A man can only hope.
The guys are already working on the trim around the cabinets by the time I make it inside.
“No shit?” Mark asks.
Tyler must have filled him in. I shrug in response. What can I say? I want her. I can’t explain it, and honestly, I don’t want to.
“What’s the plan for this weekend?” Kent asks.
“There’s a fight on Saturday night,” Seth suggests.
“Sounds good to me. My place. I don’t want to have Knox out that late.”
They all nod their agreement. “I’ll call Reagan, we’ll need food,” Tyler says. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him to have her invite Kendall and Dawn, but I don’t. I keep my mouth shut. We’ll get there; with everything in me, I feel it.
“You all will have to keep it down, or I’m kicking your asses out. Can’t have you waking my boy,” I warn them. It’s still strange to me, but then again it’s not. We seem to be settling in okay. I guess like Mom always says, “God will not give you more than you can handle.” I think I’ve had my fill for a while, unless it’s Kendall. He can give me Kendall.
I push thoughts of Kendall and my son out of my mind and dive into work. It’s not until the guys start complaining that they’re starving that I realize how much time has passed. I suggest we go to the diner, hoping to run into her again. Overnight, I’ve become the guy who chooses a restaurant just for the chance to get a glimpse of the girl. I let that sink in, and surprise even myself when I realize I really am good with it.
“You just want to see your girl,” Seth teases.
“Yep.” No point in denying it. Not to them.
“Holy shit,” Kent says.
“You’re sunk, brother.” Tyler laughs.
I nod. “Yeah, I think you might be right.”
“Fucking crazy shit, Beckett,” Mark chimes in.
“It is,” I agree. This is not me—hell, any of us really. We’ve been good flying solo with the occasional hookup, settling down not on our radar.
Wait, settling down? Is that what I want?
“I bet—” Kent barely gets the words out before I cut him off.
“No,” I grit out. “No more bets. Stephanie was a huge mistake, and just . . . no. I won’t make any bets that have anything to do with Kendall. I want no part of that shit.”
He holds his hands up, palms out. “Got it.”
“Lunch,” Mark grumbles.
I couldn’t agree more. I can only hope we run into my girl.
We all arrive at the diner at the same time, and I quickly scan the room. They’re not here. I tamp down my disappointment then pull out my phone and text her.
Me: At the diner. Was hoping to see my girl.
Kendall: Your girl?
Me: Yeah. She’s gorgeous. Her name’s Kendall, you know her?
Kendall: You seem sure of yourself.
Me: I am.
“Dude, you gonna order?” Seth asks.
I get a burger and fries with a sweet tea and go back to Kendall.
Kendall: I packed today.
Me: Bummer. 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, with him in my arms. 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.”