We Could Be Amazing

We Could Be Amazing

By Tressie Lockwood

Copyright © December 2012, Tressie Lockwood

Cover art by Mina Carter © December 2012

ISBN 978-1-939151-00-1

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

Sugar and Spice Press

North Carolina, USA

www.sugarnspicepress.com

Chapter One

A bell dinged, and the fasten seatbelts sign went off. The captain’s voice came over the intercom system. “Welcome to Seattle, and thank you for flying with us at…” Kiona toned the rest of his message out, unbuckled herself and her son, and stood. She grabbed her overnight bag from the compartment above their heads and set it in her seat.

“Come on, Alex, baby, wake up. We’re here, and it’s time to get off the plane.” Her son yawned but didn’t budge. She tapped his cheek. “Hey, sleepyhead, you’re going to miss Daddy.”

That did it. The head full of dark curls popped up, and gray eyes opened wide. “Daddy? Where’s Daddy?”

Kiona chuckled. “Come on, you. The sooner we’re there, the better.”

She led him off the plane and down the long passage to the baggage area. After waiting what seemed like forever, Alex’s luggage came around the turnstile, and she lifted it off. Between juggling the bag and holding on to a sleepy child’s hand to keep him moving, she lamented wearing the heels. Her feet hurt, but that’s what she got for trying to be cute. Not that it mattered anymore anyway. She wasn’t trying to win him back.

“Mrs. Foster?” came a tentative voice behind her.

She turned and corrected without thinking, “
Ms.
Foster.”

The young woman ducked her head as if in apology. “Ms. Foster, your husband arranged for me to drive you and your son to the island. I’m sorry it will be a long one as we’ve just missed the ferry. We’ll take the bridge.”

Kiona resisted correcting the woman again to say that he was her ex-husband. “Thank you. No problem. We don’t mind as long as we get there.” She had been to Bainbridge Island just once during her whirlwind marriage, and while she enjoyed the island itself, she could not say much for the relationship. They had vowed forever and only lasted two years. For that, the shame would go on forever, she suspected, because she could not be more wrong in her choice of a man—and because she still loved him with all her heart.

They left the airport terminal and walked toward a waiting car, and Kiona compressed her lips together at its luxury class. Typical of Ridge and his family, no expense spared for anything. They strove to impress at every opportunity. Of course she had done the same in a way, with the dress and shoes. Trying to look cute for a man she wouldn’t take back if he were the last one on earth, hell, she had to show him what he was missing.

Bainbridge Island housed about twenty-three thousand people and was quaint in her opinion with its comfy small town feel. Of course the residents were diverse, ranging from the lower middle class to the wealthy like the Fosters, but it was still nothing like Baltimore where she was born and raised.

All too soon, they turned into the winding driveway that led to the Fosters’ fourteen acres. Kiona felt the tension rolling into her shoulders and the stiffness in her neck. She knew it was too much to hope Ridge’s mother wasn’t at home. His father was fine, but the dragon lady, as she liked to think of the woman, got her back up and kept it there.

When the car rolled to a stop, she eased her son’s head up and opened the car door. At three, with a small build, she struggled to lift him. She put a foot out and startled when a hand appeared in front of her. A fraction before she accepted the offering, she realized the large hand did not belong to the female driver, and she rose to come face-to-face with her ex-husband.

Craning her neck to look up at him might be a more accurate description as Ridge stood at six foot four inches, and she reached just beneath five foot six. She liked to add on the extra quarter inch to her height, but either way, he dwarfed her.

When he should have let her hand go, Ridge held on, sending shockwaves of desire ricocheting every which way through her body. The man’s shoulders hadn’t diminished in their incredible width. His rugged sexiness seemed to have magnified, starting with the midnight black hair, striking gray eyes, the sharp nose, full lips, and strong jawline. He stood as an imposing figure who robbed her of speech in his designer suit, the jacket of which he hadn’t unbuttoned. Leave it to Ridge to be put together without a flaw while her dress sported wrinkles from sitting for five hours on the plane.

“Hello, Ridge,” she managed in a raspy tone and kicked herself for it.

“You’re looking well, KeyKey.” The formal speech lost its impact with his use of her nickname—that and it weakened her at the knees.

“Thanks, I don’t go by that nickname anymore,” she informed him.

A dark brow rose as if in disbelief. “Kiona then. Were’s Alex?”

She turned away from him with relief. “He’s here. He couldn’t stay awake.” She busied herself unbuckling her son, but Ridge touched her arm. She jumped away, and he frowned at her.

“I’ll get him,” he offered.

Kiona backed up. To take her idiot mind off the way his arm muscles bulged with his amazing strength, she argued, “I don’t know why you couldn’t just pick him up. I told you I have plans for Christmas break just like you do.”

Ridge glared at her. “With your new boyfriend?”

“That’s not your business, is it?” She sighed and licked her lips. “Look, do you mind having your driver drop me at my hotel? It’s not far, and I can make my own arrangements for getting back to the airport in the morning.”

“You’re telling me you can’t see your own son into the house, Kiona, and at least say hello to my family?”

She put her hands on her hips. “Don’t try to guilt-trip me, Ridge. It won’t work.”

His lip curled on one side. “Of course not.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Never mind.” He pivoted on his heel and started away with Alex tucked against his chest.

Her little boy raised his head and opened his eyes to slits. “Mommy?”

Kiona clenched her hands into fists.
Damn jerk!
“I’m right here, baby.” She followed the two of them with reluctance.

“There’s my little man,” Ridge’s mother Marian said when she spotted Alex. She tried taking him from Ridge’s arms, but to her ex-husband’s credit he held on.

“I’m sorry, Mom. He’s pretty tired, and it’s late. You’ll have plenty of time to spend with him in the morning.”

