Downstairs, three women chuckled as Sydney’s voice came clearly through the intercom.

“Oh-oh.” After giving the little bottom an affectionate pat, Sydney discovered a definite problem. “You’re wet, right? Look, I figure your mother could handle this in about thirty seconds flat—that goes for everybody else downstairs. But everybody else isn’t here. So what do we do?”

Katie had stopped sniffling and was blowing bubbles with her mouth while she tugged on Sydney’s hair. “I guess we’ll give it a try. I’ve never changed a diaper in my life,” she began as she glanced around the room. “Or deviled an egg or played softball, or any damn thing. Whoops. No swearing in front of the baby. Here we go.” She spotted a diaper bag in bold green stripes. “Oh, God, Katie, they’re real ones.”

Blowing out a breath, she took one of the neatly folded cotton diapers. “Okay, in for a penny, in for a pound. We’ll just put you down on here.” Gently she laid Katie on the changing table and prepared to give the operation her best shot.

“Hey.” Mikhail bounded into the kitchen and was greeted by three hissing “shhs!”

“What?”

“Sydney’s changing Katie,” Natasha murmured and smiled at the sounds flowing through the intercom.

“Sydney?” Mikhail forgot the beer he’d been sent to fetch and stayed to listen.

“Okay, we’re halfway there.” Katie’s little butt was dry and powdered. Perhaps a little over powdered, but better to err on the side of caution, Sydney’d figured. Her brow creased as she attempted to make the fresh diaper look like the one she’d removed, sans dampness. “This looks pretty close. What do you think?” Katie kicked her feet and giggled. “You’d be the expert. Okay, this is the tricky part. No wriggling.”

Of course, she did. The more she wriggled and kicked, the more Sydney laughed and cuddled. When she’d managed to secure the diaper, Katie looked so cute, smelled so fresh, felt so soft, she had to cuddle some more. Then it seemed only right that she hold Katie up high so the baby could squeal and kick and blow more bubbles.

The diaper sagged but stayed generally where it belonged.

“Okay, gorgeous, now we’re set. Want to go down and see Mama?”

“Mama,” Katie gurgled, and bounced in Sydney’s arms. “Mama.”

In the kitchen, four people scattered and tried to look busy or casual.

“Sorry it took so long,” she began as she came in. “She was wet.” She saw Mikhail and stopped, her cheek pressed against Katie’s.

When their eyes met, color washed to her cheeks. The muscles in her thighs went lax. It was no way, no way at all, she thought, for him to be looking at her with his mother and sisters in the room.