Surprise Package

“Give your daddy a break, sweetie. He’ll probably get your diaper on backward, but at least you’ll be dry.”

“Backward, huh. How hard can it be to change a diaper?”

“I guess you’ll soon find out.”

“And don’t call me her daddy in front of her. She may start to believe it.”

“Why shouldn’t she? I do.”

He made a face as he turned to carry the baby and one of the diapers to the bedroom. Ashley went back to the task at hand. What a night this had been and it wasn’t over yet. Well, technically it was, because it was half-past midnight according to the clock on Kyle’s microwave, but she had the feeling it might be a long time before she got to crawl into her own bed and get some sleep.

* * *

KYLE LAID THE BABY on the bed, then sat down beside her. She kicked and boxed her little hands in the air, though she was no longer crying. In fact, she appeared to be enjoying the opportunity to stretch and kick, unhindered by her baby seat or someone’s arms.

He eased his face closer to her bottom and was grateful that no unpleasant odors assaulted his nostrils. Actually she smelled...like a baby. Not that he knew a lot about how babies were supposed to smell.

She made a cooing noise and kicked all the harder. She’d be a heartbreaker when she grew up. Thick, dark hair that curled around her heart-shaped face. Big chocolatey eyes accented with thick lashes. And the cutest little mouth he’d ever seen. He touched a finger to one of her chubby little hands, and she grasped it, holding on to him as if she wanted to shake hands.

“At least you’re not as unfriendly as Miss Ashley,” he said, talking to her as if she were a peer. He wasn’t about to try that baby-talk stuff Ashley spewed when she talked to her.

When she let go of his finger, he sat back and dealt with the shock of a baby in his bed. “Your mother must have been desperate to desert a little charmer like you. But don’t worry, she said she loves you. She’ll be back soon.”

Only if she really loved her little daughter, why had she dumped her at his door? What if he hadn’t come home tonight at all?

Easy question. If he hadn’t come home, Ashley would have been stuck taking care of the baby by herself instead of the two of them doing it together. But here they were, all nice and cozy, with Ashley in his kitchen wearing nothing but a silky black slip that showed off her body to perfection. Admittedly the slip and garments she had on under it covered far more than Alicia’s dress had, but still, a slip was one of those unmentionables, and that was sexier than any dress.

He chucked the baby under the chin. “Ah, now I know who you are, sweetheart. My own little Cupid who dropped by to get Ashley and me together. You just keep working your magic, and I’ll turn on the charm. With us teamed up together, she’ll never be able to resist me.”

Now for the diaper. He held it up. It looked fairly simple, but the last thing he wanted was to get it on backward and prove Ashley right. A row of pink and blue bunnies danced along the top border. He was sure that was a clue, but the thing had obviously been designed by a woman. A man would have just printed the word front on one side and back on the other.

He lifted the hem of the pink dress and pulled off the ruffled bloomers, a task far more difficult than it looked. Evidently babies didn’t know they were supposed to cooperate during the procedure.

“Is that as far as you’ve gotten?”

He looked up as Ashley stepped to the door, bottle in hand. “I could have been finished, but Cupie and I were bonding.”

“Cupie?”

“It’s a private joke.”

“Well, drop it. A nickname like that could scar her for life.”

Ashley stepped to the bed and took over the chore of changing the diaper while he stood back and watched carefully so he’d be sure to do it right next time. If there was a next time. With any luck, he’d be able to keep Ashley on duty until the real mom came to her senses. Or until he was forced to call the authorities Ashley talked about and have them take her away.

Take her away. Even the words were cold—heartless. He forced them from his mind as he watched Ashley tug and smooth the diaper before finally snapping it into place.

“All done,” she said, smiling as if she’d accomplished some major feat.

He realized then that she was a big fake. She didn’t know any more about tending babies than he did, yet she was giving this her best shot. He’d lusted after her for months. Found her wit and sexy looks a killer combination. But this was the first time he’d realized that he actually liked her.

Her hips swayed seductively as she marched into the bathroom, disposed of the wet diaper and washed her hands before rejoining him at the bed.

She picked up the bottle and held it out to him. “Do you want to feed her?”

“Me?”

“Well, if it turns out that she is your daughter, you’ll have to learn. You might as well start now.”

“It’s not going to turn out that way. I’m telling you this is all a mistake.”

“How can you be so sure? Every time I see you, you’re with a different woman. You don’t expect me to believe that you’ve never had sex with any of them.”

“Not as many as you seem to think. I’m rather choosy about who I go to bed with. Besides, when I do have sex, I use protection.”

“Protection is not a hundred percent. You won’t have to worry about it for long, though. I’m sure that once the authorities read the note the mother wrote, they’ll demand that you have DNA testing to determine whether or not you’re the father.”

A new blow to his system. He hadn’t even considered that possibility. Not that he was afraid of the outcome. No one was more careful than he was to make sure he avoided this kind of surprise. He had his life all planned out and it didn’t include kids until he was at least forty. He had fourteen years to go before that date approached.

“Guess your daddy is scared to try.” Ashley crawled onto his bed, picked up the baby and poked the nipple into the tiny mouth.

The baby latched on to it as if she’d been starving for days, though the rolls of fat on her thighs indicated otherwise. He could hear the sucking sounds from where he was standing and the soft mewing purrs of contentment as warm milk filled her stomach.

His own problems slipped to the back of his mind as the image seared its way into his consciousness. Ashley Garrett on his bed, bottle-feeding a tiny, helpless baby. The sight of it made him feel funny, like watching a sad movie and pretending not to be affected.

He wasn’t sure what it was all about, but he had the sneaking suspicion that it couldn’t be good.

* * *

“SHE’S ASLEEP,” Ashley whispered. “Throw back the spread so that I can lay her on the sheet.”

He did as he was told, and Ashley put the infant down slowly, right in the middle of his king-size bed. She wiggled a little but didn’t open her eyes. So far, so good.

Ashley eased from the bed and started toward the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“To get the baby’s blanket from the basket. It’s softer than yours.”

“Just so you don’t think you’re sneaking out of here.”

“No way.”

“Good.”

“I don’t sneak.”

He flashed her a less than authentic smile as she sashayed out of the room. By the time she returned, he’d kicked off his shoes, settled back on the pillow and closed his eyes.