Page 7 of Romancing Melanie
“Nothing, I ummm, better get up and make a bottle.” Mel reluctantly pulled herself up and away from the delicious comfort of his warm body and headed toward her kitchen. She distracted herself with preparing the formula, grinning when she heard Noah make a disgusted noise as the stench of the baby’s diaper obviously reached him.
“Good god, kid, we have got to talk about how you keep poisoning us like this. It’s not cool, man, not cool at all.” His voice died off to a murmur and Mel peeked around the corner to see him bent over the couch, with a soft smile on his face as he dealt with the dirty diaper. She watched for a moment, drinking in the view of this handsome man, with his hair sticking up every which way and sleep-hooded eyes, obviously enamored with the tiny human in front of him.
She walked back into the living room just as Noah was straightening up, the baby now in his arms.
“He needs a name,” he stated firmly. “I can’t call my son baby boy Winters. He needs his own identity, separate from the woman who abandoned him.”
Mel felt her heart squeeze at the protective tone of his voice. “You’re right, and speaking of his egg donor, we need to try to find her, Noah.”
He looked at her, shock and denial on his face. “No way. Why the fuck would I want to find her? She kept him a secret from me her entire pregnancy, then just walked away and left him in the hospital. What if CPS hadn’t found me? She abandoned him. I don’t want her anywhere near him ever again.”
Mel sank down into a chair in her living room. It was too early, and she was not nearly caffeinated enough to deal with this, but she recognized she needed to. Someone had to help Noah understand that what he wanted, to run off with the baby and never look for the mother again, was not in his best interest.
“Noah, we have to find her. At the very least, you may need her to sign paperwork relinquishing custody so she can’t come and fight for him later. Not to mention we know nothing of her medical history, what she had for prenatal care, who her family is or anything.”
“Why does that matter?” Noah said defensively.
“Because you’re going to want to know if there’s some medical condition that runs in the family, or if there were any problems with delivery, or…” Mel’s voice trailed off. How could she suggest the idea of drug or alcohol use during pregnancy without him freaking out even more? “We need to know if there’s anything to be aware of, that’s all.”
To her relief, Noah sighed, his shoulders sagging as he sank back down on the couch, bottle in hand and began to feed the baby. “I know you’re right; I just really don’t want to face the woman that did this to him—to me.”
“I know you don’t, but do you see why we have to?”
He turned toward her, and her insides did a little dance at the sexy look he shot her. “What I do see is how you keep saying we… Admit it, Mel, you’re starting to fall for the little guy.”
Mel shot out of her chair and started walking to her bedroom. It was mortifying how easily he saw right through her. As she hit her bedroom door, she turned her head slightly. “Just because I’m falling for the baby doesn’t mean I’m going to fall for the dad.”
The last thing she heard as she shut her door was Noah muttering, “That’s what you think.”
* * *
Noah shifted his legs to adjust himself as his son greedily sucked back his bottle. “She’ll come around eventually, little dude,” he whispered confidently. Waking up with Melanie’s body pressed against his, and his son in his arms, had felt so incredible, so right in every way, he had been filled with conviction that this was meant to be. Melanie was his, and he was hers, all he had to do was get her to admit her attraction to him went beyond the level of friendship. “And you, are going to help me get her to see that. Best wingman ever.” He lifted the baby’s tiny fist and bumped it against his own. As he stared in wonder at the child in his arms, Noah felt the now familiar wave of amazement run through him. This boy was his, now and forever.The paternity test might say otherwise…No, he refused to acknowledge that thought. He could see himself in the baby’s eyes, the slight ginger tint to his hair was just the same as Ryan’s, and the nose was exactly the same as Noah’s own baby pictures. This baby was a Carlisle, through and through.
And now, it was time for Mama Carlisle to meet her grandson. A conversation Noah was both dreading and looking forward to. He knew his mom would not be impressed with the fact that Noah had not only had a one-night stand, but had somehow managed to knock someone up in the process. He just hoped that the appeal of a baby was enough to get her to look past his indiscretion.
Melanie came back out of her bedroom at that moment, her long, dark hair damp and braided down her back. She looked comfortable in leggings and a sweatshirt that hung off one shoulder. Her face was bare, and he winced when he saw the dark circles under her eyes that he suspected were courtesy of his son. But he liked what he saw. It was a softer side of Mel, here in her own home. A side that only made him want her more.
“You want some more coffee?” she asked as she walked into the kitchen.
“Does a dying man want a last wish?” he replied drily.
Her answering laugh was exactly what he was hoping for. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“God, yes.” He shot her a grateful grin, then nodded down to the baby who had drifted off to sleep in his arms. “I would have made another pot, but I didn’t want to disturb the ticking time bomb.”
Mel brought over two steaming mugs filled with the nectar of the gods. Noah inhaled deeply and let out a groan. “Damn, I’m tired.”
Mel snorted. “You’re telling me. I think a night with a baby might be worse than nightshift in the ER.”
They both chuckled at that, then fell into a comfortable silence as they drank their coffee.
“Noah, you owe it to your son to try and find his mom. Even if she is never a part of his life, you need to be able to give him closure, and he needs to know where he comes from.”
Melanie spoke softly, but Noah heard every word. He knew she was right, and he knew that no matter how awkward it might be for him to find a woman he could barely remember, he had to. After all, that one night of regret had given him the most precious gift.
“I know you’re right. At least I have her name, that’s a start.”
“Yeah, at least we know which of your harem to look for.” Mel’s words were teasing, but Noah wasn’t having it.
