smile faded. “What do you mean by open-ended?”
“I may have to go to New York for a few days for meetings, but once they’re concluded I’ll be back.
Her jaw dropped. “Oh I see.”
“Hopefully you do, because it’s going to take a while for Lily to get used to seeing me, so I’m prepared to take as much time as necessary to bond with my daughter.”
His reference to Lily being his daughter was not lost on Mya. Biologically the baby was his daughter, but legally Lily was hers. “I’m not opposed to you bonding with my daughter,” she countered, smiling. “And if there is anything I can do to speed up the process, then please let me know.”
She knew she had shocked him with the offer when he gave her a long, penetrating stare. It was apparent he hadn’t expected her to be that cooperative. His gaze shifted to Lily.
“May I hold her?”
“Hold out your arms and see if she’ll come to you.”
* * *
Giles extended his arms, and much to his surprise Lily leaned forward and held out her arms for him to take her. He smiled at the little girl looking up at him. “She looks different from when I last saw her.” Her hair was longer and there was a hint of more teeth coming through her upper gums.
Mya leaned against the porch column and crossed her arms under her breasts. “I’m able to see her change even though I’m with her all the time. Right now she’s teething, so she’s drooling on everything.” As if on cue, Lily picked up her bib and gnawed on it.
Giles shifted his attention from Lily to Mya. He marveled that a woman without a hint of makeup and wearing faded jeans and a white T-shirt and socks could appear so incredibly sensual.
“How old is she now?”
“She turned eight months two days ago.”
He quickly did the math. “Her birthday is February 5?”
“Yes.”
“Our birthdays are four days apart. Mine is February first.”
“That’s quite a coincidence.” Mya turned and opened the storm door at the same time Lily let out a piercing scream. “That’s her way of telling me she wants to be changed. In fact, it’s time for her afternoon nap.”
Giles followed Mya inside the house and sniffed the air. “Something smells good.”
Mya glanced at him over her shoulder. “I’m making pot roast. You’re more than welcome to stay for dinner.”
He stared at the denim fabric hugging her hips and smothered a groan. Giles knew it wasn’t going to be easy to completely ignore the woman with whom he would spend time whenever he came to see Lily. Everything about her turned him on: her face, body, hair, softly modulated voice with a hint of a drawl and then there was the way she stared at him. It was as if she knew what he was thinking or going to say before he spoke.
Jordan had come up with nothing—not even a parking ticket—in Samantha and Mya’s background for him to use as leverage to bolster his case if and when he decided to sue her. The only alternative was to watch for signs of neglect, and watching Mya closely was definitely going to become a delightful distraction.
“I’d like that very much. Do you cook every day?”
“Yes, because I have to prepare meals for Lily.”
Giles slipped out of his running shoes, left them on the thick straw mat near the door and followed Mya through the living room and up a flight of stairs to the second story. “You don’t buy baby food from the supermarket?”
“No. I’ve heard stories about jars of baby food being recalled because of foreign objects, so I decided it’s safer and healthier to prepare her food myself. I’ll cook carrots, beets, spinach or sweet potatoes and then purée them to a consistency where she can swallow without choking.”
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.