Rushing the Goal (Assassins #8)

by Toni Aleo

  She made a disgruntled face. He was leaving? Wait, she knew this. Jayden was leaving, too. “Boo.”

  “Yeah. So, tell me, what’s your favorite food?”

  She gave him a look. “I love all food.”

  “No, you have a favorite. What is it?”

  She let out a breath. He wasn’t going to take a no, plus, Angie would really like to see him before he left. But that meant Lucy really needed to tell Angie. She was leaving for Rick’s the following day, and Lucy was sure he was going to bitch about Benji in front of her. He was just a dick that way, but she wanted Angie to hear it from her. It just worried her. What if she didn’t take it well? Who was she kidding? Angie would probably pee her pants with excitement.

  She loved Benji.

  The problem was, if she told Angie, it was real. Her family knowing was one thing, but Angie knowing—that was real. She was doing this, she was trying, and there was no turning back. A part of her was still hesitant for good reason. Her track record in love was nonexistent, and she didn’t like heartache. Plus, it all seemed too damned good to be true. Great guy who loves kids, who enjoys a lot of the same things she does, and just clicks with her? Yeah, that didn’t happen to Lucy Sinclair. No, her life was hard, but with him…

  It wasn’t.

  Clearing her throat, she shrugged. “I actually love chicken potpies the way my mom makes them.”

  “My specialty,” he said simply, and her face twisted in disbelief.

  “What? You cook?”

  “Duh, I’m an alcoholic who did nothing before you. Of course, I learned to cook.” She made a noise of appreciation and he grinned. “Still so against moving in?”

  She laughed. “Hush. I gotta go,” she said, pulling into the parking lot. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay, babe, have fun,” he said and she smiled before pushing end and getting her phone. She begged the butterflies to stop going crazy in her gut before she got out and went to work.

  With Benji loud and clear in her mind.

  Before she could reach the building, though, her phone chimed with a text.

  It was the dreaded group text with her brothers.

  Jace: Rumor is Lucy is getting laid, by a real boy. Like a boyfriend.

  Jude: That’s what I heard.

  Jayden: That’s what I know. I saw them after they made out like little high schoolers at our niece’s game.

  Jude: Wow. I’m speechless.

  Jace: Like, real life? She really kissed a guy? It wasn’t a girl?

  Jayden: Nope, real dude. Superawesome dude too.

  Lucy: Really, guys? Go find something else to do other than talk about my love life.

  Jace: She doesn’t deny it!

  Jude: Holy crap, our Lucy is growing up!

  Lucy: I hate you all.

  Jace: Man, he must be brave.

  Jude: Right? I’m surprised you haven’t eaten him alive yet.

  Jayden: I think she tries but he puts her in her place. He’s awesome, guys, really.

  Jude: He better be.

  Jace: Yeah, only the best for our sister.

  Jayden: Agreed

  Jude: Yup.

  Lucy: Okay, maybe I love you guys.

  They weren’t really that bad, she decided as her heart warmed. She did deserve the best, and while admitting that Benji may be the best scared her, she was leaning toward that. He was great and he was so patient, but Rick still weighed heavy on her heart. He hadn’t spoken to her since Saturday, even with her texting him to confirm a time for pickup. It wasn’t like him to ignore her. Even if it was just a sly remark, he always answered. But all she got was silence.

  It made her crazy nervous.

  But then, thinking about what her brothers said and the fact that Benji would have dinner for her when she got to his house, she couldn’t help but grin. Tucking her phone in her purse, she walked into the building. But once she was inside, the grin was gone and the stress was eating her alive. All the orders she had made for the job, with a company she had been using since she started her business, had resulted in their sending the wrong thing. And they couldn’t get anything out for a week because most of it was on back order now.

  “I understand mistakes, but this is a colossal one. I placed this order two weeks ago. You said I was good, but you sent the wrong items.” Lucy said sternly, her body shaking with anger.

  “We understand, but the person who took your order was new and ordered the wrong thing.”

  “I get that, but you need to make this right. I have to have this job done by this weekend. I want my product by tomorrow. You have to fix this, or I will be finding a new distributor.”

