Rushing the Goal (Assassins #8)(143)

Looking down, Baylor bit into her lip. “The reason why I’m retiring and everything is not only because I have a bum leg—let’s be honest, I could rehab that and figure out a way to be okay with being just okay—but I found out yesterday that I’m pregnant.”

Lucy’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“I know, crazy, right?”

“But you just had surgery!”

“I know, and I told them I wasn’t pregnant. The chick said she did a pee test and it came up not pregnant. But when they got back my full blood work, they called me in and told me I was.”

“Oh my God, is the baby okay?” Lucy asked, her heart pounding and Baylor shrugged.

“They said they think I’m good. I didn’t actually take any of the meds, ’cause I’m that * who doesn’t think they need pain medication. So that’s good. We saw its heartbeat. I haven’t told Jayden yet. I don’t want to disappoint him if I lose it.”

Lucy could only blink. “So this is real life?”

She smiled. “I’m eight weeks.”

“What the f*ck? You never knew?”

“My periods have always been wonky, and I thought I was sick from the pain. And even though I only had the surgery meds, it still scares me that they could have affected the baby. But the doctors are going to monitor everything, and they don’t seem too worried. Crazy, right?”

“Um, yeah,” Lucy said, her eyes wide.

“And the thing is, I wasn’t upset when I found out. I always thought I would be mad because it wasn’t something I wanted. But then I love seeing Jayden with Angie and Ashlyn, and I love Angie and Ashlyn. I don’t know, I kinda want this baby no matter what it means for my career. And if for some reason I lose it, I think I want to try again.”

Lucy was completely speechless, but then she was bursting with excitement. “This is happening?”

Baylor smiled. “It is.”

“Then, hell yeah, let’s do it!” Lucy gushed before wrapping her arms around her sister-in-law and hugging her tightly. It was crazy and Lucy prayed that the baby would be healthy, but she knew Baylor and Jayden would be wonderful parents.

“What are you two hugging about?” Jayden asked as he came up against the boards.

Pulling back, Lucy grinned and shook her head. “Nothing.”

Baylor smiled as she looked up at Jayden. “Girl stuff.”

His face contorted in horror. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

As he skated off, they laughed, and Lucy was convinced that life couldn’t get better. Especially when Angie had Benji acting as if they were figure skaters, frolicking around the ice. When he lifted her and she kicked her toes, Lucy shook her head.

Her big and little dorks.

Her family.





“What if he proposes? Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

Lucy leaned into the closest person, Avery, and groaned at her overzealous mother. “Mom, Benji isn’t proposing!”

“But y’all didn’t exchange gifts,” she pointed out as Claire did her makeup. Lucy rolled her eyes.

“Because we are doing it at home tonight with Angie, since you insisted that Santa came to your house,” she said, holding Ashlyn close to her. They had done their Christmas morning celebration that morning and it was wonderful. She loved being with her family, but what made it ten times better was that everyone loved Benji. They treated him just like family, and she couldn’t have been happier. While, yeah, she and Benji hadn’t exchanged gifts, and they were waiting to go home for Angie to open hers from them, she knew he wasn’t proposing.

It just wasn’t time.

Looking down at Ashlyn, she kissed her forehead. She was convinced her little niece was the prettiest baby ever. Such wide eyes and just adorable. She was wearing her little rose-colored flower girl dress with a big, huge, over-the-top rose bow. Both Lucy and Jace had protested the bow, but Avery and her mom loved it. Smiling at her, she decided it was pretty damn cute and popped her nose. “Pretty baby.”

“Because he’s gonna propose!”

Rolling her eyes, Avery grinned over at her, and Lucy shook her head as she took in her sister-in-law. Her hair was styled in a beautiful updo that had pieces falling along her shoulders, and her makeup had been applied by the amazing Claire to be soft and feminine. She was wearing the same rose-colored dress as Angie, Ashlyn, Baylor, and Claire, since her mom wanted everyone to match—except Lucy. Her dress was, in her opinion, way prettier, mostly because she had picked it. Instead of the lace and flowing style the other girls wore, hers was form-fitting with no lace, and it also made her boobs look great. She was sure Benji was going to just eat it up, if her mother would ever let them leave her sight. The woman was driving her bananas today! Angie was lucky to have escaped with Benji and the boys as soon as she was dressed.

“Don’t you think he’s a doll, girls?”

“I do. He’s really nice, Lucy,” Claire said, and Lucy was surprised how much that meant to her.

“I think he’s fantastic,” Avery announced, and Lucy smiled. Avery knew everything that had happened between her and Benji, so to have her finally meet him was really great. She got to see firsthand what Lucy got to see daily. “So really, though, you think he’s proposing?”