by Kaylee Ryan
“Anyway, our last night in town, we settled in for a few beers. That’s where I met her—Melissa, Knox’s mom.”
He pauses, collecting his thoughts. I remain still.
“She was beautiful and drinking alone. She seemed sad, so when I went to the bar and got us all another round, I invited her to sit with us.” He clears his throat. “She was easy to be around. One thing led to another, and she invited me back to her room.”
I feel him stiffen at his own words. Lifting my head, I place a tender kiss against his neck then snuggle back into my spot, resting against his shoulder once more.
He tightens his hold on me. “We used protection, of that I’m sure. Melissa even confirmed it in her letter.”
“Letter?” I finally break my silence.
“Yeah. See, she slipped out of her own room in the middle of the night. When I woke up the next day, she was gone.”
My mind races with where I think this is going, and my heart aches for him.
Chapter 29
Fuck! I hate telling this story, but she needs to hear it. I need her to understand that I’m not some insensitive asshole who’s moving on like nothing happened to the love of his life. I just hate to think of how she’ll see me after this. When she knows that my one-night stand resulted in my son.
“Yeah, so the night I stopped to help Dawn with her flat tire, I also drove up on an accident. A car had slid over the embankment. The driver was trapped, so I called for help and stayed with her until they arrived. Once they had her freed from the car, something in my gut told me I needed her to be okay. I followed the ambulance to the hospital. Of course, they couldn’t and wouldn’t tell me anything—hell, I didn’t even know her name. That is until my cell phone rang.”
“Who was it?” she asks in a quiet voice.
“The hospital.” I close my eyes and remember that day, just a month ago. The call that rocked me to my core and changed my life forever.
“The hospital?” she asks, confused.
“Yeah, they were calling me to let me know that I was listed as the next of kin to a Melissa Knox, and that she was in the hospital.”
“Knox,” she whispers.
“I wracked my brain for a Melissa Knox, but the only Melissa I could come up with was the one from that bar several months before. I was already in the emergency room, so I told them I would be right there. I had them take me to see her and it was her, the girl from the accident.”
“Oh, Ridge.”
I hold onto her. It was just last month, but it feels as though a lifetime has passed since then.
“They found a letter with my name on it in her belongings. It basically said that I was the father and that she was on her way to see me. That if she chickened out, she would mail the letter because she thought I deserved to know that I was going to be a father.”
“I’m so sorry,” she says, grabbing my hand and holding it to her chest.
“They had to deliver him while she was still in a coma. A paternity test was done so I could be listed on the birth certificate.”
“Did she . . . was it the delivery?” she asks, her voice fill of emotion.
“No. She actually woke up, got to hold him. I even took a few pictures. She was really tired, so I told her to get some rest, that I would take Knox back to the nursery.”
“I’m sorry,” she says again. This time, I feel her silent tears seep into my shirt.
“I took Knox, who they referred to as ‘Baby Knox,’ because we hadn’t named him yet. I tried to get them to change it to Baby Beckett, but the results weren’t back yet, so I had to wait. Anyway, I went to the cafeteria to eat, since I had been burning the candle at both ends. When I made it back to the nursery to check on Knox, the doctors and nurses were standing around, and I could tell something was wrong. I flipped, thinking it was him because he was early. They’d said he was fine, but my emotions got the best of me. Only it wasn’t Knox, it was Melissa.”
“Oh, no,” she murmurs, her voice barely audible. I can feel the rumble against my neck where she’s burrowed close to me.
“Aneurysm.”
Kendall sits up and I grip her tight, not wanting to let her go. “I’m not leaving,” she assures me. Instead, she straddles my lap. I grab the blanket and wrap it around her shoulders, and she surprises me when she hugs me.
