Placing my hand on his cheek, I have his full attention. “He’s a part of you, Ridge. This is a package deal, and I’m good with that.”
He closes his eyes and his lips find my forehead, placing a tender kiss there. I drop my hand and lean against him, and we sit like that for the next hour. His hands tenderly rub circles on my legs, draped across his lap.
“Is the food ready?” Tyler asks.
“Yeah, I’ll go set everything out.” Reagan stands and heads to the kitchen.
“I’ll help.” Dawn follows her.
I stand as well, and without thinking, kiss Knox on his little cheek. “Here, Daddy, I’m going to help too.” I gently place Knox in Ridge’s arms. His hands slide around the back of my neck, pulling me closer. His lips touch mine, all too briefly, and then he’s releasing me.
I can feel the guys staring as I walk to the kitchen, and I wonder what they think of all this. Of Ridge and me, the way he acts with me? I don’t get to dwell on it long because as soon as I clear the kitchen door, Dawn and Reagan are all over the topic.
“Holy shit, my brother just claimed you.” Reagan claps her hands loudly.
“What? No, he . . .” Well, shit. He did, and I don’t have a rebuttal.
“That was so hot,” Dawn adds.
“I mean, he’s my brother, so there is some ick factor there, but damn, if that were Tyler . . .” She lowers her voice. “Hot as hell.” She fans her face with her hands.
“When did this happen? How could you not tell me?” Dawn asks.
“It just did.”
“What?” she asks, confused.
“You saw it happen.” I can’t help but grin when I see understanding cross her face. “We’ve been talking, and he’s told me he’s interested, but this . . . tonight was it. He made it official.” I shrug.
“Is that what you want?” Reagan asks me.
“Yes. He’s all I’ve been able to think about. I look forward to his phone calls, his messages. I think it’s worth seeing if there’s something there. I just. . . .”
“You just what?” she repeats when I don’t say anything.
“I don’t want to be his rebound,” I confess.
“What are you talking about?” Her expression shows that she’s truly confused.
“He just lost her, Knox’s mom, and now . . . It’s too soon.”
“Shit. I thought you two had been talking?”
“Pretty much every day, either by text or phone.”
“Have you asked him about all of this?”
“Yeah, but he said he wanted to do it in person, and we’ve just not had the opportunity.”
“You let him claim that this was serious before you knew,” Dawn points out.
“Yeah, I just . . . I really want to see where this goes. I guess I’m willing to get my heart broken to find out.”
“That won’t happen,” his deep voice says from behind me.
Shit.
Slowly, I turn to face him. He stalks forward and wraps his arms around me, his large arms engulfing me in the best hug I’ve ever received. His chin rests on top of my head.
“Give us a minute,” he tells Dawn and his sister.
I don’t try to pull away to see if they granted his request. Instead, I grip the back of his shirt and enjoy the fact that I’m in his arms. It’s almost as if both of us are afraid the other will disappear.
“We need to have that talk,” he finally says.
This time, I do pull back. “Where’s Knox?” I ask.
He chuckles. “Tyler has him, although I would bet one of the girls has stolen him by now. I need you to take a walk with me. Will you do that?”
“Ridge, you have people here,” I try to protest. I don’t expect him to leave his home when he has company just to pacify my worries.
“Don’t care. They know where everything is.”
“We can talk tomorrow.”
“No, now. I don’t want another second to go by with you thinking you’re not what I want or that I’m not ready to give you all of me.”
“Where are we going?” I concede.
“Just for a walk. I have a small pond out back with a gazebo. We can go there.”
“Okay.”
He kisses the top of my head, laces his fingers through mine, and leads us back out to the living room. We’re both surprised when we see Tyler still has Knox. Reagan whispers something about baby whisperers, and I giggle. I just can’t help it.
“Hey, can you all keep an eye on him for a little while? We’re going to take a walk.”
Reagan and Dawn must have clued the guys in, because they didn’t bat an eye when all six of them assured Ridge that little man was in good hands. He nods his thanks, grabs a throw blanket from the back of the couch, and leads me through the dining room to the patio door.
“Watch your step,” he warns as we make our way down the deck steps.
“Steep,” I say, holding onto his hand for dear life. The dew has set in, making them slippery.
“Yeah, something I’ll need to change for the little guy. Probably add another level to the deck or something.”
“You have time for those things later.” He worries so much.
“Yeah,” he agrees, pulling me into his chest and wrapping his arm around me.
“Wow, this is really nice.”
“Thanks. It’s part of why I bought the place. I wanted some acreage, and the guys and I like to fish and have a few beers. Makes it a hell of a lot easier when you can walk home after.”
“I bet.”
The silence of the night takes over, but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s actually nice, enjoyable even. When we finally reach the pond, Ridge leads me down the dock until we reach the gazebo that sits at the end.
He takes a seat on the built-in bench and pulls me onto his lap. Grabbing the blanket, he wraps it around me. “Better?” he asks.
“Yes.”
He buries his face in my neck and just holds me tight. I don’t speak, not sure what I’m about to hear.
“I’ve not exactly been excited to share this with you. Not that I’m ashamed, but I didn’t want you to think differently of me.”
I don’t say anything, just lean my head against his shoulder and wait for him to continue.
“Little under a year ago, the guys and I had a job out of town. It was a good gig; we would stay there through the week and drive home on the weekends. We started to frequent this local bar. It was basically a hole in the wall.” He laughs. “Anyway, it was the perfect place to grab some dinner and a cold beer after a long day.”
I’m hanging on to every word, waiting for the part that he wasn’t thrilled about telling me to fall from his lips.
“Anyway, our last night in town, we settled in for a few beers. That’s where I met her—Melissa, Knox’s mom.”
He pauses, collecting his thoughts. I remain still.
“She was beautiful and drinking alone. She seemed sad, so when I went to the bar and got us all another round, I invited her to sit with us.” He clears his throat. “She was easy to be around. One thing led to another, and she invited me back to her room.”