Parker’s wails continued, hiking up her anxiety. He was a pretty easy baby, but she wasn’t even sure if he’d allow Lane to take care of him.
But man, a nice hot bath sounded like heaven.
“Come with me to get him,” she finally said. “If he’s okay to let you hold him, I’ll give you two a few minutes together while I shower. But if he’s nervous or cries when you take him, then we’ll try another time.”
The side of his mouth curved but nervousness danced in his eyes. “Okay.”
She led the way to Parker’s room and opened the door. “Hello there, little man,” she cooed. “Mommy’s here.”
His cries quieted, turning into little grunts of excitement.
Lane walked in beside her and wrung his hands in a continuous circle at his waist. “Should I pick him up?”
The tremor in his voice had her doubting her decision. “Have you ever held a baby?”
“Not a human one.”
Oh, dear Lord.
Well, she’d already started down this path. Might as well see what happened. Now that Lane was back in town and he knew he was Parker’s father, they’d have to do this eventually.
“I’ll get him out of the crib and change his diaper. Make sure he doesn’t need anything other than cuddles and love before I hand him over.”
Eyes wide, Lane nodded. “Sounds good.”
Scooping up Parker, she pressed a kiss to his forehead and held him close before laying him on his changing table and giving him a clean diaper.
Lane stood over her shoulder. “That looks complicated.”
Picking Parker back up, she faced Lane and couldn’t help but laugh at the serious lines on his handsome face. “Says the guy who made a living out of riding bulls.”
He shrugged. “Bulls are easy. Babies are a lot more delicate. I don’t want to hurt him.”
Some of the ice around her heart melted. Despite their past, she believed him. Not wanting to give him a chance to let his nerves get the best of him, she settled Parker in Lane’s arms and stepped back.
Lane’s arms wrapped tighter around the bundle, his face contorted in a mask of love, joy, and fear.
A mixture of emotions she understood all too well.
Parker stayed quiet, his gaze fixed on his father.
“He’s so beautiful.” Lane choked out the words.
Tears touched her eyes, and she turned her back to wipe them away. She couldn’t let him see how much this moment meant to her. “He has a chair in the living room he likes, or you can lay him on his back on a blanket if you need to put him down. I’ll be quick.”
The sound of Lane whisper sweet words to their son rang in her ears as she walked to the bathroom, closed the door, and finally let her tears fall.
9
Lane sank into the rocking chair and stared down at his son. He couldn’t get over how much the baby looked like him. He smiled and cooed, making silly faces to try and get a reaction. Earning the slightest gurgle or smile was more satisfying than his longest ride.
Minutes ticked by and he wished each second would slow down. He wanted to soak it all in. Memorize every line of his face. Learn what every noise meant.
Parker scrunched his nose and grunted and there was no mistaking the noise that came from his bottom.
Unease shot Lane to his feet, his grip tight on the little boy. He debated interrupting Celine’s shower and asking for help, but this was an opportune time to step up. Besides, he’d watched her change Parker earlier. It might have looked a little complicated, but he could handle it.
“Okay, bud. I’m going to lay you back on this table thing your mom had you on then get you cleaned up. Can you do me a favor and make this as easy on me as possible?”
