by Reese Ryan
Benji sighed heavily. “Okay, since you’re determined to talk about it...you were right. My mother didn’t take the news well. In fact, she questions whether the twins are mine.”
“She thinks I’m lying?” Sloane’s chest tightened. She knew Connie Bennett wasn’t her biggest fan, but even she hadn’t seen that coming. “How could she believe I’d do something so horrible?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “But, at the very least, she questions your motives. She’s overreacting, I know, but what my sister said only confirmed her suspicions.”
Her heart squeezed in her chest. Connie not being thrilled that she was the mother of Benji’s twins wasn’t a surprise. And though she knew Delia would be upset that she hadn’t told her the truth right away, she certainly wouldn’t have imagined that her best friend would turn on her and give her mother more ammunition.
“What did Delia say?” The sound of her own heart thumping filled her ears.
“Did you say that finding a rich husband would be the key to solving your financial worries?”
Sloane nearly denied it, but the memory of their conversation over drinks that night came back to her.
“I was joking. We both were. Delia knows that.”
Benji’s expression was stoic. “Now she thinks maybe you weren’t kidding.”
It hurt that her best friend could think for even a moment that she’d purposely done this. That she’d used her brother and would use her own children for financial gain.
“And what do you think, Benji?” Sloane asked softly, studying his profile as he focused on the road that stretched ahead of them.
“I told them that didn’t sound anything like the independent woman I’ve always known. And that if they hoped to ever meet the twins, they needed to apologize for how poorly they’d treated their mother.”
Her heart soared momentarily. He’d defended her to his mother and sister, had taken her side over theirs. Then her heart crashed nearly as quickly, as she realized she’d driven a wedge between Benji, his mother and sister.
The thing she’d always admired about the Bennetts was how close they were. Nothing had been able to come between them. Nothing except for her.
The guilt lay in her gut like a rock, beside the two precious babies she was carrying.
“Thank you for believing me, Benj. I really appreciate you standing up for me. But I don’t want to be the cause of contention between you and your family.”
“That was their choice,” he said abruptly, frowning. “And they can choose to apologize whenever they’re ready.” He heaved a sigh. “Enough about that. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Like what?”
“Like what it feels like to be growing not one but two human beings inside you.”
Her mouth stretched in an involuntary smile. “It’s incredible.” She massaged her tummy, prompting movement from Beau. “I never really aspired to be a mother. Not even during my marriage. That’s one of the reasons it ended.”
“Why didn’t you want children?” His tone was tentative. As if, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.
“It’s hard to get that corner office when you have to take off for maternity leave and OB appointments. Sucks, but it’s true.” The record company hadn’t been overt about it, but there was a reason most of the women who worked there were young and unattached. “Besides, I didn’t think I had it in me to be self-sacrificing and I’m the last person on earth who should be dishing out life advice.”
“What made you change your mind?”
“Because from the moment I’ve known about them, they’re all I think about. I even dream about them. I know I won’t be a perfect mom by any stretch of the imagination. But I’ll try my hardest, because that’s what they deserve.”
She wiped away the tears that leaked from her eyes.
“You will be, Sloane.” Benji’s voice was as soothing as a warm hug, the kind her grandmother used to give her as a little girl.
“I just hope they appreciate the fact that I’ve sacrificed my four-cups-of-coffee-a-day habit and my long, hot soaks in the bathtub.” She spoke to her belly again. “If you’re considering how to reward Mommy, how about sleeping through the night by two months. I’d really appreciate that.”
Benji and Sloane laughed.
“I get why you had to give up the coffee. But why’d you have to give up baths?”
“It’s not that I can’t take them at all. It’s just that the water shouldn’t be too hot, and I’m not supposed to soak for too long. More practically, there’s the concern that once I’m in the tub, I won’t be able to get out. The hazards of living alone.” She forced a laugh.
He squeezed her hand and smiled. “Thankfully, living alone won’t be an issue anymore.”
Dammit. The waterworks were starting again.
* * *
Benji got Sloane settled in at the cabin and went out to stock the place with groceries. He’d asked Sloane if she wanted to come along, but she wasn’t quite ready to make her Magnolia Lake pregnancy debut. He understood, and, to be honest, he was grateful for a little time alone to process what had happened over the past few days.
He was a doer. He saw what needed to be done and he made it happen. Those were the moments when he felt most in control. Even before he’d signed the multibillion-dollar deal for his company, he’d been the kind of take-control guy who knew how to get shit done, despite whatever obstacle was thrown in his way. He loved it when a competitor or investor dismissed him, insisting that what he wanted to do was impossible. He thrived on the challenge of making doubters eat their words.
But that was business. What was happening between him and Sloane was deeply personal.
His instincts and emotions were magnified because it was Sloane Sutton—his longtime crush. Seeing her again for the first time in nearly a decade, dancing with her, kissing her, making love to her... All of it had created feelings exponentially more powerful than anything he’d experienced.
It had hurt like hell when Sloane had rejected his offer to travel to Japan with him.
