A good,goodman.
“I’m sorry, Mazz. I wish I’d gotten to meet him. Just from the pictures, I could tell how much he loved you and Kat. I can only imagine how damn devastating losing him was.”
“It was. It still is.” I sucked in a shaky breath. Things were heavy. I needed to move on. “Hey, Ben?”
“Yeah?”
“Would you rather every time you make someone laugh, they pee their pants,orevery time you make someone laugh, they start sobbing?”
“Mazzy.” He jerked, his spine ramrod straight. “Why would you ask me something like that? That’s cruel. How can I choose? Either way, I’m going to have to spend the rest of my life trying not to be funny. I can’t…why, Mazzy, why?”
He was truly so horrified I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. To needle him, I added in a few shoulder-shaking sobs, and he tossed my hand away, making a strangled sound.
“If you pee your pants, I’m never letting you back on my bed,” he warned.
I cut out the sobs, but I couldn’t contain my giggles. “So you’d rather make me cry?”
He folded his arms across his chest. “I thought I liked you, but I’m reconsidering. You’re a cruel person. Laughter is the best medicine. Why in the world would you take that from me?”
There was something about this man, who was more rugged and stronger than any other I’d seen in real life, looking completely offended by my question, that I couldn’t stop laughing. When he scowled at me, I had to cover my mouth to muffle my howl.
Finally, he broke. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he reached for me again. This time, swiping the tears off my cheeks.
“Beaten at my own game,” he muttered.
“I guess I learned from the best,” I replied, finally getting a handle on myself. “Do you remember? I was a mess when we met, and you managed to make me laugh.”
“Of course I remember. I was thinking you were too pretty to look so sad, and I was right. Laughing looks way more natural on you.” My heart tried to take a flying leap out of my throat, while Ben settled back against his pillows, relaxed as he could be. I took a sip of water. He looked me over, his gaze trailing over me and stopping on my eyes. “You know, the last time we were in bed together, we made our daughter.”
“Theonlytime we were in bed together,” I squeaked out.
He tilted his head. “Do you remember that part, or is it a drunken haze?”
His hands on my face. Sliding into me. That sweet stretch. The heat as his skin rubbed against mine. The ocean breeze skating over our slick flesh. Waking up through the night and reaching for each other again. And again.
“I wasn’t so drunk I don’t remember,” I replied.
I almost told him he was the last man I’d been with, but kept it to myself. We were already treading on dangerous territory; I didn’t need to push us even further.
“Me neither.” He nudged beneath my chin with his knuckle. “We had a good time together, didn’t we?”
“We did.” That was such a vast understatement. “The circumstances were pretty crazy.”
“Mmmhmm.” His gaze bounced over me, his knuckle lightly stroking along my jaw. “Couldn’t forget that night even if I tried. And trust me when I tell you, I never tried. So it makes sense something so beautiful came out of it.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “It makes sense.”
He kept stroking me for another few heartbeats, seeming poised to say more, but his phone began chiming. His hand fellaway as he fished his phone from his pocket, muttering under his breath.
I inhaled, pressing my hand over my fluttering heart. What was that? Why had he taken us there?
Ben groaned as he typed something on his phone. “My brothers are at it.”
Nosy, I craned my neck to see the screen. “What do you mean?”
“They’re fighting.” He passed me his phone. “Everyone’s pissed at Nate. See for yourself.”
I scrolled up to read the messages in order.
