Series Starter : Firsts in Series Collection

by Kaylee Ryan

Perfect.

  Knox is still crying. I bounce him, pat his butt, but it’s not helping. Kendall hands the bag she’s holding to Dawn and addresses Reagan. “Hey, can you two give us a minute?”

  “Good fucking luck.” She stomps over to pick up a Crock-Pot, Dawn hot on her heels as they take everything to the kitchen.

  “Hey,” Kendall says softly, her eyes on me. “Rough day, I see.”

  “Yeah, you could say that.”

  She pulls my hand from his back and replaces it with her own. Moving in close, she begins to run slow circles on his back. “He can tell you’re tense. He can feel it. Babies are smart, and he’s upset because you are,” she says in a low, soothing voice.

  “I don’t know. He’s been fussy all day, and even last night. He didn’t sleep well.”

  “Yeah,” she coos, and I feel myself relax just at the sound of her voice. “You’re exhausted, and he senses that.” She steps closer and places her other hand on my back, begins to gently rub there as well.

  I can literally feel the tension melt away at her gentle touch. “I’ve missed you,” I whisper in her ear.

  She laughs softly. “I was wondering why I didn’t hear from you, thought maybe you changed your mind.”

  “Never. I just need to learn how to do this.”

  “I agree,” she says, surprising me. “However, you need to remember that even two parents in one household need help and a break every now and then. You don’t have to do this alone, Ridge. You could have called Reagan, your mom . . . hell, you could have called me.”

  “I almost did,” I confess. “I just didn’t want you to think that’s what this was. That I was only pursuing something with you so you could help me with my son. I’m doing it because I want you.”

  “I know that. Can I hold him?” she asks.

  I nod and slowly transfer him to her arms.

  “Shhh, little man, it’s okay. Daddy’s just really tired. He needs some sleep, and I think you do too,” she coos to him.

  Instantly, he starts to calm. She’s bewitched me too, son.

  “My own kid hates me.”

  “Hey,” she scolds me with a whispered voice. If I weren’t so tired, I’d tell her how fucking cute she is right now. “You’ve both had a rough twenty-four hours. How long since he ate?”

  “He’s due anytime.” I should have tried to get him to eat. Maybe that was the issue, but I tried that several times today. Nothing worked for long, until she took over. Can’t say I blame him.

  “Good. You need to go upstairs and take a shower. Take as much time as you need. I got this little guy.”

  “Kendall, I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “You didn’t ask me, Ridge. I want to. You need help, and that’s okay. Please, for me. Just trust me, okay?”

  I lean in and press my lips to hers. I have to; there’s no other way to explain it. It’s quick, but the meaning behind it is no less than what it is. A ‘thank you,’ plus an ‘I don’t know what I would do without you in this moment’ kiss. Sure, my sister offered to do the same thing, but we butt heads; my sweet girl moved right in before I knew what hit me. That’s what she’s done since the day I met her.

  “Thank you,” I murmur next to her ear before dashing upstairs. I rush through a shower; even though I would love to stand under the hot spray, the need to be near her trumps that. The fact that she’s downstairs, in my house, taking care of my son . . . yeah, I take the quickest shower known to man. Regardless of how fast it is, I still feel revived, but then again, that’s probably just Kendall.

  I’m just hitting the bottom step when I hear Reagan. “How’d you do it?” she asks Kendall. I stop and listen.

  “He’s stressed, Reagan. He just needed someone to help him feel like it was okay to ask for help, and it is. He needs to lean on us.”

  ‘Us.’ Not ‘you,’ not ‘your parents,’ but ‘us.’ My sweet girl.

  “That’s what I was trying to do,” Reagan says, exasperated.

  Kendall laughs softly. “Maybe, but you also got pissed off when he didn’t do what you expected.”

  “He just wants in your pants,” Dawn teases.

  “Maybe, but he also needs support.”

  I’ve heard enough. Taking the final step, I walk the short distance down the hall and into the living room. “Hey,” I say, but only to Kendall. She’s all I see, holding my son, who is now blissfully sleeping in her arms.

  “Hey, that was the quickest shower ever.” She smiles up at me.