  “It won’t happen by tomorrow.”

  “Oh, it won’t? Let me speak to your supervisor,” she snapped, and Tina’s face was full of worry. She was the owner of the restaurant and it was her baby, one she had inherited from her grandma. She wanted to redo the whole place, give it a facelift. The grand reopening was set for the following Monday. It had to be done this weekend. “It’s fine. Everything is okay,” Lucy reassured her, but then she caught sight of the time, realizing that Angie had to be picked up.

  Shit.

  Putting her phone on speaker, she texted Jayden, but he didn’t answer and her stomach dropped. Crap. Automatically, she hit Benji’s name and texted him.

  Lucy: You busy?

  Benji: Never for you. What’s up?

  Lucy: Can you go get Angie for me? I’m stuck at my job right now.

  Benji: Yeah, I’ll leave now.

  Lucy: Thank you so much. I’m calling the school to tell them you’re coming.

  Benji: Sounds good.

  Putting the phone back to her ear, she picked up the landline in front of her, dialing the school and making the request. Thankfully, it was no headache. But when she hung up and the supervisor came on the line of her cell phone, Lucy was sure her head was about to be pounding.

  As she yelled at the manager on the phone, she refused to even think about the fact she had just depended on someone, other than family, to pick her child up. Again.

  Nope, she had way more to worry about. Plus, she knew Angie was in good hands.

  “Benji! Hey!”

  “Hey, sunshine,” he said as the door was opened by one of the teachers who had checked his ID before Angie was able to get in. He still thought the school was extra swanky, and they weren’t playing when it came to him getting Angie. He was pretty sure they were five seconds from asking for a hair sample. He appreciated it, though. It meant Angie was safe and that was good. He hadn’t realized it would be this much security, especially as this was the second time he had picked her up. Maybe it was because he was in his truck and not Lucy’s car with the school decal? He wasn’t sure, but again, he appreciated it.

  When Angie hopped into the back of his truck, exclaiming over the new booster seat he’d bought a few days ago in hopes of more outings with her and Lucy, he grinned back at her. “Your mom is working, asked me to get you.”

  “Oh, cool! So I get to hang with you?”

  He nodded as the door shut. “Looks that way. Is that okay? Do you want me to take you to Baylor?”

  “No way! Let’s go!”

  He chuckled as he waited for a signal to go, sending a quick text to Lucy that he had Angie.

  Lucy: You’re a godsend.

  Benji: Sexual favors?

  Lucy: Lots.

  Grinning, he put his phone down as the crossing guard started to wave him on. “How was your day? Do you have homework?”

  “Yeah, I have a test tomorrow in spelling, but it was good. I played some knee ball in gym and learned some like factors. You know, elementary school. It’s awesome.”

  “Good,” he said as he chuckled, turning out onto Demonbreun. When his phone rang, he looked down to see it was Lucy. “Oh, it’s your mom. Hey.”

  “Hey, so I don’t know when I’m gonna be out of here. It could be another hour or two. Lots of stupid shit went down. Thankfully, I fi
xed it, but I have to wait for the next delivery. Can you take Angie to Jayden’s? I don’t know if we’ll make it to your house tonight.”

  Disappointment flooded him. He’d really wanted to see her and hang with Angie. “Well, if it’s cool with you, Angie wanted to hang out with me. I asked if she wanted to go to Jayden’s, and she said no. So, I mean, I can keep her, and then you can come over and we’ll have dinner.”

  “Oh, yeah. Let’s do that,” Angie called from the back and Lucy let out a sigh.

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure how late I’ll be.”

  “It’s fine, I promise,” he said and then he turned so Angie didn’t hear him. “I want to see you.”

  “Okay. I’ll keep you updated.”

  “Cool, we will be waiting.”

  “Thank you. So much. Really, you really came through for me. Jayden was napping.”

  He smiled. “Anytime.”

  Hanging up the phone, he met Angie’s hopeful gaze and he nodded. “We’re good.”

  “Woo-hoo!” she cheered, bouncing in her seat. “Can we play some hockey?”

