He looked amazing. Like strength, safety, and comfort all rolled up in masculine hotness.
To Ryder, who now fretted beside her, she said, “It is Mr. Becker.” Together, they stepped to the door and she unlocked it.
She barely had it open when Ryder scrambled out and threw himself against Hendrix’s legs. “Mom was scared! She thought you might be a bad guy and it scared me, too.”
Hendrix’s brows tightened even more. He laid a hand on Ryder’s unruly mop of blond hair and met Joey’s gaze. “If you or your mom is ever worried, let me know. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Ryder’s eyes widened even more. “But aren’t you afraid of being out there all alone?”
“I’m not your mom, bud.” He held Joey’s gaze. “I’m a lot bigger, and I can handle trouble.”
Heat suffused her skin, making her self-conscious. To brazen it out, she stepped back and waved him inside. “I wasn’t exactly scared, but I wanted Ryder to understand caution, that he can’t just open the door. I need to do it, and only after I see who it is.”
Hendrix still watched her, and as he tried to move, Ryder stepped on his feet, clasped his knees, and grinned up at him.
More heat joined her face. “Ryder, Mr. Becker doesn’t want to play–”
“I don’t mind playing,” Hendrix said. “I just need to know the game.” He caught Ryder under the arms and lifted him up to eye level. “So what are we doing, squirt?”
Ryder hung in his grasp. To Joey, he was a small tank, to Hendrix, he apparently weighed nothing.
Loving it, Ryder said in his excited voice, “I’m gonna stand on your feet when you walk.”
“Ah, I see. Okay, let’s give it a go.” He lowered him down, then did a quick turn so that Ryder swung out away from the cabin. Hendrix had a good hold on him and gently lowered him back to the front deck. Smiling, he looked at her. “We’re eating at my place. Do you two need jackets?”
Eating at his place? Joey stared at him. “Oh, but I thought –”
His gaze unwavering, he said, “Pizza is already there, probably getting cold.”
“Wait!” Ryder hopped off his feet. “I got somethin’ for ya.” He raced back inside.
After her unhappy marriage, surprises annoyed Joey, so she knew her smile was stiff. “We just need a moment.”
The accusing tone didn’t faze him. “No problem. I’ll wait here.” He seated himself on the top step of the small deck.
Inside, she stalled Ryder long enough to stuff him into a jacket and pull a hat onto his head. It was a cooler day, moisture thick in the air, and the night would get downright chilly. Thankfully, they wouldn’t have far to walk. “Wait one second for me to get ready.”
“Ah, Mom. I’ll be with Mr. Becker. I wanna give him his card. Okay?Please?”
She’d have to talk to Ryder about his whining, but for now, she couldn’t resist his excitement. “All right. But the two of you will wait for me.” In case she was correct and Hendrix had a real aversion to Christmas, she didn’t want him to hurt Ryder’s feelings.
In a rush, she changed from her baggy long-sleeved T-shirt to one more fitted, then added a thick, pink, zip-up hoodie. Gloves were already in the pockets. One glance at her hair and she knew she didn’t have time to make a difference with it. She snatched a white hat off a hook and tugged it down over her ears. She wasn’t more than thirty seconds behind Ryder.
At the kitchen counter, she snatched up her keys, turned out the lights, and stepped outside. At the last second, she took in the scene before her and very quietly secured the door.
Still on the top step, Hendrix stared at the card with an expression of emotional awe. Ryder snuggled close beside him – closer than she’d ever seen him willingly sit with his father or hisgrandparents. Other than Joey, it was only her sister who ever got that sweet reaction from him.
What really struck her was how comfortable Hendrix appeared too, as if little kids always crowded his space.
Naturally, her heart went squishy, both with tenderness and fear. By staying here, was she setting her son up for heartbreak? She tried so hard to be enough for Ryder, to fill the void of a missing father and extended family, yet she knew it was an unrealistic goal.
Kids needed friends and community; her son was as social as any little boy his age. But for right now, she was all Ryder had.
“I was addin’ more stars when you got here. Do you think it needs more? I could put some over here.” Ryder pointed at the card.
“I think it’s perfect,” Hendrix said in a very low, gruff way, as if he needed to clear his throat. “It doesn’t need a thing.”
“For real?”
