by Kaylee Ryan
“I’ll be here.”
“Not good enough. I’m not missing this time with you to sleep. I can do that later.”
“No, you can’t. You have a newborn, Ridge. You have to rest when he does. Don’t be stubborn.”
I yawn again before I can even answer her. I know she’s right, but I’m fighting it anyway.
“What if I lie with you?” she offers.
That changes the game. I don’t reply, just lie down on the couch and pat the spot in front of me. She shakes her head, wearing a small smile, and takes her spot. I pull the blanket we used last night off the back of the couch and drape it over us. My hand rests on her hip and she uses my arm as a pillow.
My girl, she’s a smart one. This is the best idea she’s had yet.
“You’re making me sleepy,” she says, stifling a yawn.
“You feel good.” I slide my hand around to rest on her stomach. The T-shirt under her hoodie has ridden up, so my hand touches soft, warm skin.
“You’re warm.” She relaxes further into my hold. “Sweet dreams,” she says, and that’s the last thing I remember before sleep takes me.
I hear the soft sounds of Knox’s babble, and I know I need to get up. It’s not until I hear her sweet voice that my eyes pop open.
“Shh. We don’t want to wake Daddy. Remember the plan? We need to let him sleep as long as we can.” Knox babbles some more at her. “I know, tell me about it,” she whispers. “You got your belly full and now you’re ready to play, huh?
She’s so damn gorgeous. Her hair is messy with not a stitch of makeup, and the sight of her in this moment will star in my every fantasy from here on out. “Hey,” I say, my voice still thick with sleep.
“Hey, hope we didn’t wake you?”
“Nah, how long has he been up?”
“About an hour or so. He had his bottle and a new diaper, so he’s ready to go.” The way she smiles down at my son lights a fire inside me that she accepts both of us.
“What time is it?” I sit up, rubbing my hands over my face.
“Twelve thirty.”
“Shit. I’m sorry, you should have woken me up.”
“I had just woken up, needing to use the bathroom, when this little guy started to stir. He and I talked about it, and we decided to let you sleep.”
I stand and walk over to the loveseat and sit down beside them. “Is that how it is, little man? You ditch old Dad for a beautiful woman?” I ask my son, reaching out and letting him latch on to my finger.
“We made a deal. We’d let you sleep and then when you woke up, we’d pout until you took us to the park to go for a walk.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yep.” She puffs out her bottom lip in her best pouting face. It does nothing but make me want to kiss those full, soft lips of hers.
“Pouting isn’t necessary. I will take you two anywhere you want to go.” I lean in and kiss the top of her head. “Do you mind watching him so I can get dressed and brush my teeth? I need to kiss you.”
She leans down to talk to Knox. “We got this, huh, little dude?” He smiles at her.
“Be right back.” I dash up the stairs and rush through brushing my teeth. I throw on some basketball shorts and a T-shirt and call it good. My next stop is Knox’s room. I grab him an outfit for today, some diapers, extra clothes, wipes, a blanket and an extra receiving blanket just in case. I shove it all in his diaper bag and carry it downstairs.
“I just need to make him some bottles for the road and I’m all set.”
“Can we help?” she asks, standing to follow me into the kitchen.
“Actually, yes, you can.” I stalk toward her. Two long strides has me standing in front of her, and I cup her face with both hands and bring her lips to mine. “It’s been too long since I’ve done that.” I release her, both of us wearing a grin, and finish making bottles.
“Let me load up the stroller and then we can go.”
“Is this what you want him to wear? Does he get to sport his PJ’s today?” She winks at me.
“Woman, you have me all flustered. No, there’s an outfit for him in the diaper bag. A few of them, actually. We’ve had some accidents, so I want to make sure I’m prepared.”
She sifts through the bag on the counter. I watch as she grabs a diaper, wipes, and a new outfit. “I got this one. You finish up whatever you need to do.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re loaded up and on our way to the park.
“Let me get the stroller.” I hop out of the truck and grab it out of the backseat. Now to just figure out how to open the damn thing. I’m still struggling when Kendall joins me at the rear of the truck.
“Problems?” She laughs.
“How do you open this thing? Is it even safe?”
Again, she laughs. “It’s safe, Ridge. Can I try?”
I step back and let her try. Apparently, you have to be smarter than the stroller, because she grabs the handle and next thing I know, it’s unfolded and ready to go.
“What the hell? How did you do that?”
“The handle has a button underneath. I pushed it.”
“Har, har, smartass. I pushed it too.”
She shrugs and grins. “I guess I just have the magic touch.”
I smack her ass, wearing a grin of my own, before quickly moving out of the way so she doesn’t have the chance to retaliate. Opening the back door, Knox snaps his eyes open at the sound. “Hey, bud, you ready for your walk?” He closes his eyes again, and I grab his car seat and carry him to where Kendall is standing with the stroller. “Great, now how does this part work?”
“I think it just snaps in.” She holds tight to the stroller while I settle the car seat, and sure enough it snaps right into place.
“Well, that was easy enough. I just hope we can get him out of it.”
She chuckles. “I’ll grab the diaper bag.”
