Page 81 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
A blind man could see that Jude was madly in love with her. The same went for Brody and Shiloh. They were in love. The men treated their women with respect, and I couldn’t stop watching them. I’d never seen a functional relationship before, and it was eye-opening.
I guess this was how it was when you found your soulmate. I envied them.
“Jude, can you just sit down for five minutes?” Lila said as he jumped to his feet. “The world won’t fall apart if you’re not there to take care of every little thing.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Rebel. And now look, my baby girl needs me.” He reached into the jogging stroller and pulled Gracie into his arms before she’d even had a chance to utter a sound. Then he disappeared somewhere to change her diaper.
Lila sighed, watching her husband leave, then turned back to us. “God, he’s obsessed with his baby girl.” She smiled at me. “So… how did you and Ridge meet?”
* * *
While we ate, I talked to Lila and Shiloh. They told me their stories, how they’d met their men, and we talked about Shiloh’s music and Lila’s floral arranging business. I told them I was starting nursing school in the fall. I refrained from mentioning that I’d always wanted to be a doctor because now it seemed too far out of reach to even contemplate.
But I wanted to do something that made a difference. And I wanted a career that would always be in demand.
Ridge’s aunt Kate gave me a smile. “That sounds like a rewarding career.”
I could tell right away that she was kind and warm and that everyone at the table loved her. She was probably one of those moms who had baked cookies, had a hot meal on the table every night, and had been at every game and school event to cheer her kids on and show her support.
I’d never been around a family who were so close and loving. But, at the same time, being around the McCallisters, this big, rowdy family, was overwhelming.
“Levi! Get back here,” Noah huffed when Levi took off. “You want me to get him for you, Mom?”
“He’s okay,” Lila said.
“No. I should get him. I need the babysitting money.”
“What do you need money for?”
“Uncle Gideon said I have to start investing. Then I can grow an empire and live in a penthouse and drive an expensive car just like him.”
Brody snorted. “You don’t want to be just like Gideon. He’s a miserable bast—”
“Brody,” Kate admonished. “Language.”
Noah took off, chasing after his baby brother, which left the seat between me and Jesse open. He glanced over at me, and I pretended to sharpen my knife.
He barked out a laugh.
I stabbed my fork into the pulled pork on my plate. “Tread carefully.”
He laughed harder.
Next to me, I felt Ridge tense. I tuned into his conversation with Patrick, who must have been in his sixties with salt and pepper hair, but he still had a powerful build. Broad shoulders. Barrel chest. Piercing blue eyes.
“All I’m saying is that you can’t afford to screw this up,” he told Ridge. “Talent is not enough. You need to prove that you’re willing to do the work and not slack off. You need to be a more consistent player. It’s all well and good to dazzle the crowd but if you’re—”
“I know what the fuck I need to do.” Ridge threw down his fork. “I don’t need another one of your damn lectures.”
“This isn’t a lecture. It’s constructive criticism. If you can’t handle it, you need thicker skin.”
All conversation at the table had ceased, and now everyone was focused on Ridge and Patrick.
“Lay off, Dad,” Jesse said.
Ridge leveled Patrick with a look. “Thicker skin, huh? Were you raised by a junkie, Patrick? Did you grow up in a poverty-stricken ghetto where drive-bys were a regular occurrence? Did you have to fight for your survival and go hungry when your mother spent all her money on drugs? No. You fucking didn’t. You were living your cushy little life surrounded by your family, and you didn’t give a shit about your own sister. You deserted Shelby. It was your fucking fault that she turned to drugs. So you don’t have the right to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do.”
Ridge stood up and threw down his napkin. “We’re out of here.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the table.