  I take the spot next to her on the love seat and lean in to her, my lips close to her ear. “Yeah, didn’t want to miss this,” I tell her honestly.

  She runs her thumb over Knox’s hand, which is gripping her finger tightly. “Miss what?” she asks, watching my son sleep in her arms.

  I don’t hesitate when I say, just for her, “You, sweet girl. I didn’t want to miss you, here in my house, where I can be close to you. You make it all better.”

  She sucks in a breath. I’ve managed to shock her. Good, that’s what I’ve felt since the moment I met her—like I’ve been shocked, and the only balm is to be near her, talk to her. Hell, a simple text from her changes the outcome of my day.

  “Ridge,” Reagan says softly, and I can hear the apology in her voice.

  “I’m sorry, sister.”

  “What can I do?” she asks.

  “I have nothing ready. There are drinks in the garage refrigerator, but that’s about it.”

  “We got this.” Dawn stands and heads toward the kitchen. Reagan smiles in our direction and follows her.

  “The guys will be here soon,” I tell Kendall.

  “Hey,” Reagan calls from the kitchen. “I told the guys to hold off until eight thirty. I recorded the prelims, since we always bitch about the commercials anyway,” she informs me.

  Kendall smiles. “Go take a nap, Daddy. I got this little guy.”

  Come with me. “I can’t—”

  “Ridge, you can and you will. I’ll be right here. I promise, if I need you I’ll wake you up. Go get some rest. You’ll need it to take care of him when we’re not here.”

  Reaching out, I gently smooth the hair out of her eyes. I could stare into them for hours, get lost in their blue depths. But I don’t have hours—not today anyway. Instead, I lean in and press my lips to hers. “Thank you.”

  Pulling back, I watch as she licks her lips. “Go rest, Mr. Beckett.” She points to the ceiling.

  I chuckle. “I’m going.” I lean in and give her one more quick, chaste kiss and slowly stand. She doesn’t push me away, and I’m going to keep stealing kisses until she does. Three times. Three times I’ve had her soft lips pressed to mine, and I’m already addicted.

  I wake to laughter and sit up, startled. Then I remember—I’ve got company. Peering over at the alarm clock, I see it’s two minutes to nine. I rub my hands over my face before climbing out of bed. I hate to admit it, but I needed that. Hell, I could go back to sleep and not wake up until the morning, but I can’t. I have a son to take care of, and then there’s Kendall.

  She’s here.

  I’ll sleep later.

  “Hey, princess,” Seth greets me as I enter the living room. I flip him off with a grin, which causes everyone to laugh.

  “Sleeping beauty,” Tyler chimes in.

  “Feel better?” Kendall asks.

  “Yeah.” I walk toward her, stopping beside her chair. “You had him the whole time?”

  “Pretty much,” Reagan pouts, and I turn to look at her. She’s sitting on the love seat with Tyler, while Dawn, Mark and Kent are on the couch. Seth is in one chair, Kendall in the other.

  “Hey!” Kendall pretends to be offended, but I can tell by the look on her face she’s not in the slightest.

  “She’s got the touch,” Mark says, patting Reagan’s knee as if consoling her.

  “The touch?” I ask, confused.

  “Yeah. I held him but he started to fuss, so I passed him off to Reagan,” Dawn explai
ns.

  “Except that’s not what he wanted at all,” Tyler adds. “The little guy continued to fuss, until Kendall convinced Reagan to let her try to get him calmed down.”

  “Dude, as soon as she had him, he stopped. Just absolutely stopped, like he wanted her all along. Like he was trying to tell us the whole time,” Seth adds.

  “It really was weird, so we had them try it again. He cried with both of them, but stopped when Kendall had him,” Kent finishes.

  I look down at Kendall. “Really?”

  She shrugs. “Babies can sense tension,” she says, as a way of explaining why my son’s latched onto her.

  Bending over, I whisper in her ear, “Can you stand a minute?” She looks confused but does as I ask, my son still in her arms. Once she’s on her feet, I settle into the chair.

  “Hey . . .” Reagan starts to defend her when I pull Kendall gently into my lap, who stiffens at the contact.

