Page 17 of Best Kept Secret

“I fed her before we left, so she should be okay for a while.”

Kelsey felt it the minute it happened. If she wasn’t sure, the look on Annie’s face clinched it. “Uh-oh.”

He stared down at the baby’s red cheeks and her little hands, which were clenched into fists.

“Did she just…?” Kelsey glanced at him over her shoulder. He was so close that his scent almost overpowered Annie’s. Almost.

“Yep, and it smells like a bad one. I have to go change her.”

“You’re going to change her?”

“Yeah, unless you’re offering.”

She looked down at Annie, whose skin had returned to its natural color and who seemed perfectly content again. “Since I don’t have experience with this, you better do it,” she said and turned to hand him the baby.

Transferring her to Hudson resulted in unexpected benefits. During the exchange, their hands and arms touched, and she felt a sizzle of awareness travel up her spine. Once again, she thought how sexy he looked holding a baby. How strong, capable, and self-assured, unlike her, who was still a novice.

“Where will you change her?”

“There’s probably a changing station in the restroom, or there might be a family restroom that we can all go into.”

He started walking toward the nearby pavilion. “Can you push the stroller?”

“Sure.”

He’d propped Annie up against his chest so she was peeking over his shoulder, and Kelsey made silly faces at her as they walked. It was amazing what people would do to coax a smile from a baby, and she was finally rewarded with one, albeit a fleeting one.

They went into the wooden pavilion that housed restrooms and a snack shop. She’d been to the park several times but had never noticed the family restroom before.

He paused in front of the door. “You said you haven’t had much experience with babies, but if you want to learn, you’re welcome to come in and lend a hand.”

She looked from him to Annie and back again. If only they weren’t so darn irresistible!

“Lead the way.”

“Okay, but you might want to plug your nose.”

“She’s so tiny. How bad can it be?” she said, sounding braver than she felt.

He pushed open the bathroom door, and she followed him inside. Then she twisted the lock and looked around. She felt like a stranger in a strange land, having never been in a family restroom before. Whoever had designed this had thought of everything! It was quite impressive!

Hudson was all business as he pulled a cord on the wall that magically released a changing table. “Will you grab the diaper bag out of the stroller, please?”

“On it.” She pulled out a pretty floral diaper bag from the storage compartment underneath the stroller. Emily has good taste.

“There’s a changing pad inside. I need to set it on the table before I lay her down.”

She unzipped the bag and rummaged around until she found a folded pad. Since he was holding the baby, she unfolded it and placed it on the table. This isn’t so bad.

“Now what?” she asked as he gently laid Annie on the pad and strapped her down.

The straps made her think of a torture device, even though she knew it was for the baby’s safety.

“Take out a diaper and wipes and get ready to hand them to me,” he said.

His brisk manner made her think of a surgeon barking commands to his assistant. I watch way too much TV.

He deftly undressed Annie while her little hands and feet flailed about. At least she wasn’t crying, though. Kelsey stood slightly behind him but still close enough that she could hand him things. She didn’t need to see everything the first time!