understand why I was so tired. So even if I had tips, why should I share them with you?”
He knew she was only joking, but she was right. He had been an arrogant twentysomething when Louie was born, and though he didn’t remember saying that to her, he probably had.
“You’re right. I deserve to be light-headed with exhaustion in my meeting this morning.”
“Believe it or not, that’s going to be easier than watching Bea. How’s Aurelia this morning? Do not leave without giving her time to shower first, or she’ll never get one in. Are you letting her get any sleep? I know you’re a new couple, and there’s the whole insatiable-appetite-for-each-other thing going on, but the girl needs her sleep if she’s going to help you with the baby.”
“Bridgette,” he warned.
Bridgette laughed. “Oh my God, Ben. Don’t even pretend you’re not all over each other. Everyone noticed the other night at dinner. It was like you were two just-uncorked champagne bottles. Lust bubbled out of both of you.”
He closed his eyes, remembering how Talia had walked in on them making out in the pantry when they’d offered to do the dishes. “Stop,” he said. “She slept as late as she could, and she’s taking a shower.” He knew Aurelia had a full day’s work ahead of her, including an interview and book deliveries, and she was also hoping to get a jump on filling the bookshelves. He worried about how much she had on her plate, but Aurelia assured him that she could handle it.
“Why don’t you just ask Mom to watch Bea for a few hours?”
“No. I’ll be working from home the rest of the week. We’ve got this, Bridge.”
“Uh-huh,” she said lightly. “You know, both of you are used to doing everything on your own, but it’s okay to ask for help.”
He heard Aurelia in the bedroom and said, “That’s why I called, asking for tips. Remember?”
“Okay, you’re right. Here they are. Hire a night nanny, which you can easily afford, or sleep in separate rooms so one of you can get some sleep. You do have a house you can go to, Ben. Give the girl a break. She’s gone from being a single woman opening her first business to basically being the stepmom to a baby inside of two weeks. That’s a lot to deal with.”
He gritted his teeth as Aurelia came out of the bedroom looking a little more bright-eyed than she had earlier—and sexy as sin in a tan miniskirt and a thin white sweater. He dragged his eyes down her body to the black high-tops on her feet and spotted the red ink of the quote she’d written on them. A quote he knew by heart, because she’d written it there when she’d first moved back to Sweetwater. It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.
She pointed to Bea and mouthed, Want me to take her?
He shook his head and smiled. “Bridge, I’ve got to get to my meeting. Thanks for the help, and tell Bodhi that Mason was awesome.”
After ending the call, he kissed Aurelia. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“What did Bridgette say?”
“That it’ll be four to six months before she sleeps through the night.”
“That’s okay.” She put her hand on his waist, kissed Bea, and said, “We’ll just start going to bed earlier. What’s four to six months in the grand scheme of things?”
“I couldn’t love you more, you know that?” He kissed her again. “I could take her with me today,” he suggested, imagining himself as Superdad, cradling the baby while negotiating schedules with Aiden and the staff.
“Ben, no. We’re a team. Yesterday you were in the game. Today it’s my turn. Tomorrow you’ll be in it again.” She rubbed Bea’s back and said, “We’ve got this, right, sweet pea?”
He set down Bea’s bottle and lifted her to his shoulder. Then he put his arm around Aurelia, pulling her in closer. “Isn’t it supposed to get easier to leave you two with time?”
“You’re just in daddy mode right now. Once you get into the office, the fiercely aggressive businessman inside you will come roaring out, and you won’t even remember why you didn’t want to leave this morning.” She pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of him and the baby. “I’ll text this picture to you so you can stare at her during the meeting.” Her eyes flicked playfully up to his and she said, “I’m sure Aiden will appreciate you being sidetracked and