Unexpected Reality (31 page)

“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 immediately 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.”

“Kendall, I can—”

“Eat, Ridge. This little guy is going to be hungry soon. We had a plan, remember?”

“Dammit, Kendall, we need to talk about this.”

“And we will, when it’s just us, without half the town listening in.”

“I won’t lose you over her,” he says emphatically.

I reach across the table and he grabs my hand immediately. “You won’t. Just eat. We’re going to finish our lunch, and I promise we can talk after.”

He nods, bringing my hand to his mouth for a soft kiss before releasing me. I finish off my cheese sticks just as Ridge finishes eating. I pass Knox off to him so he can eat too. I try to focus on my lunch, but it’s rude to not make eye contact when talking and Ridge . . . Well, he’s sexy and distracting. He’s currently still brooding, this big tough guy holding this tiny baby. It’s an image that will forever be engrained in my memory.

As soon as we walk out of the diner, I run into Mr. Williams and his wife. The guys and I just built them a new home a few months back.

“Ridge, hi! Good to see you,” he says, holding out his hand for me to shake. “You remember my wife, Nancy.”

I nod to his wife. “Good to see you.”

“You too. Who is this little one?” she asks, stepping closer to peer into the car seat.

“This is my son, Knox, and this is my girlfriend, Kendall,” I introduce them.

“He’s adorable,” Mrs. Williams says. She stands and addresses Kendall. “You have a beautiful family.”

My girl doesn’t miss a beat. “Thank you,” she says politely.

She could have made the situation awkward as hell, but she didn’t. Instead, she claimed us, me and my son. It takes everything in me not to pull her to me and kiss the hell out of her.

“Well, we won’t keep you. Good to see you, Ridge,” Mr. Williams says, holding the door open for his wife.

As soon as the door closes, I look over at Kendall. “You don’t know how bad I want to kiss you right now.”

She inches closer and stands on tiptoes. “What’s stopping you?”

I close the distance and kiss her. It’s not how I want to, but it serves the purpose of calming me the hell down. I’ve never wanted to hit a woman, not until today. Not even when Stephanie showed up at the hospital. That day, I was just done. I knew she wasn’t someone I could see going the distance with, and after she opened her mouth I knew it was over. Bet or not, I never wanted to see her again.

Today, though? Today, I wanted to hit her. She called my son a bastard and disrespected Kendall. I was barely controlling my anger when her hand slid over mine. Just the simple touch of her skin against mine made it better.

“Where are we headed?” she asks once we’re back on the road.

“Home.”

She doesn’t say anything, and it probably has to do with the fact that I snapped the word at her. I’m still mad as hell over Stephanie and, even more than that, afraid Kendall’s going to walk. That I’m going to have to spend my time convincing her that she’s what I want, instead of kissing her. I reach over and grab her hand, lacing our fingers together. She doesn’t pull away, and I take that as a good sign.

Once we make it back to my house, I grab Knox while Kendall insists on taking the diaper bag. As soon as the seat hits the couch, she goes to work unbuckling him. He stretches his little body, and I fight the urge to pull out my phone and take a picture.

“How about some play time?” Kendall sits him on the floor under this baby gym thing Mom brought over. I watch as he stares up at each object while Kendall either moves them or squeezes them to make noise. He’s fascinated.

Needing to be closer to them, I lie on the floor behind Kendall, sliding in close and pressing my body next to hers. I hold myself up with one arm while the other rests on her hip.