So when Parker, his mother and his sister had attacked Sloane, he’d taken it more personally than he would’ve if the attack had been directed at him.
He’d defended her, and he’d meant every word. He believed in Sloane, believed that she’d never do the things his family was accusing her of.
But when all was quiet, small doubts crept in, making him wonder if he hadn’t been as charming or as lucky as he imagined himself to be. Had Sloane’s dire financial situation been a factor in her decision to spend the night with him? If so, maybe their birth-control failure wasn’t an accident at all.
He massaged his throbbing forehead and dismissed the ugly thoughts.
“Benji, I didn’t realize you were back in town.” Nanette Henderson, owner of the Magnolia Lake General Store, approached him with a wide smile. “How long you in town for?”
She and her husband, Ralph, had owned the town’s general store for as long as he could remember.
Benji leaned down to give the kindly woman a big hug. “I’m moving back home. Not to the old house, but out to my cabin. Until I can get something built in town.”
“That’s fantastic news! It’ll be good to have you back around here.” She grinned. “You have to come out to the house and have lunch with me and Ralph one afternoon. I’ll show you the scrapbook I’m keeping of all the magazines you’ve been in.”
This was the kind of thing he missed about being home. People who were genuinely happy for you when you succeeded. Who didn’t see you as a threat. He just hoped that Sloane would feel the same about returning to their roots and giving Beau and Bailey a life here.
“Yes, ma’am, that sounds nice. Only I didn’t know you read business and tech magazines.” He grabbed a shopping cart.
“Can’t rev
eal all my secrets.” She chuckled softly. “I might be an old bird, but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn a few new tricks.” She winked at him. “Just let me know if you need anything.”
The woman walked away to greet another customer in the store.
Benji grabbed everything they might possibly need, including a few items he’d seen in Sloane’s bathroom at the condo: shampoo, conditioner, bodywash and lotion.
When he rolled his cart down the baby aisle, he got lost reviewing the endless formulas, baby food, diapers, bottles and pacifiers.
It’d be a while before they needed those things. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared with a few essentials. He grabbed two packs of newborn diapers and some bottles with nipples that the package claimed were ideal for newborns. Then his eye was drawn to another item. He smiled and dropped it in the cart.
* * *
It was strange to be in the cabin alone while Benji was in town. This would be her home for the next year and three months. Benji had told her to make herself at home, but it still felt like she was intruding.
He’d given Sloane her choice of bedrooms and she’d selected one of the larger guest bedrooms that had lots of light and an unobstructed view of the lake. It was next door to the bedroom they agreed their infant twins would share.
“Beau and Bailey.” She said their names again as she stood by the window, staring out onto the lake. Was it silly that she already missed calling them Little Dude and Buttercup?
The sound of tires on the gravel drive and the slam of a door indicated that Benji had arrived with the groceries. She put on her coat and shoes and went outside to help.
“You’ll catch a cold. Besides, I distinctly remember Dr. Carroll telling you not to lug around groceries.”
“I’ll take the light ones.” Hopefully, there was a bag of salt-and-vinegar potato chips in there somewhere.
“No.” Benji’s answer was firm and his stare indicated he didn’t intend to address the subject again. “If you want to help, stay inside and start putting the refrigerated goods away.”
“Fine,” she muttered under her breath and went inside, where the warmth of the wood-burning fireplace greeted her. “You can’t blame a girl for trying to help.”
“Do you want to end up on full bed rest?” His patience was wearing thin.
“God, no.”
“Then cooperate or I’ll be on the phone with Dr. Carroll before you know it.”
“I’ve decided to switch to a doctor who’s closer. So, sadly, she won’t be my doctor anymore.”
“I’ll tell the new guy.” He carried in an armload of groceries and set them on the counter. “No reaching high into the cabinets, either.” In response to her eye roll, he added, “Don’t make me take you over my knee.”
“Sounds fun.” She emptied the contents of one of the bags onto the counter.
His eyes darkened, and he bit his lower lip. “You’re intentionally trying to drive me mad, aren’t you?” He turned and headed back outside.
“Maybe,” she whispered under her breath.
“I heard that.” He held up a finger on his way out the door.
Sloane laughed. Living with Benji might not be so bad, after all.
* * *
Sloane wiped down the counter and turned on the dishwasher. She’d sliced her thumb while cutting onions with the super sharp, chef-worthy knives, but she and Benji had survived her first attempt at cooking dinner, so she counted the meal as a success.
It wasn’t that she was incapable of cooking. After all, she could read a cookbook as well as the next person. But her execution was lacking due to limited practice. Before she’d found herself out of a job, she’d had very little time for cooking. Her job kept her busy. Most days she just stopped at one greasy spoon or another late at night when she was dragging her tired behind home.
Once she was pregnant, she’d spent the majority of those months at home subsisting on the limited foods that she managed to keep down, due to the acute morning sickness that lasted throughout the day and most nights. She hadn’t been in any hurry to cook a fancy meal.