The older woman frowned. “Well at least let me give him a kiss. I’m sure he missed grandma something fierce.”

Of course.
Kiona scarcely kept herself from rolling her eyes. She wondered when Marian would bother greeting her. Not that she gave a damn. She turned to Ridge’s dad and smiled. “How are you, Sam?”

“Kiona, great to see you again, honey.” The older man drew her into a hug and kissed her cheek. That got Marian’s attention. She straightened from fawning over Alex.

“No greeting for your mother-in-law, Kiona? What do they teach young people in Baltimore these days?”

To avoid self-important biddies.
She forced a smile and strolled over to kiss the woman’s cheek—an air kiss because Marian had made her dislike obvious from the beginning. “Hello, Marian, you’re looking well.”

“As much as can be expected, I suppose.”

Sam threw up his hands and thrust his glasses onto his face before scuttling away. “Here we go. Now you’ve gotten her started.”

“I resent that, Samuel.” She wagged a finger in the direction of his retreating back, pink staining her cheeks. Marian didn’t believe in using nicknames. Sometimes Kiona wondered if that’s why she’d named her oldest son Ridge, so it couldn’t be broken down. That had tempted Kiona to call him Ri just to screw with her head.

“Kiona!” came a shout from down the hall.

She sucked in a breath. “And the gang’s all here. Nice.”

“What was that?” Marian squinted at her.

“Nothing.” Kiona swung away from her in time to be scooped up into Ridge’s younger brother Raymond’s arms, younger by two years but wild like a teenager.

“Damn, you’re just as sexy as ever, girl,” Raymond gushed. “Why don’t you get out to this side of the country more often? Now that Ridge let you get away, I can stake my claim.”

“That would be real special if I were property, Ray, but thanks for the compliment. Besides, I’d have to compete with your many girlfriends, and I’m not the one. You can put me down now.”

“Why should I? This feels good.” He grinned at her, almost as tall as his brother and built just as wide. His arms wrapped around her so tight, she couldn’t wiggle free, and he’d pinned her hands to his chest when she raised them in defense. Ray’s body did nothing for her because she knew he used women.

“Let her go now,” Ridge warned, and a tingle raced through her at his obvious jealousy. She tamped it down as needless.

“What are you going to do if I don’t?” Ray teased.

Ridge moved to hand Alex off to his mother, but Kiona spoke up. “I can handle it. Ray, sweetie, you have two seconds before I lodge my heel in your balls. Just sayin’.”

“Kiona,” Marion blustered. “I won’t have that kind of language in my presence or around my grandson. This is why I insisted he live here, so I can raise him as a Foster should be raised.”

Ray set her on her feet, and Kiona moved out his reach—mostly to keep from acting out her anger on the nearest person. “Alex is not just a Foster. He’s also got my blood running through his veins.
I’m
the one who laid up in the hospital for fifteen hours in labor while
your
son was off buying and selling the world.”

Ridge’s lips compressed, but she didn’t want to hear whatever he might be thinking.

“Just show me what room Alex is staying in, and I’ll help him get ready for bed. Then I’m out of here.” She stomped toward the stairs, pretty sure she knew anyway. Although Alex didn’t spend much time in this house, Marian had insisted on having a room decorated for him. She didn’t even know Alex well enough to know what he liked at three years old.

Kiona started up the stairs with Ridge behind her holding their son. When they were in the room, she paced as Ridge laid Alex on the bed. She elbowed him aside and began undressing her son, dropping his shoes on the floor. Her fingers flew over the buttons of his shirt because of how pissed she was. She dared him to say anything, just one word. He knew he was wrong, had been wrong on many occasions when he left her alone to work endless hours. Of course then she found about Anne Marie, and everything made sense.

“Kiona, I—”

“Don’t even.” She glared at him over her shoulder. “Don’t say a word to me, Ridge. We both know how your mother is and that she and I can’t get along. Don’t lecture me about trying harder or defending her in any way, because I will go off on you. It’s late, and I’m tired, so let’s just leave it there.”

Ridge left the room and returned a few moments later with Alex’s bag. He set it on a chair next to the dresser and began unpacking the clothes to put away.

“I’ll give him a quick bath and get his pajamas on, and then I’m leaving. I can call a taxi if you don’t want to let me use the driver. I realize it’s late.” She didn’t wait to hear his response but walked into the bathroom to run water in the tub. By the time it was ready, she turned to find Ridge holding Alex in his arms.

He set their son in the tub, and Kiona washed him, running a soapsud- filled cloth over his skin. Ridge sat on the commode with the seat down watching and making her nervous. She did her best to ignore him, an impossible task when the situation reminded her of times they bathed their baby together. Ridge wasn’t a bad father, and he hadn’t been gone all the time. She had no doubts about his devotion to his son.

“Mommie,” her baby whined.

“Okay, okay, almost done,” she promised.

Ridge stood and grabbed a towel to hold out. Kiona stepped aside and allowed him to scoop Alex up. She followed them to the room, and Ridge helped Alex into his pajamas. When he finished, Kiona knelt in front of her baby.

“Okay, sweetie, Mommie’s leaving now. You’re going to have a great time with your daddy and grandma and grandpa. Daddy will make sure you can call me every day, and you’ll have some great presents when Santa comes on Christmas. I love you.”

She kissed his cheek and hugged him, but when she went to stand, he held onto her neck. “Mommie,” he whined in singsong tone. Kiona didn’t know where he got it from lately.

“What,” she sang back.

“My tummy hurts.”

Kiona froze and glanced at Ridge. The worry on his face she knew reflected in hers. She leaned back and rubbed her son’s stomach, reviewing in her mind all that he had eaten that day. She knew she hadn’t given him anything to upset his digestion. She’d been careful because she didn’t want him to arrive sick.