Unexpected Reality (Unexpected Arrivals Book 1)
Page 13
“I-I should go.”
Fuck. I know she’s right; plus, I have work to do. I’m not getting paid to try and fuck the granddaughter of the home owner, but I want to. Oh, how I want to. Instead, I bring my mouth next to her ear. “Drive safe, sweet girl.” My lips land on her cheek and then I step away. I have to make myself release her. She doesn’t bolt like I expect her to, just stands stock still, the only movement the rapid rise and fall of her chest. She’s just as affected; her body confirmed it.
I watch as she takes a deep breath and slowly releases it. Turning to look over her shoulder, those baby blues lock on me. “Good-bye, Ridge,” she murmurs.
I don’t get time to reply as she quickly turns around and takes the final few steps to her car. I stand there like a lovesick fool and watch her drive away.
“Break’s over,” one of the guys’ yells—I think it’s Mark.
I’m not ready for their mocking. They’re going to give me shit about this for the rest of the day. I knew that, but it didn’t stop me. There’s just something about her that reels me in. I slowly turn and walk back toward the house, not that getting there any slower is going to prevent what my friends have in store for me.
“You good, man? You need a tissue or something?” Kent asks. He’s trying to keep a straight face.
“Trouble in paradise?” Seth chimes in.
“I bet I can get her to say yes to a date before you can,” Tyler says, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
“Don’t even fucking think about it,” I warn him.
“She’s fair game, brother. Unless you’re calling dibs,” he fires back.
Yes, I’m fucking calling dibs! “Can we just agree that she’s not available?”
“Fuck, man. Have you seen her? Why the hell would we let her get away? One of us—” Mark points around the group “—needs to hit that.”
“Not fucking happening.” My voice is low and stern. Not that my friends are the least bit affected. No, the assholes laugh at me.
“One of us has to call dibs for the rest to back off,” Kent states, reminding us of the pact we made years ago.
Mark opens his mouth, “I—”
“Mine,” I spit out, interrupting him. No way will I let them have her; she’s too sweet for any of them. Too sweet for me. They’ve forced my hand, but that doesn’t mean I have to act on it. I called dibs, which means they leave her be.
“Remember, you can’t be messing with anyone else after calling dibs. That happens, she’s up for grabs. And she’s not an ex, so . . .” Seth trails off, but I know what comes next.
Son of a bitch! I forgot that small aspect to the pact. Fuck. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and try to think this through. It’s not like I’m out in the dating pool at the moment, and it won’t be hard to stay away from women in general. I have a newborn son to raise. I’m in so fucking far over my head it’s not even funny. I have too much to learn to let a woman distract me. He’s depending on me.
“Noted,” I finally say. The four of them are wearing matching smirks. Fuckers, they knew what they were doing. “Get your lazy asses back to work.”
They do as I say, but not without riding my ass about my girlfriend.
What the hell did I get myself into?
Chapter 20
Kendall
What the hell was that? I can still feel his body next to mine, the feel of his lips against my skin. The touch was feather-light, but the impact it had on my body was apparently a lasting impression. I’ve just finished my final errand, having already gone to the bank, the post office, and the grocery store. It’s mid-afternoon and my body is still calling for his. How is that even possible? And that voice, the deep timbre next to me ear. The way he calls me ‘sweet girl.’ Apparently, my body is telling me that taking a hiatus from men is not what it wants. I’ve got to get this attraction for him under control.
Grabbing a bag of chips and a bottle of water, I settle on the couch with the remote. I was going to read, but I think it’s wise to watch some TV instead; those book boyfriends of mine remind me too much of Ridge. I need to learn to deal with this . . . whatever it is before I go adding any more fantasies in my head. Then again, who needs the fantasy when I still remember the feel of his chin resting on my head, his hands on my hips . . . yeah, TV is a much better option.
I settle for getting caught up on episodes of Lip Sync Battle on my DVR. No romance there, just laugh-out-loud ridiculousness. I love it.
