Page 25 of Claiming Bennett (Montgomery Dreams #3)

BENNETT

The phone call last night went as well as we expected it would, which means fucking awful.

We barely even got the announcement out before David blew up on us. Thank God Hailey was there to talk him off the ledge. The palpable fury in his voice scared me shitless, even if I’ll never admit it out loud.

They caught a redeye to Lubbock, and Maggie and I spent the night curled up in bed together, trying to pretend we weren’t terrified.

It was nice to just hold her, after so long apart.

I didn’t realize how much I wanted it until she laid her dainty hand over my chest and told me that listening to my heartbeat was the only thing keeping her calm.

I slept better than I expected to, but both of us are so keyed up and anxious that we may as well have not slept at all.

The kitchen is usually a lively space, Ma singing while she makes food and Pa cracking awful jokes as he cleans up behind her. This morning, it’s as quiet as a cemetery.

We told Pa last night after we got off the phone with Maggie’s parents, and he took it better than I expected, but he hasn’t said a word to either of us since.

It’s been rough.

It’s only going to get rougher.

“They’re here,” Pa says at the sound of tires on gravel.

He leaves without another word, Maggie and I on one side of the table and Ma leaning against the counter with her coffee in hand. She looks as cool as a cucumber, but she pretty much always does.

“It’ll be fine, you two,” she says reassuringly. “Deep breaths, don’t lose your cool. Your fathers will do plenty of yelling for all of us.”

Both Maggie and I snort at that, a little of the tension dissolving. I scoot my chair closer to hers and intertwine our fingers beneath the table. She clutches onto my hand like a lifeline immediately, gripping so tight that her nails slice into my skin.

I don’t mind. It’s nice to have a distraction, actually.

“We’ll figure it out,” I whisper to her. “Promise.”

The front door opens, and both of us tense.

David and Hailey enter the kitchen only moments later, following Pa, and they look just as strained as I feel. Haggard and exhausted, but obviously pissed .

Well, David looks pissed. Hailey mostly just looks relieved to see Maggie in one piece.

The two of them share weak smiles, and then my focus narrows down to the harsh set of David’s shoulders and the red-faced rage he’s doing a shit job of hiding.

I’m pretty sure Hailey is the only thing stopping him from dragging Maggie back to Montana, kicking and screaming.

“I don’t intend to hold you responsible for your employee’s actions, Joseph,” David says through gritted teeth, glaring at me like he wants to bash my face in.

Right. We didn’t exactly mention my last name on that call last night, figuring it would be better to drop that particular bomb in person. All we told him was that we were on the Hernandez Ranch. It makes sense that he’d assume I’m just an employee, but I feel guilty for the misunderstanding.

Pa stares at the two of us incredulously, realizing that David still doesn’t fully understand the situation. His jaw twitches, and I’m sure if we were alone, he’d be screaming until his throat went raw but as it is, he just turns back to David with a strained smile.

“I apologize for the confusion,” he says, voice rough with controlled anger.

“I wasn’t in the room when they called you, so I didn’t realize there was any information withheld.

While your daughter seems to be in the practice of keeping secrets, I am not.

Bennett’s my son. We’re all involved in this, whether we like it or not. ”

Dangerous silence settles over the room at Pa’s announcement, the kind of quiet that comes just before an explosion. Ma and Hailey both tense, but no one has a chance to speak before that explosion comes.

David turns his attention on Pa as his building rage finally bubbles over.

“Who the fuck do you think you are, insulting my daughter like that? You slimy fucking bastard—you tried to take the ranch from me once and it didn’t work, so you decided to get your son involved?

That’s low, Hernandez, even for you, but I should have fucking known.

I trusted you! I trust you, and you send your son after my youngest, huh?

Is that what I get? You’re a coward, Joseph. ”

I remember my own words when Maggie told me she was pregnant with a violent wince. Hearing them directed at my pa is bad enough, I can’t imagine how awful it felt to hear them directed straight at her. Add that to the list of things I need to apologize for.

Pa doesn’t give me time to wallow in my guilt, blowing up right back at David.

“You wouldn’t know trust if it bit you in the ass, Montgomery!

Tried to take the ranch? I offered to help you, you jaded piece of shit!

I only ever cared because it was yours, because I wanted to see you succeed.

I wanted to be your friend , and all I ever got out of it was your shitty attitude.

” He turns his glare to Maggie, scoffing low in his throat.

“You must be proud to have a daughter who’s just like you, huh?

Power hungry and jaded, just like her father. ”

David’s shoulders tense, and Hailey reaches out to try and calm him, but he shrugs her hand off without glancing back.

“Where the fuck do you get off talking about my daughter like that?” he hisses, teeth bared like a rabid dog.

“Where does your daughter get off seducing my son?” Pa shoots back.

“All this talk about me trying to take over your business, I’m starting to think you’re projecting, hermano .

