CEO Daddy (Crescent Cove 6.50)

“Fuck that.”

“Gabriela Maria!”

She flushed. “Don’t use that mom voice on me. It’s a good one though. You’re a

natural.”

I lowered my forehead to the cool marble countertop. I needed a time out. “I hate you.”

She continued to eat. Loudly. At least from her slurps I could tell my food was good. “Nah, you love me. Now that I’ve completely killed my diet, let’s start packing these badboys up, huh?”

I straightened up. “That’s a good plan.”

As if she was waiting for me to get ready to work, Lily’s cries came crackling out of the baby monitor. “Hold that thought.”

“Want me to start?”

My hands itched to do it. I had a particular way I wanted things packed up. But honestly, something had to give. I needed help if my business was going to continue to grow. “Thanks. That would be great. The boxes are in the cupboard right by you.”

She bent down and started rummaging around. “These are so cute.”

I grabbed my phone. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

She waved me off. “I’ve got this. No worries.”

Maybe things were looking up a little. I climbed the stairs to the nursery and wished to God I’d checked the video sooner. “Oh, Lily.”

Evidently, Houdini now knew how to get herself out of her diaper as well. And it definitely wasn’t a happy diaper.

It was time to try one of those sleep sacks I’d talked about with Asher. They would limit her mobility just enough so she couldn’t scale any cribs. Or fling any poo.

I scooped her up and headed right for the bathroom. It was going to be a long day.

Welcome to your new life, Hannah.

Nineteen

“Lily, no.” I sighed and dumped the two pans I’d planned to wash into the sink.

My favorite little redhead was nearly unrecognizable. She had Spaghetti-Os plastered across her cheeks up to her hairline. Little triangles of hot dogs I’d cut up for her littered the floor around her high chair. She was just starting to get the hang of human food on a hit-or-miss basis.

The rest of the hotdogs had been my lunch, now cold.

I usually made something far more nutritious for her, but I was seriously dragging after my girls’ night with Gabby. Even minus the wine, we’d talked well into the night. And because she was a devil, she’d gotten way too many details out of me about Asher.

Add in the five hours of sleep I’d managed to get—thank you, Baby Orajel—and I was ready for a nap with the kiddo. Lily, however, had no such plans for sleep. Plus, she needed another bath thanks to her abject failure with finger food.

Emma had loved Spaghetti-Os. I remember her being just as covered in them when I helped my mom with lunch time.

I blinked back the quick prick of tears. It was times like this that made me miss my mom the most.

The fact that I was sure I had a picture of Emma in a similar state as Lily made me grab my phone off the counter and catch it for posterity. Maybe Asher would enjoy seeing it. I stuffed my phone into my back pocket and reached for the baby wipes I had at the ready. “You, my little princess, are a hot mess.” I started with her hand and picked noodles out of her fist with the first wipe. “My goodness. What would your dad say?”

“He’d say, what the hell happened to my kitchen?”

I spun around, the smashed pasta smearing across my apron. “Asher, hi.” My heart picked up speed as I quickly turned back to Lily. “Oh, this is nothing. You should see what she did with peas yesterday.” I moved to the side. “Say hi, Lily Patch.”

Her delighted squeal filled me with joy. She was truly the cutest baby.