Page 40 of The Irish Rogue

“I had one installed this morning. The same brand that you use, so we just need the one carrier.”

She stared at him, dumbfounded. “How in the world did you get a car seat?”

“There’s a baby store in the next town over. I called up the manager and convinced her to open the store for me.”

Kennedi’s eyes narrowed. “Convinced her how?”

He bent down and brushed his lips over hers. “Do you care?”

She thought about it while her pink tongue darted out, licking her lips as if she wanted to taste him. A good sign, he thought.

“No, not really,” she told him, then glanced at her watch. “I really have to get out of here. Are you sure you don’t mind staying with Declan today? I can take him into the office. If things get too busy, I have a day care that will take him for a few hours. Or I could call Dorothy. She had an appointment today, but I know that she will–”

“Go!” he said, interrupting her spiel. “You figured this out all on your own. I can do the same. I’ve been reading since early this morning. If I have any questions, I’ll call you.” He kissed her again, this time, lingering a bit.

She didn’t pull away.

“Go,” he urged, softer this time. “Be a good supply manager and I promise that we will both still be alive by the time you get back tonight.”

Kennedi eyed the duo, both of whom were staring back at her with nearly identical expressions. How was that possible? Yes, she’d seen the similarities in Declan and Sean, but her son was only three months old! How could he be looking back at her with raised eyebrows just like his father? The little man didn’t even have the muscles in his forehead to do that yet!

With a grunt of exasperation, she reluctantly grabbed her purse and the diaper bag before walking out of the house. When she realized what she was doing, she dumped the bag back down on the table, groaning with frustration. “I’m losing my mind!” she declared as she headed into the garage.

And ignored the sexy chuckle behind her.

Sean waited a beat after Kennedi left. When he heard the garage door open, her car start and then, moments later, the car drive away, he knew that he was alone.

Ignoring the spark of panic, he looked at Declan who was staring back at him, his tiny mouth open in shock. And there was a similar expression of panic in his eyes as well.

“We’re going to be fine,” he vowed.

Declan wasn’t convinced, his tiny fists bouncing for a moment before he batted Sean’s mouth.

“We’re going to have to work on your left hook, little man,” he told Declan, then turned and looked around. “So, what are we going to do first?”

He walked over to the fridge, noticing the list. It was an agenda. Plucking the piece of paper out from under the magnet holding it, he read through the list, then down at Declan. “Wow, you are a busy guy!”

Holding Declan’s head gently, he lowered him to the play mat, then sat down next to him. He glanced at his watch and knew that his friends would be calling soon, hungry for more information. The curt message about his son’s existence wouldn’t suffice for Matteo or Levi. They’d want details.

“So, what do you want to be when you grow up?” he asked, to fill the silence as Declan batted at the toys dangling over his head. He barely even glanced at Sean.

“Oh, so that’s the way it’s going to be?” he teased, putting a hand on the boy’s stomach and wiggling him slightly. “You think you can get away with ignoring me?”

Declan kicked in response. “That’s better, young man!”

And then he realized that a diaper changing was in order. And it was a pungent urgency!

“Okay, we got this,” he said with a worried voice. He jumped up and looked around for a new diaper. “It’s going to be okay. I watched a video on doing this last night!”

For the next twenty minutes, he tried to change Declan’s diaper. After cleaning the little man’s butt, and wondering how such a small body could produce such an enormous amount of the most disgusting shade of poop, he got the fresh diaper on. It took him four tries, but finally, he got the fourth diaper securely attached. There were three other, thoroughly shredded, diapers beside him as well as Sean’s shirt. That would need to go into the washing machine, and lesson learned on covering that special part of his anatomy that liked to pee straight up in the air. Also, lesson learned, don’t hover over the man while taking off his diaper. Stay back at an angle.

He dumped his now-soaked shirt into the washing machine and, because it wasn’t very full, he looked through the house, collecting other clothes from Kennedi’s and Declan’s room, tossing them in as well, and started the machine.

“Okay, now what?” he asked Declan. He gave him a right hook this time. “Fine, you just keep your opinions a secret. See if I ever tell you the secret to buying and selling stocks at a profit!”

Declan beamed and something strange happened in Sean’s chest. It was almost like his heart twisted slightly. But before he could figure out what that meant, the doorbell rang.

For some reason, the red-clad woman from the night before popped into his head. As well as the man who had carried her off.

---