sniffs are not equal. The NIGHTWIND ladies—including wives—gave great sniff. Summer was going to fit in just fine.
“Confession.” He offered a dry look. She laughed in his face.
“Mr. Magnum only does exclusive. He’s not available for parties and cannot perform in front of an audience. As long as you take him out for some exercise now and then, we’re good.”
The baby tilted her head. He put a hand on her back, and when he glanced down, he saw the future looking back at him. She wanted siblings. He was startled by the clear, succinct way this call for more kids blared in his mind.
Mm-hmm. Did Arianne have special abilities? Considering they were her parents, he had to wonder.
A yawn from Summer reminded him she was on life support.
“Does the kitchen sink have a spray faucet? I brought the baby’s bath flower. She likes a waterfall.”
“Is she like you, Summer? A water baby?”
Her face brightened. “Libra is an air sign. I looked it up. So is Gemini. Go figure, right? My dad loved fishing so maybe my love of water came from him and passed to her?” She shrugged.
“My mother was a swimmer. She had Olympic dreams.”
“Oh, Arnie!” She gasped and squeezed his forearm. “How wonderful!” Kissing Ari’s face, she cooed, “Kismet and DNA. Sounds about right for us.”
“You’re cold,” he announced with no proof to back up his statement. “Let’s go inside.”
Marching around with his daughter cuddled against his chest was the manliest thing he’d ever done. He wasn’t joking about the carrier sling’s coolness. Missing out on three months of Arianne’s life hurt like fucking hell. He had a lot of missed time to erase and planned to be very hands-on.
Hands-on dad and hands-on husband—fingers crossed on the second.
Tracking yawns like contractions, Arnie stayed on top of how close Summer was to a face-plant on the floor. She hung in, though. Mommying was her first priority, and he knew she wouldn’t stand down until the day was done, and Ari was ready for bed.
Summer disappeared into the bedroom to change into what she called her mommy uniform. He nattered on to Ari the whole time Mommy was gone, suggesting uniform possibilities. To his delight, this uniform consisted of stretchy leggings and a baggy, loose T-shirt knotted on one hip. Her hair was in a sloppy knot on top of her head, and she wore the bunny slippers he found so sexy.
Waving a towel, she chirped, “Bath time for baby!”
He learned a lot about all sorts of practical baby things as she prepped the kitchen for the watery activity.
To understand the process, he studied everything. She plopped a ginormous diaper bag on the counter, produced a stack of towels, and proceeded to create a changing station. She set out a basket of bath stuff—baby washes and whatnot.
The kitchen wasn’t designed for spectator bathing. Frustrated by the lack of viewing space, he squeezed next to Summer, pressing so close he had to stretch out a hand and put it on her waist or run out of room.
Equally impressed and fascinated by the big, cushy flower cradling Ari safely in the water, he muttered, “I bet the patent office has a special section just for baby inventions. Some of this stuff is ingenious.”
She turned on the faucet sprayer and directed a gentle shower of warm water on the baby’s feet. Ari splashed and cooed happily. In no time at all, Summer’s shirt was soaking wet.
He asked a million questions. She answered, though sometimes teasingly.
When bath time was over, their wiggling daughter was wrapped in a soft towel and placed her on the makeshift changing table. Summer nudged him with her hip and told him to give her room to maneuver.
“Give me your hands.”
He stammered, “Um, what?”
She didn’t wait for him to get a clue before she reached for his hands and turned them over. Squirting a blob of lotion onto one palm, she directed him to rub it and take a whiff.
The soft scent of lavender filled his nose. He smiled. “Aromatherapy for babies?”
She grinned happily. “Fast learner.”
He lifted his shoulders. “I noticed the bubble bath was lavender too. It makes sense. Teaches baby that yeah, bath time is fun, but it’s also relaxing and restorative.”
“This is her favorite part. Nighttime rubdown. I have a book about baby massage. How to do it and what the benefits are. Watch.”
He crowded close and lost himself in the choreography of touches and strokes. Ari was blissed out