Free The Baby Battle by Laura Marie Altom Page A

mini-me.”
    “Who cares?” he said, more than a little miffed that as usual, she was spoiling his fun. “Hand over our kid.”
    She did, and while it was tough getting Flynn’s damp red shirt over his head, Tag managed. Getting the T-shirtback on the baby was even tougher. Man, but the kid could squirm.
    Finished and exhausted, Tag asked, “How do you manage?”
    “What?”
    “Caring for Flynn on your own? I mean, who comes to your rescue when you get spit up on?”
    Returning the wipes to the diaper bag, she froze. Was she so focused on doing everything herself that it had never even occurred to her that she might need help? “I guess I’ve never needed rescuing. I’ve read enough on the subject that the whole baby thing wasn’t daunting.”
    Eyes narrowed, he asked, “Is that your ego answering or your heart?”

Chapter Six
    “Why is it,” Olivia asked, “that I’m the lawyer, yet you’re the one who’s always contentious?”
    Flynn began to fuss, so Tag passed him across the table. “See? I’m more than happy to share.”
    She held Flynn to her chest, breathing him in.
    “But back to my question. I mean, just looking at Flynn rocks me to my core. It floors me to see you sitting there, so utterly unaffected by his magic.”
    Leaning forward, she said, “How dare you say such a thing when I jeopardized my entire life to keep from having to share him? Just because I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve doesn’t mean I’m an uncaring person. It just means there are certain matters I prefer to keep private.”
    The waitress came with Olivia’s meal, but her appetite was gone.
    Tag ordered Grandpa’s Special, a breakfast extravaganza featuring pancakes, two eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, hash browns and grits.
    When the waitress left, Tag apologized again. “I don’tknow what’s wrong with me. I guess I’m having a hard time thawing your frost.”
    “Oh, give me a break.”
    “No, you give me a break. You act as if the whole world owes you something, but, honey, I’m here to tell you—”
    “Leave me alone,” Olivia whispered. “You have no idea what I’ve been through. I know your wife died, but I’ve lost someone, too. All in one night I lost my fiancé and then, while trying to get the hell away from him, I tripped on an uneven path and miscarried my unborn child, so if I come across as bitter for being on the verge of losing my son, I have a right.”
    Exhaling in a whoosh, Tag sat back. “It’s official. I’m an ass.”
    “No…” Though she maintained her tough exterior, inside Olivia crumpled. “I’m sorry. From the moment I saw you hold Flynn, I saw the love in your eyes, your body language, your soul. You deserve to be with him as much as I do. But don’t you see what a horrible position that puts me in? By admitting my baby is also yours, I—” Fearing she was on the verge of breaking down, Olivia hid her face against Flynn’s chubby cheek. “I—I’m so afraid you’re going to take him from me.”
    Tag rose, putting the diaper bag on the floor to sit beside her. “Never going to happen. All I want is for you to understand that we’re in this together.”
    Daubing silent tears with a napkin, Olivia sniffled and nodded. “I’m going to try. Watching Flynn laughwith you…It reminded me of the way I’d hoped my life would always be. You know, with a husband and sweet baby, only you’re not my husband, but—”
    “I get it,” he said, his voice gentle and kind. She hardly knew him, yet something about the sincerity in his eyes told her he was a man she could trust. “I’ve already had a wife, and I don’t ever think I’ll be capable of giving that kind of love again. That said, sharing Flynn makes us special friends. He’s a bond we’ll always have in common.”
    Again unable to speak from the maelstrom of emotion tightening her throat, Olivia was relieved when the waitress brought Tag’s meal. If he was eating, hopefully he wouldn’t be