Becky grinned. “Thank you. I only hope they were on their best behavior.” She then gazed over at Aidan with a determined look on her face. “I didn’t know you had such pretty work friends.”
Aidan snorted at his sister’s directness. “Yes, there’s a high standard of beauty at the company.”
Becky nudged him playfully. “Well, we won’t impose on you two any longer.” She motioned John and Percy out of the pool. They reluctantly dragged themselves out and started toweling off. Becky wrapped the towel tighter around Georgie. “Now what do we say to Uncle Aidan for letting us swim?”
“Thank you,” they echoed in a sing-song chorus that caused Aidan and Emma to grin.
Then both John and Percy looked pointedly at Emma. “Thanks for talking Uncle
Aidan into letting us stay…both times,” John said, a pink tinge on his cheeks.
Emma smiled. “You’re welcome.”
Becky stared from the boys to Emma, and then she gave Aidan a knowing look. “Well, you two have a lovely evening.”
“Thank you.”
They walked Becky and the boys to the door. Once they were gone, Aidan groaned and rubbed his eyes as he collapsed into the chair. “Jesus, I’m glad they’re gone.”
“Aw, I hate to see them go. They’re really sweet boys.”
He chuckled. “Oh yeah, I should have asked them to spend the night. I’m sure John would have loved to share a bed with you and your rack.” He shook his head with disgust. “The little pervert.”
“He’s thirteen. What do you expect? I highly doubt you were an angel of virtue at that age,” Emma countered with a smile.
“No, I was a pervert, too.”
“I figured as much. I swear he looks and acts so much like you.” She giggled. “He’s another Fitzgerald player in the making.”
Aidan’s cell phone started ringing, and when he glanced down at it, he grimaced. “Damn, this is the India office. I have to take it. Make yourself at home, okay?”
“No problem,” Emma replied, scratching Beau’s ears.
As soon as Aidan left the room, Beau hopped up on the couch with her. “Wanna find a chick flick to watch with me?”
He licked her hand. She grabbed the remote on the table and started flipping channels. “Ooh,” she murmured when she saw one of her favorites, Nottinghill, was on. She snuggled deeper into the couch, continuing to stroke Beau’s shiny black fur. After awhile, her eye-lids grew heavy, and before she could stop herself, she nodded off.
***
“Yes, I look forward to seeing you next month, Mr. Benwaldi,” Aidan said before hanging up. He rose out of his desk chair with a heavy sigh. In truth, he wasn’t too thrilled of the prospect of leaving the country for a month, but it had been a stipulation of his new promotion. Of course, he hadn’t thought to mention his imminent departure to Emma yet. He wasn’t sure how she was going to take him leaving in the middle of their baby-making quest. Maybe he could convince her to fly over for a few days if the next week’s try didn’t take.
Wait, what the hell was he thinking? Emma wasn’t his girlfriend or his wife. Asking a woman to fly across the ocean was way past his level of commitment, even if it was more for her benefit than his.
“Man, I’m the worst host ever. Sorry that took so long,” he said, as he walked into the living room. He skidded to a stop at the sight of Emma asleep on the couch with Beau beside her. For a moment, he didn’t know what to do. Should he wake her up and take her to get her car, or should he offer her the guest bedroom? Or should he take her to his bed? It wasn’t like they hadn’t slept together before.
He eyed Beau and gave a frustrated grunt. When Beau gazed drowsily up at him, Aidan wagged his finger. “You know damn well you’re not allowed on the furniture.”
Beau responded by yawning and then burrowing deeper to Emma’s side.
Aidan bent over the couch, his hand sweeping across Emma’s cheek. “Wake up, Em,” he said softly.
“Hmm?” she questioned without stirring.
“You need to go to bed.”
“No. Too tired,” she murmured.
He rubbed her arm. “You’ll sleep better in bed.”
She gave a short snore in response. Aidan rolled his eyes. Of course, she would have to make this harder on him. “Okay, fine. I’ll put you to bed.”
He reached underneath her legs and then brought his arms around her back. With a grunt, he lifted her up off the couch.
Emma gazed up at him through hooded eyes. “Are you my Knight in Shining Armor, now?”
“Oh yeah, I’m a helluva knight,” he grumbled.