Hours later, my stomach growls. My DVR selection served its purpose to distract me from Ridge; I feel like I have a better handle on this than before. He’s hot as hell and a nice guy, but I swore off men for a while, and I need to stick to that. After my disastrous relationship with Cal, I need the break. Ridge needs one as well.
I’m in the kitchen making a turkey sandwich when my cell rings. I run into the living room to get it. “Hey, I’m not coming straight home,” Dawn’s voice greets me. “Some of the girls and I are going to grab something to eat. Want to meet us?”
“No, I’m good. I’m actually making a sandwich now.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. I think I’m going to turn in early tonight anyway. I’m having a lazy day.”
“Okay. Well, if you change your mind, we’re going to the Mexican place just down the street from the office.”
“I’m good.”
“All right, see you later.”
I go back to my food, adding lettuce and tomato. My mouth waters and my stomach growls yet again, reminding me I’ve had nothing but junk today. I grab my plate, another bottle of water, and some more chips and head back to the living room. Just as I get settled on the couch, my phone rings again, and I curse the fact that I left it in the kitchen. Setting my plate on the table, I run back to the kitchen and swipe the screen without even looking.
“Hello,” I say breathlessly.
“Kendall?” Reagan’s voice comes over the line. She sounds confused.
“Yeah, sorry. I had to run to get to my phone. What’s up?”
She laughs. “Been there. So, the reason I’m calling—No, wait, I’m on the phone,” she says to someone else. “Sorry about that. Ridge is here to pick Knox up. Anyway, I wanted to invite you and Dawn to the Memorial Day get-together my parents’ have every year. It’s a good time. Dad usually sets off fireworks, because he loves them.” She laughs. “Anyway, there are always a ton of people here, and it would give us the chance to hang out again.”
Ridge will be there. Count me in! “Sure, that sounds fun. I’ll run it past Dawn, but as far as I know we didn’t have anything going on. Thanks for the invite. What should we bring?”
“Nothing. Mom goes overboard every year, so there’s always way too much food left over. Just bring your swimsuits for the pool or hot tub. Other than that, unless you have a specific drink you want, just bring you.”
“Sounds good, thanks.”
“No problem. Okay, I better get off here. Ridge is already taking Knox out to the truck, and I forgot to tell him that his bottles were in the dishwasher. Talk to you soon.” With that, she hangs up.
I shouldn’t be this happy or excited that an old friend from high school invited me to a holiday cookout. I’ve got two weeks to learn how to deal with my body’s reaction to Ridge. Now to just figure out how to do that.
I take my seat on the couch and dive into my dinner. The TV is on, but I have no clue what I’m watching, my mind wandering to earlier today. Maybe it’s not Ridge that’s causing my body to betray me. Maybe I just need to put myself back out there, go on a date.
I finish my sandwich and fight to keep my focus on a Lifetime movie, but I give up after an hour and decide to go to bed. As soon as I slide under the covers, my cell alerts me to a text message. I assume it’s Dawn, letting me know she’s on her way home.
It’s not. It’s Ridge.
I stare at his name on the screen until it goes dark, then hit the Home button again, just so I can make sure my mind i
sn’t playing tricks on me.
One photo attachment.
What the hell?
I slide my finger across the screen to open his message. It’s a picture of the kitchen. The floor is completely finished, and it looks really good. I save the picture and make a mental note to send it to my grandparents in the morning.
Ping. Another message.
Ridge: Thought you might want to send them an update.
Me: I do. It looks great.
Ridge: Thanks.
Me: Thanks for the picture. They’re going to love it.
Ridge: You’re welcome.
Me: Good night, Ridge.
Ridge: Good night, sweet girl.
The smile on my face is huge. Who wouldn’t be smiling getting a text from the hotness that is Ridge Beckett? I place my phone on the nightstand and drift off to sleep with thoughts of him and his hands all over me.
