Page 88 of Decidedly With Baby
The little princess in the bassinet stirred. I gently scooped her up, supporting her neck, and cradled her against me. Then I walked to the wooden rocking chair andsat.
She peered up at me and gave a little yawn…and my heart melted rightthere.
“Hi, I’m your daddy,” I said softly. “I’m the one who was singing to you while you were in Mommy’s belly. I’m so happy to finally meet you, little one. I’m the man who’s going to protect you and your mommy. And I’ll teach you how to keep all the dumbasses in line.” I cringed. “Oops. I wasn’t supposed to say that word. How ’bout we don’t tell Mommy?” I smiled down at the littlebundle.
“How about Mummy forgets she heard you say it—just this once?” my favorite Aussie said and I lookedup.
28
Holly
Nothing is sexierand more breathtaking than the sight of a baby in the arms of a big, rugged hockeyplayer.
Don’t believe me? Take alook.
Josh was sitting on the wooden rocking chair, cradling our daughter—and I knew without a doubt that he had already fallen unequivocally in love withher.
But how could henot?
“I see you’ve already met your daughter,” I saidsoftly.
He smiled at me in the way that always turned me heated. Even after twelve hours of labor and pushing out a seven-pound baby, he still had that power overme.
“I have. She’s beautiful, just like hermother.”
And apparently south of the equator wasn’t the only place to heat up. My face got pretty hot too. “Thanks.”
“Any idea what we’re going to call her?” he asked. “I’m guessing Noah is no longer on thetable.”
Definitely not—even though I really did love thename.
“I thought maybe we could name her after my grandmother.Lily.”
He studied his daughter for a moment. “She looks like a Lily. All right, Lily it is. If it’s okay with you, I’d like her middle name to be Grace—aftermygrandmother.”
Lily Grace. “It’sperfect.”
“I was thinking,” he said, smiling at Lily in a way that clearly suggested she already had him wrapped around her finger, “of maybe taking a picture of her and me together. Then the team can release it. People are going to find out I’m now a father”—he nodded at the door—“and it’s not like I’m trying to hide that I have achild.”
“That’s a great idea.” Plus, then I’d have a copy to look at whenever Josh wasn’taround.
“I was also thinking”—he glanced back up at me—“that maybe we could move in together. Probably your apartment since she already has her roomthere.”
Did you hear that? No? That was because I’d stopped breathing. I wasn’t too surprised that he wanted to go public about the birth of his daughter. But had I even for a second thought he would suggest we live together as afamily?
Was Australia’s national animal the polarbear?
“I still have my apartment, but I can sublet it until my lease ends,” he said. “Or I can stay where I am now if you’dprefer.”
I think I might have blinked. I couldn’t be sure. My mind was still trying to digest what he had justsaid.
And then it hit me. Well, more like what he had meant by the second part hit me. Did he really think that I didn’t want him to live with me andLily?
I grinned. “I would love it if you moved in withus.”
Like afamily.
Which we nowwere.
