The Proposition (27 page)

His hands swept to his naked hips, drawing
her attention to his erection. “Did you really think I hauled my
ass out here just for a midnight swim?”

“I don’t know what you might have thought,
but that’s
not
what is happening.”

“Yeah, we’ll just see about that one.”

“Guess you’ll have to catch me first,” she
teased before diving off the dock.

As she plunged into the depths, the icy water
pricked over her body like tiny needles. She had no idea that it
would be so cold this late in the summer. Usually, it was like
tepid bath water.

When Emma broke the surface, she fought the
chattering of her teeth. She whirled around at the sound of
splashing behind her. Even in the dim light, she could see the
gleam in Aidan’s eyes. “I do believe I’m going to catch you.” She
giggled as he closed the gap between them in two fluid
breaststrokes.

Instead of fighting him, she gleefully let
Aidan pull her against his chest. “Gotcha!” he said.

She poked her lip out. “Not a fair fight,
considering I’m pregnant and you’re a good swimmer.”

“True, very true. What kind of man would I be
to take advantage of my Baby Mama? I’ll behave now, and we’ll have
a nice swim.”

She arched her eyebrows in surprise.
“Seriously?”

He gave her a wolfish grin. “Well, there’s
also the fact this cold water is doing nothing for my hard on!”

“Then I guess after our swim, we’ll just have
to make it to land for any action.”

Later, as they remained intertwined on sandy
shoreline, a tangle of arms and legs, Aidan’s brows furrowed.
“What’s wrong?” Emma asked.

“I’m just surprised you haven’t blown my
horndog ass to the curb yet.”

“Huh?”

“You know, the constant sex stuff. I would
have thought you wouldn’t be up for it being pregnant.”

Emma burst out laughing both at his statement
and the serious expression on his face. She rubbed the stubble on
his chin. “So I guess this is when I know you didn’t read the
pregnancy book I gave you.”

Aidan grunted. “Yeah, the moment I pulled
that one out on a plane or in public someone would have come to
revoke my balls.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Reading a pregnancy
book would not emasculate you in the least bit. Besides, you could
have bought it for your iPad.” At his doubtful look, she tweaked
his nose with her fingers. “If you had read it, you would have
known that a woman’s sex drive often increases during pregnancy so
much that husbands and boyfriends just can’t keep up.”

“You’re shitting me?” he asked, his dark blue
eyes wide.

“Nope. I’m not.”

Aidan grinned. “That’s fanfuckingtastic.”

Emma laughed. “Yeah and who knows what else
might be lurking under the cover of that book. I suggest you read
it.”

“Fine. I will.”

Inwardly, she did a victory dance even though
she had to be a little deceptive to get him to read about
pregnancy. The more he knew and understood about the coming months
the better. At times, pregnancy wasn’t entirely attractive, and she
wanted him to be prepared.

Aidan pulled himself off of her and got to
his feet. Emma stayed motionless, admiring his naked form in the
moonlight. He turned back to her and offered her his hand. All
inappropriate thoughts of him vanished at his gentlemanly behavior.
When he helped her up, she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips in
thanks.

“Damn, I wish we had thought about a towel,”
Aidan said.

Emma grinned. “Ask and you shall receive.”
She walked over to the edge of the dock where a worn, wooden box
the size of a steamer truck sat. It was something Granddaddy had
made a long time ago for his grandchildren to house their swimming
gear. She pulled out two checkered picnic blankets. “Not exactly
towels and they’re a little musty, but they’ll do the trick.”

Aidan appreciatively took one from her.
“Sounds good to me.”

As he dried off, Emma wrapped herself in the
faded blanket. When she shivered, he reached over and started
rubbing her arms to warm her. “Ready to go back inside?”

“Let’s stay out here awhile.”

“Are you serious?”

Emma nodded and motioned towards a hammock
drawn between two massive oak trees. “It’s a beautiful night, and
we can do some stargazing.”

Aidan snorted. “Stargazing in a hammock? That
sounds like a bad romance novel cliché.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you enjoyed reading
bodice ripper novels with their throbbing and pulsing members.”

“Ha, ha,” he replied, playfully smacking her
ass.

