Her world was entirely different, so she reasoned that her reactions and perspectives would be different, too.
Brogan glanced up at her. “I guess this party is taking place on the floor. Care to join us?”
Absurdly thrilled to be included at last, she left her seat and joined them. Andy pointed and said, “Baby.”
“Yes, she’s an adorable baby, isn’t she?” Funnily enough, Shayna and Andy shared nearly the exact same shade of blond hair. His was longer, but she still had plenty. Pixie brushed a finger over the fair silky strands. “Do you ever put bows in her hair?”
Brogan gave her an incredulous look. “How? She doesn’t have enough of it for that.”
“They make little bows that attach without clips.”
He frowned. “Attach how?”
“Nothing painful, I promise.” She couldn’t keep her grin at bay. “I would never suggest you do anything that—”
“Right. Sorry. I just …” He gave a dubious glance at Shayna’s wispy locks. “Bows, huh?”
Everything about Brogan was somehow refreshing. “A headband would be cute, too.”
In a teasing tone, he said, “You telling me no one will know she’s a girl if I don’t give her ribbons?”
Pixie huffed a laugh. “Of course not. She’s beautiful either way. I was just curious. Because Andy’s eyelashes are long, some people thought he was a girl. It didn’t matter what he wore.” Carefully, she slipped the tiny sock back on Shayna’s foot. “When I was pregnant, I used to daydream about the things I’d buy my baby if I had endless funds. At the time, I didn’t know whether I’d have a boy or a girl, so I looked at cute overalls and soft dresses, lacy socks and ball caps. And yes, sometimes ribbons.”
“Were you disappointed to have a boy?”
She smiled at Andy. “The second I held him, I knew he was perfect. I’ve never known anything like that.”
Brogan went quiet; then he stood. “Let’s move this to the living room and more comfortable seats.” He offered his hand.
For a mere second, Pixie hesitated; then she slipped her hand into his. She felt rough calluses and the heat of his palm as his hand entirely engulfed hers.
Even after he released her, the awareness stayed as if all her nerve endings had centered in her fingers and were now hyper-aware. He, however, had already moved on to other matters.
“Which of these monkeys do you want?” He no sooner asked than he decided. “Tell you what, Andy already has a stranglehold on me, so how about you get Shayna? I’ll get a quilt to put on the floor, along with a few toys, and then we can talk while we keep an eye on the kids.” He strode off, her son in his arms, leaving her alone with Shayna.
Pixie would have been alarmed to let Andy out of her sight, except she knew the minuscule size of the house. From one end to the other, Andy couldn’t really be far from her.
She took Shayna from the basket, amazed at her slight weight, now that she was used to the sturdy size of her son. Andy was big for his age and probably weighed fifteen pounds more than the tiny girl. “You’re light as a feather, aren’t you?”
When Shayna grabbed a hank of her hair, Pixie winced. “Oops. I’d forgotten all about grabby little fists. And damp, too.” Carefully, she removed her hair from the baby’s fingers, and then put it behind her shoulder.
In the living room, Brogan still held Andy as he flipped open a heavy quilt. “Does she need a diaper change?”
Pixie shrugged. “Doesn’t seem to.”
“Good. I fed and changed her right before her nap.” He put Andy down to explore a bag of soft toys and came to get Shayna. “She’s getting good at rolling over, but she doesn’t usually go too far.” He took the baby, gave her several soft smooches—on her head, her cheek, her hand, and her tummy—and then put her on the blanket with a soft rattle. “I have to fight myself not tohold her all the time,” he said as he stepped into the kitchen to get their drinks. “The pediatrician said she needs plenty of tummy time to learn physical stuff, so I’m trying to remember that.” He carried the colas to the living room, with napkins, placed them on the coffee table, and took the chair adjacent to the love seat.
“Thank you.”
With a nod, he sat forward, his forearms on his knees. “I wanted to clear up some confusion.”
Brogan couldn’t possibly know her intimate thoughts about him, but still she felt her face go hot. There was no way he’d miss her blush, but fortunately he was watching the kids.
Andy picked up each toy, examined it, and then carefully placed it in front of Shayna. She now had a whole stack of colorful items to interest her. It was so cute that Pixie started to relax.
“She’s not my daughter.”
Surprise jerked her attention back to Brogan. “She’s not?”
