by Kaylee Ryan
Me: Just walked through the door.
Ridge: Make sure you lock it. See you soon.
Me: Already done. Night.
Ridge: Sweet dreams.
Chapter 31
Maybe two hours. That’s the amount of sleep I got last night. It took me a while to finally close my eyes and when I did, it was the early morning hours. Two hours later, my little man decided it was time to eat. I’m not going to complain, because he slept for eight hours. That’s a record, and amazing, and I can only hope he continues to do so. He was up at five and after he got his belly full, he was ready to play—well, as much as a one-month-old can. He was talking up a storm, making all kinds of cute baby babble sounds. I admit I’m that dad, the one who records multiple videos of their kid. And I’ve taken hundreds of pictures. I need to invest in a good camera, not just my cell phone. Maybe that’s something we can do today.
I’m lying on the floor with Knox when my phone alerts me to a new message. Stretching, I reach up and snag it from the coffee table.
Kendall: I’m here.
Giddy. Those two fucking words make me giddy like a teenage boy. It’s seven o’clock on the dot and she’s here. “We have company, buddy. Kendall’s going to spend the day with us, and Daddy is really excited about that.”
Me: Be right there.
I gather Knox into my arms and—I will deny this—we run to the front door. Twisting the lock, I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart. Pulling the door open, she’s standing there in simple gym shorts and a hoodie, her hair is piled on top of her head and she’s a fucking beautiful sight for my tired eyes.
“Missed you, sweet girl,” I say, clamping my free hand around her waist and pulling her to me. I kiss her temple.
“I missed you guys too.” She grabs Knox’s little hand. “Morning, cutie. You feeling better today?”
He smiles at her because—like father like son—he’s enamored with her.
“Have you had breakfast?” I ask her.
“Actually . . .” She holds up a bag of takeout. “I swung through the drive-thru and picked us up a variety of breakfast sandwiches. I’m exhausted,” she admits.
“Me too. It took me a while to fall asleep and then this guy decided he was ready to jam this morning, so we’ve been up for a few hours,” I say, covering a yawn.
Reluctantly, I release my hold on her and allow her to step inside. I close the door and flip the lock back, my way of locking out the outside world—today is just our time. Something I’ve been craving with her for weeks. I find her in the kitchen unloading the bags.
“There’s milk and juice, I think, in the fridge. There’s also bottled water and a fresh pot of coffee. It’s what keeps me going these days.”
“Water’s fine with me. What about you?”
“Milk, but I can get it.” I walk toward the fridge.
“Ridge, sit down and let me do this.”
I don’t argue with her because I don’t want to ruin today. I don’t want her to leave when she just got here.
“Eat,” she says as she sets a tall glass of milk in front of me. She does the same, unwrapping a sandwich. “Looks like someone’s losing steam.”
Sure enough, I look down at Knox and his eyes start to fall shut, then pop back open. He’s fighting it, but he’s not fussing. Whatever was bothering him must have subsided. I hate that he can’t tell me what he needs.
She finishes her sandwich and holds her hands out for Knox. “You finish, I’ll take him.”
“You don’t—” I stop myself when she gives me a ‘don’t argue with me’ look. Instead, I transfer him from my arms to hers, steal a quick, chaste kiss, and tear into one of the other sandwich.
“What do you want to do today?” I ask between bites.
“I’m up for anything.”
I watch as she gently sways back and forth, patting his little bottom. His eyes finally fall shut and stay that way. “You are the baby whisperer.”
“Nah, just love kids.”
I quietly crumple up my wrapper, drain the last of my milk, and stand. “I’ll go lay him down.”
“I can do it.”
I nod, knowing the less we transfer him back and forth the more likely he is to stay asleep. “His Pack ‘n Play is in the living room; we can put him there.”
She follows me there and gently lays him down. It doesn’t seem to faze him. “Now what?” she asks me, just as I’m covering a yawn. “Never mind.” She grabs my hand and leads me to the couch. “Lie down and get a few more hours of sleep.”
“No.” I refuse to miss a single second of my time with her today.
“Ridge, you’re exhausted.”
I pull her into my chest with the hand she’s holding. “I want to spend the day with you,” I say, my voice low.
“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
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 to do 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 of 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 com
es 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.