Tony stopped at the sound of Pepper's voice and cleared his throat before turning around with his typical smile, then noted the baby and that stopped him speaking at first as he looked at the kid, then back to Pepper, then back again before stepping back and gesturing towards her, taking a moment to regain his composure.
"Not avoiding, giving distance. I arrived to a lot of fanfare, most of it not good," He then winked with a grin, "And trying not to run into your new boyfriend. I'd hate to make him feel intimidated, after all. I'm pretty hard to replace.."
He then noted the child, "Though you managed well. ... Right, so hi. You're looking good."