Читать книгу The Ten-Day Baby Takeover - Karen Booth, Karen Booth - Страница 12

Five

Aiden had learned one thing already—fatherhood was no walk in the park. He’d struggled through his first attempt at feeding Oliver his dinner. With no high chair, they’d had to improvise by wheeling Oliver’s stroller into the dining room. The baby rubbed his eyes and turned his head, refusing every spoonful Aiden offered. He had to hand it to Sarah, though—she only gave advice when asked. She’d otherwise sat by quietly and watched as a man capable of orchestrating billion-dollar deals and negotiating with cantankerous CEOs was unable to convince a fussy toddler to take a single bite of food. Frustrated, he’d finally asked her to do it. She took over, Oliver downing an entire jar of baby food with hardly a single complaint. Aiden walked away from the dinner table with a bruised ego. And baby food on his jeans.

He wasn’t sure what to make of bath time, either. But this time, Sarah took charge.

“This is the only tub you have in the house?”

Aiden failed to understand the question. The tub was perfect, in that it fit two people. For him, seduction was the only reason to get in a bathtub. “Yes. What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s huge.”

“Of course it is. It’s a two-person soaking tub.” He cleared his throat, waiting for her next comment.

“Well, you’re going to have to get in there with him. I refuse to bathe a child in the kitchen sink. It’s not sanitary.”

He turned and dropped his head until his chin was nearly flat against his chest. He was at least a foot taller than her, maybe more, and they were nearly toe-to-toe. She was still wearing the sundress from earlier in the day. Had that really been today? So much had happened, it was hard to wrap his brain around it. “So you’re going to see me naked before we’ve known each other for eight hours? You take things quickly.”

“Very funny. No, Oliver gets to get naked. You’re putting on swim trunks. If I had a bathing suit with me, I’d do it myself. But I don’t, and you need to bond with him.”

He raised an eyebrow. “This from the woman who swore I’d have no problem feeding him dinner.”

She shrugged. “Babies are unpredictable. The sooner you learn that, the better. I promise you that physical contact will help you and Oliver to bond. It’s a scientific fact. Now go change. I’ll get the water running.”

“I like it hot.”

“You’ll get lukewarm and like it.”

He grumbled, but made his way into his walk-in closet, closing the door behind him. He took off his clothes and plucked a pair of board shorts from the bottom drawer of his bureau, slipping into them and tying the white string at the waist. He opened the door. “Ready.”

Sarah turned, glancing at him over her shoulder. Every muscle in his body tightened from that single flash of her eyes and the immediate connection he felt. Good God she was gorgeous, all deep blue eyes and skin flushed with rosy pink. She shied away. “So I see.”

He liked getting that reaction. He liked it a lot. “What now?”

“Get in. I’ll hand him to you.” She tended to Oliver, who was pulling himself to standing at the edge of the bathtub. He bounced up and down on his toes while Sarah took off his pants and diaper.

“He seems excited.”

“Just you wait. He loves bath time. It’s a good thing you’re in your trunks. I’m going to get soaked.”

Aiden climbed into the tub, wrestling with the idea of Sarah, soaked, and the white-hot image it conjured. Sure, they only had ten days together, but that was plenty of time for him. In fact, it was his preference—a strict, short timetable. But was that a good idea? From a physical standpoint, sure. From every other standpoint, he didn’t know. There were repercussions and awkward conversations to worry about. Dammit.

Sarah handed him the baby and he let Oliver sit on his lap while he wrapped his hands around his waist. The baby wasted no time slapping the surface of the water and sending it flying.

Sarah laughed and dropped a few plastic toys into the bath. “Told you.”

Splash splash splash. Oliver looked at Sarah, who beamed at him as if she couldn’t be any more in love with someone if she tried. She rested her elbows on the edge of the tub and leaned closer, flicking at the water with the tips of her fingers. Oliver giggled, then mimicked her in a far less delicate way. Splash splash splash. He laughed so hard his entire body shook. It was impossible not to find the fun in their game, even with water being flung at his face and shoulders, not to mention all over the bathroom.

“Is bath time always this chaotic?”

“Basically. Anything you can do to get him clean. And it helps relax him.”

Splash splash splash. Another peal of Oliver’s sweet giggles rang out.

“It relaxes him?”

“Believe it or not, yes. He has a lot of energy. This helps to get it out.” Sarah pulled out a toiletry bag and poured a dollop of golden shampoo into her hand. “Get his hair wet. We don’t have a cup, so just use your hands.”

Aiden scooped water with one hand, curling his arm around wiggly Oliver. He started tentatively, unsure if the baby would like it, but quickly learned that he took no issue with water running down his face. Aiden had a little fish on his hands. How amazing it would be to teach him to swim, then snorkel and surf, another of Aiden’s favorite pastimes. Small waves at first. It’s dangerous. He was still getting used to these parental thoughts, but he was amazed how quickly they had kicked in. Especially when the topic of his mother had come up. He hadn’t meant to impulsively take Oliver out of Sarah’s arms. He only knew that was his gut talking—and reacting. Oliver would know nothing but unconditional love from his family. He wasn’t certain his mother could offer it, and until she’d demonstrated as much, she would be kept on a very short leash.