I’m at the office an hour early. With being off yesterday, I wanted to be able to check my e-mails and go through the pile that’s always waiting for me on my desk after a day off. I get lost in the daily grind getting caught up. It’s not until I hear voices down the hall that I realize that it’s time to start the day for real. I’m covering today for one of the girls. She works every Saturday, but this week, her son had something going on, so I told her I would cover for her. It gave me yesterday off, which was nice.
The schedule is filling quickly as I work on keeping the patients roomed. This keeps the doctors happy, which makes everyone else happy. There is a small break in the schedule. This gives me time to scope out the rest of the day. Scrolling through the patient list, I stop when I see his name.
Knox Beckett.
I open his chart to view the chief complaint. It looks like he’s been fussy for a few days. Poor guy. Last weekend, Ridge had said he’d been off all day. He’s my last patient before lunch, so that will give me the opportunity to take my time. Pathetic right? Excited to delay their visit just to be with him, both of them really. That baby boy is too precious for words.
The rest of my morning seems to drag on. I keep watching the clock wishing for time to move faster.
Finally, the little green bubble beside his name, letting me know that they’ve checked in appears. I waste no time.
“Knox,” I say to the waiting room.
Ridge stands. His inked arms grip the baby carrier as he walks toward me. “Kendall,” he says. It’s almost like I hear relief in his voice.
“Hey.” My voice is all breathy, and I can feel my face flush with embarrassment. Get it together, Dawson! “We’re going to be in room four,” I say, walking along behind them. Once in the room, I shut the door for patient confidentiality and pull up Knox’s chart on the computer. “So, what’s going on with the little guy?” I ask, trying like hell to remain professional.
Ridge runs one hand through his hair, while the other rests on Knox’s seat that is on the exam table. “He’s been fussy. I thought maybe it was just me and that he could tell I was nervous, you know? But then Mom said he’s been that way for her too.”
“Any changes in the household? Wet diapers? Bowel movements?” I fire off a round of questions. Ridge answers them all and just as we finish, Knox starts to fuss. I watch as Ridge carefully lifts him from his seat and lays him against his chest. He’s patting his back and bouncing him a little in his arms to try to soothe him. His efforts are wasted as Knox starts to cry. I can see that Ridge is exhausted, so I step in. “Can I hold him? You look like you could use a break.”
He gives me a small smile. “Is that in your job description?”
Shit. “I—”
Ridge chuckles softly. “I’m kidding, Kendall. Are you sure you won’t get in trouble?”
“Never, gimme.” I hold my arms out. He transfers him to me, not before his hand rubs across my boob. I don’t dare look up, just keep my eyes trained on Knox. “Hey, handsome.” I keep my voice low and even. “I’m sorry you’re not feeling well.” Knox whimpers but his cries have quieted down.
“He hates me,” Ridge says, his voice defeated.
“He doesn’t hate you. Babies can sense your emotions. He knows that you’re exhausted. He doesn’t know how to handle that. It makes him irritable. Besides, you said that he was fussy with your mom as well,” I point out.
He doesn’t say anything, so neither do I, at least not to him. I speak softly to Knox, letting my voice help soothe him.
“You’re good with him,” Ridge finally says.
“So are you. Don’t forget I’ve seen you in full force dad mode. We all have good days and bad days, Ridge. Especially since this little guy can’t tell you what’s wrong.”
“Yeah,” he agrees.
“Knock, Knock,” Dr. Harris says, entering the room. He eyes me holding Knox.
“Sorry, I’ll just—”
“No, stay.” Ridge’s request leaves no room for negotiation.
“You two know each other?” Dr. Harris asks.
“Yes. I graduated with his sister, Reagan.”
He nods. “All right, well what seems to be going on with Mr. Knox these days?” he asks, washing his hands.
Ridge tells him how Knox has been fussy, and basically every detail of the last week. And he thinks he’s bad at this dad gig. I tune them out as I hum softly to Knox, rubbing his back.
“Kendall,” Dr. Harris says.