“Okay, baby, diaper bag, keys, cell phone.” I look at Kendall. “Am I forgetting anything?”
“Nope. Want me to lock the truck?”
“Yeah.” I wait for her to lock the door and then we’re off.
“They have trails we can walk on, if you want,” she suggests.
One hand on the stroller, I reach out with the other and pull her to my side. “What, you two didn’t have this little excursion planned out?” I tease.
“We were thinking more of just rolling with it and seeing where the day takes us, right, bud?” She looks down at Knox. “I’ve lost my sidekick.”
“I guess you’ll just have to settle for me.” I kiss her temple then release her to push the stroller.
Chapter 32
Kendall
The weather is beautiful; it’s a warm high-seventies today, and the sun is shining. I don’t know what made me think of the park; I guess I just wanted do to something that would include Knox. I know how Ridge feels about leaving him when he’s with his parents so much during the week.
Looking down at the sleeping baby, I see the sun is in his eyes. I grab Ridge by the elbow to slow him down. “Hey, hold up.” He stops immediately. I reach out and pull the canopy of the stroller over Knox, so the sun isn’t beating down on him. I go to pull away and Ridge places his hand over mine.
“You’re good,” he says with a wink. I don’t argue, leaving my hand where it is. The scene we create I’m sure is an intimate one, one of a new family. My heart hurts for Melissa, and for Ridge and Knox.
“So, why a nurse?” he asks out of the blue.
“I’ve just always liked helping people. And I love kids. I worked at a pediatric hospital before moving home.”
“You’re good with them.”
“I think maybe it’s because I was an only child. Whenever little cousins came around, I was always begging to hold them or playing with them.” I pause for a second before turning to him. “What about you? Always want to take over the family business?”
“Yes. I grew up idolizing my father. He worked hard and still had time for the three o
f us. I knew I wanted to be just like him.”
“And kids? Did you see yourself being a father?” I don’t know why I ask that. It’s not like he has a choice in the matter, but I want kids. If this is really going anywhere or leads to more, that’s important to me.
“Yeah, I did. I assumed I would find the one, just like my dad talked about with Mom. Still to this day, anytime he’s gone, even just to the store, before he leaves and as soon as he’s back, he has to kiss her.” He stops as if remembering, a small smile tipping his lips. “Dad used to tell us as kids that he knew from the moment he met her that she was his future. I wanted that. I still do.” He looks over at me, slows his walk, bends down and kisses my temple.
I’m glad he insisted I hold on to him; otherwise, I’d be a puddle of goo, right here on the paved walkway of the park.
“My parents’ have a similar story,” I say, once I’ve composed myself. “They met in college, fell hard and fast, and they’re still going strong today.”
“Big shoes to fill,” he replies.
“Yeah. Honestly, I had all but given up that I would ever find that.” We stop to sit on a park bench beside the small lake. He parks the stroller so the sun isn’t in the baby’s eyes, then settles on the bench next to me. His arm rests across my shoulders, and he pulls me close.
“And now?” he asks, his voice low.
“Now.” I stop to collect my thoughts. “Now, the dream of having what my parents’ have is back in full bloom, I just. . . .”
“Just what?” he murmurs.
“Now I know who I want it to be.” The words tumble out before I can stop them. His voice, his scent—he scrambles my brain. He’s getting the real me.
His lips are close to my ear when he whispers, “Let it be me.”
Holy shit! Is this really my life right now? Reaching down, I pinch my leg and jump from the sting.
“What are you doing?” he asks. I can hear it in his voice that he thinks what I just did is crazy.
“I had to know.”
“Had to know what, sweet girl?”
I look up at him and get lost in his dark eyes. “I had to know if this was real. I was making sure you aren’t just a figment of my imagination.”
He chuckles. “No, baby, I’m not. I’m one hundred percent real, and I’m yours.” He says it like there’s no question. His statement is final.
“What does that mean exactly?” There I go again, not thinking before I speak. I look around to make sure no one’s listening in on our conversation. It’s just the three of us.
“That means exactly what I said. I’m yours. I want this, and I want you.”
“But that means . . . what? We’re dating? Ridge, this is all really fast and confusing and I—”
“We’re more than dating. You’re more than just someone I’m dating casually. Don’t ask me to explain it because I can’t. I just know it. There’s this coiling deep in my gut and it constricts at the thought of us not being together. I’m trusting that to lead us into our future.”
“Do I get a say in this?” I ask him.
He studies me for a long time before replying. “No. Not unless you say you agree with me. I don’t give up easy and I won’t now, not when it comes to you.”
Swoon!
“You ready for some lunch? I’m starving.”
“Yes.”
We stand to leave. Ridge grabs my hand and places it back in the crook of his arm while he pushes the stroller. The walk back is quiet, like we’re both taking the time to process what we just talked about.
“Okay, so how do we get him out of this thing?” he asks with a worried expression.
“Try the button on the handle,” I suggest.
Sure enough, it works, and Ridge is able to free the car seat from the stroller. I manage to load up the diaper bag and fold down the stroller just as he reaches me on the other side of the truck. “I got that, babe.” He takes it from me and lifts it effortlessly into the backseat.
