Bennett (On the Line 2)

“Listen,” I said softly. “I’m sorry. So sorry. And I’m here for you. You’re not alone. I’m gonna let go of you now and we’ll sit down and talk, okay?”

When I released her forearms, her shoulders dropped with defeat. “It gets worse, Bennett.”

Worse? How could things possibly get worse?

“Holy fuck, is it twins?”

She shook her head. “No, there’s only one. But twins would be better than what I have to tell you now.”

“I seriously doubt that.” An image of myself with a diapered infant in each arm flashed through my mind and I cringed.

“I didn’t know you were a Flyer.” Charlotte’s voice was choked with emotion. “I didn’t know. When I went to Cosmos to ask Molly how I could find you and she told me that, I . . . it’s just awful.”

She swallowed hard and tears slid from her eyes onto her cheeks.

“That I’m a hockey player? What, am I too low-rent for you?”

“No.” Her tone was sharp, but her expression remained miserable. “You might want to sit down.”

I glared at her, quickly becoming aggravated. “I took the pregnancy news standing up, so I think I can handle whatever it is, Charlotte.”

She shook her head. “If I would have known, I never, ever would have done what I did with you. Ever.”

“Dammit, would you just spit it out? What’s the issue here?”

“My brother is a Fenway Flyer. I threw up in the parking lot because I was so worried he’d see me coming here and confront me.”

My eyes widened with disbelief. “What? Your brother?”

“Yes. Liam Holloway.”

Charlotte

Bennett sat down.

The color had drained from his face.

“Shit,” he said softly. “I’m a dead man. I’ll know what my own balls taste like by morning.”

I swallowed hard, feeling sorry for him. He apparently knew my brother well.

“I’ve never visited him here at the player housing,” I said. “Is his apartment close? Is there any chance he’ll come here?”

Bennett’s laugh held no amusement. “Oh, it’s a definite possibility since he’s my roommate.”

My stomach did a 360-degree turn. “What? Are you . . .” I looked at the door. “I have to get out of here. Oh, God. I never should have come here.”

Bennett stood up. “Yeah, you should’ve. This isn’t something you have to handle alone, Charlotte. I’m just as responsible as you are.”

I wiped my hands across my cheeks. “There’ll be no handling. I was raised Catholic and I’m having this baby. I didn’t come here because I want something from you. I just felt like I needed to tell you.”

Bennett stared at me in disbelief as I walked to the door.

“No,” he said.

“Yes. It’s my body. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t have it. No one even has to know it’s yours. Definitely not my brother. I’ll just leave here and you can forget I even came.”

I grabbed the door handle and felt his hand covering mine, stopping me from opening the door.