He nodded. “Me too.”
“Can we go stop to get some more food before we go home?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said and she grinned as she leaned into her grandma, Autumn taking her in her arms and kissing her hard on the head.
“You look great with a baby in your arms, Benji. Plans to have some?” Avery asked, her lips curving up when Lucy glared at her. For being so young, Avery was wise beyond her years and very intelligent, but apparently she had a little bit of a teasing streak.
Nodding his head, he looked back at Lucy and shrugged. “Got to get her to marry me first.”
“Oh my God, are you asking?” Autumn practically screamed, fumbling for her phone as the boys and Lucy all groaned. “Let me get my phone. Pictures. River, get your phone, honey.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t think he’s proposing,” River said and Benji laughed.
“Not now. One day,” he said, looking back at Ashlyn. “She says I rush into things.”
He felt Lucy glaring at the side of his head, but he just kept grinning at Ashlyn as Avery said, “Sometimes, the best things are rushed.”
“I loved rushing. Even though, I think it took you like a month to agree to date me,” Jace said and she grinned.
“But, hey, didn’t take that long to get pregnant,” she said with a huge, exaggerated wink and Benji was sure he was missing something, but that didn’t stop Lucy from snickering or Jude and Jayden from laughing hard.
“Nope, one and done,” Jace said proudly and Benji grinned.
They were young, but they sure were in love. “How long have you two been together?”
“A little over a year,” Jace said, kissing her head. “We moved fast, so I got you on the whole rushing thing.”
Benji chanced a glance at Lucy and she shook her head. “Look the other way, Paxton.”
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.”