Ridge paused at the doorway to his bedroom, his eyes focused on the corner beside the small window. It’s where he brought his daughter home from the hospital when his ex-wife begged for a night of rest. He wasn’t the one that had gone through the labor and delivery, but even he was exhausted from just being in the room. Luckily his sweet girl was the best baby ever and only cried when she was hungry or wanted a cuddle.
Delilah squirmed in his arms as she twisted her head the other way on his shoulder, which reminded him that he needed to get on the road soon to make the trek across the country to North Carolina.
His truck sat idling in the parking lot with a large trailer hooked to the back with the few items from his apartment and a ton of new furniture and clothes for his daughter that his teammates at the Sunnyville Fire Department purchased for him. He hated to be a charity, but he needed the help. Ridge still wasn’t sure where he was going to live once he reached Carson, but he knew his aunt and uncle would have him set up in their house until he found a place for him and Delilah.
His biggest worry was a job. He knew that there were options for him; working for his cousin in construction, operating a grill at his other cousin’s café, but he hoped his uncle Joseph would be able to take him on in his small fire department. But Ridge knew joining his uncle’s team was all based on the town’s budget, and from what he remembered, the budget only allowed for his uncle to work full time and for volunteers.
Ridge settled his daughter into her car seat with a gentle touch before turning toward the team, waiting to send him off. He shook the hands of the men and women he had fought fires alongside. The friends that Ridge had worked with to save lives, crew that had been more like brothers and sisters to him. Finally, he came to Grady and Dylan, hugging the sweet songwriter before gripping his friend’s hand and wrapping an arm around his shoulder in a man hug.
“Call us along the way and when you get there,” Dylan demanded and he knew that if she didn’t hear from him, there would be hell to pay.
“I will,” he promised as he moved toward the truck once again, hitching his body into the cab. Ridge leaned his arm out of the vehicle with the window down, waving goodbye to the friends that stood with him and beside him all these years.
It felt surreal as he pulled away from the lot, the trailer bouncing behind him as he maneuvered onto the main road. Ridge had a thirty-seven-hour drive that he planned to only break it up at night if Delilah could manage it.
Despite how wonderful his daughter had been during the trip, it still took them around six days to make their way to the North Carolina state line. They had run into some stormy weather in the Midwest and had to spend an entire day in Nebraska. Thankfully a toy store was across the street from the hotel he and Delilah were staying at and he got to spend a whole day spoiling his daughter. She was now the proud owner of four new stuffed animals and some electronic toys he was sure were going to drive him crazy. But if she continued to grin at him with her toothy smile, he’d grin and bear it for her.
“Alright, sweet pea, we’re almost there,” Ridge told his daughter as he glanced in the rearview mirror, savoring her smile reflected in the small mirror attached to the headrest across from her seat. Delilah answered with a gurgle as she chewed on a giraffe teething toy.
The road weaved between mountains and valleys. A large lake appeared when his GPS alerted that the town of Carson was about an hour away. Ridge eyed the large wooden structure and rows of vines as he passed. He could tell the winery was new, and hopefully, once he was settled, he would find a reason to come out this way with his daughter.
Delilah started to fuss just as the exit for Carson approached on the highway. He knew she was both hungry and most likely needed a diaper change, but he didn’t see anywhere to pull off. He hoped against hope that she could make it just a while longer.
Perhaps she understood that they were getting close to their final destination, or she was too busy staring by the large sunflowers in the fields on either side of the road, but she had quieted as they approached the downtown of Carson. Ridge shook his head as he slowed at the first stop sign. The town hadn’t seemed to change at all since he was here ten years ago or so.
The truck lurched forward as he passed three blocks until he came to a diner that instantly had his stomach rumbling.
“Hey, baby girl. Want to grab some lunch with daddy?” he asked even though he knew his daughter couldn’t reply. She did mumble a few sounds that sounded like “Da Da” which had his heart sputtering.
He noticed that the parking lot was full with a quick eye, but by a stroke of luck, across the street a large moving truck was pulling out, opening up a
handful of spaces he could occupy.
Focused on maneuvering the truck and the trailer, he tossed a quick wave at the person driving the moving truck before pulling into the spaces. Keys in hand, Ridge jumped from the truck and opened the back door to his daughter’s delight.
After a quick diaper change, he carried Delilah across the street and entered the diner.
“Well, I’ll be. Is that little Ridge Connelly?” a voice called out from behind the counter. Ridge instantly recognized the older woman that had been working at the diner since he could remember. Ethel was a mainstay at Angie’s.
“Yes, ma’am. And I brought my daughter with me.”
“Oh my word. Well, you just find a seat and I’ll grab you a high chair. Then you can tell me all about what you’ve been up to.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Ridge replied, his aunt Amy's southern manners ingrained in him coming back effortlessly. He and Delilah took residence at a booth in the corner just as Ethel brought out a high chair that looked older than Ridge was.
“What are you doing in town?” Ethel asked as she rested her hip on the corner of the table.
“Well, Delilah and I are moving here.”
“Oh, how lovely. I bet your aunt and uncle are just over the moon.”
“Well, I haven’t told them.”
Ethel blinked at him as if she couldn’t believe the words that he had said.
“Ridge Connelly, you better hope no one tells Amy and Joseph before you get the chance to, or bless your heart, you’re going to be begging the Pope himself for forgiveness.”
For the first time since he left California, Ridge worried that maybe he hadn’t made the best decision. He could only hope that his aunt and uncle would understand.