“I probably need to look at getting another vehicle. An SUV or something,” he says, shoving the diaper bag in the backseat as well.
“You could’ve put it in the bed of the truck,” I tell him.
“Yeah, but what if it’s raining and I need the stroller and we have a bunch of other stuff? We won’t be able to use the bed of the truck.”
“You could get one of those bed cover things,” I suggest.
“I could, but this is a business truck. It’s probably time I get something that doesn’t have Beckett Construction sprawled down the side.”
“That’s who you are.”
“It is,” he agrees. “But I’m also a dad now.”
“You’re a good man, Ridge Beckett.”
He reaches over and laces his fingers through mine, letting our combined hands rest on the center console. “I want to be, for you and for him. I want to be.”
I don’t know what to say to that. ‘Thank you?’ ‘I’m falling for you hard and fast, and I hope like hell you catch me?’ For once, I keep my mouth shut as we drive to the diner just down from my office.
“This okay?” he asks, motioning his head toward the backseat. “It’s family friendly.”
“Perfect.” Just like him. This day has been one of the best, and I can only hope we have many more just like it.
Ridge grabs Knox, seat and all, tossing the diaper bag over his shoulder. I stand at the front of the truck, trying like hell not to drool. Six-two, broad shoulders, arm porn—as Dawn and I like to call it—tattoos running down his arm, his dark hair messy, and those dark eyes that seem to devour me anytime he’s near. I want to pull my phone out and snap a picture of him. Not to mention he’s holding a baby carrier, and from the look on his face as he stares down at his son, you know he sees him as the brightest part of his life. There isn’t a female out there who wouldn’t melt at the sight of him in this moment.
I snap out of my trance and walk toward him. He places his hand on the small of my back and leads me into the diner. It’s a slow Sunday afternoon, so we find a booth in the back corner. The waitress is there bringing one of those stands we can set Knox’s seat on. We thank her, order our drinks, and she disappears.
“What are you getting?” he asks.
“I’m starving, so it all sounds good.”
“I think I’m going to get a steak hoagie and fries.”
“I’m going with a turkey club and cheese sticks.”
After we place our order, Ridge digs a diaper and wipes out of the bag and removes Knox from his seat. “I’m going to go change him.”
Not a minute later, he’s back looking frustrated. “There not one of those changing station things in there.”
“There is in the women’s. Let me do it.” I stand and hold my hands out for the baby.
Ridge grumbles, but hands him over along with the diaper and wipes. He kisses me on the forehead then stalks to the counter to no doubt complain about not having said changing station in the men’s room.
When I get back to the table, I give him the wipes and sit down, still holding Knox. He’s such a good baby, and I know even though he won’t admit it, it’s nice for him to have a break.
“I can take him.” He starts to stand.
“I got him,” I say. Then it hits me that maybe he doesn’t want me holding him. “I mean, unless you don’t—”
“Stop it,” he growls. “Anytime, Kendall. Anytime you want to hold my son, you do it. You are not some damn stranger off the street.”
He read my mind. “Good.” I smile.
The waitress brings our food and I start to eat with one hand. “I can take him,” Ridge offers again.
“I know, but you eat faster than me. You finish, and then you can feed him while I eat.”
“You eat first, and I’ll feed him.”
“No dice, Beckett.”
He grumbles but doesn’t fight me further.
“Well, isn’t this cozy?” a leggy blonde asks, stopping at our table. Ridge immed
iately stops eating and glares at her.
“Stephanie,” he greets her coolly.
“I see you found a stand-in mommy,” she seethes.
“I told you I was done, now leave.”
“What? Without an introduction to your little stand-in?”
“She’s my girlfriend. Leave now, Stephanie,” he grits out.
She laughs humorlessly. “Really? Well, you move fast, don’t you? Did you know that his baby is a bastard? That he only wants you so he doesn’t have to do it on his own? Is that really what you want?”
Ridge slams his fist down on the table, and I’m sure all eyes are on us. I reach out and place mine over his, his eyes immediately snapping to mine. I smile at him, hoping he can see that her words aren’t affecting me and shouldn’t get to him either. Once I see he’s calmed, I turn and face Stephanie.
“If you knew him—really knew him—you would know that, up to this point, he’s done it all on his own. You would know that I had to force him to let me hold this little guy while he ate. If you really knew him, you would know that he puts those he cares about first. Furthermore, if you knew me, you would know that I want them both. I know this little angel lost his momma, and I’m honored that I get to be a part of his life. As for you—” I stop and take a minute to look at her with disgust. “—if I ever hear you call this baby anything other than his name, you will answer to me.”
“Listen, you little—”
Ridge stands. “Leave, Stephanie, now.” His voice is low. Lethal.
“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” our waitress says.
“Me? What about them?”
“Ma’am, this is a small establishment, and we’ve all heard what happened. You aren’t welcome here.”
“Whatever.” Stephanie turns on her heel and stalks out of the diner.
“I’m sorry about that,” the waitress apologizes.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I tell her.
She nods. “Can I get you anything else?”
I glance at Ridge and he looks . . . defeated. And angry. “No, just the check please.” Turning to Ridge, I push his plate toward him. “Eat.”
