The Proposition(83)

He needed desperately to get away from her. If he could just put some distance between them, then his feelings could change. He might be able to go back to the way he had felt about her the weeks before or even the day before. But in reality, he knew the depth of his lie. Every time he had been away on business, he had missed her—sometimes even ached for her in his heart, not his dick.

In the end, maybe it didn’t matter if he loved her. He could not imagine giving up the entirety of his life to being all she would need. To be choked by the responsibility of being a husband and father…fuck no.

Aidan started to back away, but a twig snapped beneath his feet, causing Emma to turn her head.

“Hey,” she called.

Beau raced past him and down the dock. He splashed into the water, sending a small wave crashing over Emma. “Beau, you stinker!” she shouted.

Aidan forced himself forward towards Emma. She smiled at him as he approached. “Sorry, I left you in the swing. I wanted to come down here before we had to leave, and you were sleeping so peacefully I didn’t want to wake you. Especially since I dragged you out of bed last night.”

“It’s okay.” He glanced down at his watch. “We probably need to be heading back.”

Emma nodded and swung her legs out of the water. After she pulled herself to her feet, she gasped.

“What’s wrong?” She stood frozen, her hand pressed against her stomach. Aidan took a step forward. “Em?”

She grabbed his hand and placed it where hers had just been. “Feel that?”

Aidan almost jerked away at the slight vibrations beneath his fingertips. His heart shuddered to a stop before restarting. The baby—his baby—was moving. “Yes,” he croaked.

Emma beamed up at him. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

He was too overwhelmed to speak, so he bobbed his head.

“I’ve never felt it move before. I’m so glad you were here with me when it happened.”

“Me too.”

When the movement stopped, Emma wrapped her arms around Aidan’s neck. “I can never thank you enough for giving me this wonderful gift of life. You’ve made me the happiest woman in the world, and I love you for it.” He widened his eyes at her words while she leaned in and kissed him. “I love you, Aidan,” she murmured against his lips.

Part of him wanted to be honest with her and himself and openly admit that he loved her. But the hardened part of him refused to let go and give her those three simple words. He pulled away from her kiss. “Em, I…”

Although hurt radiated in her eyes, Emma gave him a shy smile. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say it back. I just wanted to tell you how I felt.” She took his hand in hers. “Come on, we better get going.” He let her tug him down the dock and back up the hillside.





CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO


The shrill beeping of the alarm jolted Emma awake. Knowing what a deep sleeper Aidan was, she rolled over, shaking him gently. “Babe, the alarm.”

He grunted before smacking his hand on the clock repeatedly before it finally went off.

When Aidan fell back over in bed, Emma fought the urge to run her hands down his bare chest. He was always so handsome in the mornings—his face so rugged, his sandy hair disheveled. Instead, she snuggled against his side. When she draped her leg over his thigh, he stiffened. “You can have the shower first,” he mumbled.

“You could always join me,” she suggested.

“No, go ahead,” he said, pulling away from her. “I wanna sleep in a little longer.”

Stung by his words and actions, Emma jerked back. Salty tears streaked down her cheeks as she made her way into the bathroom. He had been so different, so distant since they had come back from the mountains. He had been working later and later hours the last week at the office. By the time he got home at night, she was already in bed or asleep. He hadn’t touched her intimately since they had made love on the pond’s shore at her grandparents.

Leaning against the shower wall, fear crippled her. Had committing the carnal mistake of telling Aidan she loved him driven him away? What happened now? Did she just pretend she had never uttered it and hope things would return to normal, or did she push things even further by demanding to know what his intentions were?

After spending the entirety of her shower crying, Emma tried to pull herself together to get ready for work. Throwing on her robe, she stepped out of the bathroom. Aidan still hadn’t stirred from the bed. Maybe she was making something out of nothing, and he was truly just tired.

She eased down on the mattress and rubbed his bare back. “Wake up, sleepyhead, or you’ll be late for work.”