My arms circle around her and I hold on tight, crushing her to me. I’m overwhelmed with emotions—sadness for Knox, for Melissa, for the fact they’ll never know each other. Fear, for me and for Knox, that I can’t be both father and mother and give him what he needs. And something else, something I’m not willing to name, which is all wrapped up sitting on my lap. Everything I feel for her is . . . unexpected, but it’s real. I’m certain about that. It’s not a feeling I’ve ever had, and that’s also scary as hell.
She finally pulls away, her blue eyes watching me. There is something hauntingly familiar about them, but I know it’s just her. Just Kendall. It’s the pull she has on me.
“So you see, sweet girl, you’re not a rebound. You’re so much more. It’s new to me, but I’m not running from it. I want you to be in my life, but like you said earlier, it’s a package deal and I have to think of my son. I can’t let him grow attached to you—although, he may already be.” I chuckle nervously. “I need to know that you’re in this with me. It’s fast and it doesn’t make any sense, but I’ve learned that life is too short and you need to learn to roll with the changes it throws at you.”
She’s quiet for a while, just staring over my shoulder at the pond. “I don’t know how to give less than everything, Ridge. That’s what happened with my ex. I put everything I am into our relationship, and he broke me. Not just from the drugs and the anger, but my heart. He crushed it, crushed me. I vowed that I would never again put myself in the situation to get hurt like that again.”
“Kendall, I—”
She places her fingers over my lips, stopping me.
“I was with him for a year before things started to get bad, and two years altogether. Even when times were good with us, I never felt for him what I do for you in just this short period of time. I know I won’t be able to come back from you, Ridge Beckett.”
Well, fuck me. Kendall Dawson, my sweet girl. She unmans me.
“Jump, baby. Jump and let me catch you. I can’t explain it. There are no words to explain this, or how I feel. I just know that I would never, ever hurt you. I know I want to hear your voice every day. I know a simple text from you changes the outcome of my day. I know I’ve tasted your sweet lips four times, and that’s not nearly enough.” Leaning in, I kiss her.
This time, I trace her lips with my tongue, coaxing her to open for me, and she does. I don’t waste time, sliding my tongue past her lips to truly taste her for the first time.
Fucking addictive.
I have her face cradled in my hands, hers resting atop mine as we get lost in each other. It starts slow and easy, but suddenly that’s not enough. My tongue battles with hers, and I fight to taste more of her. She moans deep in her throat, and it fuels me. I nip at her bottom lip and soothe it with my tongue before plunging back inside. Her hands drop from mine to grip my shoulders, pulling me toward her as if she can’t seem to get close enough.
I know the feeling.
She rocks her hips against me, and that simple act alone lights a fire inside me. My hands fall to her waist, my grip tight as I help her find a rhythm that’s driving us both crazy with need.
“Ridge,” she pleads.
“I got you.” My hands slide down to her ass, cupping each cheek, not breaking the rhythm we’ve created. My lips trail across her neck, nipping, sucking, and licking, driving her crazy.
Who am I kidding? I’m driving myself crazy.
She’s so damn responsive.
“Please don’t,” she gasps.
“I won’t, babe. I’m not stopping until I see you come undone,” I say, reading her mind.
“Please.”
�
�Open your eyes, Kendall. Let me see those baby blues.”
Her eyes pop open and lock on mine.
“I want you to come for me. I want to look into your eyes and watch you fall apart.” Her head falls back, breaking eye contact, but the moan that falls from her lips tells me she’s losing control. For me—because of me—this beautiful creature is losing her inhibitions.
“Ridge!” she cries out into the night air.
Wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, I pull her to me and crash my lips to hers. She pulls away long before I’m ready to stop and buries her face in my neck.
“I can’t believe I just did that.”
I raise my hips so my rock-hard erection shows her exactly what I think about what we just did. Not her—we.
She reaches for the waistband of my jeans, but I place my hand over hers to stop her. She sits back, settling her fine ass against my cock. “I want to. It’s not fair to you.”
I chuckle. “I got what I wanted, what I needed. I got to make you lose control.”
“Ridge,” she says hesitantly.
“We better head back. They’re going to think we ran off.”