After Emma threw on her gown and Aidan put on
his boxers, she took his hand and led him over to the hammock.
After she lay down, she pulled him down beside her. Once she
wrapped her arms around him, she titled her head up at him. “So is
this really so bad?”

He grinned. “Nope. It’s quite nice,
actually.”

“Good. I’m glad you think so.”

“I can’t believe how much brighter the stars
are once you get out of the city. Being up in the mountains makes
you feel like you could reach out and touch them,” Aidan mused.

“Everything is more beautiful out here.”

“Do I detect a hint of homesickness in your
voice?”

Stalling, Emma’s gaze followed a droplet of
water as it trailed down Aidan’s bare chest. “Em?” he prompted.

She sighed. “Sometimes I think I’d really
like to move back up here—especially to raise the baby.”

Aidan tensed beneath her. “Are you
serious?”

“This is where I grew up—the place I hold
most dear in the world. All my family is here. If something
happened to me or with the baby and I needed her, Grammy’s almost
an hour away.”

“Are you trying to say you feel alone back in
Atlanta?”

“Well, no, I mean, Casey has always been
there…and you’re there.”

Aidan grunted. “Wow, I rate after Casey,
huh?”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” She raised her
head to meet his intense gaze. “You know how much you mean to me,
and how much I…care for you.”

Relief filled her when Aidan’s expression
lightened. “But I don’t know anything about babies, nor am I a
certainty, right?”

“Exactly.” She then held her breath waiting
for him to say that she had nothing to worry about in the certainty
department. That he wanted even more with her. That he would be
there always—in the middle of the night if the baby got sick and
she was scared to death or if she was exhausted from a long day at
work and needed a few minutes to decompress.

“If you’re worried about being all alone,
you’ve got my dad, my sisters, and Megan. I promise you’ll have a
support system in them.”

“That’s good to know,” she murmured, fighting
the tears. Her chest clenched in agony with Aidan’s response. He
didn’t mention anything about being more of an official couple or
him being there for her. So how could she truly count on him?
Instead, he had skirted responsibility and commitment once again.
When was she going to learn? Or more importantly, when was she
going to give up on him?

The sharp jolt of the hammock’s sway woke
Emma up. Fluttering her eyelids, she looked up at the sky. Early
morning sunlight streaked across it, making it a swirling mixture
of blues, pinks, and oranges. Somehow she and Aidan had managed to
fall asleep under the stars. At the sound of someone clearing his
throat, Emma tried scrambling out of the hammock, but Aidan wrapped
his arms tighter around her. “Where do you think you’re going?” he
asked sleepily.

Emma swept her gaze from Aidan over to where
Granddaddy stood, arms folded over his chest. “We have company,”
she whispered.

Aidan’s blue eyes flew open, and a look of
horror crossed his face when his drowsy eyes focused on Earl. He
immediately jerked away from Emma and held up his hands in mock
surrender. “I’m really sorry about this, sir. I never meant to go
against your wishes by sleeping with Emma under your roof,” he
said, sounding more like a pleading teenager than a man.

Earl peered around the woods and then up at
the sky. “Don’t quite look like you’re under my roof, does it?” he
asked, the corners of his lips turning up.

Emma exchanged a glance with Aidan. Was her
grandfather really going to let them off the hook so easily? “I’m
sorry, Granddaddy.”

Earl shrugged. “Guess there ain’t much I can
say about it. You’re both grown adults. What you do is your
business, even if I don’t agree with it.”

“But I still don’t want you to be
disappointed in me,” she replied.

“I could never be disappointed in you, Emmie
Lou.” He patted her leg. “I love ya too much, even when you drag a
poor feller out of his bed to go skinny dipping.”

Emma’s hand flew to her mouth while Aidan
burst out laughing. “But how…?”

“That don’t matter. I’s not comin’ out here
to give you two a hard time. Your grandmother just wanted me to
tell the two of you that breakfast was ready. Then we’re going to
church.” He gave them a knowing look. “
All
of us.”

After Earl shuffled off, Aidan threw his arm
over his eyes. “I cannot believe he caught us.”

She giggled. “I can’t believe you’re
complaining about that, rather than having to go to church.”

“Trust me, I’m not thrilled by the prospect,
but I’ll go, especially if it makes him and Grammy happy.”

