The Proposal (8 page)

“No, he really does. After all, you were his daddy
for two years.”

“Good because I’ve missed him.” He leaned over the
gearshift towards her. “I’ve missed him every moment of every day.” Her green
eyes widened both at his proximity and the fact that they both knew he wasn’t
talking about Beau anymore. The electricity crackled all around the two of
them.

“You can follow me home.”

“Thank you.”

He waited until she was safely in her car and
cranked up before he pulled out of the parking space. On the way to her house,
his fingers drummed anxiously against the steering wheel. Even though it wasn’t
more than ten minutes, he couldn’t seem to get there fast enough. Hope pulsed
through him that she might finally forgive him and fully let him back into her
life.

As he started to pull into the driveway, a yard sign
caught his eye. Squinting in the darkness, he gasped at the recognition of the
realty sign. The words
For Sale
sent a stake through his heart.
Animosity overwrought the amorous feelings he had pulsing through him.

He screeched to stop barely off the road. His blood
pounded in his ears as he clambered out of the car and slammed the door. He was
at Emma’s side before she had time to close hers. “YOU’RE MOVING?”

Shrinking from his anger, she pressed herself against
the car. “Yes,” she whispered.

Shame washed over him that his reaction had
frightened her. “I’m sorry for shouting at you, but how could you not tell me?”

“I was going to,” she argued

“When? The day the moving van came? Christ, Emma,
we’ve been together all night! I unveiled my heart and soul, yet you couldn’t
manage to tell me this one little detail?”

“I’m sorry.”

He was afraid to ask the next question because deep
down he already knew the answer. “And just where are you going?”

“I’m moving back home—to Ellijay. I’m going to live
with Grammy and Granddaddy for a while until the house sells, and then I might
find a place of my own close by them. They’re getting older. Granddaddy fell
off a ladder a week ago and just had to have hip replacement surgery. They need
me, but more importantly, I need them.”

He shook his head. “I won’t let you take my son from
me!”

Emma’s green eyes narrowed into angry slits. “Don’t
you dare threaten me like that! You know I would never keep you from Noah. Just
because I don’t live here, doesn’t mean you won’t get to see him.”

“Ellijay is a fucking hour and a half away! How will
I get to see him when he’s that far from me? Are you going to put me on some
visitation schedule? Like every other weekend or some bullshit?”

She rubbed her temples. “I don’t know what I’m going
to do. I just know I can’t stay here anymore. Alone.”

“Dammit, Emma, I can’t believe you could be so
cold.”

She jerked her chin up and glared at him so hard
that he took a step back. “You asshole! How dare you accuse
me
of being
cold! I’m not the one who cheated and ruined everything between us!”

“I didn’t sleep with her,” he protested.

Emma threw her hands up. “The fact you couldn’t get
it up or I interrupted you is irrelevant to the point, Aidan! You brought some
stranger into your home on the pretense of screwing me out of your heart and
mind!”

He grimaced. “I’ve said it a million times in a
million different ways that I’m sorry!”

“I know you have, but just like I told you back at
O’Malley’s, I would work on forgiving you, and it’s going to take a hell of a
lot of time. So don’t expect me to fall into your waiting arms like nothing
ever happened any time soon. I had a life before you, and I’m going to have one
after you!” She turned and stalked away.

“Em, wait!” When she kept on walking, he called,
“Fine, you want even more grand gestures? Here’s another one.” He sank down
onto his knees on the sidewalk.

When Emma whirled around, her eyes grew wide. “What
are you doing?”

He gazed around them. “What the hell does it look
like I’m doing? I’m on my knees—totally and completely begging you to forgive
me.”

“Get up!” she hissed when a couple walking their dog
paused to stare at them.

“Not until you forgive me.”

She growled in frustration. “I said it would take
time, so quit being dramatic.”

