Page 80 of Nailed (Dad Bod Contracting 3)
Nate rolls his eyes at me. “Dude, Mom, you’ve asked me this like fifty hundred times already. Yes, it’s okay.” He shrugs, a sly smile on his face. “I think it would be cool if we lived with him. I bet you have all sorts of cool stuff at your house, huh?”
Ryder laughs. “I think that would be pretty cool, too, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. You and your mom have your own house where you live.” He ruffles Nate’s hair. “But yes, I do have a lot of cool stuff. I live on a big old farm, and there’s tractors to take apart, a big barn to climb in, and there’s even a rope swing. In the summer, one of my favorite things to do is swing out and jump off into the creek.”
Nate jumps up and down, giddy with excitement. “MOM! We can just move there, right? We don’t need this old dump.”
I laugh. “Whoa, there. I happen to like this house; so don’t go calling it a dump. And we can’t just invite ourselves to live with Ryder. Like he said, it’s more complicated than that.”
Nate rolls his eyes. “Remember what I said about when adults say things are complicated? It just means you don’t want to explain it.”
I laugh again. “Okay, fine. You’re right. The complicated part is that Ryder and I are just starting to really get to know each other. It’s a little soon for us to move in together.”
Nate waves a hand in an airy dismissal. “Nah. You guys are totally in love. You’re gonna get married. We should just move in.”
“Nate—” I start.
Ryder interrupts me. “I mean, I’m sort of on his side.”
I stand up slowly, my eyes on Ryder’s. “What?”
He grins. “I know what I know, baby girl.”
I cross my arms and arch an eyebrow at him. “And what is it you know?”
“That it may be crazy, but I’m all-in. As far as I’m concerned, you guys could move in today. One phone call and I’ll have the guys with their trucks and trailers, and we’ll have your shi—your stuff moved in by dinnertime.” He tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. “But I also get that you may not be ready for that step, and I get that you may not want to leave your house. This is your home, and I can’t expect you to just pick up and move in with me. I’m just saying—it may be a little soon, but this whole thing has happened whirlwind fast, and this is par for the course for us, it seems to me.”
I search his face, and all I see is genuineness, openness. He’s totally serious.
“Ryder—don’t—don’t…” I’m not going to cry again. Nope, nope, nope.
I turn away, pace into the kitchen and pour myself a fresh cup of coffee, just for something to do while I gather myself. I stir the coffee, even though I didn’t put cream or sugar into it.
I feel Ryder behind me.
“Laurel, I didn’t mean to upset you, I just—”
I turn, putting my butt to the edge of the counter, holding my coffee mug as a shield between us—mainly for the sake of Nate’s innocence. “You’re serious?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” he murmurs, quietly so only I can hear him.
“It’s crazy!”
He just grins and shrugs—and the way he does this reminds me of Nate. They’re two peas in a pod, in a lot of ways. “Yeah, but when you know, you know. You know?”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Today?”
“Or whenever.”
I bite my lip. “Have you thought about this, like really thought about it? Me moving in means Nate moving in. It means you’re assuming the role of stepdad, for all intents and purposes.” I stare up at him. “It means me and Nate all up in your business, all the time.”
He nods. “That has crossed my mind, and I’m not going to lie, being stepdad or whatever to Nate is a little intimidating to think about, but only because I’d be worried about fu—about messing it up.”
“I don’t mind!” Nate says.
We both laugh, and I cup Ryder’s cheek. “News flash, baby—you’re gonna mess up. That’s called parenting.”
“I have zero experience.”
I nod, smiling. “I know, but you’ll do fine.”
Ryder frowns. “Okay, so…is this happening? Are you—are you saying yes?”
I nod. “It’s absolutely crazy. It’s probably a little irresponsible of us, but like you said, when you know, you know. You know?” I turn to Nate. “What do you think?”
“Can I stay home from school and help pack?”
“I guess that answers that question.” I laugh, and have to step away from Ryder so I can think clearly. “This feels rash.”
“It’s totally rash and impulsive,” Ryder says. “But it also is unquestionably the right thing, as far as I’m concerned.”
I glance at him. “Do you have enough room for us?”
