Page 21 of Snowed-in With The Mountain Man
The domestic scene nearly undoes me. Ridge sitting cross-legged in a blanket fort, pretending to sip tea with my daughter. The ease between them. The natural way he's stepped into our lives, filling spaces I didn't even realize were empty.
Later, after Chellie is tucked into bed with promises of sledding tomorrow if the generator holds out, my phone buzzes again. Another text from Rick.
Unknown:Got your address from Peggie at the pet store. There’s so much you can find out with a charming smile and a good story. Nice guy you're shacking up with by the way. Hear he's good with MY kid. We'll talk tomorrow.
My hands shakeas I show Ridge the message. His jaw clenches, muscles working beneath his stubble.
"Peggie," he mutters. "Dammit."
"He's coming here." Panic rises in my chest, constricting my breath. "Tomorrow."
"Let him come." Ridge's voice drops to a dangerous rumble. "I'll be waiting."
"No." The word comes out sharper than I intended. "That's exactly what we're not doing."
His eyes narrow. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I don't want a confrontation." I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite the fire. "You don't know Rick. He feeds on conflict. Uses it. If you confront him, it'll just make things worse."
"So what's your plan? Hide? Run again?" There's an edge to his voice I haven't heard before. "Because that's worked so well so far."
The comment stings like a slap. "That's not fair."
"Neither is letting this asshole terrorize you and Chellie." He runs a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body. "I won't let him intimidate you in my home."
"It's not about intimidation. It's about strategy." I pace away from him, needing distance. "If we antagonize him, he'll use it against us. He'll claim I'm keeping his child from him out of spite."
"He abandoned her before she was born!" Ridge's voice rises before he catches himself, glancing toward the hallway where Chellie sleeps. "He doesn't have a leg to stand on legally."
"Legal doesn't matter if he can manipulate the situation." My voice shakes with the effort to stay calm. "You don't understand how he operates."
"Then explain it to me." He steps closer, reaching for my hands, but I move away.
"He's a narcissist. He twists everything to make himself the victim. If you threaten him, he'll spin it into a story about the aggressive new boyfriend keeping him from his child." The words pour out, old fears bubbling to the surface. "He'll charm everyone who listens. Make them question my stability as a mother."
"You can't actually believe?—"
"I lived it, Ridge!" My control slips, voice rising despite my best efforts. "I watched him manipulate every situation until I doubted my own sanity. Until my friends believed I was the unreasonable one."
He stares at me, conflict clear in his eyes. "So what's your solution? Let him waltz in here like he owns the place? Like he owns you and Chellie?"
"My solution is to meet him in public. With witnesses. To stay calm and reasonable no matter what he says or does." I swallow hard. "To make sure there's nothing he can use against me."
"That's not a solution. That's a surrender."
The accusation hits home, reopening old wounds. "You think I haven't fought? That I've just been weak? You have no idea what I've been through."
"I'm not saying?—"
"Yes, you are." I step back further, walls rising instinctively. "You think this is simple. Black and white. That your brute force approach will solve everything."
His eyes flash. "I'm trying to protect you."
"I don't need your protection." The lie tastes bitter on my tongue. "I need your support. There's a difference."
"Stella—"
"No." I hold up a hand, stopping him. "I've spent two years walking on eggshells, making myself smaller, trying not to trigger Rick's temper. I won't do the same with you."
