Well… notjustbecause he was a dad, but because he was hot too. Hot man plus baby in his arms equaled irresistible sex appeal.
Yep, odd.
He grinned. “YouTube is my new best friend.”
“I love YouTube, not just from a marketing perspective, but for my personal use as well. If you tell me all the steps, I can make the coffee.”
He had one of those complicated coffee machines that required some work. Since I wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, I had no clue what to do.
“Or,” I began, and emotion clogged my throat again, “I can hold Charlotte if you want.”
Beckett’s eyes bulged. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Yes. I love babies. I’d say I’m not bad with them. My friends have lots and lots of babies. I’ve had baby fever since I was twenty-five, though it’s subsided somewhat now that I’m thirty.”I just said that out loud? Jeez.I winced. “Whoops. That’s way too much information. Sorry.”
“No judgment,” he chuckled, then glanced down at Charlotte. “We can try, but she might fuss.”
“I don’t mind.”
“All right, then. If you have so much experience, have a go.”
He very carefully deposited Charlotte into my arms.
“Her head…”
“I got her. Did I mention that I love babies?” I whispered to him. “Oh, she’s so adorable. She’s the prettiest girl ever.”
“I know, right?”
I swear he pushed his chest out with pride. Oh, it was endearing to see him so proud of his little girl. Then I focused on the baby.
“Hey, Charlotte. I’m Piper.” I stroked her forehead down toher nose with my thumb and then back up, moving to her right eyebrow.
“Wait, I know that move. I’ve seen it in some videos.”
I started to laugh. “Yup. My cousins have trained me well.”
Charlotte was fussing a little, but after three strokes of her eyebrow, she seemed to fall asleep. I glanced up at Beckett, who was staring at his girl with wide eyes.
“I have to remember that. Can you do it again?”
I laughed. “I will if she wakes up.”
“Want me to take her from you again?”
“No!” I was feeling suddenly very territorial of this little gem in my arms. “She might wake up,” I added quickly.
“All right, then I’ll make the coffee. Who knows how much time we have.”
He expertly moved around, preparing our drinks.
“So, you’re looking for a nanny?” I asked.
“Yeah. My whole family has offered to take turns spending time with Charlotte, but I’d prefer someone professional to come in. I know they mean well, but they’ve got their own lives too.”
“That’s very kind of your family to offer. Your parents are retired, then?” The LeBlanc family was renowned in New Orleans, although they did manage to keep their private lives under wraps.
“My father and my grandfathers are officially retired. Theoretically, so are my grandmothers, but they run a fragrance shop in the city.”
