Page 28 of Claiming Bennett (Montgomery Dreams #3)

MAGGIE

Bennett: I’m sorry for fucking things up so much. I’ll wait as long as you need.

He didn’t say anything else, and I spent all night, sitting awake in this stupid motel room with my parents on the other side of the wall, bouncing between anger and utter terror.

How dare he think that a simple sorry is enough to make up for this?

What if it’s not an apology, but a goodbye, instead?

What if he gets tired of waiting, decides that all of this is too much trouble?

Decides that I’m not worth it? I can’t stop staring at the screen, like that will somehow make things different.

Mom and Dad left to grab breakfast for all of us a few minutes ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to join them.

Everything feels so raw, and the thought of feeling the sun on my skin makes me flinch. I want to cry, but I’m out of tears. I want to talk to Penny, but I have no idea what to say.

I want to talk to Bennett, but I’m back to not knowing if we’ll ever speak again.

A knock sounds at the door, and I push myself off the edge of the bed to let my parents inside. I don’t have much of an appetite, but they’ll worry if I don’t eat.

My stomach drops straight to the floor in panic when I swing the door open to find Bennett standing there, a bouquet of flowers in his hands, the stems half crushed from how hard he’s gripping them.

His eyes trail over every inch of me like he’s trying to assure himself that I’m real, and I do the same.

He’s tense with anxiety, fidgeting every few seconds, and his jaw keeps twitching like he wants to say something.

I’ve never been so relieved to see someone in my life.

I’m half tempted to fall straight into his arms, but he holds the flowers out to me before I can move. He doesn’t quite meet my eyes, nerves practically radiating off him. I take them from his shaking hand, and my heart stutters when I realize what they are.

Magnolias.

He got me magnolias.

I want to cry even more now.

“I know I said I’d wait,” he says, the words coming out rushed with his nerves, but those pretty blue eyes finally meet mine.

All his anxiety and hope swims in them, and I know it’s mirrored in my own.

“I will. I’m not trying to rush you, I just…

I needed to see you. Needed to make sure you didn’t leave.

We don’t have to talk yet, but I need you to know that life doesn’t feel right without you at my side.

I need you to know I’m serious about this.

About us. You could take forever, and I’d still be here waiting. ”

The words slam straight through me, and I swallow back the tears that threaten to fall. He’s here, looking at me with so much affection even though I must be a mess after not sleeping, and I’m struck with the realization that there’s nothing for him to wait for.

I’ve already made my decision. I think I made it before I even got on the plane to Lubbock.

It’s him or nothing.

“You said you were sorry,” I whisper, clutching the flowers just as tightly as he was.

It’s not quite that simple, but it all comes down to that, doesn’t it? An apology. A fresh start. A need to make this work, no matter what. I feel stupid for even worrying that his text last night could have been a goodbye.

“I am. Sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, Magnolia.

” The words rush out of him like a flood, tumbling over his lips even as he dips his head in shame.

“I’m an idiot, and I freaked out, and I should’ve told you what I wanted from the start.

Should’ve told you everything. I—the pregnancy—my ex, Chelsea, she?—”

“Your mom told me.” I cut him off, stepping forward and resting my head against his chest, desperate for the closeness. “You don’t have to explain.”

“I want to explain,” he says, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. “I want you to hear it from me, Magnolia. I want you to know I trust you.”

My heart twinges in my chest at the admission, and I wind my arms around his waist, holding him close. It probably looks silly to be embracing like this in the still open doorway of the motel room, but it feels so right. Everything with him feels right.

“I’ll listen,” I say softly. “Let’s walk for a little. I don’t want Mom and Dad to interrupt us. I’ll text them and tell them I went to get some air so they don’t worry.”

He nods in agreement, but it takes us a long minute to properly separate.

Even when we do, I don’t let go of his hand, gripping it so tightly that it hurts a little, just to be certain he can’t go anywhere.

He doesn’t seem to mind, holding me just as tightly as he steps back.

I pull the door shut behind us before tapping out a quick text to my parents with the hand still holding my flowers.

As soon as I’m done, all of my attention is back on him.

The morning sunlight is soft on his features, warm and gentle over the arch of his nose and the jut of his chin. I’m struck with the desire to trace kisses over every inch of his face, but I can wait. This talk is important.

“Tell me, Bennett,” I say softly, leaning against his shoulder as we walk. “I want to hear it all from you.”

It takes him a little to start talking, and I let my eyes wander, taking in the displays in shop windows and the little snippets of conversation I catch from people passing us.

The fresh air is miles better than the stale, recirculated motel AC, and I find myself smiling at the chipper little noises the birds overhead make as the city bustles around us.

It’s a normal day in a normal world for everyone else, and that makes it a million times easier to settle my racing heart.

If the world goes on for everyone else, surely it can go on for us too.

He steers me toward a sprawling park, trees dotting the landscape as kids run their parents ragged in the open spaces. Dogs run along the edge of the pond, barking happily as they play. It feels so homey, so right , and I want this with him forever.

“Chelsea was horrible to me.” He says without preamble, his voice soft even with the bitterness that underlies his words.

“We spent all of high school together, and I was head over heels for her, followed her around like a puppy. The two of us and my old best friend were never apart, and I thought things were perfect. Lived in my own little bubble where nothing was ever wrong, even though Ma kept trying to tell me that something didn’t feel right. ”

Bennett has his moments of being soft and sweet, but I can’t imagine him being so gone on someone.

Insecurity flares in me, worry that he doesn’t care as much about me as he did about her, but I do my best to ignore it.

He’s built his walls up to keep himself safe from someone hurting him like that again, and he’s trying to tear them down to show me the softest parts of him now.

