Bennett (On the Line Book 2) (26 page)

Three months later

Charlotte

B
ennett picked up the last box with “James” scrawled across it in black marker and headed out the apartment door, leaving just James and me in the living room.

“So this is it,” I said.

“This is it.” He smiled and opened his arms for a hug. But my very pregnant belly made it hard to give him more than an awkward side-hug.

“I’m going to miss you,” I said. “Not that I see much of you anymore.”

“I bet we’ll see each other more now that I’m moving in with Brian.”

I gave him a playful eye roll. “I love how you work that into every sentence.”

“It just fits,” he said with a grin. “I made scrambled eggs,
I’m moving in with Brian
. Let’s watch some Netflix,
I’m moving in with Brian
. The garbage disposal is broken,
I’m moving in with Brian
.”

“I’m happy for you guys. But . . . it all happened so
fast
, don’t you think? I mean, this whole thing has been kind of . . . fast. Are you sure this moving in together thing is right?”

He shrugged. “Maybe that’s why it’s called ‘falling in love’ instead of ‘slowly and carefully stepping into an amorous relationship.’”

I punched his shoulder playfully.

“Hey, now,” he said. “I might rescind my gift if you keep that up.”

“What gift is that?”

“Brian and I want you to choose a color and we’re going to paint my old room for you. Figured we’d give you a jump start on decorating it for the baby.”

“Really? That’s the best gift ever. Thank you.”

Bennett came back through the front door, his gray T-shirt soaked with sweat. He pulled off his backward baseball cap, wiped his forearm across his brow, and put the hat back on.

“Anything else?” he asked James.

“I think that’s it.”

Brian came in and everyone said one more good-bye. I knew it was time for James to go, but there was still something sad about it. Saying good-bye to my roommate and planning a nursery for my son made me feel like I was moving on to the next stage of my life.

James and Brian left and Bennett and I sat down on the couch. James had taken his recliner and end table, so the couch and TV were all I had in the room now.

“You gonna be lonely now?” Bennett asked.

“Not with my unofficial roommate keeping my bed warm,” I said playfully.

“Maybe we should make it official.”

I felt a flutter of panic in my chest. We’d settled into such a happy, blissfully perfect routine. Bennett spent pretty much every night with me when he wasn’t traveling, but there were still occasional nights when he stayed at his apartment.

“You mean move in together?”

His wry smile was a mix of amused and aggravated. “I can see the idea scares you.”

“I’m not scared,” I said with a scoff. “I just don’t see why we need to rush things.”

“We’ve been together six months, babe. The baby’s due in five weeks. I want to be there for you both when he gets here, and it seems like that would be easier if we lived together.”

“Can’t you just keep staying nights here? What we have is working great.”

He sat back on the couch and folded his arms. “Yeah, except I don’t have most of my stuff here.”

“Stuff? Like what stuff?”

“Clothes. Shower stuff that doesn’t smell flowery. My bobblehead collection.”

I narrowed my eyes skeptically. “You don’t have a bobblehead collection.”

“But if I did, you wouldn’t want it over here. That’s too commitment-like for you.”

“What? That’s ridiculous.”

“So we should do it, then? You’re not afraid of the huge commitment having my pants and shampoo here would represent?”

I sighed with frustration. “Here’s the thing—when you’re here, I prefer you
without
pants.”

He took my hand and held it in his own. “I prefer that too, babe. Look, it’s time. You don’t want to marry me—”

“Not after six months, no.”

“What about an engagement?”

After a pause, I said, “Maybe.”

He pulled me a little closer. “Really?”

“Why don’t we talk about it after the baby’s born?”

“And where are you on moving in together?”

I took a deep breath. “Can we talk about that after the baby’s born, too?”

He nodded curtly but I could see the disappointment in his eyes. I hated that I was responsible for it, but I didn’t believe the birth of the baby meant our relationship had to change.

“You know I’m crazy about you, right?” I said. “This isn’t about me being unsure about you.”

“I know. It’s about your mother making you believe commitment is an act of desperation.”

“That is
so
not true.”

He put a hand on my thigh and leaned his head back on the couch. “So I’ve finally got two off days coming up. Sunday and Monday. Can you take Monday off so we can go see my family?”

“Yes, definitely. I’ve been wanting to meet them for so long.”

“Good.”

“Are we done with the other conversation?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I think we’re at an impasse.”

“I know I’m slow to take big leaps,” I said, turning on the couch so I was facing him, “but that’s because I have to be 100 percent certain. And when I looked at you in that backward baseball cap and sweaty T-shirt a couple minutes ago, I realized I’m 100 percent certain that I love you, Bennett.”

He arched his brows in surprise. A smile tugged up the corners of his mouth. “That’s all I need to hear, babe. If you love me, I can wait as long as it takes.”

“I do.”

“So the sweaty shirt and hat did it? I would’ve broken them out a long time ago if I’d known.”

I shifted on the couch, trying to ease the ache in my back. “It’s just you, Bennett. You’re so sexy and sweet and reliable.”

“Reliable?”

“You’re always there for me. And you’re my best friend.”

He took my hand and pressed it to his lips. “You’re mine, too. You want a back rub?”

I laughed humorlessly. “I’d love one, but I can’t lie down. I think I’ll have to just stand and lean my hands against the wall for it.”

“Only five more weeks, babe.”