  “Duh! Gotta study first and I gotta put dinner in the oven, okay?”

  “Cool.”

  “Oh, I have to stop by the bank real fast.”

  “Boring,” she sang and he laughed.

  “It will be quick.”

  She nodded as he drove, heading toward the bank. “So are you still dating someone, Benji?”

  He chuckled. “Why do you ask?”

  “’Cause I think you should ask my mom out. I think she likes you. Don’t tell her I said that.”

  “I won’t,” he laughed, shaking his head. “Why do you think that?”

  “Because she smiles around you. Like, all the time. Grandma says it’s nice and Mommy needs to smile more. I think so too.”

  “Well, I am noting your comment, and I’ll report back, okay?”

  “Cool,” she said, nodding her head to the music. “She’s really nice. And really pretty.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  “She’s funny too.”

  “Is she?”

  “Yeah, Grandma thinks you guys would be cute together.”

  “Does she?” he laughed and Angie nodded.

  “River told her to stop worrying about it, but she called my uncles Jude and Jace and told them to say something to Mommy. Every time I try, she says she’s gonna ground me. So I figured, since you can’t ground me, I’d say something to you.”

  This girl was a mess. So much like her mother it was scary. The more time he spent with her, the more he fell for the mini Lucy.

  As his lips curved, he scoffed. “I can’t ground you?”

  She paused. “Wait, can you?”

  He laughed as he shrugged. “Probably, but I don’t mind.”

  “Cool,” she decided, looking out the window. “So is your girlfriend as pretty as my mommy?”

  Pulling into the bank, he parked and shut the truck off. “Okay, let’s go.”

  “You didn’t answer me,” she complained as he opened the door.

  “Oh, my bad. Come on,” he said, shutting her door and placing his hand on her back to lead her in. Pulling his wallet out as they went to the teller, he looked down at Angie and then to the teller.

  “How can I help you?”

  Handing her his bank card, he said, “Hey, my name is Benjamin Paxton, and I would like to open a savings account in the name of Angela Hart.”

  “Me?” she asked, her eyes wide, and Benji nodded.

  “Yeah, for college.”

  “Ooh! I want to go to college like my mom and uncles did!”

  “Good, ’cause you’re going,” he said with a nod before looking back at the teller. “A deposit of six hundred dollars will be made on the first of every month. Have that go straight into Angela’s savings. Transfer five thousand into there now, please.”

  “Whoa! I got cash!”

  Benji smiled as the teller typed away. “Yes, sir.”

  After getting all that taken care of, while Angie commented on everything and anything, Benji walked out, feeling on top of the world. When he told Lucy he’d do what he wanted with the money she paid him in rent, he knew it was going to go straight to Angie. Even if they didn’t work out, he wanted to make sure Angie got a good start when she turned eighteen. He didn’t get to give that to his beautiful Leary, who, if she were still alive, would be almost fifteen.

  That hurt his heart.

  Out of breath, he reached for Angie’s car door and she hopped in, unaware of his internal struggle. When he got in, she asked, “Why did you do that?”

  Putting the key in the ignition, he turned to look at her. “’Cause I want you to have that money when you get older.”

  “Yeah, but why?” she asked, smiling. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s cool, I love money. But Mommy always tells me things don’t come for free—there is always a catch.”

  He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. That woman. Nodding his head, he held Angie’s little green gaze. Her hair was down today, curls around her face. She wore a Taylor Swift shirt with pink leggings and sparkly silver cowboy boots. Looking at her, he wondered if Leary would have had that kind of style. Ava was very conservative. She never wore pink, or any colors, really, except black and white. Leary never wore glitter when she was a baby. Or maybe she did. He’d been too drunk to remember.

  Clearing his throat, he smiled. “Your mom is very right.”

  “I know. She’s always right. At least, she says so. Jayden says she’s crazy, so do Jude and Jace. They all do. They fight a lot. Have you met the other two?”

  He laughed, shaking his head. He was starting to realize the Sinclair family was a whole lot of crazy. “Not officially.”

  “Officially, what’s that mean?”

