Page 62 of Her Summer Hope

It was one thing to know intellectually that your employee had a baby, but it was another to be faced with said baby. Even if he was attracted to her a little—which he was absolutely not—being faced with her tiny child would most likely turn him right off.

Being the mother of an infant didn’t exactly scream sexy and attractive and all those other adjectives that seemed to draw men in like bees…not that she wanted to.

She sighed as she lugged the heavy seat out the door and over to Helen’s. Each time she picked it up it seemed to weigh more. If she didn’t know better, she would think Helen had been feeding Emmie donuts during the day.

The boys dashed ahead while Ellie demanded that they stop acting crazy and wait for her, their backpack of kid paraphernalia—and probably five or six books—bouncing on her back.

Meanwhile, Madison was counting in her head to calm her anxiety.

∞∞∞

“Well, Emmie-bug, this is it. The end of the line,” she said, listening to the ticking of the cooling engine.

The backyard had turned into a yard game extravaganza.

A battle line of mosquito-repelling Tiki torches edged the carefully manicured section of grass while the haze of heat from the grill baked lines into the air. The smell of charcoal and grass filled the air, reminding her of childhood summers.

Gentle baby noises from the backseat finally spurred her to get out. Em was calm now, but she wasn’t exactly patient.

She had just cracked her door when Cal glowered at her from the deck. He pushed away from the rail and strolled down the steps as she was opening up the back door of the car. She unbuckled the seat belt and lifted the handle, shifting the car seat to her elbow while grabbing the diaper bag with her other hand.

“Let me,” he growled, taking the bag without even giving her a chance to object.

He shut the door and motioned for her to go up first. She looked around, surreptitiously seeking out Kyle, but not sure that she actually wanted to see him. She was hoping to disappear into the kitchen right away and maybe stay there until the meal was finished like always.

Aiden was in the kitchen waiting for her, checking over the hamburgers that he’d shaped. He looked slightly less dour than usual, and when he saw Emmie a ghost of a smile passed his lips.

“Cute kid,” he said. “She looks like you.”

“Thanks,” she said, setting the car seat out of the way. “I pride myself on my gummy smile.”

He chuckled, the unmoving scarred side of his face a contrast to the unwounded side. She felt a wave of maternal affection for him, even though she wasn’t much older than he was. He just seemed…young.

Cal put the diaper bag in the corner and she nodded to it. “Can you hand me that baby carrier in there?”

He looked down at the bag and back at her with a raised eyebrow. “Why?”

“Uhhh, so I can cook? I can’t just let her roll around the floor.”

He rolled his eyes. “You don’t want someone to watch her?”

“You offering?” she teased, stepping around the island to dry her hands on a towel.

“No. I can make Evans do it. Babies love him.”

She scoffed. “I’m sure they do,” she muttered under her breath. “I’m not letting Cassanova babysit my infant,” she grumbled.

“Did I hear someone mention me?” an exuberant voice called out, pushing through the door of the dining room. He stopped in the doorway as he spotted Emmie. “She’s one chunky baby,” he said, impressed. “You got her on some high-fat milk or something?” he asked, squatting down.

“Or something,” she said, shaking her head.

“Hey there, butter cheeks,” he cooed in a high-pitched voice. “Look at you! You’re all fat and cute, aren’t you?! You want a cheeseburger, mein uber chonk?”

Emmie grinned, drool leaking down her chin.

Murdock looked disgusted at Wyatt’s display, but she knew better.

Evans stood and looked at the light pink baby carrier that Murdock was studying with blatant suspicion as it dangled from his fingers. “This looks like half a parachute harness.”

---