‘Promise?’
‘I promise.’ He sealed the vow with a kiss, right there on the sandy ground of the arena.
As soon as Sierra went back to work, Benji went straight to Mav. Some things shouldn’t wait.
He found his friend scowling at a spreadsheet on the tack room’s computer. ‘That bad?’ he asked as he closed the door behind him, giving them privacy.
Without looking up, Mav grumbled, ‘Went over budget with the rescue again. Trying to figure out how to hide it from my sister.’
‘You realize she always knows, right?’
Mav only grunted.
‘Hey, Mav.’
‘Hmm?’
Seeing that his friend was immersed, Benji said the one thing guaranteed to snap him out of it. ‘Sierra’s pregnant.’
‘Cool,’ Mav replied offhandedly.
Benji waited.
Mav blinked as the words registered. Slowly, he turned to face Benji. ‘Come again.’
‘Sierra’s pregnant,’ Benji repeated, and he didn’t try to stifle his grin. Maverick, his best friend of thirty years, knew how he felt. Sometimes, he knew too much.
Mav gave Benji his full attention. He turned his chair to face him, linked his hands between his knees, and looked him in the eye. ‘Congrats, dude. I’m happy for you.’
‘Are you – genuinely?’
Mav frowned. ‘Of course.’
‘I know I don’t have much, but I’ll give them more of my love and time than any other man ever—’
‘Don’t insult me,’ Mav cut him off. ‘You’re the best man I know.’ The words were so Mav, so simple and honest.
Benji took courage from them. ‘Yeah. So … I was hoping I could ask for your permission.’ He stood taller despite his anxious stomach because he was proud to be Sierra’s man, and he wanted his friend to see it. ‘I’m going to marry her, Mav. I’ll do it without your blessing – because she’s all I’ve ever wanted. But I’d prefer to have it.’
Mav’s grin was quick and genuine. ‘Holy shit.’
‘Yeah.’ Benji released an incredulous laugh. ‘I guess it’s happening.’
Mav sobered. ‘You don’t have to ask me, dude. Sierra can make up her own mind.’ He seemed to take a moment to think through his next words. ‘But are you marrying her because you want to – or because she’s pregnant?’
Benji wasn’t offended by the question. When Mav’s ex, Shannon, had fallen pregnant with Poppy, he had promised her forever even though they’d all known it would be a mistake. And even though they all loved Poppy, when Shannon had left, it had taken a toll on Mav. So, Benji replied, ‘I’ve wanted to marry her for a really long time. And I’m only asking you because it’s something I would have asked your mom and dad. And because I’d like your mom’s wedding ring set …’
‘They’re yours.’ Mav sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He kicked Benji’s foot. ‘Holy shit, dude,’ he repeated.
‘I know,’ Benji replied, and he wasn’t quite calm. He was going to marry Sierra Hunt. He was going to be a dad. And it was all he’d ever wanted and, up until that moment with Mav, everything he’d been too afraid to reach out and take.
It all seemed too good to be true. It felt like he’d fallen into somebody else’s happily-ever-after. But if Benji had learned anything from his childhood it was not to question when good things happened, but to grab on to them with both hands.
So, that’s what he did.
Chapter 9
Hunt Ranch, Santa Barbara County – December, 2025
