Free Strollers & Stilettos: A Sexy Contemporary Romance (In Stilettos Book 4) by Nana Malone Page A

okay.”
    She scrunched her nose up as she cried, and her whole face turned beet red, as if to tell him what he could do with his little peacock and platitudes.
    “Hush, hush.” He rolled the stroller back and forth like he’d seen Jaya do a dozen times. But that didn’t seem to work. Damn it. What the hell was he supposed to do?
    Comfort her, you idiot.
    Right. Comfort. He tried again with the birdie, but she hollered louder. “Okay, okay. Sorry. No birdie. Bad birdie. Um. Damn, kid, I don’t know what to do.”
    Maybe she was wet? Hungry? He rooted around in the diaper bag and found one of the bottles Jaya had in a thermal container. She’d labeled it with the time she’d mixed it, and he was still within the timeframe to give it to the baby. If ever he loved his wife’s hyper-organized nature, it was now.
    He popped off the top and placed it at Alexa’s lips, but instead of drinking, she swatted it away with her fists.
    “Okay, not hungry then.” Was she wet? What a time to wish he’d been paying better attention to Jaya’s diapering technique.
    “Okay, kid, I’m going to check and see if you’re wet. Let’s hope for number one, because I don’t think we’re close enough yet for anything else.” Gingerly, he reached under the blanket and scooped a hand under her bottom. The diaper felt dry, and there was no mind-bending, offending odor, so they were good there.
    “She needs you to pick her up.”
    Alec whipped his head up to find Adele at his door. “I, um. I don’t know how.”
    His mother rolled her eyes. “Of course you do. Pretend she’s a football, a very squirmy football, and hold her to your chest.”
    His hands shook. Damn, it was just a baby. Yeah, possibly his baby. “It probably won’t help. Why don’t you do it, Mimi? You’ve at least had experience. Can’t babies tell when you’re uncomfortable holding them or something?”
    She crossed her arms and stood her ground. “Right now, all she knows is that she is upset and she has no one to hold her. You remember being in that position before, don’t you, Alec? All alone in the world? Now imagine, you can’t walk or talk or get food for yourself, and the one person who’s supposed to love you left you all alone in a public place.”
    All right, yeah, when she put it like that—he peered in at Alexa. “Okay, look here, kid. You and me, we’re the same. I don’t know what I’m doing here, but I figure, like the date plans, you’ll tell me.”
    Tears welled, and she cried louder. With every wail, his heart broke. He scooped her up, blankets and all, and tucked her tiny body against his.
    The tears stopped abruptly.
    Adele gave him a self-satisfied smile. “See, now that’s not so bad, is it?”
    Alec stood frozen, unsure of what to do next. He stared down at Alexa, who blinked up at him. “I don’t know what to do.”
    With a chuckle, his mother said, “Bounce a little and pat her back. Max always used to like it when I did that. Maybe she’s gassy.”
    Alexa nuzzled into him. Her soft, baby powder scent wafted into his nostrils. She smelled good. Like really good. The scent alone was enough to make him feel protective. He patted her back gently as he bounced. She stuck one tiny thumb into her mouth and patted his chest with her other hand. The little reciprocal motion made him smile. As if she were trying to reassure him that he was doing a good job.
    “God, she’s so tiny.”
    Mimi strolled in and took a seat. “Imagine, you were that tiny once. But look at you now. You’re holding the baby, and you haven’t burst into flames.”
    He gritted his teeth. “I see you’ve been talking to Jaya.”
    Adele waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, calm down. She wasn’t complaining.”
    He cracked his neck. “Well, she has every right to, I guess. I haven’t exactly been helpful.”
    “Whether she has a right to or not, she wasn’t complaining. She was worried that she was alienating you with the baby and putting too