Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
AUbrEY
Dean’s words from last night keep replaying in my head as I wander through the baby boutique.
“I don’t want people feeling sorry for her.”
At first, I hadn’t understood why he was so worried. His friends were coming over to meet Liana.
Shouldn’t that be exciting?
But when he explained it, I saw a man who was already trying his hardest to protect his daughter. It was a side of him I hadn’t realized existed.
I stop in front of a display of little dresses and smile down at Liana.
She’s wide awake, her bright blue eyes following the spinning leaves hanging from a mobile suspended above the rack.
“I don’t think anyone’s going to pity you,” I whisper.
She responds with a happy kick of her legs.
“They’re going to fall in love with you.”
I run my hand along a row of soft corduroy dresses before one catches my eye.
Cream-colored with tiny embroidered pumpkins stitched along the hem.
It’s simple, sweet, and perfect for October.
I hold it up in front of Liana. “What do you think?”
She stares at it for a second before deciding the tag is infinitely more interesting.
I laugh. “I’ll take that as your approval.”
A pair of brown knit leggings hangs with little crocheted booties dangling beside it.
My heart practically melts.
“Well,”—I smile to myself— “now we kind of need the whole outfit.”
Twenty minutes later, I’m standing at the register while the cashier folds everything neatly into pale tissue paper.
“She’s adorable,” the woman says, smiling at Liana. “How old?”
“Three months.”
“I miss those days,” she lets out a soft sigh.
I smile as she slides the little shopping bag across the counter.
“Have a wonderful evening.”
“You too.”
As I tuck my wallet back into my purse, my phone buzzes.
I glance down to see two missed calls from Dean.
That’s unusual.
Before I can unlock my screen, another notification appears.
Dean: Everything okay?
I glance toward the parking lot through the front windows.
We’re only fifteen minutes from the penthouse. He’s probably home a little earlier than he expected.
I quickly type back.
Me: Everything’s fine! We just finished shopping. Be home soon.
I slip my phone back into my purse, hang the little shopping bag from the stroller handle, and lean down to smile at Liana.
“Ready to show your daddy your new outfit?”
I steer the stroller toward the exit and head for home.
The elevator hums as it carries us toward the penthouse.
I reach into the stroller basket and pull out the little shopping bag, peeking inside for what has to be the tenth time.
The tiny cream dress makes me smile all over again.
Liana is going to look adorable.
My phone vibrates in my purse.
Thinking it’s probably Sydney, I pull it out.
My stomach drops when I see I have three missed calls from Dean. Below them sits the text I typed twenty minutes ago.
Me: Everything’s fine! We just finished shopping. Be home soon.
“Oh no.”
I stare at the screen.
Somehow, in my hurry to put my phone away, I never actually hit the Send button.
The elevator dings, and the doors slide open.
Dean is already standing in the foyer.
He’s not casually waiting for us but pacing back and forth.
The second he sees us, he crosses the room in three long strides.
“There you are.” The words leave him in a rush.
His eyes sweep over me so quickly that I barely register it before they’re on Liana.
He crouches beside the stroller. “Hey, sweetheart.”
His hand finds her tiny foot beneath the blanket, giving it a gentle squeeze before his shoulders visibly relax.
Only then does he stand.
“I’m so sorry,” I blurt, holding up my phone. “I texted you back, but”—I turn the screen toward him— “I never actually sent it.”
He looks at the message.
For a long moment, he doesn’t say anything.
“I got home,” he finally says, rubbing the back of his neck, “and the apartment was empty.”
“I just wanted to pick up one thing before your friends got here.”
“It’s fine. I just—” he starts but doesn’t finish.
His voice is calm now, but there’s something underneath it I can’t quite place. Embarrassment, maybe even frustration.
“I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”
I tilt my head. “You were worried.”
He lets out a humorless laugh. “I was.”
His gaze drifts toward the windows before returning to me. “I told myself there were a dozen perfectly reasonable explanations.”
“But?”
“My brain wasn’t interested in reasonable.”
I study him for a second. “You thought something happened.”
He doesn’t answer right away.
Instead, he lets out a slow breath.
“I’ve never …” He trails off, searching for the words. “I’ve never reacted like that before.”
His eyes drift to Liana again.
