Page 107 of Fierce-Baker

He didn’t hesitate to step up and smile in the mirror as if he had been told to say “cheese”.

She brushed his hair and kissed the top of his head, washed his hands and his arms, looked for any other signs of paint she might have missed, and lifted him high before setting him down.

She could do this. She’d handled far scarier things than a Saturday afternoon with her parents.

She stood, tugging her shirt back into place after it’d lifted picking up her son, then left the bathroom to chase after Micah when she heard the knock at the door.

Her heart jumped anyway.

“That’s Baker,” she said, inhaling deeply before opening the door, hoping like hell her nerves didn’t show. “It was unlocked. You could have just come in.”

He looked unsure of her statement. “I didn’t know if you were busy or not.”

She laughed. “You left fifteen minutes ago. The only busy thing I was doing was changing Micah and cleaning him up.”

“Paint on my arm,” Micah said, lifting them in the air. “And shirt.”

“So I wasn’t the only one,” he said, laughing, then squatted down and lifted her son who stood there with his arms still raised.

The sight of Micah resting on Baker’s hip sent off an avalanche of thoughts, emotions, and giddiness in her body that had no business being there for a man she’d only known for three months.

Right or not. She was a person who needed time.

It wasn’t just her, it was about Micah.

Not that her son seemed to have one care in the world as he jabbered about his trucks and said he wanted to leave.

She walked over and got the diaper bag, then her purse. “We’re ready now.”

“I’m blocking you. I’ll pull back in once we get your car out of the garage.”

“We can take yours. I’ll get the car seat out.”

He reached for the bag on her shoulder, not caring it was pink and floral, just carrying like a manly gym bag.

She came out of the garage with the seat, put it in the back, then let Baker buckle her son in. He did it faster without Micah wiggling around and it just proved how nice it was to have a helping hand in things.

They were on the way with her giving him directions.

“You seem nervous,” he said. “Why? They aren’t going to pounce out from behind the walls and tackle me or something, are they?”

She laughed. “No. It’s just been so long since someone has met them.”

“Not as long as it’s been since I’ve met someone’s parents. If I’m not that nervous, you shouldn’t be.”

“I wish I had your confidence.”

He reached his hand over and rubbed her leg. “You’re one of the most confident women I know. Nothing is going to bother me if that is what you’re worried about.”

It really wasn’t, but if she told him the things going through her mind, it’d only make it worse.

There was no reason for him to be worked up when she was being silly. She knew it.

She just had to get over it.

The fifteen-minute drive felt more like three seconds in her mind before they pulled into her parents’ driveway.

The front door opened before Baker even shut his SUV off.