On the Ridge by Jayda Marx

Chapter Nine

Zane

 

I woke up and smiled through a stretch before reaching out for Ridge. But I grabbed only cool sheets, and panic gripped me until I heard faint conversation coming from the living room. My nerves settled at the sound of Ridge’s warm voice. I was becoming very attached to the man and couldn’t stand the thought of him leaving me.

Excited to see him again and eager to check on my dad, I leapt from bed and stepped into a pair of briefs and jeans, and pulled on the sweatshirt Ridge gave me the day before. It was still clean; I hadn’t worn it very long, and I wanted his clothing on my body.

After a pit stop in the bathroom, I hurried out to the living room and beamed at the sight; Ridge had built a roaring fire and was sitting next to my dad, who was propped up in bed. The two of them were talking and laughing together. It meant so much that they got along so well.

Ridge turned his attention to me when I stepped into the room. “Good morning, beautiful,” he greeted as he stood up. My cheeks flushed and Dad smiled before sipping from the mug he held. “I made tea. Would you like some?”

“That sounds great, thank you.” He kissed my cheek and went into the kitchen while I took the seat next to my dad.

“Someone looks happy this morning,” he teased, and my cheeks grew hotter. He chuckled and put his hand on my shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Z. Ridge is a good man and he obviously loves you, so he passed my test.”

“I think I’m falling in love with him too,” I confessed in a whisper, and Dad nodded.

“I can tell. I’ve never seen you smile the way you did when you walked in and saw him.” He gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before drawing his hand back. “I think it’s great.”

I was grateful for his approval, but I wanted to change the subject before Ridge returned, so I asked, “What were you two talking about?”

“You, mostly. I told him stories about when you were little and showed him some pictures from our old albums.”

“You didn’t.”

“Oh, I totally did.” Dad smiled and added, “He thought you were an adorable kid.” I wasn’t; I was gangly and awkward and had acne until I was seventeen. Dad laughed again as I groaned. While I wasn’t thrilled with their show and tell session, I was happy to hear him laugh. He hadn’t looked so happy and refreshed in over a month.

“Here you go,” Ridge said as he returned to the room and handed me a mug. I cocked my head; the liquid inside definitely wasn’t from the little bags I had in the kitchen. “I made it from ingredients found in the woods,” he explained. “It has black spruce which helps with cough and boosts immunity, and wintergreen, which relieves pain and helps digestion.” I gawked at him; he had made the elixir from scratch, and it had the exact ingredients to help my father.

“And it’s delicious,” Dad added, taking another drink from his own cup. When he lowered it, I saw that the liquid inside was nearly gone. It was the most he’d drank at one time in weeks. I was so overjoyed that my eyes watered. When I looked up at Ridge, who was standing on the other side of my dad’s bed, he just winked at me. He needed no thanks or recognition for helping take care of my dad. He did it out of the kindness of his heart. Oh yes, I definitely love this man.

“So, when are you two heading out?” Dad asked, looking between us.

I furrowed my brow. “Out?”

“Oh, doesn’t he know?” Dad asked Ridge.

“Know what?” I was definitely out of the loop after their bonding session.

Ridge looked at me hopefully and said, “I’d like to take you to the city for a date.”

My heart fluttered with excitement over my first actual date before dropping. “That sounds really nice, but I think it’s best if I stay home.” I didn’t want to leave my dad again; especially with the way I found him the night before. “Maybe we can all watch a movie together instead,” I suggested, pointing to the television in the corner.

Ridge smiled and nodded his agreement, but Dad groaned. “No, you’re not going to stay cooped up in this house because of me.”

“But Dad-”

I tried to explain that I didn’t mind staying with him, but he interrupted, “No buts. You two need some time alone and I’m not going to ruin that.”

“You’re not ruining anything,” I insisted as my eyes grew misty again. “Please don’t say that. You’re my dad; I want to be here for you.”

He sighed and reached out to take my hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I only meant that I don’t want you to miss out on anything life has to offer. I appreciate everything you do for me, but what I need now is for you to go and have a great time. I’m happiest when you’re happy. And honestly, I feel better than I have for weeks. All I need is the TV remote close by and I’ll be fine.”

I chewed my lip while Dad gave me a stern look that told me he wasn’t going to change his mind. “You need your phone close by too,” I insisted, and he nodded with a smile. “Because I’m going to call you every half hour.” He chuckled and nodded again. “And you’ll call me if you need anything; anything.”

“I promise.”

“And I need you to promise that you’ll try and drink some more tea or a protein shake while I’m gone too.”

He snorted and rolled his eyes. “Who’s the father here?” My lips curled up and he squeezed my hand. “I’ll be fine. Go and have a great time. But first, give your old man a hug.” I gave him a tight embrace and he kissed my cheek. “I love you, Z.”

“Love you too.”

Dad looked at Ridge and requested, “Will you take lots of pictures to show me when you get back?”

