“I’m sorry, but I’m running a little late. I promised Solene I’dhelp her out with some cleaning at the daycare. If your little guy gets too overwhelming, call Ash Daycare and ask for me.”
None of what she said made sense. But she’d already handed him the baby.
He froze, not sure what to do with something so fragile. “Hold on.”
She smiled and waved, then left faster than a human being should be able to move. She disappeared down his longdriveway. Seconds later, he heard her car drive away.
He didn’t know what the hell to do.A baby?This had to be some colossal mistake. Noel was no father. He always used protection when he had sex, because he didn’t trust anyone. And he hadn’t had more than a blowjob or two in months. Nothing full-on sexual since…
He did the math and groaned. Not since Mexico a little over a yearago.
Make that thirteen months ago.
Another whimper forced him to glance down at the baby in his arms. It wore a hat and had a blanket tucked around it.
Not it—him.
“Jesus.”
Panic, the likes of which he hadn’t felt since his first mission twelve fucking years ago, filled him. Noel had no idea what to do with a baby.
Always in command of himself, if notthe situation, Noel forced himself to concentrate. He cradled the child in his arms, knelt to grab the duffle, then let himself inside the house.
The infant seemed to have fallen asleep between one blink and the next, thank God. He put the baby down on the couch and rummaged through the duffle bag. He found a mound of diapers, formula, some baby things he didn’t recognize, a locket, andfinally a note.
He scanned it and swore silently.
Now he understood. It all made sense. This wasn’thismess. At least, he was almost positive it wasn’t. This had to be Deacon or Hammer’s fault. That trip to Mexico, he hadn’t been alone. He’d been with fellow contractors. Not exactly friends, he and his Business associates had bonded over booze, a successful mission, and a need tosink into a hot, lovely woman.
Obviously this woman had gotten Noel confused with the dark-haired Deacon and/or Hammer.
Feeling much more relaxed now that he understood the situation, he centered himself and made some plans. First and foremost, to retrieve his own bag from the front step. Then a shower, unpacking, and figuring out what to do with this baby. How to take care of it—him—would be a good start.
He gently scooped up the baby from the couch and took him into his bedroom. He didn’t think kids could move much at four months, but what if he put him on the bed and the boy rolled off and broke his neck? Not cool.
No death at home. Not for Noel. And especially not for helpless kids or innocent bystanders. Nope. Noel aimed for the bad guys, and he nevermissed.
After leaving the baby on a blanket on the floor, he retrieved his things from the front porch and locked the door behind him, resetting the security system. He found his laptop and turned it on before warming up the shower. He’d been gone only a few months, but it felt much longer.
“Too damn long.” He sighed. Noel was tired, and he knew things had to change.
A glanceat the sleeping baby on the floor made him shake his head.Nah, notthatkind of change.
After Googling how to care for a four-month-old and mentally reviewing the baby supplies on hand, he felt much more confident. Enough to leave the kid sleeping while he showered. He let the water sluice over him and took his time rinsing off the grime from that other world—the one he worked to makea better place—the one he refused to let touch his real home. A haven where he was safe, alone, and happy with his garden and his fantasies about one particular Rose next door.
Once clean and in comfortable sweats, he ordered a pizza and returned to the bedroom to stare at the four-month-old puzzle on his floor.
Noel was a smart man. He could handle a baby. Well, at least until thekid’srealfather came to collect him. He sat down to draft an email to the two suspects and waited for his dinner to arrive.
Not exactly the homecoming he’d expected. But he couldn’t complain. Once again, Noel had conquered all obstacles in his path. A baby was no biggie. Neither was Adeline—Addy—star of his erotic fantasies.
He’d give himself a month to decompress before headingout again. With any luck, he’d hand over the baby within the week, avoid his neighbor, and finally organize his garage before the cold weather really hit.
Feeling much better about life, he even tipped the pizza guy more than usual.
Noel snorted with derision at himself for feeling such panic. A baby. Really. How hard could caring for a kid be?
