Sweet and Sassy Baby Love

by Alicia Street

  “Here, here, now.” Jonas rushed into the room. “What’s all this?”

  “Unka!” Tony sobbed and huge, crocodile tears spilled from his eyes.

  Robin stepped away from the crib so Jonas could scoop up Tony. The baby buried his face in his uncle’s neck.

  The rejection and hurt she felt swelled in her throat until it became a hard, painful knot.

  “He doesn’t like me.” She forced the whispered words around the lump. Hot tears burned her eyes.

  “Come on, now,” Jonas said, reaching out with his free hand to touch her arm. “It’s not that he doesn’t like you.” His tone was soft and soothing. “He doesn’t know you.”

  The rational part of her mind absorbed Jonas’s explanation, even agreed with it, but her heart, that soft place that the core of her emotions called home, still felt bruised by the shunning.

  “We should have thought about this,” Jonas said. “Seeing how he was a little shy of you at the courthouse. And when we picked him up at Amy’s.”

  Robin felt numb even as she nodded.

  “Maybe we should just stick together for a few days,” he suggested. “Maybe we should put off working until Tony’s as comfortable with you as he is with me.”

  What a nice thing for him to suggest. Warmth rushed through her veins, bringing back her sense of feeling with tingling clarity. Gratitude welled within her, an emotion that jarred against the usual leeriness he caused in her. She wanted to reach up on her tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek.

  But she hesitated as a dark, silent voice whispered inside her. He’s not putting off his work for you, you idiot. He’s doing it for the baby.

  “Of course,” she murmured to herself.

  “So, you think it’s a good idea?” he asked.

  “What? Oh, yes,” she said. “And I’ll put off working for a while, too. It shouldn’t take too long, do you think?”

  “Nah,” Jonas said with a smile. “A couple days at the most.”

  Even as she said, “Okay,” Robin battled with her mixed feelings about spending the next few days in close proximity to Jonas. She’d thought they would take turns being with the baby, and now it seemed more prudent that the three of them be thrown together for all activities. The idea made her uncomfortable for some reason, made her feel unsafe.

  She wasn’t afraid of Jonas; it wasn’t that at all. It was just that he threatened her... security. No, that wasn’t it, either.

  Why, then, she wondered, did she balk at the thought of spending time with him?

  Before she could ponder the question further, Tony began to make deep, grunting noises. She and Jonas looked at each other in surprise. The baby lifted his head to stare intently into his uncle’s eyes. His precious, tear-streaked face turned beet red as he strained, and immediately following, a loud, stinky explosion erupted from his bottom region.

  Jonas looked at her, trying hard to contain his mirth. “Well, now. I guess it’s time for me to change the little man’s pants.”

  A snicker escaped Robin’s throat. “You are the favored one at the moment.”

  Chapter Three

  Robin rummaged in the kitchen pantry in search of something to feed Tony for breakfast while Jonas was busy changing the toddler’s diaper and dressing him for the day. She smiled as she heard Jonas’s voice coming over the baby monitor. He was talking his way through the diaper change, evidently having forgotten that Robin could eavesdrop on his every word.

  “Okay,” she heard Jonas say, “the bottom is clean and dry.” Then he added, “Tony, let’s remember to pick up more baby wipes at the store. Uncle Jonas uses a lot of those things.”

  A grin tugged at the corners of Robin’s mouth. She went to the desk in the corner of the kitchen and started a grocery list, placing baby wipes at the very top.

  “Okay, diapers, diapers,” he murmured. “Where are the diapers?”

  There was a scrambling sound that had Robin chuckling.

  “No, Tony, keep still now. Uncle Jonas is moving as fast as he can. You have to be patient.”

  “Toy,” Tony demanded.

  “You want the teddy bear?”

  “No.” The baby’s tone was firm, decisive. “Toy.” With her ear glued to the monitor, Robin leaned against the counter, all thoughts of breakfast pushed from her mind.

  “Here,” she heard Jonas offer, “how about these keys? They’re pretty colors. Red. Blue. Green. Look at this yellow one.” Another scrambling sound and then she heard the plastic keys bounce off the changing table. “No, no, Tony. Lay still for Uncle Jonas.”

