Hot Puck (Rough Riders Hockey 2)

“Beautiful, sweet, smart—”

“A nut case,” she countered, making him laugh.

“Believe me, I know my family. And they’re going to love you.”

18

Eden stared out the window at the moonlight on the Potomac as they crossed the Fourteenth Street Bridge. She didn’t know what the hell she’d been thinking when she’d agreed to this.

“Don’t even think about it,” Beckett said, drawing her gaze. “Do you have any idea how cold that water is right now?”

His allusion to thoughts of bailing into the Potomac made her smile. “You have to admit, it’s not a bad idea.”

“You’re right. It’s a terrible idea.” He reached over and took her hand, then brought it to his mouth for a kiss. Curling his fingers around hers, he rested them on the center console. “Relax, baby. We are a super-casual family.”

She shook her head. “I’m not at my best.”

“Yeah, you are,” he said seriously. “You just can’t see it.”

Eden looked out the passenger’s window again, overwhelmed by Beckett’s acceptance of her history. Of the way she shied away from the most important person in his life. This visit to his family was as risky to their current relationship as an avalanche to a skier.

And Beckett was the crazy-ass daredevil looking over his shoulder and laughing as the mountain tumbled after him.

“Where is your ex now?” he asked, jerking Eden in a completely different direction. “Did anything happen to him? I mean legally?”

“Yeah.” This she could answer with an element of satisfaction and pride. Nothing would bring Summer back, but at least Eden had reaped justice for her. “He’s in prison serving fourteen years for second-degree murder.”

Beckett’s head swiveled toward her, his mouth open. “Seriously? That’s…I don’t want to say awesome, because nothing about this is awesome, but it so refreshing to hear the system actually worked.”

“When you force it.”

“Meaning?”

“My father had considerable influence with the district attorney, and both my parents sided with my ex.”

“What?”

“They said I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant. Then they said I should have had the abortion. Then they said, well, what did I expect putting him under all that pressure?”

“Jesus Christ,” Beckett bit out. He rested his elbow on the window ledge and rubbed his forehead.

Eden appreciated Beckett’s anger on her behalf, but she couldn’t let herself get caught up in it or she’d sink like a stone. “So I cracked open my trust fund to hire an attorney powerful enough to get past my father’s pull, and he convinced the DA to file charges. And when I found out how hard John was going to fight it, and how limited the DA’s resources were, I drained my trust fund to keep my attorney on the case. He did the research and put together the supporting documentation necessary to make sure John got the maximum sentence. My lawyer did everything but actually try the case.”

“It really sucks that you had to use money that could be helping you now to put that bastard where he belongs. But on the other hand—”

“It was gratifying to use my parents’ money to do it,” she finished.

“Exactly.”

And, dammit, this was why she was in the car, driving to meet his family. He got her. He wanted her. He accepted her, flaws and all.

She laid her head against the seat and soaked in the sight of his handsome profile as they made their way through Arlington toward the suburbs. “Do you like being a dad?”

“Oh, man.” He shook his head. “I love being Lily?

??s dad. That kid is the absolute light of my life. She turned my world upside down, and I can’t get enough of her. Everything I do or don’t do revolves around what she needs, what’s best for her.”

The overwhelming joy in his voice filled a dark space in Eden’s heart and made her smile.