Doorstep Daddy

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To be held.

He would feed her, change her diaper. Lay her down for a nap. Pick her up momentarily, basically just long enough to unload her again on the floor or into the car seat.

But walk around with the kid on his shoulder? No. Not part of the job description. And not something he, of all people, should be doing. For one, he had a childhood history of butterfingers with babies. His mother hadn’t nicknamed him Dropsy Dalton for nothing. For another, he and babies didn’t…bond well.

But there was more to it than that. Much more. A history Dalton didn’t like to think about—

And wouldn’t.

This was a temporary gig, one he’d taken on in a moment of clear emotional weakness, which meant he wasn’t about to try to change that pattern. And he didn’t have to. Before he knew it, he’d be done with the whole thing.

He was sitting in his armchair, pushing at Sabrina’s car seat with his toe, rocking her back and forth. She had the plug in her mouth, but she was still managing to cry around it. Dalton was praying in his head for Sabrina to just give up the battle and go back to sleep.

Then his doorbell rang, and he heard knocking. “Dalton? It’s Ellie.”

Salvation had arrived.

He pulled open the door and let her in. “Finally. You’re here. She’s missed you.” Actually, he’d probably missed Ellie more—strictly in a take-back-this-kid sense, of course.

A smile took over Ellie’s face. The kind that socked Dalton in the gut and hit him with an almost envious feeling. Had anyone ever looked at him like that? Ever been that happy to see him at the end of the day? “I can hear that.” She brushed past Dalton, beelined for the car seat, unsnapped the kid, and picked her up. A second later, she had the kid against her chest, working the circles again, and had quieted her down. Somewhat.

“You all set? If so, I’ll go back to work.” He handed Ellie the diaper bag, practically throwing it onto her shoulder.

“Wait. You haven’t even heard my idea. Remember? I mentioned it to you on the phone?”

“Tell me later.” He started toward his office. “You’re here. My shift is over.” Okay, so it was only three in the afternoon, probably too early for his shift—if that’s what he could call it—to be anywhere near over, but Ellie was here, and that was good enough for him.

He was done. D-O-N-E. And not a moment too soon. What had he been thinking? Trying to take on a baby, of all things? He couldn’t do this. Shouldn’t do this.

All day, he’d tried to tell himself he could keep his distance. Not be taken in by those baby blue eyes and that gummy smile. That being with this kid wouldn’t open up those doors he’d worked so hard to shut. Or disrupt his life.