  Tony whined.

  “Let’s go over to the toy chest and you pick out what you want.”

  The surrender in Jonas’s heavy sigh had Robin pressing her fingers against her lips to hold back the laughter that bubbled from within her. She listened as the two of them moved across Tony’s bedroom and began digging in the chest full of cars, trucks, plastic balls, airplanes and stuffed animals she’d seen. Jonas offered each toy to the child and Tony rejected each one.

  Robin found herself completely caught up in the entertainment of their conversation. She looked forward to the day when she and her nephew could communicate in the same easy manner. She hoped it wouldn’t take Tony too long to learn to trust her as he obviously trusted Jonas.

  “So you want the duck,” she finally heard Jonas say. “Why didn’t you say so?”

  “Duck,” Tony proclaimed triumphantly.

  The deep rich sound of Jonas’s chuckle sent shivers coursing along Robin’s spine. He had such a nice voice. And he was so calm and patient when dealing with Tony. Maybe her brother, Jeff, and his wife knew exactly what they were doing when they’d named Jonas as Tony’s guardian.

  Her eyes grew wide, the thought startling her so that she took a staggering step away from the counter and the monitor where Jonas’s voice floated out over the air.

  She could be calm and patient with the baby. She knew she could. She only needed to be given the chance. She only needed to gain Tony’s trust.

  Suddenly she relived the rejection she’d felt only minutes before when her nephew had cried when she’d entered his room. But luckily she was able to stave off the emotional onslaught and view the scene in her mind from a more analytical point of view.

  Jonas had been right. Tony had been frightened of her, not because he disliked her, but because he didn’t know her well enough to feel safe and secure in her presence.

  Well, Robin thought, she’d put the baby at ease. She’d let him know that she could be counted on. She’d learn to care for him so that he’d know he could depend on her.

  Her intake of breath was sharp as a realization struck her with full force; she wanted Tony to depend on her. She’d never wanted anything so much in her life. The feeling was so strange to her. All her life she’d run from one end of the world to another in an effort to keep herself free and independent. She’d never wanted to have anyone rely on her. Years of seeing her mother slave for her severely ill father had implanted in her a fierce desire for freedom and independence.

  But why the change of heart now? she wondered.

  “Oh, Tony!”

  Jonas’s loud exclamation jerked Robin from her thoughts. The baby began to cry and she wondered if she should run upstairs to see what happened or if she could help.

  “It’s okay,” she heard Jonas soothe. “Don’t cry. Let’s just get a diaper on and we’ll go down to breakfast. Aunt Robin is fixing you something good to eat. Let’s worry about getting you dressed later.”

  At the mention of food, Robin’s gaze swept across the immaculate kitchen, the clear table, the spotless counters. She hadn’t even started to prepare anything for Tony to eat. Scurrying to the pantry, she pulled out a round box of oatmeal and began reading the instructions for preparation. She found a small bowl and a measuring cup. She bolted for the refrigerator and slowed down long enough to carefully pour out the right amount of milk. The microwave oven buttons beeped as she programmed in the pr
oper time.

  She searched the cabinets and pulled out a small juice glass, then her eyes lit on a blue plastic cup with a tight-fitting lid. Of course! Tony could sip, spill-free, and the bright blue would interest him. In the silverware drawer she found a lemon yellow spoon that was just the right size for a toddler’s mouth. Inventors of baby products were geniuses. She placed the cup on the tray of the high chair along with the spoon and a paper napkin.

  “Put your leg down, Tony,” Jonas said. “Here, here. No, lay still. Quit squirming, little man.”

  The once light tone of Jonas’s voice was forced now and Robin could actually feel his frustration. She would have gone up to help him out, but she was in too much of a rush to stir the oatmeal and then fill the cup with chilled apple juice she’d found in the door of the fridge.

  Robin was sprinkling brown sugar on the steaming oatmeal when she heard Jonas’s footsteps coming down the stairs. She looked up when they entered the kitchen.

  “Hi, Tony.” She kept her greeting bright and soft-spoken and friendly. Her quick glance at Jonas had her eyes widening with curiosity. “What happened to you?” she asked.

