The Proposal (2 page)

“So the year you tried to get Amy back that was all
about—”

Aidan closed his eyes in pain. “Guilt, not love. She
managed to kill the love I had for her by deceiving me. But because of the
baby, I was going to stand by her.”

“Does Emma know any of this?”

Snapping open his eyelids, Aidan replied, “I only
told her about the cheating. I didn’t think she could handle the rest.”

“I think you need to tell her.”

Aidan grimaced. “I will. If she ever speaks to me
again.”

“I have a feeling she’ll come around.”

“Don’t tell me it’s because of your damn Irish
intuition,” Aidan said, quirking his eyebrows.

“No, it’s because Becky got a hold of her leaving
here tonight.”

Groaning, Aidan rubbed his hands over his face.
“Great. I’m sure they’ll be leading a charge over here at any moment to roast my
manhood over an open flame!”

Patrick chuckled. “Don’t sell your sister short. She
and the rest of the girls may want to castrate you for your actions, but they
do love you and want to see you happy.” He leaned forward and patted Aidan’s
hand. “And they know how you’ve screwed up in the past and sabotaged your own
happiness.”

Aidan’s nostrils flared in anger. “They don’t know
the whole story, Pop. They don’t know what Amy did!”

“I know that. It’s a secret that stayed firmly
between you, Amy, and myself.”

Clenching his fists, Aidan said, “Don’t you know how
many times I wanted to scream at Mom when she was singing Amy’s praises,
throwing it in my face about how she was married and happy? If she had only
known it was Amy who fucked me up in the head for any other woman.”

“That was your choice not to tell her, son. I didn’t
like keeping it from her. Your mother and I had so few secrets, but I kept
yours.”

Aidan softened his furious expression. “I
appreciated it, Pop.”     

Patrick smiled. “You’re welcome.” He got up and
poured out the remainder of his coffee in the sink. “So, you’re going to talk
to Emma and tell her the truth about Amy?”

“Yeah. Just as soon as she’ll speak to me.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” Patrick glanced at his
watch. “Well, I guess I better be hitting the road.”

Aidan’s chest clenched at the prospect of being
alone. “It’s awfully late for you to be out driving. Maybe you should stay here
for the night.”

He met his father’s gaze. With his eyes, Aidan tried
saying what he was too embarrassed to admit: He didn’t want to be alone.

Patrick gave a brief nod of his head. “I guess
you’re right. You don’t mind putting your old man up for the night?”

Aidan gave a half smile. “I’d be happy to.”

CHAPTER
TWO

Three Weeks Later

“N, Thirteen,” the Bingo announcer’s voice droned.

“What did he say, dear?” Mrs. Petersen asked Emma,
glancing down at her card.

Knowing that Mrs. Peterson was practically stone
deaf, even with her hearing aids, Emma drew in a deep breath and shouted, “N,
THIRTEEN!”

Mrs. Petersen smiled and bobbed her gray head.

When Patrick chuckled beside her, Emma arched her
eyebrows. “What?”

“Come on, Emma, you’re a beautiful, vibrant young
woman. What in the hell are you doing here at the VFW with me and a bunch of
other old farts?”

She giggled. “Are you kidding? How could I miss
Saturday Bingo? What about all the fabulous prizes I could win? That bulk sized
box of Depends is calling my name.” When his chest vibrated with amusement, she
wagged a finger at him. “Hey, you shouldn’t laugh. You’ve had a pregnant wife
and daughters. You know lack of bladder control is serious business.”

His eyes widened. “Such a little sass pot, aren’t
you? What a mouth you’ve got for such a supposedly sweet girl.”

Emma’s heart stilled as she heard Aidan’s deep voice
echo in her ears,
“That mouth of yours is trouble.”
A raging ache burned
through her chest, and she fought to catch her breath. Trying to push the
painful memories away, she shook her head. “Well, you know the real reason I’m
here is because you’ve been having dizzy spells and shouldn’t drive.”

He scowled. “Becky took
both
sets of my car
keys before she and Liz blew town!”

“It’s Fall Break for their kids, and they’re only
going to be in Disney World for four days. It’s not their fault they were
worried enough about you to take your keys. It’s your own fault for allowing
that damn Fitzgerald stubbornness to keep you from going to the doctor.”

“I have an appointment next week.” When Emma raised
her eyebrows skeptically, Patrick swiped his finger over his heart and swore,
“Scout’s Honor.”

“If you say so. I should insist on taking you myself
to ensure you get there.”

Patrick groaned. “Great. Now I have another
worrywart daughter on my ass all the time.”

Emma’s heart warmed at the notion of being
considered as his daughter. Regardless of how she felt about Aidan, she could
never, ever distance herself from Patrick and his love.

After a woman with a blue bouffant clapped her hands
manically and shouted, “Bingo!” Patrick leaned forward in his chair, a serious
expression washing over his face. “So are we not going to talk about the white
elephant in the room?”

Emma cut her eyes over to him and grinned. “You mean
the fact that one of the prizes is an enema bag?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Patrick huffed,
“That is not what I’m talking about, and you know it.”

She ducked her head, staring down at her Bingo card
like it was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen. “I’d rather not,” she
whispered.

“Look, Em, I’m sure you’re already experiencing the
intense love a parent can have for their child. Aidan is my son, and I love him
with all my heart.” When she jerked her head up to glare at him, he held up
both his hands in surrender. “But that doesn’t mean I condone what he did to
you. Trust me, I wanted to inflict bodily harm on him.” An amused glint
twinkled in his dark eyes. “Well, I sort of did.”

Emma gasped. “What did you do?”

