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she followed Jordan up the garage’s steps and into the mudroom.
    By the time they entered the house, Mason’s wail was down to a soft whimper. Vicki carried him through the short hallway that led into the kitchen, but stopped short as she passed the threshold.
    The place was a mess.
    Plush teddy bears and plastic toys littered the floor. There were newspapers and empty coffee mugs strewn about the table in the breakfast nook. Dirty dishes and at least a half dozen sippy cups filled the sink.
    “Uh, excuse the mess,” Jordan said as he pushed aside an open box of animal crackers to make room on the counter for the baby bag he’d carried in from the car. He perched against the counter and folded his arms over his chest.
    He looked from her to Mason and huffed out an exhausted laugh. “I don’t know what you do, but I wish you’d tell me,” he said. “I’m starting to believe you have some kind of magical powers when it comes to my son.”
    “I already gave you my theory,” she said. “You’re agitated, and I think Mason can sense that.”
    “I guess your theory makes more sense than magic. I have been wound pretty tight since the election results came in. I can’t seem to relax.”
    “Have you tried?”
    “Not really,” he said with another weary chuckle. “I’ve never been good at it. Always seems as if my time could be better spent doing something more productive.”
    “Get some rest, Jordan. I’m sure some uninterrupted sleep will do you good.”
    He walked over to them and smoothed a hand over Mason’s head. This brought him
way
too close to her for her peace of mind.
    “Maybe you’re right,” he said.
    “There’s no ‘maybe’ about it,” Vicki said, taking a step back to create some distance between them. “Put the election and everything else out of your head for a few hours and rest. This little one and I will be just fine.”
    He came over to them again and pressed a kiss to Mason’s forehead. “Thanks again for doing this,” he said to her, his grateful though exhausted smile setting off all kinds of sinfully delicious tingles in her belly.
    Goodness, but she was pitiful when it came to this man.
    “If you need me, just come in and wake me,” he said before walking through the arched entryway that led to the rest of the house.
    Vicki remained standing there until she heard the click of a door closing.
    She looked down at Mason. “The new Vicki needs to remember what she said about not acting a fool for your dad.”
    “Ball,” Mason said, pointing to a multicolored ball on the table.
    Vicki picked up the ball, along with several other toys scattered along the kitchen counter, and brought Mason into the living room. Lifting an afghan with a seaside lighthouse pattern on it from the sofa, she spread it out on the hardwood floor and set Mason on it, then she plopped down next to him and rolled a plastic ball toward him.
    After several minutes of playing with the ball, Mason’s mouth twisted in a frown. Seconds later, Vicki caught a whiff of something that made her stomach turn.
    “Oh, you would do that
after
your daddy has gone to nap, wouldn’t you?”
    She scooped the baby up and went in search of diaper-changing supplies. Vicki opened several doors, including a linen closet and what had to be Jordan’s home office, which was impeccable—a surprise—seeing as how the rest of the house was in shambles.
    Finally, she came upon Mason’s brightly colored bedroom. Unfortunately, she didn’t find any diapers in there.
    Vicki remembered the baby bag Jordan had brought in and returned to the kitchen where he’d left it on the counter. With the baby perched on her hip, she searched the bag but only came up with baby wipes and a small bottle of baby powder.
    “Well, we’ll definitely need these, but we’re missing the most important thing.”
    She hated to wake Jordan up so soon after he’d gone in for his nap, but if this diaper didn’t get changed soon the stench would