks for telling Benji he could marry me.”
He scoffed. “Now, I don’t think anyone is good enough for you, honey, but that man…he could prove me wrong.”
When Benji and Angie entered the kitchen acting like zombies, she couldn’t help but think they looked like zombies too, with their hair all over the place and drool on their faces. And still, she grinned at them.
“Yeah, maybe.”
Her dad laughed. She stood up when Benji came over, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck. “Well, I’ll let you go. Call me later.”
“Will do. Thanks, Dad.”
“Anytime, honey.”
And then he hung up.
They weren’t fixed. Lucy wasn’t sure if they ever would be, but at least he was trying, and that was enough for her.
Leaning her cheek into Benji’s, she exhaled loudly. “You asked my dad to marry me?”
He chuckled as he nodded. “I thought that would mean a lot to you.”
“You thought right.”
“Yeah. I’m kinda smart.”
“Eh, kinda,” she teased and he smiled, nibbling at her jaw.
“So, you ready for today?” he asked, holding her as she moved the eggs around in the pan. Her eyes cut to the file her father had given Benji, the one with all they needed to shut Rick up, and she nodded.
“More than ready.”
But when she saw Rick enter the Mexican restaurant, her gung ho attitude was nowhere to be seen.
Nope, nothing but nerves.
That is, until Benji’s hand slid into hers.
When she looked over at him, he smiled and she let out a long breath. “We’ve got this.”
She nodded as she looked back. Rick’s eyes widened as he came to the table. “I thought I was meeting you.”
Lucy nodded. “Well, seeing as how he’s my fiancé, Benji wanted to be here.”
It was obnoxious of her, but she wanted Rick to know that she had not only found love, but also a love she was going to have for the rest of her life.
Rick scoffed. “That didn’t take long.”
Benji smiled. “When you know, you know.”
Rick just shook his head as he sat down, leaning back in his chair and watching them. “Okay, so what is this about?”
“Well,” Benji said, leaning on the table, his gaze on Rick’s. “I wanted to say I don’t appreciate you manipulating Angie into making that video—”
“I’m not talking about that,” he said, cutting Benji off, his eyes narrowing. “We can discuss it in court.”
Lucy’s nails bit into her palms at his callous attitude as Benji slowly nodded. “Fine, since you were so gracious to show us what evidence you are bringing to court, we wanted to show you ours. You aren’t the only one who can hire a PI.”
When Benji slid the file across the table, Lucy loved the look of pure fear that settled in Rick’s eyes. “What’s that?”
“A file on Amy Masters, who lives in Franklin with your twin boys. You’ll find it to be very thorough. It also has information on how you’ve been taking money out of your mom’s account and your personal account with Heidi and depositing it into Amy’s account for your children. Pictures of you going to see said children, who are only maybe three? Children who would have been conceived while you actually were still married to me…” Lucy said slowly, Rick’s eyes meeting hers. “There is a statement from Amy where she tells the PI that you work in Nashville a lot and can’t always come home to her and the boys. That you two haven’t gotten married yet because you are in the middle of a nasty divorce with your ex. Funny thing, it was as true when she got pregnant as it may be now.”