Rushing the Goal (Assassins #8)(122)

“Cool.” Then she looked to Benji. “But you’re leaving tomorrow, so you won’t be there, huh, Benji?”

“No, I won’t. I’m sorry, but maybe I can get your mom to FaceTime me?”

Angie smiled. “I’d like that.”

“Me too,” he said, flashing her a smile in the rearview mirror.

Looking back at Lucy, her eyes welled up as she let out a long breath. “I don’t want to miss hockey, Mom, but Dad said he won’t take me.”

Rubbing her thumb along her daughter’s cheek, Lucy fought back tears. “I’ll see what I can do. Maybe I can talk him into letting me get you.”

“I just don’t want to go back,” she said, the tears spilling over her cheeks. “I hate it there. All he does is yell at me, only Nina and Heidi matter. And now Nina doesn’t even really talk to me. Heidi took her out all weekend. I just don’t want to go back. Don’t make me go!”

When she balled herself up, Lucy panicked, undoing her seatbelt and climbing in the back. Wrapping her arms around Angie, she kissed her the top of her head as her own tears started to fall. She couldn’t promise she wouldn’t have to send her back to Rick’s. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but one thing was for sure, she was going to fight Rick Hart tooth and nail. No one made her baby cry.

“How about we go get some ice cream? Wanna go to Chuck E. Cheese, Angie? Maybe shopping?” Benji asked and Angie peeked her head up, wiping her face. “I’m leaving tomorrow, and I need to spend the whole day with my girls. So how about we go have some fun?”

She nodded. “Really?”

“Yeah, us three? You gotta dry up those tears, okay? Know that Mommy and I will get everything fixed, okay?”

“Okay,” she said, wiping her face as her little lip wobbled. “I don’t want you to go, though.”

“I know. Me either, sunshine. That’s why we’ll have so much fun today that it will last for the next two weeks. Okay?”

She nodded and looked up at Lucy. “Want to, Mommy?”

“I would love to,” Lucy said, her tears begging to fall. As Lucy kissed her head, Angie leaned against her chest and Lucy slowly shook her head. What the hell was she going to do? How was she supposed to let Rick have her? This was going to get worse before it got better, and crap, Benji was going to be gone the whole time.

Damn it.

When she met Benji’s gaze in the rearview mirror, her lip trembled as he tried to send her a smile. His gaze was so tender, so loving, but she could see the worry in the depths of his gray eyes. Her heart just couldn’t take it. He was too good to them. Holding Angie closer, she closed her eyes and she knew Benji was there. He was going to be the rock she needed.

Together, they were going to be okay.





“I feel guilty.”

Benji sensed Jordie looking over at him as Melissa, the AA leader, met his gaze. “Why is that, Benji? You look great. You seem so much happier, so much more open than the last time I saw you. It’s almost like I’m seeing a whole different person.”

She was beaming, excited, and he knew her words were true. Because he was. He hadn’t seen her since they played the Kings at the beginning of the season. Both Benji and Jordie really liked the LA AA chapter and made sure to stop in when they were in town, but in this meeting, Benji’s heart was heavy.

“She’s right, dude. What in the world do you have to feel guilty about?”

“I know, but I met someone—Lucy,” he said, more to Melissa and the three other professional hockey players who sat in the room. Another thing he liked about this chapter was it was only for athletes. Last time, there were some football and baseball players, but apparently they had stopped coming. It was sad, but it happened all the time.

Alcoholism wasn’t easy to beat.

“She’s spectacular and we click. She makes me laugh and she’s just awesome,” he said, his lips curving into a grin. “She has this little girl, Angie, who just lights up my world. I’ve been gone six days, and she FaceTimes me every day when she gets home, just to tell me how her day was. She looks forward to talking to me, and I love it. I love them. So damn much, but I feel so bad because I think Lucy is my soul mate, that they were meant to be in my life and to love me. And for me to love them. But if that is the case, then what about Ava and Leary? Am I disrespecting them by thinking that? By thinking that Lucy and Angie are the loves of my life? Because, looking back, I know Ava wasn’t the one, she was the safe option, but I feel horrible for that.”

Melissa nodded slowly as Jordie leaned on his legs. “But, didn’t you say before that you know you and Ava should have divorced before the accident, but you couldn’t let her go?”

“I didn’t want to be alone,” Benji said with a nod. “But I feel like I’m not honoring their memory by falling so hard for Lucy and Angie.”

“But you are, Benji,” Melissa said, bringing his attention to her. “You still think of them, you still miss them, and I’m sure Lucy and Angie know about them.”

He nodded. “They do.”

“Exactly. So you are doing right, Benji. You have to move on. You can’t let the past hold you down.”

“No, I’m not. I am moving on. I love Lucy, I love Angie, that’s not the problem—”