  He looked a little flustered, but humor glittered in his green gaze as he explained. “Tony had a little accident.” Jonas tugged his wet pant leg away from his body. “But I did learn a valuable lesson...”

  Robin’s mouth quirked up in a grin. “Don’t let Tony run around without a diaper on?”

  Jonas nodded solemnly and then joined in with her light laughter.

  The sound emanating from deep in his chest was rich and vibrant and it did strange things to the pit of her stomach. Her smile slowly faded and she pressed her hand to her abdomen, but before she could rationalize her body’s reaction to Jonas, Tony began to chuckle too.

  Robin’s attention suddenly riveted to the baby’s face. His laughter gave her an amazing sense of relief. He was happy.

  “Oh,” Jonas commented to Tony, “so you think what you did to Uncle Jonas was funny, huh?”

  “Fun.” The baby tried out the word, and he laughed again.

  Jonas smiled at Robin, and again she felt her insides grow all quivery. She fought to keep her brow from wrinkling as she tried to figure out what the hell was wrong with her… was she coming down with the flu?

  “I need to get a shower and change obviously,” Jonas told her. “And sometime today maybe you can help me get some clothes on him. But all that will have to wait until after we get him fed.”

  The light and dizzy sensation she’d experienced when Jonas smiled at her was forgotten when she was swamped by a new anxiety: she worried whether or not the baby would like the breakfast she’d prepared. It wasn’t until that very moment that she realized she had no idea what fourteen-month-old toddlers ate in the morning. Would he like oatmeal? Did he even have enough teeth to chew it? Should she have looked for some kind of baby cereal instead? Or mashed up some fruit? Could he digest fresh fruit? Didn’t baby food come in jars? Why weren’t there any one the shelves?

  Robin had realized all along that she was ignorant when it came to kids, but the questions that flew through her brain, fast and furious, boggled the mind.

  Jonas held Tony in one arm and moved into the center of the kitchen. The baby’s happy countenance faded and apprehension filled his big, brown eyes with sudden fear as he glanced at Robin. It was almost as if he’d forgotten about his frightening experience up in his bedroom and was just now remembering it all over again.

  His little chin quivered and the corners of his mouth tipped down. The sight filled Robin with a compassion the likes of which she’d never before felt. She wanted to wipe away all his anxiety, but that was a pretty difficult task when it was her that he feared.

  “Oh, baby,” she crooned, “it’s okay. Please don’t be afraid of me.”

  She said the words but she didn’t move, didn’t dare take a step toward him. She’d already seen the results of that, and she might be ignorant about children, but she wasn’t completely stupid, thank God.

  “Now, Tony,” Jonas said. “This is Aunt Robin.”

  Tony slipped his thumb into his mouth, looked from Jonas to Robin and back to Jonas. The panic in his gaze broke Robin’s heart and made her want to reach out to him. But she didn’t. She simply waited for him to respond.

  He twisted in Jonas’s arms, turning his back to her and holding himself in that stiff position. His reaction couldn’t have been clearer. He didn’t want to deal with the situation. He didn’t want to face what was happening, and in his child’s mind he’d decided that ignoring Robin would make her go away.

  But he had to face it. He had to deal with her. Because she wasn’t going away.

  Jonas looked at Robin and she read questions in his troubled eyes. So what do we do? he silently asked. How do we fix this?

  She shrugged, feeling helpless. She only wished she knew what they should do.

  It was Jonas who took action. He approached Robin with Tony still in his arms, and he smoothed his strong, tanned hand up and down the toddler’s back as he said, “Tony, Aunt Robin is a nice lady. She fixed your breakfast. She cooked oatmeal just for you.”

  Jonas was standing so close to her now that she could have reached out and touched his arm. Tony didn’t move to acknowledge her in any way.

  Jonas moved closer.

  “Turn around, little man.” His tone was gentle but firm.

  Robin felt her stomach grow jittery. She didn’t want to force her nephew to accept her, but she knew it was in his best interest that he understand the circumstances as much as he could and come to terms with his present situation.

  She was part of his present situation. The sooner he learned that, the better.