“Not without Knox,” she says, and my heart soars at her admission. He’s a part of me, and she accepts that.
I kiss her again quickly before helping her off my lap. She wraps her arm around my waist and settles into my side as we walk back to the house.
Inside, the guys have the TV sound low. Dawn is sleeping, her head on Mark’s shoulder. Seth and Kent have their eyes glued to the fight, while Reagan and Tyler are talking to what sounds like a soon-to-be-upset Knox.
“He’s hungry,” I announce, alerting them that we’re back.
“I was just getting ready to make him a bottle,” Reagan says.
“I got it.” I kiss Kendall on the temple then take my son from my sister. “Hey, bud, you hungry?” He quiets at the sound of my voice. “Let’s go make you some dinner.” I carry him into the kitchen with me, making his bottle one-handed like I’ve learned to do over the past few weeks.
He whimpers pitifully.
“I know, little man. It’s almost ready.”
Once the bottle’s ready, I head back to the living room. “I’m just going to take him upstairs and feed him. I’ll be back when I get him down.”
“You need help?” Kendall asks.
“No, babe. I got it. You didn’t get to eat. Help yourself, and I’ll be down in a bit.” I wink at her and head upstairs to settle my boy in for the night.
Chapter 30
I relax in the chair Ridge and I shared earlier and stare at the screen. I’m not the least bit interested in what’s going on; instead, my mind wanders to what just happened. How I let myself go with him.
“Kendall,” Reagan says, grabbing my attention. “You not going to eat?”
“Yeah, I’ll just wait for Ridge.”
My answer causes her to grin, and I feel my face blush. I wonder if she can tell her brother just rocked my world in his backyard. Just as my mind starts to drift again, we hear the crackle of the baby monitor as Ridge enters Knox’s room. Looking around the living room, I see the receiving end sitting on a small table next to the TV.
“You doing better, little guy? You seem to be in a better mood,” Ridge says to Knox.
Reagan chuckles, as do the rest of us. He’s so good with him. I don’t think he even realizes it.
“Daddy’s doing better too, but you already know that, don’t you? I think Kendall has worked her charms on you just like she has your old man.”
I stare wide-eyed at the monitor. I should stand to turn it off—this is his private moment with his son—but I can’t move. Instead, I tune everything out except the sound of his voice.
“We’re lucky, Knox. She wants both of us. Oh, you like that idea, do you? I see your smile.” Knox coos at him. “You’re probably too young for this conversation, but my dad once told me to trust your gut and when you find the one to not let her go. In this case, she’s not just mine—she’s ours. We’ve found our one.”
We’re all listening to him, so I stand to turn it off. Just as I reach the monitor, he says something that has tears welling in my eyes.
“I think your mommy would approve. She just wanted the best for you, for you to feel loved and know you’re wanted. I love you, little man, and Kendall . . . well, she’s important to me, and I hope that whatever this is grows. I think that would make your mom happy. I know it would me. What about you, huh?” Knox coos. “Good, glad we’re on the same page. Good talk.” He chuckles and I reach for the receiver, turning it off.
Taking a deep breath, I slowly release it before turning to face the room. I don’t make eye contact as I walk straight to the chair Ridge and I were sitting in and focus my gaze on the television.
“Kendall,” Dawn tries to get my attention. Of course, she would wake up to hear what happened.
I don’t look at her, just keep staring at the TV as if I didn’t hear her.
“He’s different with you,” Tyler says. His deep voice makes it impossible to ignore him.
I’m trying to work this out in my head—how I respond to him, how to act after what I just heard. My heart feels like it could beat out of my chest, and there are millions of butterflies in my stomach.
“Hey, did you eat?” Ridge asks, sitting on the arm of the chair.
I’m so zoned out I didn’t even know he was back. “No, I, uh . . . I waited for you.”
He grins a boyish grin. Standing, he holds his hand out for me and I take it, allowing him to lead me to the kitchen. Ridge grabs my hips and lifts me up to sit on the counter, settling between my legs.
