Page 56 of I Do With You

“No second thoughts, then?” Mom asks, and I shake my head vehemently. “Okay.” She nods, checking off one concern. “And what about Ben? You said you were talking about going to California before the fight. How do you feel now?”

She’s worried about me. I can see it in her eyes.

“Maybe a fists-first approach isn’t always best, but Ben’s not a needlessly violent guy,” I assure Mom, knowing she may not like my answer. “He was defending me the way he knows how to and taking care of me the way he always does. Yeah, this time was a little more aggressive—not feeding me, carrying me to bed when I’m drunk, or listening to me—but it was warranted.”

“Yeah, it was,” Shep adds, sounding like it could’ve been a cold-blooded back-alley jumping and he’d still be okay with it.

Mom looks unsure. I get it. We’re a hockey family and have dealt with Shepherd fighting, breaking bones—his and others—and holding grudges, but that’s on the ice. Off-ice, throwing hands isn’t an automatic go-to for anyone we know, despite my brother talking a good game.

I want my family to understand, though, because it might be fast, but there’s something special between Ben and me, and I’m not letting him go. “I came into Ben’s life with drama and chaos, and he caught me, held me, and supported me while I put my pieces back together. And he’s never judged me once. He didn’t pick me apart or try to change me to fit an image he already had. He just accepted me, messy train wreck that I am and the happy woman I’m becoming, celebrating the beauty in both. I can be imperfect, impulsive, bold, loud, or anything I want. I can bemewith him. I can breathe, and fly, and crash, and he’s got me. I know that makes no sense, but it’s true. What happened today? It’s on me, Mom, not him.”

“Besides, a rough-and-tough guy that’ll fight for you is kinda sexy,” Joy whispers in support.

“Not helping,” I tell her, seeing the sharp arch of Mom’s brows, but I appreciate her ride-or-dieness.

“Lorie, you saw what I saw,” Dad tells Mom, and they lock eyes. I’ve seen my parents do this countless times over the years and knowthere’s an entire multilevel conversation happening behind their gaze. They understand each other that well.

I want that. I won’t settle for less.

I want that with Ben, and I think, with time, we can have it. Look at how far we’ve come in such a short period of time already.

“That man cares for you. More than he probably realizes. Definitely more than you understand, honey,” Dad says, giving me a shrewd look. “Be careful with your heart and his. But mostly yours. As for Roy? Fuck that kid—andhis father.”

There’s a moment of pure, utter silent stillness, and then we all bust up. I’m crying and laughing at the same time, and so is Mom. Dad, Joy, and Shep are just laughing, I think.

I guess Dad didn’t like Roy’s “romantic gesture” any more than I did.

“Now what?” Mom asks, looking at me. I didn’t become a Planner Extraordinaire by accident. I learned it at her side, and she needs a next step, and then another after that.

“If the whole town’s seen that video, then everyone knows Roy started the fight—”

“And Ben ended it,” Shep retorts happily, snapping his fingers, “like that.”

“So he should be here soon,” I say with certainty. I look toward the front door like he’s going to walk through right this instant.

But hours pass, and though I hear a car door slam shut outside, it’s the neighbors, and Ben doesn’t come back to the cottage.

Finally, I can’t stand it anymore. “I’m going down there, to the sheriff’s department.”

“No you’re not. I am,” Dad says sternly before jerking his chin at my brother. “C’mon, Shepherd.”

Shep gives me a look of solidarity and a fist bump as he passes by. “We’ll get your guy, Hope. Maybe the next viral video can be you greeting him ...Coming Home from Prison, Part One.We’ll have to put that on OnlyFans with a subscription fee, though.Ohhhhh yeahhhhhh.”

“Shepherd!” Mom warns, and though he grins, he scoots out the door too quickly for her to say much else.

But when they leave, I can’t sit here and do nothing.

I should call Sean. Ben has said twice to call him if anything went wrong, and this is definitely sideways and upside down. He’d want him to know, right? I don’t think he can do anything to get Ben out, but he’s Ben’s person, so waiting until tomorrow feels wrong.

I pick up Ben’s phone, type in the too-easy passcode, and scroll through his contacts, searching for one name and one name only.

Sean. I find a Sean Paulson and hit call. It rings twice before connecting.

“You ready to apologize now, fucker?” a rough voice spits out.

“Excuse me?” I say, pulling the phone away from my ear to double-check that I called the right person. Oh shit, what if there’s more than one Sean in Ben’s contacts and I called the wrong one?

“Who’re you, and why do you have Ben’s phone?” the man demands.

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