“When I couldn’t reach you …” He shakes his head. “Every worst-case scenario my mind could come up with decided to introduce itself.”
He gives a small, self-conscious smile.
“Turns out, I’m a little crazier than I realized.”
A smile tugs at my lips. “I think you’re just a new dad.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am.”
I rest a hand lightly on the stroller handle. “Why don’t you go take a hot shower before everyone gets here?”
He looks at me.
“I’ve got Liana,” I assure him.
“You do?”
“I want to put her in a different outfit.”
His eyebrows lift. “A different outfit?”
I grin. “I can’t let her meet all of her honorary uncles, wearing pajamas.”
For the first time since the elevator doors opened, Dean laughs.
A real one.
“Fair enough.”
He reaches down and gently brushes one finger across Liana’s cheek before disappearing toward his bedroom.
I watch him go.
Poor guy. The last four weeks have completely turned his world upside down.
No wonder he panicked.
I glance down at Liana. “Your daddy’s got a serious case of first-time-parent syndrome.”
She answers with a sleepy yawn.
“I know,” I whisper, smiling as I wheel her toward the nursery. “Let’s get you looking pretty before everyone gets here.”
I finish tying the tiny bow around Liana’s head just as I hear a bedroom door open down the hall.
My heart gives an annoyingly familiar little flutter.
I scoop Liana into my arms and carry her into the family room.
Dean steps out of the hallway at the same time.
He’s traded his wrinkled work clothes for dark jeans and a fitted black V-neck sweater that somehow makes his blue eyes look even brighter. His dark hair is still slightly damp from the shower, and the clean, woodsy scent of his cologne reaches me a second before he does.
My body reacts before my brain has a chance to. Warmth blooms low in my stomach, spreading through my chest as I inhale a little too deeply.
As he walks closer, my brain takes me back to the two of us in the foyer. Rain dripping from my hair and the unmistakable heat in his eyes before he forced himself to look away.
Stop it. That was a week ago. We agreed to move on.
Dean’s gaze lands on Liana, and whatever expression was on his face completely melts away.
“Oh …” he says barely above a whisper.
He steps closer, smiling as he takes in the cream-colored dress with its embroidered pumpkins, the brown knit leggings, and the little crocheted slippers on her feet.
“Look at you. You look beautiful, sweetheart.”
Liana responds with a smile while kicking both legs.
“I thought she’d look cute in something a little more festive,” I say, suddenly feeling oddly self-conscious.
“Cute?” Dean lets out a quiet laugh. “She’s going to steal the show.”
My smile grows. “I was hoping she might.”
He reaches down and adjusts one of the tiny slippers that twisted sideways, and then he pauses. His hand stills, and his eyes lift to mine. “Where did this come from?”
“I picked it up this afternoon.”
“You bought it?”
I nod. “I was already out.”
His smile fades into something more thoughtful. “Aubrey …”
“It’s just a little outfit.”
“With your money.”
I shrug one shoulder. “I wanted her to have something special for tonight.”
For a long moment, he simply looks at me with gratitude. Then his expression changes, almost like he’s realizing something.
“I never gave you a company card.”
I blink. “What?”
“You’ve been buying things for Liana.”
“Oh.” I wave a hand dismissively. “It’s nothing.”
“It isn’t nothing.” His tone is gentle but firm. “You shouldn’t be spending your own money on my daughter.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I do.” He runs a hand through his damp hair, clearly irritated with himself. “I can’t believe I overlooked that.”
“You’ve had a lot on your mind.”
“Still”—he shakes his head— “anything Liana needs is my responsibility.”
“I know.”
“No.” He meets my eyes. “I mean it.”
He nods toward the dress. “I appreciate this more than you know.”
His gaze drops to Liana again, a smile returning as she grabs one of his fingers.
“But I want to reimburse you.”
“You really don’t have to.”
“I really do.” The corner of his mouth lifts. “And first thing Monday morning, my assistant Brady will be getting you a credit card.”
“A credit card?”
“For diapers, formula, clothes”—he glances at the tiny pumpkins stitched across Liana’s skirt and smiles again—“or any other adorable outfit you decide she absolutely has to have.”
A laugh escapes me. “So, I have permission to spoil her?”
Dean looks down at his daughter.
“I have a feeling,” he says with a grin, “that’s a battle I’ve already lost.”