The Proposal(81)
CHAPTER TWENTY
One Month Later
Aidan trudged through the garage door, exhausted at the prospect of boarding a plane for Charlotte in just a few hours. At least he’d gotten to leave work a little early. After he dropped his briefcase on the kitchen table, he called, “Em?”
“I’m in the nursery,” she replied, her voice muffled from above.
He smiled as he started up the stairs. Her voice raised in song trilled back to him. When he got to the nursery doorway, he saw her bustling around, putting away some blue blankets in the chest of drawers. “Hey baby.”
She whirled around. “Hey. I was just finishing up in here, and then I was going to pack your bag.”
With a grimace, he said, “I’m still not so sure about leaving you.”
She crossed the room to him. “It’s going to be fine. You’ll barely be gone for two days.”
“I still don’t like it.”
Emma wrapped her arms around his neck. “My due date isn’t for another three and a half weeks. First babies rarely come early, so it’s going to be fine.”
“You’re still having Casey come spend the night with you, right?”
She grinned. “Yes, worry-wart. In fact, she and Connor are taking me to dinner, and then we’re having a slumber party.”
Aidan laughed. “That should be an interesting evening.”
“Jealous that you’ll miss the make-overs and gossip?”
“No, I think I’ll pass.”
“Suit yourself.”
He gazed around the light blue nursery walls. At first, he was skeptical about Emma’s idea of doing a Noah’s Arc theme to play on Noah’s name. Through her work contacts, she had found an artist to draw a rainbow and animal themed mural along the walls. He couldn’t believe how amazing it had turned out. The last piece of furniture had been delivered the week before, so the room was now outfitted with a bed, changing table, chest of drawers, and glider and ottoman. Now all it needed was Noah himself to complete the picture. “Looks like you’ve got everything just about ready for Little Man’s arrival.”
She nodded while rubbing her belly. “Just a few more stuffed animals…the full-sized giraffe and elephant are still on backorder.”
“More stuffed animals? You already have enough animals in here to make a zoo.”
She grinned. “No, it’s an Arc we’re going for, babe.”
“Whatever.”
She grabbed his hand. “Come on. You can shower and shave while I get you packed.”
“Are you insinuating I stink?”
She giggled as they started down the stairs. “No, but considering you overslept this morning and ran out the door without shaving, least of all showering, I’m thinking you should have one before your business dinner tonight.”
“I thought you liked it when I had a little stubble?”
She smiled and rubbed his cheek. “I do, baby.”
His reached out to caress her backside as they started into the bedroom. “You usually like it most when it’s rubbing against your thighs as I’m going down on you.”
“Aidan Fitzgerald!” she squealed smacking his hand away.
He laughed. “You know it’s the truth.”
She wagged a finger at him. “Go get in the shower, dirty boy.”
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her to him. “I could be a lot dirtier if we were to have a quickie—a nice send-off before I have to leave.”
She squirmed out of his arms. “You need to clean up, and then you have a flight to catch, mister. So get busy.”
Aidan groaned. “You’re such a party pooper lately. No loving for your man. I thought the sex ban wasn’t supposed to happen until after Noah was born.”
He knew he was in serious trouble when her green eyes narrowed at him. “Yeah, well, I’m so sorry that I’m exhausted from working full-time, keeping up this house, and most of all, carrying your son whose Fitzgerald stubbornness knows no bounds when he wants to kick and move all night when he should be sleeping,” she countered.
Raking his hand through his hair, he gave a defeated sigh. “I’m sorry. I just miss you—I miss us. That’s all,” he said before he trudged into the bathroom.
He showered and shaved in record time. Wrapping a towel around his waist, Aidan opened the bathroom door. He took one step into the bedroom and froze. His mouth gaped open in shock.
Emma lounged on the bed, propped up on her elbows in the green negligee he had bought for their engagement night that she never got to wear. What truly made his cock twitch was the fact she was wearing her cowboy boots and a cowboy hat.