Unexpected Reality (25 page)

Kendall: I packed today.

Me: How’s your day going?

Kendall: So far so good.

Me: Knox will be in to see you next week.

Kendall: I’ll have to check the schedule and make sure I stop in and say hello to him.

Me: Just to him?

Kendall: Well . . .

I’m smiling like a lovesick fool. I can feel it. I can also feel the stares of my friends, but I have zero fucks to give at the moment.

Me: I’ll call you later.

Kendall: Enjoy your lunch.

Me: You too, babe.

“They coming?” Mark asks.

“Nah, they’re eating at the office today.”

“Were you sexting?” Tyler smirks.

I turn to look at him where he sits beside me. “What?”

He points at my face. “That grin of yours—you sexting or what?”

“No.” I don’t elaborate.

“Pussy whipped,” Mark coughs into his hand, just as the waitress is dropping off our food.

I wait until she’s gone to reply. “I’d need to have had it to be whipped by it.”

“Burn!” Kent says.

“Nope. Just the thought of it has you tied in knots,” Mark defends his statement.

“It is what it is,” I say, not giving one single fuck that they’re going to razz me about this for eternity.

“Damn, he’s too far gone. We’ve lost him,” Kent says in all seriousness.

“Har har. Eat your damn food so we can get back to work.”

We spend the rest of the lunch hour talking about the fight this weekend and who we think is going to take the win. The afternoon flies by and I’m glad; I’m anxious to get home and see my boy. Mom said he’s been great today, not fussy at all.

Then, after some male bonding, I’m going to call Kendall, if for no other reason than to just hear her voice.

I get to Mom and Dad’s about five thirty. The saint that she is, Mom has dinner ready and insists I stay and eat. I don’t fight her on it, as it’ll give me more time at home tonight. Not to mention frozen pizza can only take a man so far.

I’m sitting at the table with Knox on my lap; I haven’t put him down since I walked through the door. I miss the little guy during the day.

“How’s work?” Dad asks as we sit down to eat.

“Good. The remodel is going well. We should be done with the kitchen tomorrow and then we’ll move on to the bathrooms.”

“Need anything?” he asks.

“Nah, I’m good.” I take a bite of my pot roast.

“He was an angel today, like always,” Mom chimes in.

I laugh. “When he’s two, running around and terrorizing the place, you’ll still say he’s an angel.”

Dad chuckles. “That’s our right, son.”

I’m fortunate that they want to watch him every day. Sure, there are daycares, but I like the fact that he’s with family. I know he’s safe and his needs are met. I’m not used to having to worry about that, but now it’s at the top of the list.

“How’s he been sleeping?” Mom asks.

“The last few nights he’s slept six hours straight. I’ve felt like I won the lottery.”

“I remember those days,” Dad says.

“He’s a good baby,” Mom tells us.

We finish dinner and I offer to help clean up, but they both push me out the door, telling me to get home and get settled. Mom has Knox’s bags already packed, so I load him in the truck and we head home.

We run through what’s starting to be our routine. Knox gets his bath, which he seems to enjoy—well, at least he’s not crying. He hangs out in the swing while I clean up the house and pack his bag for the next day. I make his nighttime bottle and settle in on the couch. He’s sleeping soundly, so I don’t wake him up to eat. Instead, I pick up my phone and call Kendall.

“Hey,” she says brightly.

“Hi. How was the rest of your day?”

“Same old. How about you?”

“We’ll be done with the kitchen tomorrow, and then we can start on the bathrooms. The guys and I are hanging out here Saturday night to watch the fight.”

“That’s great. You guys are making good time. Do you need a sitter?” she asks.

“What?”

“For Saturday, do you need a sitter?”

“Uh, no. I mean, we’re going to be here, so it’s fine.”

“I just thought I would ask. I know you’re doing this on your own, and it helps to get a break every now and then.”

She’s just. . . .”
Thank you, sweet girl, but I’m good. I feel like I spend a lot of time away from him as it is.”

“You have to have a life too, Ridge. There’s nothing wrong with leaving him to go out with friends.”

Honestly, since the day I found out I was a father, the thought hasn’t even crossed my mind. My biggest worry was childcare while at work, but before I could even voice that, my parents’ were asking if they could watch him.

“Yeah, I just . . . We’re still learning. He and I are starting to get into a routine,” I tell her. I look down at him, grinning a toothless grin in his sleep. “He’s smiling,” I tell Kendall.

“Aww, I want to see,” she says.

“I read that he shouldn’t do this for a couple more weeks. My boy’s a genius.”

