Page 1 of Best Kept Secret

One

Kelsey went up the walkway of her brother’s apartment building with a box of donuts in her hands and a spring in her step. It was a beautiful Saturday morning in May, but that wasn’t why she felt so buoyant. She’d come here hoping to see Hudson, her brother’s friend/roommate, whom she’d had a crush on for over a year. She also wanted to see her brother, him being her only sibling, but if Hudson were there, it would be an added bonus.

As she neared the door to the building, it opened, and a man backed out of it, carefully guiding a baby stroller down the steps. She would have recognized the broad shoulders, long, lean back, and tight buns anywhere. This wasn’t a stranger. It was Hudson.

Her mouth fell open, and then he turned around as if he’d sensed her presence.

“Kelsey?”

Struck mute, she just nodded.

“What are you doing here?” he said, sounding a bit panicky.

At that moment, the occupant of the stroller cooed a nonsensical string of syllables that sounded adorable. The hood of the stroller was up to keep out the sun, and the child was covered in a blanket, so all she saw were a few wisps of blonde hair sticking out.

“I…um…I brought donuts!”

“Oh,” Hudson said. “Jared’s not here. He went to the gym.”

Then she realized the absurdity of the situation. She’d brought donuts over for her brother, who was so fitness-obsessed he went to the gym six days a week. Maybe she should have brought a fruit bowl instead.

The baby babbled again, and this time, Hudson ducked his head under the hood of the stroller.

“It’s okay, Annie. I’m right here.”

Annie. Ah-ha! She’d heard him mention the name before and wrongly assumed he’d been referring to a woman. Good to know she’s a baby instead. However…

“Um…is Annie…?”

He bumped his head on the top of the stroller as he moved out from under it. “She’s my niece.”

“Your niece. That makes sense.” She couldn’t hide her relief, smiling wider at the news. She also realized how little she knew about him other than how hot he was and how she burned up every time she saw him. Suddenly she felt bad for being so shallow, and she vowed to get to know him better.

“How old is she?”

“Almost three months.”

“Can I take a peek?”

“Sure.”

She dipped her head into the stroller and pulled back the blanket some. Annie was beautiful, even with her lack of hair. Her face was perfectly round, and her big blue eyes stood out against her pale skin. She reminded Kelsey of the baby dolls she’d played with as a kid.

“She’s adorable,” she said as she and the baby stared at each other. She couldn’t see a family resemblance other than… “Oh. She has your mole.”

“Yeah. Family trait.”

“Does your sister have one too?”

“Uh…”

Annie interrupted with a loud belch, and Kelsey laughed. “Why are babies’ burps so cute but adults’ not so much?”

He chuckled. “It’s true. Pretty much everything she does is cute.”

She stood up and smiled at him. “I take it you’re babysitting.”

He shrugged. “Sort of. I just like spending time with her.”