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Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail. She was clearly stressed. She had a baby in her arms, and he had his fingers curled around some of her falling-down hair. His cheeks were pink and round and he wiggled mightily in her grip.
“I’m sorry,” she said immediately. “I thought he’d be asleep by now.”
I wasn’t even thinking as I reached over. “I’ll take him.”
Tish’s eyes widened in surprise, but she didn’t hesitate to pass the baby over to me. Maybe it was pure surprise, or maybe it was that she was clearly tired.
“Hey there,” I murmured as I held the plump baby in my arms and adjusted him against my shoulder.
“What’s his name?” Maybe I was making assumptions about his gender, but this guy gave off serious boy energy.
“Teddy.”
“Hey, Teddy.” He wiggled and fussed a little. “Can I come in?” I asked.
“Oh! Of course.” She stepped back, holding the door as I walked through.
Whether it was because he was simply shocked to be in someone else’s arms, or that I held him in a way that worked for him, Teddy settled after a moment.
I glanced around the place. The door led into a small entryway. The ceilings were high, so the space felt open and airy. The entryway shifted from tiled flooring to hardwood into an open living room and kitchen area. The sun was setting now, leaving streaks of fading gold in the sky above the mountains. I rocked Teddy in my arms and he curled against my shoulder, letting out a weary sigh.
“Are you magic?” Tish teased as she looked at us.
“Don’t think so. I learned the knack of comforting a fussy baby with one of my nephews. I’m convinced most of it is not being a tired parent,” I offered with a shrug.
Tish let out a soft laugh. “True. Do you want to walk with me to his bedroom?”
“Lead the way.”
We walked across the living room to a short hallway. We passed a bathroom on one side, and another room strewn with toys, a playpen, and a desk in the corner. Across the hallway was another door that Tish led me through. It appeared to be her bedroom with a queen-sized bed against the wall and a bathroom beyond that. She led me into a small room off to the side where there was a chair beside a crib.
Tish held her fingers to her lips and gestured toward the crib. “Want me to get him?” she whispered.
I shook my head. I had done the transfer of a sleeping baby into a crib enough that I thought I could pull it off. I knew the less we moved Teddy, the better. He didn’t stir as I carefully placed him in the crib. Tish tucked a blanket around him.
We tiptoed out. She left the door ajar and reached for the baby monitor remote on a small table by the bed as we walked out. She didn’t say a word until we had made it back down the hallway into the kitchen. She sat down on a stool, letting out a big sigh. “We made it!”
I chuckled and lifted my palm to slap hers with a high-five.
“You are magic. It’s obvious you’ve put more than one baby to bed.” She smiled at me, looking almost giddy.
“I wouldn’t say it’s magic, but I have put more than one baby in a crib. I babysit for my family here and there.”
Tish rested her elbows on the counter. “Have a seat.”
I slipped onto the stool across from her. “How are you?”
She held my gaze for a long moment before slowly shrugging, looking almost as if she didn’t even know the answer. “Pretty good,” she finally said. “How are you?”
“Pretty good.” I paused, studying her for a moment. She looked tired, but peaceful. “It’s really good to see you, Tish.”
She held my eyes, her gaze thoughtful. “Is it? I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I want to clarify that when I kissed you, I hadn’t seen Teddy’s father for about two months. I didn’t even know I was pregnant. I’d only dated him for a few months before that.”
“You don’t owe me an explanation, Tish.” Although I had plenty of curiosity about the situation, I meant what I said.
She leaned back, her fingertips tracing along the edge of the counter. “I want to explain.” Her shoulders rose as she sucked in a deep breath. “Like I said, I’d only been dating him for a few months. We only had sex one time.” Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink. “I can’t believe I’m even telling you this, but he stealthed me.”
“Stealth? Excuse me?” I prompted.