He shrugged. “Fine, call me a Drama Queen. Call me
any fucking name in the book! Just get all the anger and hate out of your
system, so you can work on forgiving me tonight.” He opened his arms wide. “I
said it on cards, in text messages, and voicemails, and even in that fruity
book of poetry I sent you. But now I’m going to say it to your face in case
it’s the only other chance I have.”

Suddenly in that moment Aidan didn’t feel so sure of
himself. He drew in a ragged breath. “I am
sorry
, Emma. I’m so sorry for
breaking your heart. I’m sorry for being an utter prick and being afraid of my
feelings for you. Most of all, I’m sorry for screwing up the perfect life we
had by pushing you away and cheating on you.”

Emma’s face flushed with warmth as the woman on the
sidewalk gasped. Aidan turned to her. “Yeah, that’s right. I’m one of the
countless assholes who break women’s hearts. I couldn’t tell Emma I loved her,
and I almost screwed another woman trying to push her away.” He smacked his palms
hard against his chest. “But from the depths of my heart and soul, I’m so, so
sorry!”

“Jesus dude, have you lost all your pride?” the man
questioned, which caused the woman to punch him in the arm.

Aidan chuckled. “Yeah, I have. Because I’m willing to
do whatever it takes to win
her
back,” he pointed to Emma and smiled at
her.

When Emma strode over to him with a determined look,
Aidan felt his hope rising. It quickly faded as she grabbed him by the hair and
yanked his head up. “Get off my front walk this minute, or I’m going to call
the cops!” She shook her head maniacally. “I can’t believe you just embarrassed
me in front of my neighbors like that!”

“I thought you wanted a man who would say how he
truly felt?”

She rolled her eyes. “
This
,” she said, motioning
wildly to him, “is not what I had in mind.”

“Fine,” he said pulling himself off the ground. He
leaned closer to her and cocked his eyebrows. “But can you honestly say you
weren’t the tiniest bit impressed by that?”

The corners of her lips pulled up, and he could tell
she was fighting not to smile. “Maybe a little.”

“Aha, I knew it!”

“Come on. Let’s go inside before you can be more of
a twatwaffle tonight.”

He burst out laughing. “What did you just call me?”

“It’s one of Casey’s words.”

“Hmm, let me guess. It’s probably one of Casey’s
words for
me
?”

She nodded as she unlocked the front door. “Yes, but
with some stronger expletives along with it.”

“I figured as much.”

“Have a seat. I’ll go let Beau out of the basement.”

When Aidan eased down on the couch, a memory flashed
in his mind of making love to Emma in the very same spot before they went to
see her grandparents for the first time. He heard Beau long before he saw him
racing around the corner.

“Hey boy!” he cried, rising up off the couch.

At the sight of Aidan, Beau went into full freak-out
mode with his whole body wiggling while he whined and cried. He barreled into
Aidan, knocking him back down onto the couch. Then he went to licking Aidan’s
face, hands, and any other body part he could get his tongue on.

Emma laughed. “See, I told you he missed you.”

Beau barked a few times as if in agreement, and then
went back to slurping his tongue over Aidan’s face. “Okay, boy, I missed you,
too.” Aidan rubbed over Beau’s back and then patted his head.

“Now sit down, Beau, and be a good boy,” Emma
instructed.

To Aidan’s surprise, Beau obediently slid down onto
the floor and sat stock still for Aidan to pet him. “Damn, I can’t believe
you’ve gotten him to obey.”

“It’s taken some time.”

“Did you take good care of Mommy while I was gone?”
Aidan asked, scratching Beau’s ears. At her sharp intake of breath, he glanced
up at her and winked.

“He’s been wonderful company. Especially at night,”
she replied softly.

“I can imagine. The nights alone have been hell on
me.”

Emma opened her mouth to say something, but then
suddenly wagged her finger at Beau. “Stop that licking, or I’m going to put the
cone of shame back on you.”

Aidan laughed as he patted Beau’s back. “Don’t be so
uptight, Em. He’s just a dog. Let him lick himself if he wants to.”

