Rushing the Goal (Assassins #8)(147)

Another round of laughter came and Benji really felt like he was fitting in.

Like he was family.

“So I guess it’s official,” Jude said then, and everyone looked at him.

“What’s official?” Jace asked, looking around. But everyone was confused.

But Autumn’s face lit up. “You’re pregnant!”

He made a face and Benji chuckled as Jude shook his head. “No, woman. Shit,” he complained as Claire laughed beside him. “I was saying that it was official that our brother, Jayden Mitchell, is now legally married to his stepsister.”

Benji sputtered with laughter as Jayden and Baylor glared. He hadn’t even thought of that.

Jace laughed, “How does it feel? Is it weird?”

“Eff off, dude. Shut up,” Jayden spat and Baylor glared.

“I can still kill you,” she warned and Jace laughed.

“When you guys have kids, though,” Lucy said then to Jayden, and Benji didn’t miss the way Baylor’s eyes widened. What the hell was that about? “Will the baby call you Daddy or Uncle?”

That had the whole table losing their shit. Well, everyone except for Baylor and Jayden. “I hate you,” Jayden declared before glaring at his mother. “Really, Mom? Had to marry my wife’s dad?”

“You mean your stepdad,” she teased, and again, everyone lost it laughing.

When Lucy stopped laughing, though, Benji looked over at her as Angie yelled, “Grandpa!”

He looked back to see Angie pop up and run around the table to a tall, dark-haired man who looked a whole lot like Lucy’s brothers. When he picked Angie up, kissing her hard on the cheek, the whole table was full of tension.

Lucy’s dad.

“Hey, love bug, how ya doing? Merry Christmas. Did you open your presents yet? You like what I got you?”

Angie shook her head. “Not yet. We had Christmas at Grandma’s this morning, and Santa brought me a bike! We are opening the rest of our presents at home after dinner. And we’re gonna have another cake for Benji’s birthday. I love cake! Grandma got married to River today! Isn’t she so pretty?”

Lucy’s father looked up and smiled. “Way prettier than she was on our wedding day. Congratulations, Autumn, River.”

“Thank you, Mark,” Autumn said tightly.

“Well, just wanted to wish you guys a merry Christmas. Ellen and I were having dinner when I heard you guys. Always the loudest, ya know,” he laughed but no one laughed with him. Benji looked around and almost no one was even looking at him. Only Lucy, Autumn, and River were.

As his laughter died down, Angie asked, “Have you met Benji, Grandpa? He’s Mommy’s boyfriend.”

“I have not,” he said and Benji handed Ashlyn over to Jace before standing up. Benji didn’t miss Mark’s eyes intently following the path of his newest granddaughter. Meeting Mark midway, he shook his hand.

“Benji Paxton, nice to meet you.”

Mark held his gaze, the same green eyes as Lucy. “You too. Mark Sinclair. Heard a lot about you.”

“Probably bad, I assume?” Benji asked and Mark laughed.

“Yeah, but Lucy redeems you. Hope what she says is true,” he said, almost like a warning, and Benji nodded.

“I think so,” he said as Angie came over to him, taking his hand.

“He’s my favorite.”

“Hey!” all three boys sang out, and she grinned back at them.

“Shh, you guys are my first favorites,” she said in a mock whisper but Benji just grinned, his feelings not hurt.

“Well, it was great to meet you, but I’ve got to get back to my wife.”

“You too,” Benji said as he made his way back around the table.

“Again, merry Christmas and congratulations.”

Autumn said thanks, but the boys said nothing while Lucy said, “Merry Christmas.”

He sent one last grin and walked away. While Benji knew the dude was bad news and had done some wrong, he kind of felt bad for him. The boys, though, they cared not one bit before looking over at Lucy.

“You’re talking to him?” Jude accused.

“He bought something for Angie?” Jayden asked.

“I have to, he’s helping me with Angie,” she snapped back and Jayden looked down, shaking his head.

“Be careful,” Jace warned and she glared.

“I am,” she shot back as Autumn snapped her fingers at them.

“He is not ruining my dinner. You four let go of that, and you enjoy our family time, you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” they all agreed, but even Benji knew the mood of dinner had changed. As they cut into Audrey’s delicious cake, it livened up a little bit but not much, especially when the topic of Rick came up.

“Has you know who called yet?” Jayden asked, and Lucy shook her head while Benji’s blood boiled.

“Nope.”

“You should fight for full custody,” Jude said. “He doesn’t deserve her.”

Benji looked over at Angie. She was sitting in River’s lap, playing on his phone with him as Lucy said, “You think I don’t know that? She needs a father in her life.”

“Yeah, a good one,” Jude said. He pointed to Benji. “Marry that guy. I’ve only been around him the last two days, and I’ve seen him do better for Angie than Rick ever has.”