when she really wanted to say, What? She’s a baby. She cries!
In the next second Ben barged out of the men’s room and yelled across the café, “Aurelia!”
With her heart in her throat, she ran over. “What’s wrong?”
He grabbed her arm, hauling her toward the ladies’ room and speaking through gritted teeth as B’s cries escalated to piercing wails. “There’s no frigging changing table in the men’s room. Please make sure there’s no one in there. I’m commandeering the bathroom.”
She hurried into the ladies’ room, saw it was empty, and stuck her head out to say, “All clear.”
“What kind of place doesn’t have a changing table?” Ben seethed as they quickly changed B’s diaper, her wails softening to a whimper. “Where are fathers supposed to change their kids?” He fixed B’s clothes, picked up the backpack and the baby, and said, “Come on.”
Aurelia followed him out of the bathroom as he blazed a path to the counter. He glowered at Echo, who was about six and a half feet tall, with shaggy brown hair, and said, “Why the hell isn’t there a changing table in the men’s room?”
Aurelia tried to hide her embarrassment, but she was also proud of him for speaking up.
Amusement rose in Echo’s eyes. “Dude, this is a college town. We don’t get many single dads in here.”
“All it takes is one. One, Echo. One guy with a kid deserves a changing area.” Ben took out his wallet and slapped down a debit card. “Ring up a cookie.”
Looking bewildered, Echo said, “What kind?”
“Any damn cookie.”
Echo rang it up, and Ben shoved his card in the processor. Aurelia nearly choked as Ben added a thousand-dollar tip and said, “Put a damn changing station in the men’s room.”
Later that afternoon, with bags full of nursery decorations, Ben was still feeling guilty about yelling at Echo and embarrassing Aurelia. As great as the week had been, it had been undeniably stressful. When he’d called his attorney, he’d realized how important it was to find B’s mother. Their conversation had left him with a plethora of worries. What if she changed her mind once they found her? What if he couldn’t find her? Not only did they have medical questions, but what would he tell B when she grew up and wanted to know why her mother had left her? That particular worry made his heart ache. Just like knowing he’d embarrassed Aurelia did.
“Hold up a sec.” He guided Aurelia and the stroller out of the middle of the sidewalk, set down his bags, and gathered Aurelia in his arms. She gazed up at him with trusting eyes, looking at him like he was the best thing since peanut M&M’s, but did he deserve that? “I’m sorry for flying off the handle at Echo and for embarrassing you.”
“You’ve said that three times already. It’s fine. I’m sure Echo knows you were frazzled because B was upset, and I was only embarrassed for a second.”
“Still. I don’t lose my cool often, and in the last week you’ve seen me totally out of my element more than once. I don’t like that, and I don’t want you to think I’m the kind of guy who will go off over little things.”
She smiled up at him and said, “Afraid it’s going to knock your cool quotient down a notch?”
“Rels, I’m serious. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad.”
“Okay, well, I’ve known you for years, and I’m pretty sure if you were the kind of guy who lost his mind over meaningless crap, I’d know it by now. Here’s my honest-to-goodness thoughts on what happened. At first I was a little embarrassed, because you were so panicked. But then I realized two things. B needs a father who cares enough to make things right, and”—she flattened her hands against his chest and said—“that panicked, fatherly side of you? That was serious boyfriend porn. You were being protective of your baby girl, and you spoke up for all single dads in the area. That’s awesome, Benny boy. I think I fell a little harder for you again today.”
He touched his forehead to hers and said, “What did I do to deserve you?”
“Heck if I know.” She smiled with the tease, and then she went up on her toes, meeting his delicious lips in a decadent kiss.
“If I’m hearing you right,” he said as he picked up the shopping bags, “all I have to do to turn you on is stand up for my little girl?”
She began pushing