“I’ve done something wrong,” Ian yelled over Emily’s tantrum. “We were fine.” A slight lie. “But then she started screaming. She’s not hungry. She has a clean diaper. We took a walk. I don’t know what to do.”
Linda wiped her hand on a plaid towel and tossed it onto the granite counter before circling the island and holding her hands out for Emily. The baby eagerly went to the middle-aged woman and Ian nearly wept with gratitude that someone else surely knew what they were doing.
“She probably needs a nap,” Linda told him as she jostled and tried to calm Emily.
Ian laughed and pushed a hand through his hair. “After all of that, I need one, too.”
Smiling, Linda patted Emily’s back. “You say you fed her?”
Ian nodded. “She took a bottle. I have some jar food, but Cassie said to save that for a bit later.”
“If she’s had her bottle, then her little belly is full and she’s ready to rest. I’ll just take her into the master bedroom. Damon has a crib set up in there for when Cassie is over here.”
Ian sank to the bar stool, rested his elbow on the island and held his head in his hands. Good grief, being in charge of one tiny little being was the hardest job he’d ever had...and he’d had the job only a few hours.
Hands down, parenting was not for wimps.
A slither of guilt crept through him. Had he been too hard on his parents all those years? His free-spirited mother who was always seeking attention and his by-the-book father who could never be pleased...were they just struggling at this whole parenting thing, too?
Ian didn’t have the answers and he couldn’t go back in time and analyze each and every moment. The most pressing matter right now was the fact that he was in love with Cassie and her sweet baby, and the ex had just stepped back into the picture.
Great freakin’ timing.
But Ian needed to wait, to let Cassie deal with this matter in her own way. He wasn’t stepping aside, not by any means. He’d offer support any way she wanted it, but this was her past to handle, and with a baby involved, Ian had a bad feeling things were about to get worse before they could get better.
Nineteen
Cassie jerked when the loud knock on her door pulled her out of her sleep. Glancing to the clock on the bedside table, she realized she’d slept most of the day. Damn, she’d never slept that much.
Throwing off the covers and coming to her feet, Cassie was thrilled when she didn’t sway and within moments knew she was feeling better. Perhaps her body was just telling her she needed to slow it down every now and then. The pounding on her door continued and Cassie rolled her eyes. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind who stood on the other side of the door. Ian wouldn’t pound on her door. He’d knock or just come on in, and so would her father and Tessa.
And that left only one rude, unwanted guest.
Shuffling down the hall, probably looking even more stellar than earlier today when Derek had stopped by, Cassie actually laughed. Was he really here to plead for his family back when she looked like death and after he’d left her for some young, hot bimbo? Oh, the irony was not lost on her.
Cassie took her time flipping the lock on the knob and opening the door. Sure enough, Derek stood there, clutching a newspaper. Disapproval settled in his eyes.
“Funny,” she told him, leaning against the edge of the door. “That’s the same look you wore when you left me. What do you want now?”
He slapped the paper to her chest and pushed past her to enter.
“Come on in,” she muttered, holding on to the paper and closing the door. “I thought I told you to have your lawyer contact mine.”
Derek scanned the living area, then stretched his neck to see down the hall. “Where’s Emily?”
“With Ian.” Crossing her arms, crinkling the paper, Cassie sighed. “What do you want, Derek?”
“First of all, I don’t want my daughter with a stranger.”
Hysterical laughter bubbled out before she could even try to control it. “Seriously? If anyone is a stranger to her, it’s you. We’ve already established what you think of Ian, so state your reason for this unwanted visit or that threat of calling security will become a fast reality.”
He pointed toward the paper. “Apparently you haven’t seen today’s local paper. Maybe your pretty boy is a stranger to you, as well.”
Cassie unfolded the paper. She’d play his game if it meant he’d leave sooner.
Her eyes settled on the picture of Lily and Ian. Cassie had known they were having a business meeting the evening before, she’d known they were discussing a major career move for both of them, but she hadn’t known the media would spin the story into something...romantic.
Her eyes landed on the headline: Hollywood Starlet on Location Still Finds Time for Romance.