  “I got you, sweet girl. Both of you,” I say, rubbing my fingers on my son’s head while my other hand massages circles on Kendall’s back. Within minutes, she’s relaxing into me and I can’t keep the smile from tipping my lips.

  “This is . . . new,” Reagan says with a grin. “Is it serious?” she asks, like the protective little sister. I know damn well she’s just calling me out.

  “Yes.” I see all six of them with varied versions of shock on their faces.

  “Ridge,” Kendall turns and whispers.

  “Yes,” I say to her. No room for negotiation. I don’t understand it, the pull she has over me, but I’m not fighting that shit. “You find her, and you hold on” That’s what Dad always said.

  I’ve found her, and I’m not letting go.

  Chapter 28

  I should climb off his lap and tell him to go to Hell. I should tell him that he can’t make decisions for me—or for ‘us,’ as it seems—without consulting me first. I should do that, but I don’t. Instead, I just sit here on his lap and melt against him. I told myself that I wanted to see where this went, but to say it’s serious?

  I think about how I feel when I’m with him. How I feel in this moment with him openly claiming me.

  Yeah, it’s serious. At least my reaction to him is, anyway.

  His friends as well as Reagan and Dawn seem to accept his one-word reply of “Yes” and move on. The guys are talking about the upcoming fight, Ridge included. Dawn and Reagan are talking about going to the local amusement park tomorrow.

  “Kendall?” Dawn laughs. She knows better.

  “Nope. No desire.”

  “Come on, Kendall, it’s going to be a blast,” Reagan begs.

  “Not for me. I’m scared to death of heights.”

  “What about you?” Reagan asks Tyler.

  He shrugs. “Sure, I’m in. Fellas?”

  “I told Dad I’d help him finish their deck tomorrow,” Seth declines.

  “Kent?” Tyler asks.

  “I’m out, man. I plan to sleep all fucking day.”

  “Mark?” Dawn asks. I can see how badly she wants him to say yes. I’m sure the others are oblivious, but I know my best friend.

  “Yeah, sounds like a plan.”

  “Ridge?” Reagan asks.

  “We have plans,” he says, pulling me to relax further against him. This has me sitting almost beside him, my legs lying across his lap, Knox still sleeping in my arms.

  “We do?” I whisper.

  He tucks my hair behind my ear. “Yeah, I want to spend the day with you.” He gives me a shy smile. “I’ll have Knox, though. I can’t have Mom watch him when she already does all week.” He sounds apologetic.

  Placing my hand on his cheek, I have his full attention. “He’s a part of you, Ridge. This is a package deal, and I’m good with that.”

  He closes his eyes and his lips find my forehead, placing a tender kiss there. I drop my hand and lean against him, and we sit like that for the next hour. His hands tenderly rub circles on my legs, draped across his lap.

  “Is the food ready?” Tyler asks.

  “Yeah, I’ll go set everything out.” Reagan stands and heads to the kitchen.

  “I’ll help.” Dawn follows her.

  I stand as well, and without thinking, kiss Knox on his little cheek. “Here, Daddy, I’m going to help too.” I gently place Knox in Ridge’s arms. His hands slide around the back of my neck, pulling me closer. His lips touch mine, all too briefly, and then he’s releasing me.

  I can feel the guys staring as I walk to the kitchen, and I wonder what they think of all this. Of Ridge and me, the way he acts with me? I don’t get to dwell on it long because as soon as I clear the kitchen door, Dawn and Reagan are all over the topic.

  “Holy shit, my brother just claimed you.” Reagan claps her hands loudly.

  “What? No, he . . .” Well, shit. He did, and I don’t have a rebuttal.

  “That was so hot,” Dawn adds.

  “I mean, he’s my brother, so there is some ick factor there, but damn, if that were Tyler . . .” She lowers her voice. “Hot as hell.” She fans her face with her hands.

  “When did this happen? How could you not tell me?” Dawn asks.

  “It just did.”

  “What?” she asks, confused.

  “You saw it happen.” I can’t help but grin when I see understanding cross her face. “We’ve been talking, and he’s told me he’s interested, but this . . . tonight was it. He made it official.” I shrug.

