Having no idea how on earth I was meant to respond to that, I hesitated. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, still not quite sure what was going to fall out of my mouth, the soft gurgling of Libby dragged my attention to her.
I’d never been more relieved for a break in tension, though I was convinced I was the only idiot who felt it. Davis looked perfectly relaxed, while Tanner had made my insides mushy with his distracting touch.
I smiled over at Libby as she pulled her feet high and reached out and took them in her hands before she spotted Rex, who lay patiently by her side and was staring at her with interest. She’d been fast asleep for the past couple of hours and was lying on a collection of blankets on the floor while Rex had taken on the role of protector.
When she spotted Rex, she garbled noises and turned herself toward him. She lay on her front reaching out for him, seemingly desperate to get her legs moving in a crawling motion, but they didn’t seem to be behaving.
Rex shuffled toward Libby and placed his head on the floor before her. She giggled in delight and reached out, her hand on his fur.
“Hey, baby girl.” Warmth filled Davis’s voice when he spoke to his daughter. He stood, walked over to her, and then reached down to swoop her into his arms. He patted Rex’s head too, who seemed a little lost without Libby to lick. “You hungry?” A happy smile lit her face before it was hidden by her cramming a few of her fingers in her mouth.
I laughed. “Looks like it to me.”
Davis faced me with a grin. “Mind if I use your kitchen to heat her food?”
“Of course not. I can do it if—”
“No need.” He stepped over, passed Libby to me, released a loud snort-laugh at my startled face, and then left the room.
“All righty then.” I looked down at Libby. She was so small that I had no clue how to even hold her without breaking her.
Tanner’s soft chuckle had me quickly glancing over at him, my eyes wide in horror and pleading for help. He grinned, shifted me off him, and proceeded to get off the sofa and kneel before me. He pressed a kiss to my forehead and then one to Libby’s. Immediately she cooed and wriggled, lifting her head.
“Tanner?” I seriously had no idea what to do. I’d never held a baby before. Pups, kittens, heck, even calves, those I could handle, but a human baby had small beads of sweat breaking out on the back of my neck.
“You’re fine.” His voice was calming, and I chose to ignore the humor in his tone. “Just let her stand up. She wants to look around and take everything in. Davis said she’s trying her hardest to stand by herself. She’s not there yet.” He sounded amused.
“But—”
“She won’t break.”
Dammit, he already knew me so well.
“Really,” he continued, “she’s a sturdy little thing. She’s already trying to crawl. To be honest, I’m surprised she isn’t demanding to be set down so she can drag herself around.”
I nodded, some of my stress dissipating. I knew she wasn’t a newborn or anything, but I hadn’t a clue about babies, or how to figure out how old they were, let alone what they could do at different stages. I stood Libby upright on my knees where she eyed me in what I hoped was interest and not wariness.
After a few moments of awkwardness and staring wide-eyed at each other, Libby flashed a gummy smile at me. A large grin plastered my face, and I cooed at her, feeling as though I’d achieved something monumental to get such a reaction from her.
“You see, nothing to worry about.” Tanner’s palm pressed against my arm, giving me a light squeeze. Angling my head to look at him, I puffed my chest in pride.
“She likes me.”
He laughed. “Seems that way.”
“Awesome.” Davis stepped back into the room carrying a bowl and a small plastic spoon. “I’ll put you on the top of the list for babysitting.”
I’d looked away from him when he’d entered, but his words made me jerk my head back to him in such a hurry, I was sure I’d pulled something. “What?”
Loud laughter burst from him. “You’ll be fine.” He winked.
With a frown, I nodded, having no clue if he was joking or not.
Davis picked up his daughter and returned to his chair, placing her on his knee. No sooner had he sat than Tanner stood, rummaged around in a huge bag sitting next to Davis, pulled a bib free, and put it on Libby. He planted a quick kiss on her head before grabbing a baby bottle from the bag too. He disappeared for a moment as Davis started feeding Libby tiny mouthfuls of a mushed-up orange substance that made her hum in appreciation.
A moment later Tanner was back, the bottle filled with water. He placed it next to Davis so it was in easy reach.
I’d watched the whole exchange in wide-eyed silence. “Wow.” The word tumbled from my lips. Both men looked at me and heat touched my cheeks. I hadn’t intended to say anything.
