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And she couldn’t imagine having a child and letting his care go to a nonfamily member. Not even for a night or a morning of sleeping in.
“So, are you ready to bathe him?”
“Whenever you are.”
She filled the baby tub while he undressed Joshua. As if in perfectly synchronized choreography, they slid the baby into the tub, passed soap and a washcloth back and forth, shampooed his hair, rinsed him, rolled him in his towel and took him to the changing table.
Watching Dominic wrestle the squirming, happy baby, Audra’s heart twisted in her chest. If he could simply commit, forget that he could afford a nanny, using hired care only for the times he couldn’t be home, and do the job like a normal single dad, he would be a wonderful father.
“I’m going out of town tonight.”
He said the words quietly, hesitantly, and Audra’s heart twisted again. His life came with too many pressures, too many responsibilities to be a real dad. And no matter how sad it was for Joshua to face a future of being raised by nonfamily, she needed to accept that Dominic’s life was different and quit pushing him.
“I have to leave right after dinner, but I thought maybe…you know…we could, um… take Joshua somewhere when I get home.”
“What do you mean take him somewhere?”
“He’s stuck in the house all the time, so I thought maybe we should take him somewhere… change his scenery.”
Dominic might not have time to be a normal dad, but with a simple suggestion he had melted her heart. Wanting to take the baby out was the most adorable thing she’d ever heard. He was thinking. Trying. Proving that deep down he had what it took to be a good daddy.
“Well,” she said hesitantly, “if you want to change his scenery, all we have to do is explore this house. We could show him a different room every day and not get back to the first one until next month.”
Dominic laughed. “I’d actually like to take him out of the house.”
His genuine laughter touched her soul more than any of his flirting ever could have. The longer they were together, the more the real Dominic emerged. He wasn’t the flippant playboy he liked people to believe he was. This was the real Dominic Manelli. That was why their time together kept getting more and more difficult.
Their eyes met over the changing table, and Audra’s breath stuttered in her chest. She’d never denied that his chiseled features and perfect physique attracted her. She’d also never denied that his sense of humor and fun called to a part of her that no one else seemed to care existed. But now he was adding another dimension to his attractiveness. He was revealing his real personality. There was no greater show of trust.
Desperately trying not to make too much of that, she lowered her gaze. “Special time with Joshua is a great idea. Even getting him outside is a great idea. But, again, you don’t need to go any farther than your backyard.”
“That doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun.”
“It will be for Joshua. He just wants time with you. He doesn’t care where. You don’t have to spend money or buy him gifts.” She stepped back as he lifted the baby from the changing table. “It’s supposed to be sunny on Saturday. We could simply take a walk through the grounds and get some fresh air.”
He turned from the table, baby on his arm. Though his initial hesitancy was gone, he still appeared out of his element. As if he didn’t quite trust himself yet.
“Every day it’s going to get easier.”
He smiled uncertainly. “Right.”
“I’m serious.”
He said, “Uh-huh,” as he leaned over and handed Joshua to her. Forearms brushed, fingers touched, and memories of the kiss the night before washed over her.
With their faces inches apart, he said, “I’ll miss you while I’m gone.”
His nearness had always been overwhelming, but now she’d kissed him. He hadn’t just kissed her. She’d kissed him back. There was no pretending she didn’t feel something. She swallowed. “I’ll miss you, too.”
He pulled away with a laugh. “That’s the first concession I’ve had from you.”
She might not be able to pretend she didn’t feel anything, but that didn’t mean she’d revert to old habits. A relationship between them wouldn’t work. Even if he wasn’t the playboy at heart he pretended to be, they came from two different worlds. Another lesson she’d learned from David, albeit after the fact. David’s new wife came from old money. When he’d really settled down, he’d settled with one of his own kind.
Even if she and Dominic fit together perfectly, she didn’t fit in his life. The house manager’s daughter with the millionaire owner?
