Bennett (On the Line Book 2) (19 page)

The apartment door opened and Mom came in, her arms full of grocery sacks. Liam walked over to take them from her. I went into my bedroom and typed out a quick text to Bennett.

Me: I got the gift. It’s beautiful. Thank you.

Bennett: You’re welcome. Miss you.

Me: How’s Christmas with your family?

Bennett: It’s good. Wish you were here.

Me: Better go help my mom cook. When will I see you again?

Bennett: Leaving on a road trip as soon as I get home tomorrow. Gone for three days.

Me: Okay. Don’t forget the 18-week appointment is Friday.

Bennett: I couldn’t forget that. Pick you up for it at your office?

Me: Sure.

I tossed my phone on my bed and went to the kitchen, trying not to think about how long it would be until I saw him again.

Charlotte

T
he office was quiet and nearly empty this week. Most everyone had taken vacation time between Christmas and New Year’s, but I was working because I wanted to save my vacation days for some extra time on my maternity leave.

It was just Riley and me working today, which was why the door to my office was closed. There was no court today, so I was spending the morning organizing files. Bennett would be picking me up late this morning for my doctor’s appointment, and I was dying to see him.

Riley opened the door to my office and leaned against the frame. “Hey, how was your Christmas?”

“Good. You?”

He shrugged. “You know how it goes. Lots of time with the family.”

“Sure.” I turned back to the bookcase I’d pulled a box of paperwork from.

“So . . .” Riley walked over to the bookcase. “I’ve got a gift for you.”

I looked up at him, my brow furrowed. “Huh?”

“Can we have dinner tonight?”

“I can’t, no. I’m seeing someone.”

“The baby’s father?”

I nodded.

Riley’s expression went grim. “He doesn’t sound like a very stand-up guy, Charlotte.”

“Really? This from the guy who stole the job I wanted and called me a whore?”

He exhaled dramatically. “I didn’t
steal
anything, okay? And if I’d known I’d lose you over it, I never would have applied.”

“Let’s leave the past in the past. I want to have a good working relationship with you, Riley. But don’t come into my office talking shit about someone I care about. Someone you know
nothing
about.”

“I know he doesn’t want to meet your family.”

I arched a brow at him. “Really? How do you know that?”

“I talked to your brother.”

“Is that right? Well, you had no business discussing my life with him.”

He sighed softly and looked at the ceiling. “He just cares, Charlotte. And I do, too. Both of us want to see you with the kind of man you deserve.”

“Cut to the chase,” I said, slapping a stack of files onto my desk. “What is it that you want?”

“I want another shot with you.” He put his hands in the pockets of his khakis, looking like a model in a casual pose. I couldn’t believe I’d once found that cute.

“No.”

“Charlotte,” he said, exasperated, “we were pretty good together. I’m very fond of you. Your baby needs a father. And I’m not a bad—”

“My baby has a father,” I cut in. “And he’s a very good man who would never stab me in the back or call me a whore.”

“You’ve figured this out in less than six months?”

“Yes. I’m a good judge of character. Present company excluded.”

He winced and gave me a dirty look. “You’re being stubborn and hotheaded as usual. Not a lot of men would walk in here with a ring for a woman who went out and got pregnant with another guy’s baby. I’m offering to take care of both of you. I’d think of your child as mine.”

“I don’t need to be taken care of,” I said, my face heating with anger.

There was a banging sound from the courthouse floor above us. An old, yellowed ceiling tile in my office broke in half and dropped to the floor, pieces of dust settling around it. This fucking office.

“Get. Out,” I said.

He did, closing the door behind him. I sat down in my office chair, put my elbows on my desk, and buried my face in my hands.

I was going to do bodily harm to the next person who told me I needed to get married just because I was having a baby. I’d always been strong and self-sufficient, and I was more determined than ever to stay that way.

Bennett and I could be whatever we wanted to each other. We didn’t have to get married for our child to grow up with two loving parents. Having a baby was a huge life change, and I was again grateful I was with a forward-thinking man who didn’t want to drag me into his cave just because we were having a kid together.

Apparently the people around me needed to be reminded just who Charlotte Holloway was and how much she valued her independence.

I huffed as I approached the passenger side door Bennett was holding open from me.

“Crummy day?” he asked.

“Riley.”

He cupped my cheek and kissed me, his longish stubble tickling my lips. “Did you tell him to fuck off?”

“I did.” I slid into the car and he closed the door.

“Good. You want to get some lunch after this?”

“Sure, that sounds good.”

He put a hand on my thigh. “Try to relax.”

“I am.”

“Find a happy place.” He grinned at me. “You’re wearing the ring.”

“Of course I am.” I looked at the pearl and diamond ring on my right hand. “This is just . . . for the baby, right?”

He lowered his brows, looking confused. “What do you mean?”

“Just . . . it’s a ring, and . . . it’s not like a promise ring or anything, right?”