  “Tony, turn around,” Jonas repeated. “I want you to meet your Aunt Robin.”

  Ever so slowly, Tony pivoted first his head, then his whole body, until he was facing her. Again the panic displayed on his face, in his gaze, nearly killed her.

  “It’s okay, honey,” she said quietly. “I know you’re afraid. But you don’t need to be. I love you, sweetheart.”

  His fear seemed to lessen a tiny degree. She reached out and touched his cheek. Tony’s eyes glistened with sudden tears.

  Robin lowered her hand to her side.

  “Now, look,” Jonas said, his unwavering voice was balanced with just the right softness to get the baby’s attention. “Aunt Robin is going to be here with us, Tony.”

  Then Jonas did the most astounding thing; he draped his free arm over her shoulders.

  “I like Aunt Robin,” he proclaimed. “And I know you’re going to like her too.”

  Robin felt blanketed in the male warmth emanating from Jonas. She could feel the heat of his arm penetrating the thin cotton fabric of her housecoat. There was a tiny, sensitive pulsing right at the back of her neck where his bare skin touched hers. It felt hot enough and disturbing enough to make her want to flinch, but now wasn’t the time for a reaction like that.

  A nice, woodsy aroma wafted around her and she inhaled deeply. Her heart pitter-pattered beneath her ribs. She was enjoying Jonas’s closeness too much, and just as she was about to chastise herself, she smelled something else... a light and fresh fragrance. Baby powder. She smelled baby powder.

  Darting a quick glance at Jonas’s hand where it dangled from her shoulder, she saw a pale white film of powder on his palm.

  The dark, woodsy scent of his cologne mixed with baby powder wouldn’t normally bring to mind the idea of a sensual aroma, but Robin was totally surprised when she found the smell quite sexy. So sexy, in fact, that her mouth pulled back in a grin she wasn’t able to suppress.

  Helplessly she looked up into Jonas’s face and felt an immense relief to find his attention focused on Tony. She turned her gaze on little Tony and saw that he was studying her. She let her grin broaden into a full-fledged smile. It mattered not one whit that her smile had been caused by her reaction to Jonas’s nearness… and his sexy scent. It only mattered that a
smile was what her nephew needed to see from her right now.

  The corners of Tony’s mouth tipped up timidly.

  “There it is,” Jonas whispered. “Let’s see that smile grow bigger and bigger, little man.”

  His arm muscle contracted, pulling her even closer to him, and before she knew what was happening, she felt Jonas’s firm, warm lips on her lower jaw. The kiss was over before she could blink, but her reaction to it lingered. Heat suffused her face and her whole body broke out in feverish, prickly tremors.

  Robin swallowed and tried to keep the smile from sliding from her lips. She reached around behind her and grasped the edge of the counter for support.

  “Robin is my friend,” Jonas told Tony.

  He’s lying. The thought soared through her head like a careering asteroid.

  She knew he was telling bald-faced lies. He really didn’t think she was nice. He really didn’t think of her as a friend. He was only trying to win Tony’s trust. But the weight of his arm slung across her shoulder, the sound of his voice when he complimented her, the feel of his heartbeat where her skin was pressed against his chest were making her insides jitter with an undercurrent of...

  No words would come to describe what she was feeling by being so near to Jonas, by feeling the warmth of him, by hearing his voice.

  “She’s your friend too. Do you want to give Aunt Robin a kiss?” Jonas asked Tony.

  The toddler’s smile faded.

  Robin shrugged out of Jonas’s embrace. “I appreciate what you’re doing, Jonas,” she said. “But don’t push it. He’ll come around.” To Tony, she said, “How about some breakfast?”

  Tony pressed his little hand to Jonas’s cheek and looked into his uncle’s eyes. “Fooooooood,” he demanded.

  Jonas and Robin worked together to loosen the tray from the high chair. By the time the two of them had secured Tony in the seat, the child was losing all patience.

  “Juice, juice.” He pointed to the blue plastic sippy cup.

  Robin set the cup and spoon on the tray and Tony promptly picked up the juice and took a long drink. She stood near the high chair, the bowl of oatmeal in hand.