  “Is that what you want?” Reagan asks me.

  “Yes. He’s all I’ve been able to think about. I look forward to his phone calls, his messages. I think it’s worth seeing if there’s something there. I just. . . .”

  “You just what?” she repeats when I don’t say anything.

  “I don’t want to be his rebound,” I confess.

  “What are you talking about?” Her expression shows that she’s truly confused.

  “He just lost her, Knox’s mom, and now . . . It’s too soon.”

  “Shit. I thought you two had been talking?”

  “Pretty much every day, either by text or phone.”

  “Have you asked him about all of this?”

  “Yeah, but he said he wanted to do it in person, and we’ve just not had the opportunity.”

  “You let him claim that this was serious before you knew,” Dawn points out.

  “Yeah, I just . . . I really want to see where this goes. I guess I’m willing to get my heart broken to find out.”

  “That won’t happen,” his deep voice says from behind me.

  Shit.

  Slowly, I turn to face him. He stalks forward and wraps his arms around me, his large arms engulfing me in the best hug I’ve ever received. His chin rests on top of my head.

  “Give us a minute,” he tells Dawn and his sister.

  I don’t try to pull away to see if they granted his request. Instead, I grip the back of his shirt and enjoy the fact that I’m in his arms. It’s almost as if both of us are afraid the other will disappear.

  “We need to have that talk,” he finally says.

  This time, I do pull back. “Where’s Knox?” I ask.

  He chuckles. “Tyler has him, although I would bet one of the girls has stolen him by now. I need you to take a walk with me. Will you do that?”

  “Ridge, you have people here,” I try to protest. I don’t expect him to leave his home when he has company just to pacify my worries.

  “Don’t care. They know where everything is.”

  “We can talk tomorrow.”

  “No, now. I don’t want another second to go by with you thinking you’re not what I want or that I’m not ready to give you all of me.”

  “Where are we going?” I concede.

  “Just for a walk. I have a small pond out back with a gazebo. We can go there.”

  “Okay.”

  He kisses the top of my head, laces his fingers through mine, and leads us back out to the living room. We’re both surprised when we see Tyler st
ill has Knox. Reagan whispers something about baby whisperers, and I giggle. I just can’t help it.

  “Hey, can you all keep an eye on him for a little while? We’re going to take a walk.”

  Reagan and Dawn must have clued the guys in, because they didn’t bat an eye when all six of them assured Ridge that little man was in good hands. He nods his thanks, grabs a throw blanket from the back of the couch, and leads me through the dining room to the patio door.

  “Watch your step,” he warns as we make our way down the deck steps.

  “Steep,” I say, holding onto his hand for dear life. The dew has set in, making them slippery.

  “Yeah, something I’ll need to change for the little guy. Probably add another level to the deck or something.”

  “You have time for those things later.” He worries so much.

  “Yeah,” he agrees, pulling me into his chest and wrapping his arm around me.

  “Wow, this is really nice.”

  “Thanks. It’s part of why I bought the place. I wanted some acreage, and the guys and I like to fish and have a few beers. Makes it a hell of a lot easier when you can walk home after.”

  “I bet.”

  The silence of the night takes over, but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s actually nice, enjoyable even. When we finally reach the pond, Ridge leads me down the dock until we reach the gazebo that sits at the end.

  He takes a seat on the built-in bench and pulls me onto his lap. Grabbing the blanket, he wraps it around me. “Better?” he asks.

  “Yes.”

  He buries his face in my neck and just holds me tight. I don’t speak, not sure what I’m about to hear.

  “I’ve not exactly been excited to share this with you. Not that I’m ashamed, but I didn’t want you to think differently of me.”

  I don’t say anything, just lean my head against his shoulder and wait for him to continue.

  “Little under a year ago, the guys and I had a job out of town. It was a good gig; we would stay there through the week and drive home on the weekends. We started to frequent this local bar. It was basically a hole in the wall.” He laughs. “Anyway, it was the perfect place to grab some dinner and a cold beer after a long day.”

  I’m hanging on to every word, waiting for the part that he wasn’t thrilled about telling me to fall from his lips.