“It will.”

“Then come on. Let’s go get ready to be
holy!”

Aidan fought his suspension of disbelief as he sat in the backseat
of a car bound for Earl and Virginia’s church. The last time he had
been to Mass was Mason’s baptism, and he couldn’t even remember a
time before that. So much for keeping the promise he made to his
mother about attending once a week. At least she would be proud he
was getting some kind of moral guidance.

Sitting beside him, Emma remained quiet.
Aidan cut his gaze over to her. She looked beautiful in an ice blue
dress that was far less daring than the sundress she had worn the
day before. With her hands folded in her lap, she appeared demure
and innocent except for the swell of her stomach. Before he could
stop himself, he reached out and took her hand and his.

A smile curved on her lips before she turned
to look at him. “You sure you’re okay with this?” she
whispered.

“Fine.”

As they pulled into the crowded parking lot,
Emma shook her head. “Famous last words.”

He didn’t get a chance to question her.
Instead, they were ambushed the moment they got out of the car.
Emma coming back home to the mountains and to church seemed to have
an almost celebrity status. It took him totally off guard.

Women were oohing and aahing over her while
she was given countless hugs. Hands were thrust at him and
introductions made. He gathered she hadn’t brought a man,
boyfriend, or male piece of flesh with her to church since
Travis.

Finally, the throng of people cleared, and
they were able to walk into the building. “So,” he said, opening
the door for her.

She grimaced. “So?”

“Can I get your autograph later?” he
teased.

Emma giggled. “You’re so bad!”

“I didn’t realize I was dating the town
sweetheart.”

“Sorry. I forgot to mention it,” she
grumbled.

“Next you’ll tell me you were Homecoming
Queen or something.”

When she pinched her lips tight, he widened
his eyes. “Seriously?”

She nodded. “But it was a really small high
school.”

Aidan draped his arm over her shoulder. “What
else have you been holding out on me, Queenie?”

“Emma? Is that you?”

Aidan felt her tense beside him. He surveyed
the attractive and well-dressed woman who appeared to be in her
fifties. Her beaming smile faded when her eyes honed in on Emma’s
swollen belly. An expression of agony flickered across her face,
and Aidan thought she might burst into tears.

“Hello, Jane. It’s good to see you again,”
Emma said, pleasantly.

Jane momentarily recovered, dragging her gaze
off of Emma’s stomach and back up to them. Without hesitation, she
drew Emma into her arms. “You’re absolutely glowing, sweetheart.
I’m very proud and happy for you. I’m so glad your dreams of
motherhood are finally coming true.”

Emma’s body trembled in Jane’s embrace, and a
sob rolled through her. Aidan fought the urge to drag her away from
this woman who was obviously causing her so much pain. He cleared
his throat. “I’m Aidan Fitzgerald. It’s nice to meet you,” he said,
thrusting out his hand.

Jane warily eyed it over Emma’s shoulder
before slowly pulling away. “Where are my manners? It’s nice to
meet you, Aidan. I’m Jane Lewis.” She took his hand in hers.
“Congratulations on the baby. I’m so very, very fond of Emma.” Her
chin trembled. “She was once going to be my daughter-in-law.”

Aidan’s chest constricted. Jane was Travis’s
mother. Now it all made sense. Seeing Emma pregnant only made her
think of Travis’s child that would never be. He squeezed her hand.
“I’ve heard lots about your son, ma’am. I’m very sorry for your
loss.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
She released his hand and stepped back. “Now you take good care of
our, Emma, okay?”

“Yes ma’am,” he said. Although the moment the
words left his lips, he waited to be struck down. It wasn’t as if
he was lying in the house of God. It’s just he didn’t know if he
could ever live up to the expectations Jane and everyone else in
church and in town might have for him where Emma was concerned.

Jane gave Emma a final hug before joining her
husband. As Emma wiped the tears from her eyes, Aidan exhaled
noisily.

Emma gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry about
that. I should have warned you we might see them.”

“No, it’s okay. It was just intense. At
first, I thought she was just some holy roller pissed off that you
were unmarried and pregnant. But then when I found out who she
was…” He shuddered. “Please tell me Travis wasn’t an only child,”
he said as they eased on their bench.