“You okay?” He cups my face with one hand, keeping a tight grip on my hip with the other.
“Yeah, I uh . . . I heard you. We all did.” I can’t lie to him. I don’t want to start out that way.
“Heard me?” he asks, confused.
“The baby monitor. It was on, and we all heard you.”
He grins. “Good, now those fuckers who I call friends will keep their eyes off you.”
Wait, what? “You’re not mad? And what do you mean ‘keep their eyes off me’?”
“No, babe, I’m not mad. I meant every word. I have nothing to hide. And those four knuckle heads in there, they watch you.”
I push on his shoulder, but he doesn’t budge. “Get real.”
“They do. They even forced my hand at calling dibs.” He kisses my neck.
“Dibs?”
“Yeah, we have this rule that if one of us calls dibs the rest back off regardless. They could tell I was interested, but hesitant with being a single dad and all that. One of them—and no, I won’t tell you who—said he was going to call you. I saw red and told them you were mine.” He shrugs.
“When?”
“Weeks ago, before I had even worked it out in my head that this is what I wanted. I knew I didn’t want anyone else to have you, it just took me time to realize I could be a dad and whatever it is you need, too.”
Butterflies—millions, trillions of butterflies take flight in my belly. Grabbing his shirt, I pull him to me and kiss him.
Someone clears their throat behind me.
Ridge pulls away and rests his forehead on my shoulder. “I need to get the monitor.”
“This one?” Reagan holds it up as she enters the kitchen. “Your girl turned it off, but since you’re back down here with us I thought it was safe to turn it back on.” She smirks.
He takes it from her and sets in on the counter beside me. “My girl didn’t have to do that,” he says, leaning in to me, facing them. He crosses his arms over his chest.
“You told him?” Mark asks.
“Yeah, I mean, I couldn’t lie about it.”
“Dude, you fuck up and I’m stepping in.” He punches Ridge in the arm.
“Not a fucking chance in Hell,” Ridge fires back.
Everyone laughs, and that sets the tone of the rest of the night. We laugh, tal
k, eat and then when the fights are finally over, Ridge walks me to Reagan’s car.
“So tomorrow, you’re not going to stand us up, are you?” he asks.
“No, what time?”
“Now. Just stay with me. We can stop by your place tomorrow for you to change and get ready.”
“Not tonight, but you name the time and I’ll be here.”
“Seven.”
“Seven, okay. Dinner, then?”
“In the morning, sweet girl. I want all day with you.”
“Are you being serious?”
“This is you we’re talking about, so hell yes, I’m being serious. How about as soon as you wake up you get ready and come to me. I want the day with you.”
“Okay,” I concede.
“Text me when you get home, so I know you’re safe.”
“Ridge, I’ll be fine. Go inside and go to sleep. Knox will be up soon.”
“Not until I know you made it home.” He looks through the window of the car to Dawn. “Make her call or text when you get home, so I don’t worry.”
“Gotcha.” Dawn grins like the cat that ate the canary. She’s loving this.
He leans down and kisses me on the lips; it’s quick, but the meaning is still there. “Be safe. I’ll see you in a few hours,” he whispers.
I nod and climb into the back of Reagan’s car.
“He’s got it baaaddd,” Reagan sings once we’re on the road.
“He’s not the only one,” Dawn adds.
Thankfully, they change the subject to their plans for the next day while I get lost in thoughts about mine. We’re spending the day together. I’m trying hard to tamp down my excitement. It took everything I had not to take him up on his offer and just stay the night. I’m sure his seven a.m. request will be fulfilled; I can’t see myself getting much sleep.
The drive from Reagan’s house to ours is filled with Dawn’s excited chatter about her day tomorrow with Mark. I’m happy for her. She’s not having the best of luck with guys, and he seems like one of the good ones.
As soon as I walk through the door, I text Ridge. He needs to get to bed.