I sighed softly. He stood and bent to help me get up from the couch. I wasn’t exactly the picture of grace these days.

“I just remembered the carpet cleaning place is coming tomorrow to do the whole apartment,” I said. “We’ll have to stay off the carpets until the next day.”

“Good thing I know how to levitate,” Bennett said with a grin.

“Yeah, it’s impossible to stay off the carpet in here, isn’t it?”

“We’ll stay at my place.”

I was about to lean on the wall for my back rub, but I turned to face him instead. “What about Liam?”

“What about him? We’re on speaking terms now.”

“Yeah, but . . . me sleeping in your bed might . . . inflame things, you know?”

He shrugged. “He’ll have to learn to live with it. You love me, remember? You’re stuck with me now.” He turned my shoulders so I was facing the wall. “Say it again, Charlotte.”

A warm sensation spread from my head to my toes. I felt these words in my soul. “I love you, Bennett.”

He pressed a hand to the small of my back, massaging the spot that was chronically sore. As his hands moved over me, I realized we’d never have to worry about James walking in on us again. We wouldn’t have to muffle our sex sounds in bed anymore.

Maybe the next stage of life wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Bennett

Liam was snoring in the recliner when I walked into the apartment. I closed the door hard and he lifted his head up.

“What are you doing here?” he asked in a groggy tone.

“I live here.”

“You’re never here.”

I carried the bags of groceries in my arms into the kitchen and set them on the counter. Time to get to the reason I’d woken him up.

“Yeah, well . . . Charlotte and I are staying here tonight because she’s getting the carpet cleaned at her place.”

Liam folded down his legs, got up from his chair, and came into the kitchen.

“The couch is open.”

I shook my head. “My eight-months-pregnant girlfriend is
not
sleeping on the couch.”

“I meant
you
, douchebag.”

“Yeah, I’m not sleeping on the couch either.”

Liam narrowed his eyes in a glare. “Really? You fucker. I finally get to a place where I can ignore that you’re with my little sister and you’re going to bang her in the next bedroom tonight?”

“You better wear earplugs. She’s a screamer.”

With a hand on my chest, he shoved me until my back hit the refrigerator. “You want some? Don’t—”

“Relax.” I pushed his arm away. “You’re too easy. Charlotte’s not exactly up for banging these days. Have you seen her lately?”

“You know I haven’t. She’s always with you if we’re home.”

“So this is good, then. You guys can hang out. We’ll cook dinner.”

His jaw tightened with tension and he looked away.

“Liam, seriously. She’s on her feet a lot at work and she’s exhausted by evening. Can you cut the tension while she’s here?”

He nodded reluctantly. “I’ll try.”

I started unpacking the groceries. Liam lingered in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. He was either brooding or wanting to talk about something, I knew him well enough to know that. I also knew not to ask him what was up because he’d just make a comment and leave.

After a couple minutes, he finally spoke up. “So everything’s good then . . . with the baby? Charlotte’s not under too much stress, is she?”

“No, she’s good. I wish she wouldn’t work right up until she goes into labor, but she’s planning to so she can take a longer maternity leave. And everything’s good with the baby.”

He gave a skeptical hum. “Figure I’ll need to be a big part of my nephew’s life. You know, be a good male role model for him. Somebody’s got to.”

“Right.” I tried to keep the sarcasm out of my tone, but it crept in.

“Boy needs to learn how to treat women,” he continued. “How to respect them.”

It was all I could do not to laugh. Liam Holloway was a manwhore. At least he had been before Keri. But I wasn’t letting him get to me since Charlotte would be here any minute, and I refused to fight with him in front of her.

“You still seeing Keri?” I asked him.

“Yep.”

A minute of silence passed before I gave up on a conversation with him. I’d just started chopping vegetables for a salad to go with the pork chops and potatoes I was making when Charlotte knocked on the front door once and then came in.

“Oh . . . hey,” she said to Liam. “You’re here.”

“Hey, sis.” He crossed the living room and gave her a hug. “How’s my nephew doing?”

She grinned. “Big, as you can see.”

“He’s gonna be a hockey player like his uncle.”

I ignored the jab and winked at Charlotte as she walked into the kitchen.

“Hi, babe,” I said, bending to kiss her.

“Hey.”

Liam huffed his disgust. “Does Mom know you’re shacking up with this loser?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “We don’t live together, and even if we did, I wouldn’t care what she thought. She’d probably encourage me to live with him if it might be a prelude to marriage.”

“Marriage?” A vein bulged in Liam’s neck. “To
him
?”

“I’m right fucking here,” I said, pointing the knife at him.

“You know she’s all about getting her hooks in as fast as she can,” Charlotte said.

The wheels in Liam’s head were spinning, I could see it. “You’re so much better than that, Charlie. Don’t let her convince you to get married just for the hell of it.”

“It wouldn’t be for the hell of it,” I cut in, glaring at him.

“An independent woman like her doesn’t need a man to take care of shit. She’s got it covered.”

I shook my head in disgust. “Marriage is about a hell of a lot more than taking care of shit. You two just had a piss-poor example.”

“We turned out okay, though.” Liam gave Charlotte a nod of approval.

He was trying to make it them against me. I couldn’t let him do that.

“Charlotte’s amazing,” I said, kissing her again. “Jury’s still out on you.”

Charlotte cupped my cheek and gave me a secret smile. “Can I help with that?”