“Oh, yay! Oh, there’s Coach Adler. I better go,” she said, wiggling out of Autumn’s arms and grabbing her bag. “Benji said he would be here, right?”
“Yeah, and I’m sure he will be,” Lucy said reassuringly, but maybe she should text him, just to make sure.
Shit, maybe he wasn’t coming.
No. He wouldn’t have told her he was if he wasn’t.
Nodding her head, Lucy bent down and patted Angie on the helmet since she had her cage on already. “Good luck. Love you.”
“Love you,” Angie said before running off. She fist-bumped Jayden and Baylor as Lucy watched, a grin on her face. When she ran past them, Benji all of a sudden came out of a side door, catching Angie midstride, lifting her over his head, her stick and bag hitting the ground as her laughter filled the room.
And Lucy’s heart promptly exploded in her chest.
“You’re here!”
“Duh,” he said, hugging her tightly. Then they were talking, but Lucy couldn’t hear them. As she headed toward them, her mother stopped her.
“Who is that tall drink of water?” she whispered and Lucy gasped.
“Mom!”
Autumn laughed. “What? Just wondering. Is that the famous Benji?”
Lucy’s lips curved as he patted Angie on the head and they fist-bumped. “Yeah, that’s him.”
“He’s adorable,” she said as they closed the distance between themselves and Benji and Angie, but Lucy didn’t verbally agree as Angie beamed back at her.
“Benji’s here!”
Lucy grinned. “I see that. Hey, Benji.”
He was wearing his thick, dark-rimmed glasses, his hair falling against them as his lips curved. “Ms. Sinclair.”
“Silly, her name is Lucy!” Angie giggled, leaning into him. “Isn’t she pretty today?”
“Angela,” Lucy warned, but Autumn was beaming.
“You are looking extra beautiful today,” she agreed and Lucy glared.
“Mom!”
Benji just grinned, though, his eyes bright as Lucy met his heated gaze. “I think you are completely right, Hart. Prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. Besides you, of course,” he said, tickling her, and she dissolved into laughter on the ground. Glancing at her mother, Lucy found that she and River were laughing too. Why did this feel normal to her?
Shit, what was happening?
Picking her up by her jersey, Benji put Angie on her feet and then fixed her jersey. “All right, Hart, ready to win?”
“Yes!”
“Remember, play deep, right by the goal. Rebounds, you got them, right?”
“Yup!”
Benji tapped her helmet. “That’s my girl. Go kick some butt.”
Angie nodded quickly before dragging her bag with her toward where Shea was waiting for her. Looking back at Lucy, Benji smiled and her lips quirked as her mother held her hand out.
“Well, my goodness, you are wonderful with her. I’m Angie’s grandma, Autumn, and this is my fiancé, River.”
Benji reached for her hand, shaking it. “She’s a great kid, lucky to meet her. But wait, did you say grandma? You mean aunt, right?”
Oh, her mom ate that right on up. Lucy rolled her eyes as he shook River’s hand. “Man, it’s wonderful to meet you. I really admire your game, mirror some of my play on yours.”
Oh, yeah. Lucy had forgotten River was kind of a big deal—being a Stanley Cup winner from the Bruins and all. Grinning ear to ear, River nodded. “Yeah, Paxton, right? You play opposite to Sinclair.”
Benji nodded. “Yes, sir.”
When they started to talk hockey, her mother leaned to her. “He’s amazing.”
“Mom, stop.”
“You should get on that.”
“Mom, please.”
“Lucy, he likes you. He keeps staring at you.”
“Please, Mom, stop,” Lucy begged but Autumn just grinned.
“Want me to ask him out for you?”
“Sweet Lord in heaven,” she muttered before clapping her hands together. “I’m gonna go sit down.”
Benji looked over at her and grinned. His eyes bored into hers, letting her know he’d be where they said they’d meet. But she had just left him not three hours ago. Surely, they weren’t still meeting. “I’ll meet you guys up there. I gotta make a stop.”
“Okay,” she said as she started to walk away with her family. But when she looked back at him, he waggled his brows.
Damn it. How was she supposed to get away?
Stopping at the bathroom, she waved her family off. “I gotta pee real quick.”
They kept going, by the grace of God. She was convinced Baylor or her mom would decide they had to use the restroom. Her heart was pounding, and she was about to giggle because of how absurd this was. But they started around the rink for the home bleachers. Lucy waited, ready to take off. God, this was stupid. Closing her eyes, she felt so silly but at the same time, so damn giddy. Fighting back her grin, she made a beeline for behind the bleachers, praying no one saw her.
But when she found Benji leaning against the wall, looking all sexy and carefree, she all of a sudden didn’t care who saw her. Reaching for her, he brought her in close, holding her tightly in his arms. As he moved his nose along her jaw, she melted in his arms while his heart crashed into hers. “I almost thought you wouldn’t want to see me.”