I turn to face him. He’s wearing an odd expression, but Ridge is wearing a smile. He’s so damn sexy. Focus, Kendall. “Yeah,” I answer him.
“Can I examine my patient now?” Dr. Harris smirks.
Shit. I nod and hand Knox over to him. I decide that I should leave them to it and reach for the door handle. Ridge, who is sitting in the chair next to the door, reaches out and grabs my arm. He doesn’t say a word, but the look in his eyes is pleading. He’s been telling his mom and Reagan that he can do this on his own and he can, but I can see it plain as day that he doesn’t want to be alone. I smile, letting him know we are on the same page. Instead of taking the seat next to him, I lean against the counter and watch as Dr. Harris examines Knox and asks Ridge a few more questions.
“So, I think we should switch his formula. I hear some bubbles in there.” He gently pats Knox’s belly. “It’s common in infants. Let’s try this sensitive formula.” He pulls a pad of paper out of his pocket. “Here’s the name. All major retailers should carry it. Kendall, why don’t you check the supply closet to see if we have a sample we can give him until he can get to the store.”
I nod my agreement and quietly leave the room. I hear Ridge ask, “So he’s okay?” just as I close the door. He’s a good man. A man who is dealing with being a father for the first time all on his own, and he loves his son. If I wasn’t already over-the-top attracted to him, that would have sent me over the edge.
I meet Dr. Harris coming out of the room. “He’s all set once you give him the sample. I’m off to lunch with Helen. See you in an hour.”
I knock lightly and then push open the door. “Here you go. I brought two cans. We have a ton of it back there. That will also give you some time to see if this helps his issue before you invest a lot of money into buying formula that doesn’t quite work with his system. If this one doesn’t work, don’t get discouraged. There are many more we can try.”
“Thank you.” He finishes strapping Knox into his seat before looking up at me. “Lunch time?” he asks.
I look at my watch. Why, I have no clue. Of course, I know it’s lunch time. “Yeah, days almost over.”
He picks Knox’s seat up from the exam table. “Can you join us?” he asks, motioning with his head down to his slumbering son.
Do I? Is spending more time with him a good idea? I already think about him way more than I should. “Yes,” falls from my lips before I can contemplate it even further. I guess that settles that. “How about a drive-thru? I’ve got a few things I’ll need to finish up before we start with afternoon patients. I have about thirty minutes.” I spent my mo
rning thinking about the two of you and got behind.
“Anything you want. We can take my truck since I have the car seat.”
“Okay. Just let me grab my purse.”
“You don’t need it.”
“Uh, yeah I do.” I laugh. “I mean, unless you’ve changed your mind.”
“No. I didn’t and you won’t. I asked you to lunch. It’s on me. So unless there is something else in your purse that you have to have in the next thirty minutes, we’re good to go.” With one arm bent to carry Knox, the other presses on the small of my back. “Time’s wasting, sweet girl,” he says next to my ear.
I fight back the bolt of electricity from the heat of his touch and let him guide us out of the building and to his truck.
“Where to?”
“I’m thinking . . . Taco Bell,” I suggest.
“Sounds good to me. So how has your day been?”
“So far so good. Although, I will admit that once I saw that Knox was on the schedule, it began to drag.” Why I just told him that I don’t know. It’s like my nerves are causing me to spill my guts.
“How so?”
Great. Now I have to explain it. “Just excited to see you guys,” I say honestly.
He doesn’t say anything, just reaches over and rests his hand on my thigh. My scrubs are thin and the heat from his touch is searing. He leaves his hand there while he orders, only removing it to pay, then quickly places it in the exact same spot.
He drives us next door to a church parking lot where we take off our seat belts and devour our lunch. “So, any big plans for the weekend?” he asks.
“Nope. Dawn and I are going to stay in and have a movie night. You?”
“Nah, with the little man being so fussy, we really just need the sleep.”
“Why don’t you see if your mom or Reagan will watch him for a few hours while you get a nap.”
“I can’t do it,” he says firmly.