I hate the thought of someone else having him when he was still soft and trusting and just throwing it all away.

I squeeze his hand to encourage him to keep talking, feeling like it’s better to just listen for now.

“She told me she was pregnant a few weeks after we graduated,” he continues.

“I was so excited to be a father, proposed right on the spot. She insisted we get married before she started to show, so we rushed to plan. She liked fancy things, so I splashed out on everything. Eventually, I found out she was cheating on me with Jason—my best friend—two weeks before the wedding. Fucking broke me in two, but I was willing to forgive her. She swore it was only once that he started it. He and I got into a huge fight, and he told me everything. Said they’d been together behind my back since before she and I even started dating, that they’d been planning this all along. ”

I wince in sympathy, trying to ignore the fury simmering in my chest. I settle for squeezing his hand even tighter, needing the confirmation that he’s here now, that all of that is in the past.

“They both just ripped into you like vultures to get what they wanted, huh?” I ask bitterly. “You didn’t deserve that. None of it.”

His face twitches with something like amusement, and he looks down at me with warm, adoring eyes. He squeezes my hand right back as he pulls us to a stop beneath the shade of an old oak tree.

“I know,” he says softly. “They cheated on me, lied to me, and planned to take everything from me. In the end, they didn’t even care that they hurt me, just that they didn’t get what they wanted.

It’s hard to trust anyone after being betrayed like that, and you caught me off guard when you showed up.

It doesn’t excuse the way I treated you, but I hope it gives you a little context. ”

I smile at him, affection welling in my chest. Sure, the way he talked to me hurt, but I’m no stranger to overreacting when things go in an unexpected direction. I don’t have any huge revelations to offer him, but I know one thing that I can say to make sure he knows that I understand.

“You remember my brother, Bo?” I ask.

Bennett’s brow furrows in confusion at the out of place question, but he nods.

“There was this girl back in Montana who spiked his drink and then brought him back home so they woke up together, even though nothing happened between them. She pretended to be pregnant and was trying to force Bo into marrying her.” It’s not exactly the same scenario, but it’s close enough that I know Bennett will understand why I’m bringing it up.

“It almost ripped him apart. I get why it’s hard for you, especially with the baby.

” I place a hand over my stomach, rubbing absently. “That sort of thing leaves scars.”

I don’t plan to leave any new scars.

Bennett’s eyes go wide as he reaches out and places a shaky hand over my own, his thumb brushing across my stomach.

“I want to try again,” he says pleadingly. “The proposal, us, everything. I’ve kept everyone at arm’s length for so long, even my family, but you… you’re right for me, Magnolia. I know it.”

My heart aches at the thought because I know Bennett is right for me too. Something inside me just clicks into the right place when I’m beside him.

“I want that too,” I whisper, looking up at the face I’ve come to adore so much.

“I spent last night working on a better proposal,” he says with a shaky grin. “If you’re willing to hear it.”

I curl my fingers in the collar of his shirt and tug, shutting him up with a firm, insistent kiss.

He goes still for a second, shocked, then yanks me closer and devours me.

He kisses me like he’s starved for it, holding me close with shaking arms. We don’t part until our lungs scream for air, and we don’t take a single step away from each other when we do.

“Give it your best shot,” I say teasingly, knowing I’ll say yes no matter what.

He draws back just enough to look me in the eyes, callused hands cupping my face delicately.

“I’ve fucked up enough times, and I won’t forgive myself if I don’t do this right.

I don’t want to go through life without you.

I want to wake up every morning next to you, I want to do the dishes and change diapers and tell you you’re pretty every day.

I want to love you every day, Magnolia.”

That single word steals my breath from my lungs, and I clench my fists in his shirt to stop myself from passing out from sheer happiness.

“Say it right,” I demand, choked with emotion.

He laughs indulgently, bending down for another kiss, and whispers the words right against my lips. “I love you, sweet Magnolia.”

“I love you too. Fuck, Bennett, you idiot, I love you.”

He steps back, slow like he doesn’t want a single inch of distance between us, but there’s a determined set to his brows.

One hand leaves my waist to fumble in his pocket, and the world tilts on its axis yet again as he drops to one knee in front of me.

I don’t take my hands off his shoulders, can’t , even as he pries open a little velvet box.

The ring is breathtaking, glittering brightly in the morning sun.

“It was my grandmother’s,” he says. “Third time’s the charm, right?”

I nod, already shaking and overwhelmed, and he hasn’t even gotten the words out.

“My sweet, perfect Magnolia,” he breathes, “will you marry me?”

I barely even let him get the words out before I collapse against him, covering his gorgeous face with frantic kisses.

“Yes! Yes, Bennett, I love you, want to spend forever with you.”

I laugh breathlessly against his mouth when he fumbles the ring onto my finger without even looking, too caught up in kissing me. It fits perfectly.

It feels like a sign, like this was meant to be all along.

“Well, at least we’ll have plenty of time to plan the wedding,” I say with a thrilled, teary laugh.

“Yeah?” Bennett mumbles against my lips.

Both of us are smiling so wide it makes it damn near impossible to properly kiss, but I don’t give a damn. This moment couldn’t be more perfect.

I hum affirmatively, giggling when he shifts to pepper kisses all over my cheek. “Yeah. There’s no way I’m getting married while I’m still pregnant. Have to look good in my dress.”

It feels like he can see right through me, the desire not to rush into this just as strong as the desire to hold our baby in my arms at our wedding.

“You’ll look perfect,” he says softly, placing his palm over my stomach protectively. “We’ll all look perfect.”

My breath hitches, love filling my heart and oozing out of every pore.

Now this is closer to the fairy tale proposal I was expecting. It’s a good start, certainly. Finally, things are starting to go my way.