“No. If I gave you a ring that held a promise of some sort, I’d definitely let you know.” His tone held a hint of defensiveness.

“Sorry. It’s just . . .” I sighed deeply. “My mom left last night,
finally.
She lectured me before she did about how I need to lock you down. And then Riley offered to marry me this morning.”

“
Marry
you?”

“Yeah. I’m so over this ticking-clock idea some people have. Like I need a husband before the baby is born.”

“I’m not one of those people, Char. Don’t get pissed at me over it.”

I nodded. “Okay. Today is about the baby.”

“You think it’s a boy or a girl?”

“I have no idea, but I’m dying to find out.”

“Me too.”

When we got to the doctor’s office, my excitement grew stronger. I hoped the sonogram technician could tell the baby’s sex today. Bennett and I hung up our coats and sat down. He took my hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed my knuckles.

“I’ve missed you,” I said softly.

He was about to answer when someone walked up and stopped in front of the chairs we were sitting in. I looked up and my heart skipped about ten beats.

“Tell me this isn’t what I think it is,” Liam said. His hands were balled into fists at his sides and his gaze was locked on to Bennett.

“Liam.” I closed my eyes for a second. “What are you doing here?”

“Mom said she didn’t know if anyone would be here with you for the appointment. Looks like someone is, though.”

He reached for Bennett’s shirt and took two handfuls of it, putting his face right in front of Bennett’s.

“Did you knock my sister up?”

Bennett let go of my hand.

“Liam—” I said.

“Don’t,” he said without even looking at me. “This is between us. Answer me, Bennett.”

“Yeah.” His tone was calm as he returned Liam’s stare.

“It’s not like that,” I said, my heart hammering.

“Get up,” Liam said.

Bennett stood. The veins in Liam’s neck were popping out, and I realized just how angry he was right now. A woman across from us was watching intently, her magazine forgotten.

Liam drew back and punched Bennett squarely in the jaw, the sound of the impact making me cringe. Bennett dropped his head and rubbed his jaw for a second.

“I deserved that,” he said softly.

Liam’s brows shot up. “You deserved
that
? You deserve a body cast, you bastard. She’s way too good for you.”

“I know.” Bennett had barely gotten the words out when Liam’s other fist made contact with his eye. That was followed by a swift uppercut to the gut that made Bennett double over.

“Sir,” the receptionist said through the window. “You can’t do that in here.”

“Enough,” Bennett said, standing up.

“Never enough,” Liam said, his tone eerily calm. He shoved Bennett by the shoulders. Bennett regained his balance and shoved him back.

With a primal-sounding growl, Liam jumped onto Bennett. I stood up, looking on in horror as they tumbled to the floor together. They rolled one over the other across the carpet of the waiting room, both punching at any opening they could get.

A pregnant mother swept her young daughter away from the toys in the corner right before they crashed into them.

“Stop!” I cried, watching helplessly.

“You bastard,” Liam said, grunting as Bennett landed a blow to his stomach. “You didn’t even . . . have the balls . . . to tell me.” He was breathing heavily.

“Enough,” Bennett said angrily, getting off of him. “We’re not doing this here.”

The receptionist was in the waiting room now. She approached me with a frantic expression.

“What is this? Can you make them stop?”

“I’ll try.”

Liam’s eyes, the same blue as mine, darkened as he caught his breath. He pointed at Bennett’s chest.

“You treated her like one of your road whores. My
sister
. Now she’s knocked up and alone. I’ll fucking kill you.”

Bennett backed up, hands out in front of him as Liam charged. “Not here, man. There are pregnant women and kids here.”

“Then they better
move
,” Liam growled, flying at Bennett again. He tackled him, and Bennett’s back landed on a waiting room coffee table. There was a loud cracking sound before it collapsed to the floor.

Liam punched anywhere he could land a hit and Bennett did the same.

I went over to the splintered coffee table they’d just rolled off of. “You guys, stop!”

“Move,” Liam said with a scowl. He was pulling a handful of Bennett’s hair, blood dripping from his eyebrow onto Bennett’s cheek.

Bennett grunted in pain and threw an elbow into Liam’s ribs. He tossed Liam to the side and got up, breathing hard. One of his eyes was purple and swollen nearly shut.

“Stop,” he said to Liam. He put out a hand to me, silently telling me to back up. I did, putting a protective hand over my stomach.

Liam caught his breath and jumped up, hurling himself at Bennett again. Bennett stepped back against the wall, dodging the punch Liam had aimed at his jaw. Liam’s fist sank through the waiting room drywall. He let out another primal growl and pulled it out.

“That’s it,” Bennett said, shaking his head as he looked at the gaping hole in the wall. “We’re
done
.”

He spun Liam around and kicked his shins from behind. When Liam lost his footing, Bennett shoved his face into the seat of a padded chair and restrained his arms behind his back.

Liam turned his face so his cheek was pressed to the chair. “Let me up if you want to live.”