You’ve wanted a cut of my hard work this whole time, haven’t you?

Sent your daughter to do your dirty work as soon as you realized I sent Bennett up to help you. ”

“You watch your fucking mouth when you talk about my family. I have everything I want in Montana.” David is red in the face and damn near spitting his words, barely a foot of space between him and Pa as they yell.

“Why was your boy on my ranch anyway? Trying to steal business out from under me? Checking my work like I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing? ”

Pa throws his hands up in frustration, barking out an angry laugh.

“Checking up on you ! I’m trying to be your friend, trying to help where I can, but you hardly answer my fucking calls!

The best I can do is send one of my men up to help you during the drive and make sure you’re not running yourself into the ground. ”

“Enough!” My voice breaks through their back and forth, and they both turn on me with mirroring snarls.

“Fucking enough . Everyone needs to sit down and talk about this calmly. Stop talking about Magnolia and I like we’re not right here.

We made our own choices. Neither of us were trying to cause problems with each other’s families.

Pa,” I say, turning my gaze on him, “she thought I was just your employee until she came here. She’s not after our money.

David—” I shift to look at him, “—I’m sorry for hiding this from you.

Nobody’s trying to hide anything anymore.

That’s why we’re all here. I expect everyone to sit down and talk this through like adults. ”

I sound a lot more sure of myself than I am, my heart pounding in my chest at David’s furious glare and Pa’s flabbergasted scoff. The only thing keeping me standing is the knowledge that Maggie is probably scared out of her mind right now.

I promised last night that I’d protect her through all of this, and I’m not going back on that.

“Look at you, all macho when you’ve got your daddy to back you up,” David says with a scathing laugh.

Thankfully, he sits, throwing himself back into one of the chairs around the kitchen table.

“Alright, we’re all adults , right? So what’s your plan?

My daughter’s pregnant, so what are you going to do about that, Ben ? ”

I refuse to flinch, no matter how guilty I feel at the reminder of my betrayal.

“We’re going to get married.” The words slip out before I have a chance to think about them, but, well…

it’s the obvious answer, isn’t it? It’s rational, and now that I’m not trying to hide my feelings from Maggie anymore, it just makes sense.

That’s what two people who are having a baby together do.

“The businesses don’t need to be a part of this. We can get a prenup and?—”

“ Excuse me ?” Maggie cuts me off with a laugh that’s somewhere between outraged and shocked. “Where the hell did you get that idea from?”

I wince at the look of hurt on her pretty face, but I don’t let that stop me. I need to do damage control with our fathers first; we can talk later.

“I know we didn’t talk about it,” I say, gentling my voice as much as I dare right now.

David looks like he’s about to explode, Hailey’s hand on his arm the only thing keeping him in his seat.

I have a feeling that if I try to get affectionate with Maggie right now, I’ll just wind up with a black eye, and we’ll be back at square one.

“But we’re having this baby together, and I’m not going to let you go through all of this alone.

You deserve support, and getting married makes the most sense. ”

I don’t mention anything about my feelings, but I try my hardest to let them shine through in my eyes.

Spending the night with Maggie in my arms was the calmest I’ve felt in my entire life, and she has to know that.

We skirted around any mention of our relationship last night, not wanting to make any concrete decisions until we managed to get our families on board, but there’s no stopping the flood of my affection for her now.

I just need Pa and David to hear this as something driven by rationality rather than the feeling in my chest that I’m still scared to put a name to.

“Jesus,” Maggie snorts, shoving up from her chair. She gets right up in my face, drilling a finger into my chest, pretty blue eyes alight with barely contained fire. “I’m feeling generous. Try again, Bennett.”

I blink, confused by the sudden rage etched into her face. Shouldn’t she be happy? I thought… I thought she felt the same about me, after last night.

“I’m not getting married out of convenience or fucking obligation,” she says sharply, her face pulled into a furious pout. “You can marry me because you love me, or you’re not marrying me at all. Try again .”

My breath catches in my chest as my anxieties burn away in a moment. I may still be scared to admit the warmth in my gut is love, but it doesn’t seem like Maggie has the same reservations. She wants something real. She wants the same thing I want.

Blood rushes to my cheeks in embarrassment and uncontrollable happiness, but I keep myself in check and lean down so I can speak quietly, just loud enough for her to hear.

“I’m just trying to get this sorted between our parents, okay? We can talk about this later, but just go with it for now. Trust me?”

Instead, she shoves me so hard I stumble, tears building in her eyes even as she snorts at me with disgust. “Your second try was even worse than the first. Fuck you, Bennett.”

And then she turns on her heel and stalks right out of the house, the front door slamming behind her and shaking the foundations along with it. Or maybe it’s me that’s shaking. I can’t tell anymore.

All I know is that I can’t lose her.

Not again.