Page 9 of Daddy's Unexpected Gift

“She gave us both homework. I don’t think she would appreciate being called a little girl, Mr. Sterling.”

I hated being corrected by Wayne, especially when he was right.

Cecelia. Logically, I knew she had to be at least twenty-three or so. After all, her job did require a college degree. But she was diminutive and curvy. Almost to the point of being distracting. Good thing her harsh demeanor put the brakes on that train of thought.

“Shall I take Miss Georgie for a while?” Wayne asked.

I lifted the kid from my lap and handed her up. Wayne took her and immediately began babbling at her. He seemed more comfortable with her after Cecelia’s visit as well. Maybe her brusque and forthright attitude had made us pay attention better.

“Miss Georgie should have some toys, a little dolly or something. There is nothing here to keep her occupied,” Wayne said.

“I’ll add it to the shopping list.” It was a substantial list and growing. The many lists Cecelia had left with me had everything from food and dishes to clothes and furniture. “I’ll probably only get about half the clothes. Georgie is only here temporarily.”

I was thinking out loud. What was I going to do with all the baby furniture once the agency found her father?

Wayne was singing something and danced awkwardly around with the baby in his arms.

“You look like you’re getting the hang of that,” I commented.

“She is a sweet little thing. I feel bad for how yesterday and this morning went. I wasn’t as helpful as I could have been,” Wayne admitted.

Then again, I wasn’t very good, either. “We were both ill prepared to deal with having a baby delivered. Didn’t you ever work for a family with children?”

“Absolutely not, and I’ve never had any of my own. I am not well-versed in dealing with babies.”

“You look like you’re doing fine. However, I want to remind you that you are not a nanny.” I joked a bit. “She is going to take all of your attention if you aren’t careful.”

“Maybe you should consider hiring a nanny?” Wayne suggested. He sniffed rather dramatically before shifting his attention back to the baby in his arms. “Please, hire a nanny.” He stepped closer to where I sat scrolling through an online catalog of baby furniture.

I could smell the reason he was so emphatically in support of hiring a nanny.

“I’ll buy you a new Lexus,” I started.

“I already drive a Mercedes. A Lexus would be a downgrade,” he responded with a wry chuckle.

“You can use the jet whenever you want,” I countered.

He lifted a single judgmental eyebrow at my feeble attempt at bribery. It was not in his job description to change baby diapers.

“Fine.” I pushed to my feet and took Georgie from him. My ward, my responsibility.

“While I’m changing her, take a look at that website. It looks like I can order a complete matching set of all the furniture we’ll need. I’d like your opinion on the style and which room should be converted into a temporary nursery for Georgie.”

I couldn’t choose between the white set or the dark cherry. Neither fit my personal aesthetic. I didn’t even know if I’d be able to find Mid-Century Modern baby furniture. Did such a thing exist? I needed furniture for Georgie immediately. That did not give me the luxury of contracting with an interior decorator to locate something I’d like in my penthouse.

Not feeling comfortable balancing Georgie on the bathroom counter as Cecelia had so aptly managed, I unrolled the changing mat on the bathroom floor. For such a small body, she created a rank mess. “How did all of this fit in your little body?”

Georgie made a gurgling sound, almost like a giggle. She started to kick her feet, but I grabbed her pudgy legs to stop her from flailing around.

I held my breath and got her cleaned up. I had to change her clothes, again. Maybe my decision to not order all of the clothes Cecelia had put on the shopping list wasn’t the best plan. This was the baby’s fourth outfit change today.

I tossed the soiled clothes into the tub and the diaper into the trash. “You’re a little stink bug, aren’t you?” I asked as I lifted her back into my arms.

She giggled and grabbed my nose. That was adorable.

“Let’s get you dressed and go order you more clothes.” I’m not sure why I was talking to her. It wasn’t as if she could understand me or respond. She moved her mouth around as if she were talking, the occasional babbling sound coming out as her little tongue pushed in and out of her rosebud of a mouth.

Georgie’s good nature seemed to last until we returned to the living room where my laptop was set up. The cranky version of the baby came back when I sat and started scrolling back through the websites to find the one where I had purchased clothing items from.

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