He chuckled. “Trust me, it was nothing that he
didn’t deserve, or that my seventy-two year old ass could actually dish out!”

“You’re terrible!” Emma replied, but she couldn’t
help giggling.

Patrick took his hand in hers. “I just want you to
know I’m Switzerland in all this, okay? I love you and my grandchild, just like
I do Aidan.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.” She squeezed his
hand. “And I hope you know I would never ask you to take sides or try to keep
you away from the baby because of what happened with Aidan.”

“I know that, sweetheart. From the first day I met
you, I knew what kind of girl you are, and there isn’t a malicious bone in your
body.” He paused and shook his head. “But if I don’t say what’s in my heart,
I’m going to explode.”

Gnawing one of her already frayed fingernails, Emma
held her breath, bracing herself for what Patrick had to say.

 “I’m extremely worried about Aidan. It’s been three
weeks, and he’s miserable, Emma. He doesn’t sleep, and he barely eats.”

The spiteful, vindictive side of her relished in the
thoughts of Aidan’s suffering. She gave Patrick a skeptical look. “I seriously
doubt that. He’s probably just vying for your sympathy and trying to turn you
against me.”

“No, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. He’s been
staying with me because he can’t stand being alone.”

Emma widened her eyes as her heart clenched in agony
for Aidan. Although a very large part of her delighted in the thought of him
hurting as badly as she was, another part of her pitied him. As much as she
wanted to despise him, she couldn’t. Every moment of the past three weeks, she
had tried to bury her feelings and embrace the fact Aidan would never be completely
emotionally available. To let him back into her life would be to walk barefoot
over the shards of her broken heart. He would cut her again—it was inevitable.

But from the depth of her soul, she still loved him.
There was a part of her that feared she always would—just like a part of her
still loved Travis. She hated herself for feeling that way.

“Can you honestly say that nothing he has done in
the past few weeks has softened your heart to him?” Patrick asked.

A tortured sigh escaped her lips. When Becky had
said Aidan would try to win her back, she hadn’t been kidding. Not even being
forewarned could have prepared for the initial barrage of telephone calls,
texts, and emails. He had even tried coming to her office, but she had asked
the security guard to remove him. It had been quite a scene with Aidan
scuffling with the guard to try to get to her. He had then been warned by her
manager never to come on her floor again.

Then he switched tactics. Her house soon doubled for
a florist’s with all the flowers he bought. Every bouquet and every dozen roses
he sent had a separate card filled with his ramblings of remorse, how much he
missed her, and how much he cared for her and the baby. Since there was still
no profession of love, she gave him the silent treatment.

“Em?” Patrick questioned, jarring her out of her
thoughts.

She twisted the hemline of her blouse in her
fingers. “Don’t you know how hard it’s been with my feelings, coupled with my
pregnancy hormones, to ignore him?”

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed with
his tenacity. Not even with Amy did he do something as heartfelt as that poetry
book.”

Emma pinched her eyes shut. That damn book! It had
almost shattered her resolve. When she had opened the wrapped package and found
an antique edition of love poetry by the Romantics, she had wept uncontrollably
for an hour. The sight of John Keats, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron brought
thoughts not only of his nephews, but the glaring fact he remembered she loved
their poetry. And while it was a book filled with sentiments of love, he still
hadn’t said the words himself. For Emma, that meant everything.

“I’m truly sorry he’s going through so much. But I’m
hurting, too,” she finally said.

“I know you are, honey. But if I asked you just to
talk to him for a few minutes, would you humor an old man?”

“Oh Patrick, don’t you see. I’m scared.”

“That he’ll…cheat again?”

She bobbed her head. “With Travis, I never had to
worry about him being unfaithful. He was totally devoted from the time we first
started dating. I haven’t dated a lot or been out in the world, so I don’t know
how to be with someone like Aidan and keep my sanity.”

Patrick rubbed his chin. Emma could tell there was
something he wasn’t saying—something that held a piece of Aidan’s puzzle. “I
don’t like to beg, but would you just consider sitting down with him and trying
to hear him out? I know it would mean the world to him, and I think it would
mean a lot to you, too.”

A whoosh of air deflated her chest. “I guess I could
try.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, his face lighting up.
“Good. Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I could use some dessert. Want
something?”

As if on cue, Emma’s stomach rumbled, and she
grinned. “Even though I shouldn’t, would you bring me back some more of that
homemade pound cake?”

Patrick smiled. “Good choice. I was going after a
piece myself.”

She grabbed his sleeve. “Just make sure it isn’t
Mrs. Forrester’s. I think she accidentally put salt instead of sugar this
time.”

He chuckled. “Oh lord. I do believe she has a screw
or two loose.”

“You shouldn’t say that. You know she’s sweet on
you,” Emma teased.

“And don’t think I’m not going to keep running away
from her. She’d probably kill me with food poisoning or something.”

Emma laughed. “You don’t have to run too fast. She’s
just one of your many admirers.”

“Whatever,” he grumbled. As he rose out of his
chair, Patrick winced and rubbed his chest.

“Are you all right?” Emma asked.

“I’m fine,” he murmured. But when he took another
step forward around the table, he gasped and then collapsed onto the ground.

“Patrick!” Emma cried, leaping out of her chair. She
raced over to him and knelt down, grabbing his hand in hers.

“My heart,” he moaned.

“Someone call 911!” she screamed, trying to fight
the rising panic that drummed in her chest.

“I will!” the bingo announcer replied, bringing his
phone to his ear.

“Here give him this,” a lady said, thrusting an
aspirin in front of Emma’s face. She took it from the lady and brought it to
Patrick’s lips.