Ping. I jump from the couch and run to get my phone from the kitchen, all the while praying it’s him.
Ridge: How was your day?
I’m sure my smile is blinding, just from a simple text message.
Me: Uneventful.
Work was smooth today. Thank goodness. We had a full schedule, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Me: Yours?
Ridge: Great, actually.
Me: Good deal.
Lame, I know. What else do I say? ‘Tell me, I want to hear about every second’?
Ridge: It is. Want to hear about it?
Do I? Hell yes, I do. I type a response but wait to send it, slowly counting to sixty first. I don’t want to sound desperate—when, in reality, that’s exactly what I am. Desperate for any little piece of interaction with this man.
Me: Yes.
I clutch my phone in my hands, waiting for his next message. Time seems to creep as I wait, staring at the screen. When it rings, I jump and my phone goes flying. When I finally have it back in my hands, I see the screen.
‘Ridge calling.’
Chapter 23
I wait forever for her reply and when it finally comes, I smile. Three little letters—Yes. Knox is asleep in my arms; he’s got a full belly and couldn’t resist the pull. I know I should put him down, he’s going to want to be held all the time—at least that’s what Mom tells me—but he’s peaceful, and to be honest, I just like to snuggle the little guy. It’s a shock to me, but he’s mine, a part of me. That makes a difference.
I’ve been using text-to-speech; it’s much faster than texting with one hand. Just as I’m about to reply, I decide that I need to hear her voice. I bring up her name and hit send. It rings more times than I would like, and just as I’m about to hang up and text her to ask why she won’t talk to me, she answers.
“Hello,” her soft voice comes over the line.
I close my eyes and let the sound fill me, relaxing into the couch. “Hey,” I reply just as softly.
Knox is sleeping. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
“So, tell me about your day,” she says, keeping her voice soft.
“Yeah?” I ask.
“Mmmhmm.”
“It was pretty great,” I tell her. “You see, this girl, she’s kind of barreled into my life, and I got to see her today—twice, in fact.”
“I see,” she replies. Something in her voice tells me that she doesn’t realize it’s her.
Could she be jealous? “Yep, she’s gorgeous and sweet as hell,” I say, hoping she gets the hint.
“That’s nice.”
“I almost kissed her. I had my hands on her, and I almost kissed her.”
She’s quiet.
“I think I scared her though, because she backed away.”
“You wanted to kiss her?” she asks.
Finally, she gets it. “More than anything.”
She’s quiet, but I can hear her breathing softly. “I don’t want to be your rebound, Ridge.”
Just like that, she’s stopped this game we’re playing and brought us both back to reality.
“I know you’re hurting and lonely, but I can’t be that person for you. I don’t have it in me. I’ve spent too much time in my life being with men who just want me around when it’s convenient for them. I can’t do that anymore. I won’t.”
“Kendall, you are not a rebound,” I say emphatically.
“You’ve been through so much. You may not think so now, but that’s what this would be and I want it. I want to kiss you. I wanted to, I mean.”
Fuck me! “What do I need to do? How can I prove to you that this isn’t what you’ve made up in that beautiful head of yours?”
“I don’t know.”
Knox stirs in my arms and starts to fuss. “He must need a diaper change. He’s only ever fussy when he’s hungry or needs changed. He’s got a full belly.” I don’t know why I tell her that.
“How is the little guy?” she asks, and I can tell she genuinely wants to know.
“Good. We’re taking it one day at a time. I need to change him, I just . . . don’t want to hang up.” I’m a fucking wreck with this girl. Never in my life have those words fallen from my lips. She’s got me waxing poetic and shit.
“He needs his daddy,” she says. I can hear the smile in her voice.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be home all night . . . I mean, if you want to talk some more.”
Yes! “Yeah, let me get him changed and settled. I have to get his bag ready for tomorrow, but I’d like that. To call later.”
“Give him a kiss goodnight from me.”
“Will do. Talk to you soon.” I hang up. “Little man, let’s get you changed,” I tell my son.
By the time I give Knox a bath, pack his bag for tomorrow, throw in a load of laundry, load the dishwasher, and pick up the living room, it’s time for another bottle and to get the little guy to bed. It’s after ten by the time he falls asleep. I kiss his little cheek. “That’s one from Kendall,” I kiss his other cheek. “That’s one from Daddy. Love you, little man.” I get him settled, turn on the monitor, and slowly creep out of his room before rushing down the hall to mine, ripping off my clothes and hop into the shower. After the quickest shower in the history of showers, I’m crawling into bed and reaching for my phone that’s been charging on the nightstand. It’s ten fifteen. I hesitate, not wanting to wake her, but I told her I would call.
The thought of her sleepy voice answering has me tapping her name and placing the phone next to me ear.
“Hey,” her groggy voice greets me.
Just as I imagined it would sound. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t, but another ten minutes and you might have.” She laughs. “Everything okay?”
She’s so damn sweet. Not just the taste of her skin—the little I’ve had the pleasure of sampling, anyway—but her heart. She truly cares. She’s so different from the girls I’ve dated in the past.
She’s the first I’ve pursued like this. Yes, I’m pursuing her. I can admit that much. I want what I told the guys to be true. I want her to be mine.
“Yeah, just a lot to do. Bath time, packing for tomorrow, laundry, dishwasher, bedtime bottle.” I ramble on about what all I’ve done since I last talked to her.
“Babies are a lot of work.”
“Yeah, they are. So, how was the rest of your night?” I change the subject, not wanting to be that guy, the one who whines and gets the girl. I want to know about her—everything there is to know.
“Good. I just chilled, read a book.”
“You read too? Reagan seems to always have a book in her hand.”
“I do. I love it.”
“What else do you do? How do you spend your free time?”
“You don’t really want to hear how boring my life is.”
“I do. I want to know everything about you.” Shit! My mouth just keeps spewing words at her. She’s going to think I’m a stalker.