I’m not a boy, Mrs. Nichols. I’m all man. “Tyler,” Reagan scolds.
I smirk. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I don’t mind waiting for you.” I give her arm a gentle squeeze before walking past her to the front of the shop.
“Girl,” this from Brenda.
“Spill,” Carol insists.
“Not yours my rump,” Mrs. Nichols chimes in.
I stop when I reach the door and turn to face her. “Reags,” I say, getting her attention. I wait until she turns to look at me. “I’ll see you at six.”
“Tyler.” She sighs.
“Enjoy your lunch, baby.” I wink at her, which only causes her to shake her head at me. A small smile plays on her lips. I’m not even out the door before I hear them all talking at once. Good. My intentions are out there. Ridge knows, and now so does she. If I had to guess, Mrs. Nichols and Mrs. Marks will also keep the small-town gossip mill burning with my little visit today.
As I’m climbing in my truck, my phone rings. Glancing at the screen, I see Ridge’s name. “Hey,” I answer.
“I need a favor. Are you busy?”
“Nope. What’s up?”
“Kendall is working today, and I just got a call from the bank. There’s some kind of issue with the last draw we requested for the Montell job. I have to go up there and sign some papers.”
“Okay, what do you need from me?”
“Can you keep an eye on Knox? He just went down for a nap. Mom and Dad are both fighting colds, and I don’t want to risk getting him sick. I called Dawn, but she and Mark are at some air show—”
“Say no more. I’m in town, so I can be there in about fifteen minutes.”
“That’s perfect. The bank closes at one, so that gives me plenty of time to get there.”
“Sounds good. See you in a few.”
“I owe you one,” he tells me.
“Nah, I’m happy to spend time with my nephew.” Knox isn’t related to me, but Ridge is like a brother. That’s when it hits me. If things work out with Reagan, like I hope they will, Ridge could one day be my brother, and I’ll truly hold the uncle title with Knox. Just one more reason to not let her run.
When I pull into his driveway, Ridge is sitting on the front porch with a sleepy Knox in his arms. “Hey, buddy,” I say as I approach them. He pulls his hands down from where he was rubbing his eyes and lifts his arms in the air for me to pick him up. “Uncle Ty’s here. Did Daddy wake you up?”
“Right.” Ridge laughs. “Daddy’s quiet time is a rare commodity these days. Especially Daddy-Mommy quiet time,” Ridge says.
“Can’t be too bad. You have a little brother or sister on the way,” I tell Knox.
“Trust me. It’s not enough. One day you’ll see. Speaking of, how are things with my sister?”
“That was just last night,” I remind him.
“I know you.” He shrugs.
“She came over last night. We talked. She’s worried about all our connections if things don’t work out between us.”
“Then don’t let her have time to worry.”
“It’s like you read my mind.” I chuckle. It feels good, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders to talk to him about this, but at the same time, it’s weird since it’s his little sister. But what can I say? The heart wants what the heart wants. I’m not naïve enough to think my heart’s not involved. Not after last night. Not after spending so much time with her over the last year. Really getting to know her. This is more than just a crush. I care about her. I challenge anyone to spend any amount of time with that woman and not grow fond of her. It’s impossible.
“Thanks, man. I shouldn’t be gone long. Half hour maybe.” He leans in and kisses Knox on top of his little head. “Daddy will be right back,” he tells him. Knox doesn’t seem to care. He’s more fascinated with getting his little digits buried in my beard. It’s kind of our thing.
When Ridge gets back about a half hour later, he finds me and Knox in an intense game of roll the ball. We’re sitting in the grass, legs spread apart, rolling a ball back and forth. I’m sitting as close to him as I can get so that I don’t have to get up and chase it every time. He’s loving it, laughing his little boy giggle that touches my soul. I love this kid. I never thought I would say that about someone else’s child, but this little guy, he’s skilled at latching onto your heartstrings.
“There’s Daddy,” I tell him. He cheers and claps his hands, but doesn’t move from our game.
“He can do that for hours,” Ridge says, walking up next to us.
“Well, we started as soon as you left,” I tell him, and we both laugh, which makes Knox belly laugh as well. He’s over exaggerating it and it’s cute as hell.
“Thanks, Ty.”
“Anytime. I had fun. Knox, Uncle Ty’s gotta go. Bump it.” I hold my fist out for him. He makes a little fist and bumps me back. When I stand to leave, he climbs to his feet and barrels into my legs. Picking him up, he immediately goes for my beard. “I’ll see you soon, buddy,” I say, handing him to Ridge. He goes willingly, resting his head on his dad’s shoulder.
“Did Uncle Ty wear you out?” Ridge asks him.
Knox just watches me. “Looks like he’s ready for another nap.”
“He should be. He didn’t sleep very long. It’s almost as if he knew you were coming over.”
“That’s my boy,” I say, grabbing his foot and making him grin. “All right, I’ll see you guys later. Tell Kendall I said hey.”
“Will do.” With a wave from both of them, after some coaching to do so for Knox, I’m in my truck and heading home.
A few minutes after six and I keep checking the front window, waiting for her to pull in. She texted me about thirty minutes ago and said she was going to be a little late. Apparently, she had a late walk-in—a longtime client with a hair emergency. I have no idea what that could be. Anyway, it put her behind. She didn’t say how late, but that doesn’t keep me from watching for her anyway. I should have had her clarify when but all I really cared about was that she was still coming over.
I wanted to take her out tonight, that was the plan, but she mentioned she was exhausted, and I feel bad about that. We were up late last night, so it’s best we do another night in. We can watch more of that show we were watching last night and just relax. Only this time, when she’s in my arms, it won’t be me wishing there was more between us. It will be with the knowledge that there is more. That we are more, and I couldn’t be happier. The more I think about it, the harder it is for me to keep myself in check. I don’t know where she’s at with us—just a crush, she’s exploring, or if she’s feeling this deep-rooted connection that we have as well. If I had to guess, I would say the latter.
I’ve made spaghetti for dinner. It’s one of the things I can make and not screw up. Boil some noodles, add some sauce from a jar, and voila. I have some beer in the fridge and some Little Debbie Brownies for dessert. It’s the best I could do on short notice. Besides, she loves those brownies. That’s why I bought them.
My phone rings in my hand. I see her smiling face. It’s a picture of her and Knox I took a few weeks ago. “Hey,” I greet her.
“Hey,” she says, sounding exhausted. “I’m not coming over. I’m sorry, but this has been a shit day.”
“What happened?”
“Just busy at the shop and then… woman problems.”
“Ah,” I say, already knowing that she has issues with her “woman problems” as she calls it. I’ve known her our whole lives, and this last year we’ve spent a lot of time together. “Anything I can do?”
She laughs softly. “No, Ty. Thank you, though. I just want to put on some comfy clothes, takes some pain medicine, and curl up on the couch.”
“Do you need anything?”
“Just a night to chill.”
“That’s what I had planned. I made dinner and everything.”
“You cooked?” she asks, surprised.
“I cooked for you,” I correct her.
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“I’m sorry, Ty.”
“Don’t be. You take care of you. I’ll be home all night, so call me if you change your mind or if you need anything.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you soon,” she says before the line goes dead.