“Of course.” To my surprise, Ridge leaned down and gave my dad a hug too, which was happily returned.

I filled Dad’s mug with more tea, and placed a protein shake next to his hip, along with the TV remote and his cell phone (after I made sure it was fully charged). I was fussing over him, but I couldn’t help it. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to him while I was gone. After giving him one more hug, I stepped outside with Ridge.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked, regarding me seriously. “I would never push you; if you’d rather stay here, that’s fine with me. I only want to spend time with you. I don’t care where we are.”

I smiled as the tension melted from my tight shoulders. “I’m sure. Besides, Dad would probably throw a fit if I went back in there.” Ridge chuckled and I stepped closer to him, resting my head on his chest. He was quick to wrap his arms around me.

“Thank you for being so understanding with all of this,” I told him. “You don’t know how much I appreciate you looking after him; keeping him company, making special tea, building a fire to keep him warm...it means so much to me.” I squeezed his waist. “You mean so much to me.”

Ridge kissed the top of my head and looked down at me with a pretty grin. “I enjoy my time with him. It’s been years since I talked to my own father and it’s nice to have that again.”

I supposed Dad was a father-in-law to Ridge now that he and I were bonded. It was funny that we were basically married before going out on our first date.

“Plus,” Ridge smirked, “I enjoyed seeing all of your old photos.”

I groaned loudly. “Let’s not talk about those. Can we go now?” He laughed, but he didn’t mention anything else about the pictures, only nodding his agreement.

“My truck is parked on the other side of the mountain, close to the edge of the forest. I can get us there quickly,” he reminded me, pointing to his back to offer me a ride.

“Or we can take my car,” I shrugged, motioning to the blue sedan next to the cabin. “Do you mind driving?” I was a little distracted with my worries about Dad and I didn’t want to put us in danger if I got behind the wheel. Ridge agreed and we climbed into my car and buckled our seatbelts.

“Can you show me how to make that tea?” I asked as he pulled onto the main road.

“I’d love to. I’ll teach you all about the herbs and wild plants found in the forest. There are so many uses for them; foods, medicines, drinks. My pack is well known amongst other shifters because of one very special drink we make.”

He told me all about Dewdrop, his and his friends’ claim to fame. He explained how it was discovered and how they mixed it with other herbs and spices to make a perfect elixir. I was proud to hear how successful he was, and surprised to find out that Rowdy served the drink at a bar.

“I’d like to try it one day,” I remarked, but Ridge winced.

“I’m afraid it’s lethal to humans because of its potency.”

“But Rowdy serves it at his job?”

“To other shifters. Many of our kind go to that particular club because it’s owned by shifters. They know that they and their secrets are safe in the environment.”

“So humans don’t visit the bar at all?”

“No, they do. They just don’t know who is there with them.”

“But what if Rowdy accidentally gave some Dewdrop to a human?” I asked in concern. “They’d be killed!”

Ridge reached over to pat my knee. “You don’t need to worry about that. Remember how I told you shifters have keen senses?” I nodded. “We can tell what species someone is by scent. Humans, animals, shifters; we can identify them with one sniff.”

That piqued my curiosity. “What do humans smell like?” I didn’t think we had a typical smell unless we forgot deodorant or something.

Ridge bobbed his head left and right. “A mix between salt and steak.”

“Well that sounds delicious. No wonder the bear tried to eat me.”

He tipped his head back and laughed. “It’s a pleasant smell, but nothing compared to the scent of one’s mate. It’s a special aroma which calls to the instincts of the shifter.”

“So what do I smell like to you?”   

“Poppies.”

“Hmm. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually smelled a poppy.”

“They smell incredible,” he replied with a wink, and I couldn’t help but smile.

We made comfortable small talk as Ridge drove through a neighboring town and then into the heart of the city. It had been a long time since I’d crossed city limits, and I was reminded how much I loved the tall buildings and bustling streets. I wouldn’t want to live there, but it was nice to visit. 

Before long, Ridge parked in a lot in front of a tall building which had neon lights on the front that read Mountain Trek. When I looked at him curiously, he explained, “It’s an indoor rock climbing business. There are several different terrains and all of them have harnesses and safety lines to secure you so that you won’t fall. You said that you’d like to try mountain climbing and I thought this might be fun. What do you think?”

I beamed at him. “I think it’s incredibly sweet that you planned this for me.” He was giving me an opportunity to do something special in an environment where I’d be comfortable. “I’m excited to do this with you.” My smile faltered. “You are doing this with me, right?” He climbed actual mountains and might not think this was a good time.

“Absolutely.” He lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles. “I want to experience everything with you.”

I flung myself across the console and hugged him tightly. “Thank you.” There was no one else with whom I wanted to explore everything the world had to offer. When I released him, I asked, “Do you mind if I call to check on Dad before we go in?”

“Of course I don’t mind. Take your time.” I puckered my lips and received a sweet kiss before I pulled out my phone.