“Is that the last of them?” Ridge asked as he unloaded the last of the crates from the back of her SUV. She had taken Delilah to the local nursery this morning so Ridge could get a few extra hours of sleep after his evening shift.
He had turned down the Fire Chief position from his uncle, who was completely supportive of his nephew’s decision.
River had grown close with Ridge’s family, his Aunt Amy becoming somewhat like a mother to her. She had filled the hole her grandmother had vacated.
Her grandmother had suffered three more strokes over the winter season, the last ending her life a week before Valentine’s Day. She hated witnessing Sue’s worsening health, but there had been a bright spot despite the debilitating disease. Her grandmother had an instant and undeniable affection for Delilah and Ridge. Once he had been stable enough to leave their house after the explosion, River had taken them to visit with the nurse’s permission. Sue had taken one look at Ridge’s daughter and her entire mood had changed. And until her last day, Sue had more good days than bad, thanks to the little girl playing in the mulch bed.
Ridge and Delilah’s move into her house had been seamless, mostly because they stayed at her home a few times anyway. She liked having them close and sharing her space. River also enjoyed the fact that she had unlimited access to Ridge’s Carson Fire Department shirts.
“That’s the last one. There were only three,” she called out from the little stool in her flower garden. She was planting flowers for the spring, something she hadn’t been able to do in years. That was if she could keep Delilah from pulling the small flowers out of the ground the moment River planted them.
A horn sounded from across the street and River turned her head, guarding her eyes from the sun with her hand. She watched as Austin Connelly’s pickup truck with his construction logo emblazoned along the side parked across the street. Ridge’s home had been a total loss, but Poppy and her husband Jameson were quick to rebuild on the lot. Austin and his crew had already framed the entire structure, working tirelessly to finish the home before the summer.
She had to chuckle as her annoying neighbor, Paul, stomped out to the truck with his preppy popped shirt collar. He had made it very clear that he didn’t appreciate the construction noise on the weekends. Watching him try to argue with Austin, who stood half a foot taller with more muscles, was better entertainment than a soap opera.
Turning back toward the flower bed, the sun glistened off her hand and she couldn’t fight back the smile that grew as she took in the two-carat ring on her finger. Ridge had proposed three months ago at the Carson Mountain Winery where they’d had their first date. That time was special, not only because of the engagement but because the ring had been her grandmother's. It was something she had admired since she was a little girl. It had been one of the most magical moments in her life.
She still had hang-ups whenever he was called to a job, but she worked on those with Amy’s help. The woman had opened up about her own struggles with Joseph’s schedule, but she explained that the town was also part of that family. They would need protection and, in turn, would be there for her as well. River was never going to be truly alone.
“Oh, sweetie, don’t put that in your mouth.” River swiped the flower’s identification tag from the toddler’s hand, earning an angered pout. “How about we go see if daddy wants any lemonade?”
The child’s pout quickly morphed into a smile as she reached her arms upward. “Mama, up,” she demanded.
River was still getting used to Delilah calling her mom, but Penny had been okay with the moniker. She was back in California in a low-crime jail, but they spoke to her once a week. She was doing better and hoped to be out on parole soon. Dominic was in a mess of his own making. The United States, Mexico, and Colom
bia were all fighting over rights to try him for his crimes in their country. River didn’t really care; she just wanted him locked away for life.
With Delilah settled on her hip, they made their way over to Ridge who was standing on the porch with the empty jug. She never got over the way he looked at her, with love and happiness. River was sure it mirrored her own expression. The corner of his eyes lifted the smallest amount whenever he saw her with his daughter. They had been discussing adding to their family, and River couldn’t wait to give Delilah a sibling.
“How are my two favorite girls?”
“Thirsty and dirty,” She explained as she held out Delilah’s palm caked with dirt.
“A little dirt never hurt anyone,” he said as he reached forward and tickled the little girl’s stomach.
“True enough. I’ll head inside and refill the lemonade.”
“That’s okay. You rest here and I’ll take care of it.”
“You’ll choke if that cape gets any tighter around your neck,” she called out to him as she settled into the wooden rocking chair with Delilah on her lap.
A butterfly landed on the porch railing and the little girl’s face lit up in delight at its appearance.
A minute later, Ridge returned and poured them each a glass of the freshly squeezed drink and took the seat beside her.
This was more than she could have ever dreamed of. She had been kicked down, trampled on throughout her life, and used until she had nothing left to give. She had no idea that her happily ever after would come in the form of a cherub-faced little girl and her father. A man that swooped in and saved her from herself and gave him something else to live for beyond the flicker of a flame.