She shook her head. “If he keeps licking like that,
he’s going to cause an infection with his stitches from his surgery.”

“Surgery?” Aidan repeated lamely. “What happened to
him?” When Emma didn’t respond, Aidan glanced up to see her flushing and
ducking her head. Oh no. She couldn’t have gone there. She wouldn’t have done
that. Taking Beau by the collar, he turned him slowly around. At the sight of
his lost manhood, he sucked in a breath. “You had him fixed?”

Emma nibbled on her bottom lip. “The vet suggested
it. He said it would help calm Beau down and make it easier for him to get
acclimated when Noah’s born.”

Aidan rose off the floor. “Jesus, Em, first you
wanted my balls on a skewer, and now you had to take my dog’s!”

“I never wanted your…balls!” she huffed in protest.

“Symbolically you did.”

She rolled her eyes. “But look how much calmer he
already is.”

Aidan glanced at Beau. As much as he hated to admit
it, he was way more relaxed. “Yeah, well, you should have consulted with me first.
He’s
my
dog!”

She winced as if in pain. She took a few slow steps
before easing down into the chair. “Whoa, wait a minute. Don’t walk away. We’re
not through discussing this.”

“Em?” When she didn’t respond, he walked around the
side of the chair. He squatted down in front of her. His heart jolted to a stop
and restarted at the anguished expression etched on her face. “Em, what’s
wrong?”

“I’m…cramping.” She closed her eyes, and her chest
rose and fell in harsh breaths. “It hurts really bad.”

Fear crashed over Aidan’s head. “Come on. Let’s get
you to the hospital.” Before she could protest, he took her hand and helped her
out of the chair. She whimpered and clutched her abdomen. “I’ll carry you if
you need me to,” he said.

“No, I can make it,” she replied.

He wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her.
“Stay Beau,” he called over his shoulder. Beau whined, but reluctantly, he sat
down in the foyer. When they started out the door, Emma froze. “My purse.”

“I’ll get it.” He whirled around and went to snatch
it from its place on the floor. He then returned to Emma’s side to help her out
of the door and down the porch steps. “You want to take your car since it’s
closer? I can move mine.”

She shook her head. “No, no, yours is fine.”

“How’s the pain?”

“Intense,” she panted.

“Are you bleeding or do you think your water broke?”

“No, it’s just the contractions.”

A tiny flicker of relief filled him. “It’s going to
be okay, Em. We’ll get you to the hospital, and whatever it is, they’ll fix
it.”

His heart shattered when she stared up at him with
eyes pooling with tears. “I hope so.”

“Have faith.”

He opened the car door and eased her down onto the
seat. As soon as he shut her door, he sprinted over to the driver’s side. He
climbed inside and cranked up. After pealing out into the street, he glanced
over at Emma.

Her eyes were closed and her brows furrowed while
she bit down on her lip. Taking one of his hands off the steering wheel he
grabbed up one of hers. Her eyes flew open, and she stared over at him. “I’m
here for you, Emma.”

“Thank you…I’m glad.” She squeezed his hand tight.
Refusing to let go, she used her other hand to dig her phone out of her purse.
She thrust it over at Aidan. “Call Casey,” she murmured.

Keeping one hand on the wheel, he used his other to scroll
through Emma’s contacts. He braced himself for the wrath to come as his finger
pressed dial. Casey answered on the third ring. “Hey Hot Mama, sorry I haven’t
had a chance to call you back yet,” she said without a hello.

“Um, this is Aidan.”

A long pause came on the line. “What the hell are
you doing with Em’s phone? Please don’t tell me you’ve done something truly
insane to try to get her back? Because if you have, I will make sure that you
go to jail for a long, long time where a very large and hairy man can make you
his bitch!” she shrieked loud enough for even Emma to hear.

“Casey, listen to me. I haven’t kidnapped Emma.
We’re on our way to the ER at Wellstar.”