Page 82 of With A Little Luck
I think my crush on Ridge never really disappeared, and it just came rushing back with a vengeance.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Quincy
Iexamine the rest of the goodies while Ridge watches with a soft smile.
The dresses will fit once I have the baby, so I make the choice to keep them. There are two circular LED lamps that are small and can be voice activated to give a little lighting in the nest if you’re busy or don’t want to get up. It also came with two candles, a white-noise machine, and pillowcase ice packs. Most of the space was taken up by a vacuum-sealed pillow, two throw blankets, and a big comforter.
It’s a lavish gift, but I do my best not to make a big deal about it.
Once we’re done examining everything in the bin, Ridge asks me to accompany him upstairs. Watching King follow him up the stairs makes me snort. He’s like a little tank on a mission, and his grunts and chuffs are cute as hell.
With the massive container in his arms, I can’t get too close to Ridge, but I follow him down past the pack bedroom. At the very next door, he drops the bin near the wall.
“This room is the smallest, but it’s the closest to the pack bedroom.” He clears his throat and reaches for the door handle, pushing into the room.
He steps inside and stands against the door, waiting for me to follow him.
King has no reservations. He bounds inside, and I follow him in.
It’s not small compared to what I’m used to, but compared to the house, I understand what Ridge meant. It’s empty, other than a brown dresser on the wall to the left.
Ridge steps up behind me, snaking a hand around my middle. “What do you think?” he murmurs, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“It’s a very nice room.”
Does he want me to move out of the pack bedroom and into this room? I wouldn’t mind. It’s smaller and will likely help to soothe my instincts.
“It’s right across the hall from me and right next door to you and Hart.” He soothes his hand over my stomach. “The hallway that leads to the nest and the bathroom in the pack bedroom actually ends on that wall where the dresser is. We could probably have a company come in and make a doorway if you’d like. That way, you won’t even have to walk out into the hall to get over here.”
“W-Wait…” My jaw falls as what he’s saying clicks. “You want to turn this room into a nursery?”
“That’s the plan.” There’s a hopeful lilt to his tone, and my eyes ache as I blink back tears.
He might have made me nervous last night, but he’s more than made up for it since. Beyond that, I firmly believe that he was owed a couple of hours to freak out and decide what he wanted to do moving forward.
I tookweeksto come to terms with things.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t force away the tears, and they fall down my cheeks. Spinning around, I bury my face in his side and stretch up on my tiptoes to get closer to his neck.It’s useless, but I end up with my forehead resting against his shoulder and my nose in his armpit.
Ridge freezes.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, sniffling and trying to force myself to relax.
I’m happy.
A little overwhelmed, but I’m grateful he’s making an effort to set up a room for the baby.
“You’re okay,” he murmurs, nuzzling his cheek to the top of my head. His strong arms wrap around my back, and I whine. It comes out sounding muffled, and even I don’t know what I’m asking for.
Comfort, maybe?
Reassurance that he forgives me for leaving that morning with no way to contact him?
Why am I suddenly losing my shit?
“All right,” Ridge says softly. “You need a minute. I didn’t mean to spring too much on you at one time.” He kinda squats and wraps a forearm under my bottom. He lifts me, and the baby belly pushes against his stomach. I try to suck in a little, but it doesn’t help, and he chuckles. “Yeah, sorry about that. I’m going to need to lay off the pizza and beer.”
