“I missed you guys too.” She grabs Knox’s little hand. “Morning, cutie. You feeling better today?”
He smiles at her because—like father like son—he’s enamored with her.
“Have you had breakfast?” I ask her.
“Actually . . .” She holds up a bag of takeout. “I swung through the drive-thru and picked us up a variety of breakfast sandwiches. I’m exhausted,” she admits.
“Me too. It took me a while to fall asleep and then this guy decided he was ready to jam this morning, so we’ve been up for a few hours,” I say, covering a yawn.
Reluctantly, I release my hold on her and allow her to step inside. I close the door and flip the lock back, my way of locking out the outside world—today is just our time. Something I’ve been craving with her for weeks. I find her in the kitchen unloading the bags.
“There’s milk and juice, I think, in the fridge. There’s also bottled water and a fresh pot of coffee. It’s what keeps me going these days.”
“Water’s fine with me. What about you?”
“Milk, but I can get it.” I walk toward the fridge.
“Ridge, sit down and let me do this.”
I don’t argue with her because I don’t want to ruin today. I don’t want her to leave when she just got here.
“Eat,” she says as she sets a tall glass of milk in front of me. She does the same, unwrapping a sandwich. “Looks like someone’s losing steam.”
Sure enough, I look down at Knox and his eyes start to fall shut, then pop back open. He’s fighting it, but he’s not fussing. Whatever was bothering him must have subsided. I hate that he can’t tell me what he needs.
She finishes her sandwich and holds her hands out for Knox. “You finish, I’ll take him.”
“You don’t—” I stop myself when she gives me a ‘don’t argue with me’ look. Instead, I transfer him from my arms to hers, steal a quick, chaste kiss, and tear into one of the other sandwich.
“What do you want to do today?” I ask between bites.
“I’m up for anything.”
I watch as she gently sways back and forth, patting his little bottom. His eyes finally fall shut and stay that way. “You are the baby whisperer.”
“Nah, just love kids.”
I quietly crumple up my wrapper, drain the last of my milk, and stand. “I’ll go lay him down.”
“I can do it.”
I nod, knowing the less we transfer him back and forth the more likely he is to stay asleep. “His Pack ‘n Play is in the living room; we can put him there.”
She follows me there and gently lays him down. It doesn’t seem to faze him. “Now what?” she asks me, just as I’m covering a yawn. “Never mind.” She grabs my hand and leads me to the couch. “Lie down and get a few more hours of sleep.”
“No.” I refuse to miss a single second of my time with her today.
“Ridge, you’re exhausted.”
I pull her into my chest with the hand she’s holding. “I want to spend the day with you,” I say, my voice low.
“I’ll be here.”
“Not good enough. I’m not missing this time with you to sleep. I can do that later.”
“No, you can’t. You have a newborn, Ridge. You have to rest when he does. Don’t be stubborn.”
I yawn again before I can even answer her. I know she’s right, but I’m fighting it anyway.
“What if I lie with you?” she offers.
That changes the game. I don’t reply, just lie down on the couch and pat the spot in front of me. She shakes her head, wearing a small smile, and takes her spot. I pull the blanket we used last night off the back of the couch and drape it over us. My hand rests on her hip and she uses my arm as a pillow.
My girl, she’s a smart one. This is the best idea she’s had yet.
“You’re making me sleepy,” she says, stifling a yawn.
“You feel good.” I slide my hand around to rest on her stomach. The T-shirt under her hoodie has ridden up, so my hand touches soft, warm skin.
“You’re warm.” She relaxes further into my hold. “Sweet dreams,” she says, and that’s the last thing I remember before sleep takes me.
I hear the soft sounds of Knox’s babble, and I know I need to get up. It’s not until I hear her sweet voice that my eyes pop open.
“Shh. We don’t want to wake Daddy. Remember the plan? We need to let him sleep as long as we can.” Knox babbles some more at her. “I know, tell me about it,” she whispers. “You got your belly full and now you’re ready to play, huh?
She’s so damn gorgeous. Her hair is messy with not a stitch of makeup, and the sight of her in this moment will star in my every fantasy from here on out. “Hey,” I say, my voice still thick with sleep.
“Hey, hope we didn’t wake you?”
“Nah, how long has he been up?”
“About an hour or so. He had his bottle and a new diaper, so he’s ready to go.” The way she smiles down at my son lights a fire inside me that she accepts both of us.
“What time is it?” I sit up, rubbing my hands over my face.
“Twelve thirty.”
“Shit. I’m sorry, you should have woken me up.”
“I had just woken up, needing to use the bathroom, when this little guy started to stir. He and I talked about it, and we decided to let you sleep.”
I stand and walk over to the loveseat and sit down beside them. “Is that how it is, little man? You ditch old Dad for a beautiful woman?” I ask my son, reaching out and letting him latch on to my finger.