She laughs. “He’ll be four weeks on Sunday, right?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s on the timeline,” she tells me. “You have to snap a picture so I can see him.”

“Let me call you back and we can video chat,” I suggest.

“Good idea.” The phone goes dead.

“She’s excited to see you, bud. Keep those smiles coming, yeah?” He’s snoozing away with a little grin tipping his lips while I video call Kendall back.

“Lemme see.” She’s smiling.

I turn the phone so she can see little man sleeping in my arms. “Look at him! He’s getting so big.”

“He’s tiny,” I argue with her.

“Yes, he is, but he’s growing. I can tell.”

“He’s a good eater, that’s for sure. It’s actually time for his bottle, but the books say not to wake them to eat.”

“Yeah, stretch it out as long as you can. That will help him go longer and sleep longer at night.”

We talk about anything and everything for another fifteen minutes or so before Knox starts to stir. “Looks like someone’s hungry.” I point the phone back to him so she can see him. His little lip, which was just tilted in a smile, is now jutted out. He’s getting ready to cry. “I better change him and get him fed.”

“Give him a hug from me.”

“Will do. Talk to you soon. Hey, uh . . . the guys are coming over Saturday night to watch the fight. Reagan will be here. You and Dawn are welcome to come.”

“I have plans with my parents’ this weekend.”

“Right, of course. Well, if you change your mind, you know where we’ll be.”

“Okay,” she says softly.

“Goodnight, sweet girl.”

I slide my phone in my pocket then walk through the house, turning off all the lights and locking the door. Upstairs, I change his diaper and settle into the rocker to give him his bottle. He takes it like a champ as always, and then he’s right back to sleep. After placing him in bed, I make sure the monitor is turned on and quietly close his door.

I take a long, hot shower and feel exhaustion setting in. Slipping into some boxer briefs, I climb into bed. As soon as my eyes close, I hear the vibration of my phone on the nightstand. I debate on letting it go until morning but decide against it. I reach for it and see a new text message.

Kendall: Good night.

Me: Good night, sweet girl.

I drift off to sleep with a smile on my face and thoughts of the beautiful Kendall.

Today has flown by. I had a text when I woke up from Ridge—just a “good morning, have a good day,” but really it was more than that. It’s the fact that I was on his mind when he woke up. He’s on mine too, been there for days. Mom called about two hours ago and said they were on their way home from the airport. They invited Dawn and me to dinner this evening, but I suggested we bring dinner to them. They’ve been traveling, and I’m sure going out to dinner is the last thing they want to do. Mom happily agreed, so I told her we’d be over around seven.

“You sure you’re good with hanging out with my parents’ tonight?” I ask Dawn.

“Seriously, Kendall? I can’t wait to hear about their trip.”

“Okay, just thought I’d check.”

“I’m ready to go, you?” she asks.

“Yeah, I just need to grab my phone from my room.” I grab it, throw it in my purse, and we’re off to pick up the pizza.

My parents’ are on the front porch when we pull in. Their arms are around each other, and they’re both wearing relaxed smiles.

“You two look great,” I say in greeting.

“That’s what two weeks of pampering will do for you,” Mom replies.

“We need to take a cruise, Kendall,” Dawn says.

“I agree. We should look into that, for sure.”

“Come on in, girls, and fill us in on what we missed,” Dad says, holding open the door.

“We want to hear about the trip,” I tell him.

“Your mother took a ton of pictures.” He laughs.

We devour the pizza and listen to them tell us all about their vacation. “Tell us about you two. What have we missed?” Mom asks.

“Kendall has a boyfriend,” Dawn sing-songs.

I smack her arm. “What the hell?”

Mom and Dad laugh. “Oh, really? And who is this guy? Is he worthy of my little girl?” Dad asks, amused.

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“He wants to be.” Dawn laughs.

“What do
you
want?” Mom asks.

Have I mentioned that my parents’ are amazing? Not one day growing up did I not ever feel loved and wanted. I owe them everything.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Liar,” Dawn taunts.

I seriously need to look for a new best friend.

“Fine, I . . . like him. Okay, there, I like him.”

“And . . . ?” Dad urges with a smile.

“And, he says he likes me. He’s a single father.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Mom asks.

I sigh. “Nothing. His baby is adorable, but his mother, she didn’t make it. He’s only a month old and I just . . . I don’t think he’s ready, and I don’t want to be the rebound girl.”

“How do you know you will be?” Dad asks.

I just stare at him, waiting for him to say more.

“How do you know what the relationship was? I can tell you that if he loved her, he wouldn’t be ready to move on, telling you that he likes you,” he says.