  “Like face-to-face. On the ice, yes, but not officially.”

  “Oh! My uncle Jace is the best player in the league.”

  It was like playing goalie for her; she was shooting stuff at him left and right. “I’ve heard.”

  “Yeah, so anyway, if people don’t get stuff for free, then why are you giving me all this money for college? I’m seven. I’ve got like—” she paused to do the math “—eleven years till I go to college. Unless I graduate early like my sister, Nina. She’s crazy smart and my dad says she’ll graduate at sixteen. But he doesn’t think I will. He said I’m lucky if I graduate, and man, that made my mom so mad. I thought she was gonna hit him. My grandpa almost did.”

  What a fucking slimeball. Really? Jeez. “I bet.”

  “I don’t get to see my grandpa much. He works a lot, and he and Grandma got divorced. He’s cool, though. I wonder if he’ll come to one of my games.”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t met him.”

  “Yeah,” she said simply. “So, anyway, ready to go? No, wait! Why are you giving me all this money?”

  He couldn’t help but laugh before setting her with a look. “Anyone ever tell you you’re really awesome, Angie?”

  She nodded. “Mom does and so do my uncles.”

  “Well, has anyone told you today?”

  She thought for a moment. “Nope.”

  “Well, you’re awesome, kiddo.”

  “Thanks! You too,” she said, fist-bumping him, and his heart soared.

  Clearing his throat, he reached out and moved a stray hair out of her face as she grinned up at him. She was missing the two teeth on either side of her front teeth, yet her smile could brighten his world. If he wasn’t confident before about opening the account for Angie, he was now. It was to honor Leary’s memory. “You remember how I told you about my daughter?”

  Angie’s brow furrowed. “Oh, yeah! Where is she? Do you not get to see her all the time?”

  “No, sunshine. She died when she was two.”

  Angie’s smile dropped and she leaned forward, her little body still as she gazed up at him. “I am so sorry, Benji.”

  Tapping the hand she had placed
on him, he nodded. “Thanks, sunshine. But the reason why I’m giving you this money is because I never got to send her, Leary, to college. So I want to make sure that a little girl who is as awesome as she was gets to go to school.”

  Angie sat for a long moment, staring at him, and then she smiled. “I’m going to make you proud, Benji. I promise. For you and for your daughter.”

  Reaching out, he ruffled her hair. “Anyone ever say you’re wise beyond your years?”

  She nodded, exhaling a breath. “A few. I get that a lot. My grandma says it’s ’cause I’m so smart.”

  Laughing, he turned in his seat. His heart was still pounding in his chest, but he felt good.

  And, above all, he was starting to love life again.

  “All right, Hart, let’s go.”

  “Sounds good, Paxton.”

  When the doorbell rang, Benji rolled his eyes.

  Surely, Lucy didn’t just ring the doorbell.

  “Someone’s here!” Angie yelled from where she was playing NHL 15 in the living room. Shaking his head because he was pretty sure it was Lucy, he pulled the potpie from the oven and placed it on the counter, taking off his oven mitts before heading to the front door. Looking at Angie as he passed, he made a face. She was standing in his gamer chair, balancing as she played.

  “Girl, sit down before you fall and bust your face,” he said and she dropped down, grinning up at him as he reached for the door. Opening it, he found Lucy standing on the front porch, her hands tucked in her pockets.

  “Really?” he asked and she shrugged.

  “I didn’t want to just walk in.”

  “You should have,” he said as she walked past him, but she didn’t get far before he took a handful of her ass. Looking back at him, she gave him a little kitten grin before Angie jumped out of the chair and went for her.

  “Hey, honey, did you have a good day at school?”

  “Yeah! Me and Benji played hockey all afternoon, but he made me study for, like, seven hours. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get a hundred tomorrow.”

  Lucy smiled, moving Angie’s hair out of her face before looking over at Benji. “That’s awesome.”

  “Yeah, he said I can hang my test on the fridge if I do. But only if it’s a hundred. Have you seen his fridge? It’s huge, and did you know he cooks? Like, really cooks, Mom, like chops veggies instead of getting bags of frozen ones.”