I snap out of my trance and walk toward him. He places his hand on the small of my back and leads me into the diner. It’s a slow Sunday afternoon, so we find a booth in the back corner. The waitress is there bringing one of those stands we can set Knox’s seat on. We thank her, order our drinks, and she disappears.
“What are you getting?” he asks.
“I’m starving, so it all sounds good.”
“I think I’m going to get a steak hoagie and fries.”
“I’m going with a turkey club and cheese sticks.”
After we place our order, Ridge digs a diaper and wipes out of the bag and removes Knox from his seat. “I’m going to go change him.”
Not a minute later, he’s back looking frustrated. “There not one of those changing station things in there.”
“There is in the women’s. Let me do it.” I stand and hold my hands out for the baby.
Ridge grumbles, but hands him over along with the diaper and wipes. He kisses me on the forehead then stalks to the counter to no doubt complain about not having said changing station in the men’s room.
When I get back to the table, I give him the wipes and sit down, still holding Knox. He’s such a good baby, and I know even though he won’t admit it, it’s nice for him to have a break.
“I can take him.” He starts to stand.
“I got him,” I say. Then it hits me that maybe he doesn’t want me holding him. “I mean, unless you don’t—”
“Stop it,” he growls. “Anytime, Kendall. Anytime you want to hold my son, you do it. You are not some damn stranger off the street.”
He read my mind. “Good.” I smile.
The waitress brings our food and I start to eat with one hand. “I can take him,” Ridge offers again.
“I know, but you eat faster than me. You finish, and then you can feed him while I eat.”
“You eat first, and I’ll feed him.”
“No dice, Beckett.”
He grumbles but doesn’t fight me further.
“Well, isn’t this cozy?” a leggy blonde asks, stopping at our table. Ridge immediately stops eating and glares at her.
“Stephanie,” he greets her coolly.
“I see you found a stand-in mommy,” she seethes.
“I told you I was done, now leave.”
“What? Without an introduction to your little stand-in?”
“She’s my girlfriend. Leave now, Stephanie,” he grits out.
She laughs humorlessly. “Really? Well, you move fast, don’t you? Did you know that his baby is a bastard? That he only wants you so he doesn’t have to do it on his own? Is that really what you want?”
Ridge slams his fist down on the table, and I’m sure all eyes are on us. I reach out and place mine over his, his eyes immediately snapping to mine. I smile at him, hoping he can see that her words aren’t affecting me and shouldn’t get to him either. Once I see he’s calmed, I turn and face Stephanie.
“If you knew him—really knew him—you would know that, up to this point, he’s done it all on his own. You would know that I had to force him to let me hold this little guy while he ate. If you really knew him, you would know that he puts those he cares about first. Furthermore, if you knew me, you would know that I want them both. I know this little angel lost his momma, and I’m honored that I get to be a part of his life. As for you—” I stop and take a minute to look at her with disgust. “—if I ever hear you call this baby anything other than his name, you will answer to me.”
“Listen, you little—”
Ridge stands. “Leave, Stephanie, now!” His voice is low. Lethal.
“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” our waitress says.
“Me? What about them?”
“Ma’am, this is a small establishment, and we’ve all heard what happened. You aren’t welcome here.”
“Whatever.” Stephanie turns on her heel and stalks out of the diner.
“I’m sorry about that,” the waitress apologizes.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I tell her.
She nods. “Can I get you anything else?”
I glance at Ridge and he looks . . . defeated. And angry. “No, just the check please.” Turning to Ridge, I push his plate toward him. “Eat.”
“Kendall, I can—”
“Eat, Ridge. This little guy is going to be hungry soon. We had a plan, remember?”
“Dammit, Kendall, we need to talk about this.”
“And we will, when it’s just us, without half the town listening in.”
“I won’t lose you over her,” he says emphatically.
I reach across the table and he grabs my hand immediately. “You won’t. Just eat. We’re going to finish our lunch, and I promise we can talk after.”
He nods, bringing my hand to his mouth for a soft kiss before releasing me. I finish off my cheese sticks just as Ridge finishes eating. I pass Knox off to him so he can eat too. I try to focus on my lunch, but it’s rude to not make eye contact when talking and Ridge . . . Well, he’s sexy and distracting. He’s currently still brooding, this big tough guy holding this tiny baby. It’s an image that will forever be engrained in my memory.
As soon as we walk out of the diner, I run into Mr. Williams and his wife. The guys and I just built them a new home a few months back.
“Ridge, hi! Good to see you,” he says, holding out his hand for me to shake. “You remember my wife, Nancy.”