Amelia seemed to soften the edges of his expression. He came across as protective instead of harsh. It made him even more attractive, if that was possible.
“What did you want to talk about?” she asked him, hoping he wasn’t round two of a tag-team match with Byron.
“A nanny,” said Lucas, his attention still fixed on Amelia.
“There’s no rush,” she responded. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of Amelia.”
“I know you are,” he acknowledged. “But you might not always be here.”
She glared at him.
“Is that a threat?” Lexi asked.
Lucas seemed to remember she was there. “I’ve never made a secret of the fact that I intend to win guardianship,” he told them both.
“As do I,” said Devin.
Lucas stared evenly back at her. “If you do, you can fire the nanny. If not, I thought you might like to help me choose.” He paused, while Devin sorted the offer out in her mind.
She didn’t want to even consider the possibility of leaving Amelia with Lucas. Her brain almost refused to go to the worstcase scenario. But it might come to that. And if it did, and she had to leave… Her stomach contracted with pain, and she had to resist the urge to snatch Amelia out of Lucas’s arms.
If it came to that, wouldn’t she feel better knowing who was caring for Amelia? And would it not be in her best interest to develop a positive relationship with her?
“I’m not a monster,” said Lucas.
Lexi gave a grunt of disbelief.
Lucas shot her a quelling look before returning his attention to Devin. “I’m after exactly the same thing as you.”
“For very different reasons.”
He shook his head and sighed. “I’m going to choose a nanny, Devin. You can help me or not, it’s entirely up to-” He gasped in horror.
Devin sat bolt upright in shock. “What?”
Lucas nearly leveled her with a look. “Is this child wearing a diaper?”
Devin shouldn’t laugh. She
“I am wearing a Brioni suit,” Lucas ground from between clenched teeth.
“Sorry about that,” Devin managed to say.
“You might have mentioned-”
“I forgot,” she answered honestly.
“Forgive me if I have a hard time believing you.”
“I didn’t mean…” But she was struggling once more not to laugh. “Babies
“Is this your idea of revenge?”
“It’s my idea of letting you be an uncle. They pee, Lucas. They also drool and spit up. And they even-”
“I’ve already experienced
“Be a man about it,” Lexi said.
“It’s a six-thousand-dollar suit,” he barked at her.
Amelia opened her eyes, took one look at Lucas and howled in fear.
He stiffened at the sound. “Oh, for the love of…”
Devin popped up out of the lounger and rescued Amelia. Lucas’s shirt, slacks and the lower part of his jacket were dark with wetness.
He stared down at his lap. “There is a reason they invented diapers,” he intoned.
“Accidents do happen,” said Devin, cradling the damp, but rapidly calming Amelia against her chest.
Lucas’s glare told her he considered this anything but.
“Nannies,” said Lucas, smacking a stack of resumes down next to Devin where she sat near one end of the long dining-room table, her laptop open in front of her. After this afternoon’s debacle, he realized more than ever that they needed to get themselves organized.
Dinner had long since been cleared away. He assumed Amelia was asleep. And Devin had a cup of tea cooling beside her computer as she typed. A plate of cookies and small pastries was in the middle of the table in front of her, but it didn’t look like she’d indulged.
“Accidents do happen,” she repeated, obviously correctly identifying the source of his displeasure. She hit another key then closed the laptop.
“Accidents,” he responded as he settled into the chair at the end of the table, around the corner from hers, “can be prevented.”
“Are you always this controlling?” she asked, glancing at the top nanny resume.
“I’m always this organized.” He lifted the resume and began reading. “Graduated from the London Royal Nanny Academy in 1978.”
“Too old.”
He looked up. “I requested someone with experience.”
Devin shook her head. “Not that much experience. Amelia will be walking soon, and toddlers are energetic.”
“We’re looking for a nanny, not a playmate.”
Devin set her cup firmly down into the saucer. “
“And
“You need to get over that, Lucas.”
“I am over it.” He pointedly went back to reading.
“Sure you are,” Devin muttered.
Well, he could be forgiven his frustration. Amelia had looked fairly sweet and harmless while she slept on Devin’s lap. It had seemed like a perfect chance for him to stick his toe in the water of uncle-hood. How was he to know the baby was effectively booby-trapped?
But Devin had known.
He strongly suspected she’d set him up. But it would take more than that to dissuade him from bonding with Amelia. He’d already started reading a couple of how-to books. He’d master baby-raising or die trying.
He refocused his attention on the resume in front of him. “It says she’s orderly, organized and-within her standard routine template-will customize a schedule that fits our lifestyle.”
“Standard routine template?” Devin’s tone was incredulous.
He glanced at her again. “What?”
“There’s no standard routine template for raising babies. All babies are unique.”
“I’m sure she means meals and naps and walks and things.”
“Babies should sleep when they’re tired and eat when they’re hungry.”
Lucas blinked. That sounded an awful lot like chaos to him. “Are you joking?”
“Absolutely not. Routines ought to be child-led for the first few years.”
He paused, squinting at her. “You’re messing with me, right?”
She whisked the resume out of his hand and put it facedown on the table. “Next.”
“Put the
She took the next resume from the pile. “Early childhood certificate from Boise College.”
“Idaho?”
“‘Within broad boundaries, will create a positive, nurturing environment that respects the individuality and creativity of each child.’”
“Is that code for raising spoiled, ill-mannered hooligans?”
“I think it’s code for kindness and compassion.”
Lucas snagged the resume from her hand and put it facedown with the other. “Next.”
