“I guess we should talk,” I suggested, “before Liam wakes up again.”
“Yeah, living room?” Ridge asked.
I followed behind him until we each took a separate corner of the couch. “Sorry, did you want a drink?”
“No, let’s talk and then we’ll worry about pleasantries. How are you going to manage with Liam at night by yourself.”
“I guess we’re jumping right in. My dad, DD, and Drake are all set to take turns. My mom offered, too. I need to have a conversation with her first about why Drake thinks I won’t want that to happen.”
Ridge shifted uncomfortably but I already knew his stance. That news needed to come from my family, not him.
“Do you mind if I’m here during the day at least?”
“I don’t mind. He’s your son, too. I think I’m mostly worried about you wanting to take him with you for now. I’m not producing enough breast milk yet to stash any away. That means we’d have to put him on formula, as well, and I really don’t want to have to do that.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Ridge offered in a soothing voice. “I’m not taking Liam anywhere without you for a long while. He needs his mom more than he needs me. I’m not stupid. As long as you don’t keep him from me and it’s okay for me to be here with you, I don’t see why I’d need to take him anywhere else.”
“Okay,” I agreed nervously. “Sorry,” I swiped at a stupid tear that fell. “Apparently between the hormones and head injury I’m a bit extra in the drama department these days.”
“Did they say when that might change?” There was no judgement in his tone. Ridge was just curious.
“Depends, I guess. Considering I got hit with a double whammy, the official answer is we have to wait and see. Due to me breastfeeding and the injury, both Dr. Macon and Carson said they would rather not put me on any mood-altering mediations unless it was absolutely necessary. I guess it is hard to tell if the head injury is improving if I’m altering my status.”
“Still, if it is something you need…” Ridge’s voice trailed off when he saw me smile. “I missed that,” he said.
I knew what he meant. I missed the small things we used to take for granted as well. “If it is necessary, then I will have to swap to formula feeding and take the medications for a while and then slowly come off them again for assessments at a later date. There is a plan in place for any eventuality.”
“That’s good to know.” Ridge shifted sideways on the couch, so he faced me. “Your health is top priority. Our son is doing just fine, but we need to make sure you are as well.”
“Don’t worry, I have it covered.”
“I know you do, Vi. You always did. Just… shit… you’re not alone in this anymore. I know you never were because of family and DD and Moreland and Gabby, but…”
I put the man out of his misery. “I know what you mean and thank you. I’m glad you’re here, Ridge.”
“Me, too. More than you’ll ever know, Vi. I…” he started to say more and then stopped himself. When I was about to encourage him to say more, there was a knock on the door. Then someone used the key to let themselves in.
“Knock, knock,” DD called out. She glanced over at the couch to see that Ridge and I were facing one another in an obvious, ‘we’re having a chat’ position. “I can come back later, or go hang out in the nursery,” she suggested.
“No,” Ridge said as he stood up. “I think maybe I should get going for the night. It’s been a long day and I’m sure you’re tired.” He looked at me and all I could do was nod like an idiot. I was tired, but we were nowhere near finished with our conversation. I had so many questions for him. Like why he didn’t reach out to me or fight for us at all. I supposed those could wait until next time.
Chapter 26
Ridge
For the next three weeks, I basically lived between my office - the new one I chose because I couldn’t stand to be in the other one anymore - and my parent’s house. I was, for all intents and purposes, homeless. Not in the traditional sense, since I had the means to afford a place but because I still hadn’t chosen somewhere new to put down roots.
I decided to search for the perfect house for my family. The one that would fit a future with all three of us in it and maybe a few more kids down the road as well. I wanted to move Violet and Liam into a house with me instantly, but I knew she would never agree to that. Still, it killed me every time I had to leave her apartment.
I missed the midnight and two in the morning feedings and changes. I knew there were a lot of men out there who would give anything to be able to get a decent night’s sleep and not have to get up with a baby. I wasn’t one of them. I was up anyway, worried about the possibility that I might never be able to convince Violet to be mine again.
I also didn’t want Vi to be angry that I chose a house without her input - even though I knew she’d never give me the time of day if she thought I was house hunting for us. Instead, I enlisted my mother and Violet’s best friend, Duri, to help me narrow down the choices.
Duri had been playing a game with Violet about which house she might choose if money wasn’t an option and she might have more children in the future. According to DD, my wife shot down the theory of more children or marrying anyone else.
I took the last bit as a good sign. I didn’t want her to marry anyone else either. Violet was meant to be my wife and only mine. She never said she wouldn’t marry me again, so I held onto hope that I could make it happen one day. I just had to earn her trust back.
Duri would send me links to the houses Violet loved and she highlighted the things my wife loved about them. I, in turn, fed that information to my realtor and she started to narrow down the options for homes. It was a daunting process, but one I refused to drop the ball on. Even if I couldn’t live in the house with her right away, I wanted Violet to have more room to spread out, maybe get back into her party planning business, have a gym where she could work on physical therapy for her arm, and maybe one day invite me to move in with my family again.
