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Her baby’s cries became louder. With a gasp, Callie ran through the door. As he turned on a lamp, she saw the bassinet. Sobbing with relief, she scooped her baby up into her arms.
The baby’s cries subsided the instant she was cradled against her mother’s breast, but she was clearly hungry. Callie sat down in a soft glider near the lamp and started to pull up her T-shirt. She stopped, looking up awkwardly at Eduardo. “I need to feed her.”
His dark eyes shimmered in the dim lamplight. “Go ahead.”
“You’re watching.”
“I’ve seen your breasts before.”
She glared at him. “Turn around!”
He lifted an eyebrow then with a sigh he turned away.
Once he was safely facing the other direction, Callie lifted up her shirt, pulled down her nursing bra and got her baby latched on to her breast. She flinched at first then relaxed as her tiny daughter started gulping blissfully.
“Sounds like she was hungry.”
“Don’t listen!” Callie cried, annoyed.
He gave a low laugh. “Sorry.”
Moments passed in silence, and Callie took a deep breath, suddenly ashamed. “I’m sorry about earlier. I just panicked. I woke up in a strange place and didn’t know where I was.”
His spine stiffened, but he didn’t turn. “You fell asleep in the car, on the way home. I carried you upstairs. Don’t you remember?”
The last thing she recalled was arguing with him as they drove through Central Park. He’d been pressuring her about their baby’s name—as if Callie would ever name her sweet newborn after a spoiled Spanish heiress! But the soft hum of the engine had been hypnotic.
“I guess I was tired.” She rubbed her hand over her eyes. “I slept so hard that I almost thought you’d drugged me so you could steal the baby. Funny, right?”
His voice was cold. “Hilarious.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to accuse you of …” Her throat constricted.
He turned to face her, but he definitely wasn’t looking at her breasts. “Of stealing the baby?”
She swallowed. “Yes.”
His eyes glimmered in the dim light. “Don’t worry about it.”
He was being nice, which made her feel even worse. For months, she’d hated Eduardo, calling him a coldhearted jerk to her parents and friends, telling them stories about his worst flaws, telling herself he didn’t deserve to be a father.
But she was the coldhearted jerk. Her lips parted. If not for Sami’s meddling, she would have done the dreadful thing she’d just accused him of: she’d have stolen their baby. He never would have even known he had a daughter.
How could Eduardo stand to look at her?
“I was wrong not to tell you.” It took all her courage to meet his eyes. “I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Forget it,” he said harshly. He folded his arms. “We both made mistakes. It’s in the past. Our marriage is a fresh start.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, feeling like she didn’t deserve his generosity. Awkwardly she looked around them. The nursery was straight out of a celebrity magazine, with soft yellow walls, stuffed animals, and the sleek comfort of an expensive designer crib and bassinet. “This is nice.”
“I had my staff redecorate the study while we were at the hospital.”
“Your staff?”
“Mrs. McAuliffe.”
“I’ve always known I liked her,” Callie said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. “So next door is the guest room?”