Sarah leaned over and shampooed Oliver’s head, his blond curls becoming matted and soapy. A soft fragrance filled the air.

“It smells nice,” he said.

“It smells like baby, and that’s the most wonderful smell in the world. Well, most of the time. There are times when it gets stinky, too.”

“I bet.” Like most things, there would be both good and bad to parenting. Aiden was optimistic about more good, mostly because he and Oliver had a clean slate. Aiden would not do to Oliver what his parents had done to him. Oliver would never wonder whether his father loved him. For that matter, he would never have to wonder who his father was. Once the paternity test was done, Aiden would have that sewn up for them both.

“Turn him around, facing you. So I can rinse out his hair.”

He carefully turned Oliver in his hands, but it wasn’t easy—it was like holding on to a greased-up watermelon with moving arms and legs. “I’m trying to figure out how I’m supposed to do this by myself.”

“I ordered a seat that goes in the tub. That will help immensely. And it won’t be long before he can sit up reliably in the bath on his own.”

Now that he and Oliver were facing each other, Aiden had a chance to really study him. Oliver returned the gaze, chewing on a rubbery red fish. His eyes were so sweet and innocent, full of wonder. Aiden saw only hope, remarkable considering what the little guy had been through. As Sarah rinsed his hair, Aiden was overcome with the most unusual feeling. It was stronger than his inclination to protect Oliver from big waves. It was a need to keep him from everything bad. He never wanted Oliver’s eyes to reflect anything but happiness. Had his own father ever looked at him like this? He didn’t enjoy the role of pessimist, but the idea was implausible.

Sarah rolled a small bar of soap in her delicate hands and washed Oliver’s back, shoulders and stomach, while Aiden held on tight. Every gentle caress showed someone who genuinely cared about her charge. He’d never really seen this side of any woman aside from on TV or in movies, and it was breathtaking to watch. If he were honest, he’d never done so many things with a woman that gave him a taste of what being a couple was like. Wining, dining and seduction were not the same. This was different.

Sarah swept her hair to one side, displaying the stretch of her graceful neck, the contours of her collarbone. Her skin was so touchable, and the urge to do exactly that was strong with her mere inches away. His hands were practically twitching at the idea. He had to set his mind on another course.

“So. Tell me more about you,” he said.

She smiled and sat back on her haunches. “Not much to tell. Born and raised in Ohio, oldest of five. Moved to Boston to study fashion design, stayed for the good nanny jobs.”

“Why not go right into design?”

She plucked a washcloth from the bathroom vanity and wiped her hands. “Nannying was a detour. I grew up helping out with my siblings, so it was a natural thing to care for children. And Boston is not cheap. Nannying pays well. It just worked.”

“If you liked it that much and it paid well, how does that stop working?”

She looked down at the floor, her golden hair falling down around her face. “I burned out. Badly. Let’s put it that way.”

That didn’t make sense. She didn’t seem at all burned out on caring for Oliver. If anything, she had superhuman stamina and patience when it came to it. “And the rest? Surely there’s a special guy in your life.”

“There is.” Her face lit up so brightly that it was as if someone had sucker punched him. So much for seduction. There was another man.

“His name is Oliver,” she continued. “He’s so sweet. He doesn’t talk much. Drools a fair amount. Still learning how to walk. Exactly like I like my men.”

He laughed and shook his head. She was ridiculously charming and clever, probably why he had such a strong reaction to the idea of her with a boyfriend.

She flipped her hair back and grinned at Oliver. “But seriously, the right guy hasn’t walked into my life and I’m not about to wait. I’m too busy trying to build my business to think about stuff like that. Romance is not on my radar right now.”

No wonder he’d been feeling as though he and Sarah might be kindred spirits, even though they came from different worlds. She wasn’t looking for love. And neither was he. And with only ten days together, that might be perfect.

* * *

Sarah was ready to claim victory over bath time—Oliver was clean and she hadn’t been caught staring at Aiden. It was a miracle since she’d been doing exactly that, sneaking peeks at his chest, broad and firm with the most perfect patch of dark hair in the center. Then there were his glorious shoulders and his sculpted biceps. She’d also spent a fair amount of time studying the tattoo on the inside of his forearm—a dark and intriguing pattern, impossible to decipher.

She bopped Oliver on the nose with the tip of her finger. “Hey, mister. It’s time for somebody to get out of the bath and get into pj’s.”

Aiden furrowed his brow. “Sarah’s no fun,” he said to Oliver. “I don’t know about you, but I’m good for at least another fifteen minutes.”