But tonight was the first night she and Benji spent in what would be their home together for the next fifteen months. It seemed like a good time to make the effort.
Now she was exhausted. She just wanted to take a hot shower and hit the bed. She turned off the kitchen light and headed toward her room. Sloane knocked on the open door of the master bedroom.
“Hey, Benj. I just wanted to say good-night,” she called, not seeing him. The scent of lavender and bergamot filled the room, but she didn’t see a candle burning.
Benji stepped out of the bedroom, his shirtsleeves pushed up to his elbows. He was drying his hands on a towel.
“Actually, I have a surprise for you. Come here.” He reached his hand out to her and she took it, following him inside the master bathroom.
The most divine scent rose from the tub filled with water.
“You said you missed taking a bath and I saw this bath bomb in the grocery store, specifically for pregnant women. It’s designed to help you relax. I would’ve done it in your room, but this is the only tub in the cabin.”
“Thank you, Benji. This was sweet of you.”
His sheepish smile deepened. “I made sure the temperature isn’t too hot. Just don’t stay in the water more than forty-five minutes and everything should be fine. I’ll help you in and when you’re ready to get out you can holler. And I’ll keep my eyes closed, I promise.”
“You’ve seen the entire package up close and personal, so I don’t think we have to worry about that.” She smiled. “Not to mention how much of me you’ll be seeing when I go into labor. That is, if you’d like to be in the room with me when they’re born.”
“I wouldn’t miss being there for anything in the world.” He smiled faintly.
“Good.” Sloane hadn’t realized until now how much she wanted Benji to be there. “I need to grab a few things from my room first, but then I’ll be back.”
Benji waved his hand at a stash of items beside the tub. The bottles were too full to be hers, but they were the hair-and body-product brands that she used.
“You don’t miss anything, do you?”
“Not when it comes to the people and things that are important to me.” His gaze held hers.
Sloane was sure her heart skipped a beat. Her body, already filled with heat, reacted to him. His sweet words. His thoughtful actions. And to the memory of when she’d last stood in this bathroom, his hungry gaze sweeping over her.
She wanted him—more now than she had then.
But she was full of hormones going wild so her judgment was not to be trusted. It wouldn’t be fair to toy with his feelings, knowing that when the fog cleared they might both feel very differently.
She excused herself to grab her pajamas and robe, needing to escape the magnetic power of those penetrating brown eyes.
* * *
Benji reviewed his email at his bedroom desk. A college basketball game played in the background with the sound turned down low. Even after his assistant screened his emails, he had countless requests for consulting gigs, business proposals and messages from potential investors who wanted to get in on the ground floor of whatever project he planned to take on next.
His parents had thought he’d settle down and retire at the ripe old age of twenty-five. Travel the world and perfect his golf swing. But the truth was, he’d be lost without his work. Not because his work defined him, but because he loved what he did. Playing with data, creating programs that would solve problems. He’d never even considered slowing down, let alone retiring. But seeing Sloane again had changed everything.
Since their encounter six months earlier, he hadn’t been able to get their night together out of his head. Nor had he been able to dismiss the idea of picking up where they’d left
off that night at the cabin. But now he was even more enamored with her.
He was only twenty-five and at the height of his career. Being a father and settling down to raise a family were the last things on his mind. Yet, when he’d seen Sloane’s belly, round and full, her skin glowing, an unfamiliar feeling had gripped his chest. He was overcome with the need to take care of and protect her and their babies. Even if he was forced to do so on her terms.
Maybe he’d been impetuous to suggest marriage, but he was on the clock. Because at the end of their agreed-upon fifteen months together, he was determined to make Sloane see that he truly cared for her and that they should raise the twins together.
“Benj, would you do me a favor?” Sloane called from the bathroom.
“Anything. What is it?” He approached the open door tentatively, sensitive to respecting her privacy.
Sloane sat with her hands and arms covering her breasts and her knees drawn up. She handed him her soapy bath sponge. “Would you mind washing my back? I can’t reach that part in the middle and it’s been dry and itchy all day.”
“Sure.” He pushed his sleeves up farther and leaned over her, scrubbing her back. It produced so many suds that he hated to waste them. He scrubbed her arms, then her legs and her feet.
“Thanks. I think it’s time for me to get out now.”
“Right.” He grabbed a towel and held it up for her, averting his eyes as she stood and wrapped it around herself. He helped her out of the tub.
“Thank you. You don’t think about things like taking a bath or how difficult it is to dry your legs and feet when you can’t even see them.”
“Let me.” He grabbed another towel and dried her lower legs and feet, painfully aware of how close he was to the space between her thighs. The memory of her warmth and taste washed over him, making his movements stilted and uncoordinated.
Regardless of all the things he’d accomplished in his life, there was something about Sloane Sutton that still reduced him to a bumbling, inexperienced teenager.
“All done.” When he stood, she gazed up at him with the same heat in her eyes he’d seen that night. She licked her lower lip and his shaft instantly hardened.
