The Pairing (The Proposition #3)(12)

Aidan chuckled at Emma’s plea. “Relax, babe. If he feels you getting all tense, he’s going to get fussy.”

Emma sighed. “He’s already fussy. He was fine until I put him in the gown.”

“I guess he feels that wearing a dress is insulting to his manhood,” Aidan reasoned with a smile.

When Emma shot Aidan a death glare, Megan and Pesh couldn’t help laughing at the two of them. Aidan winked at Emma before starting out the door. At Megan’s side, Pesh walked up the aisle. When they reached the baptismal font, the music ended, and the priest began speaking. He informed the crowd of what was about to take place and the significance of all the religious rites Noah was about to receive.

Aidan and Emma made the sign of the cross on Noah’s forehead before Megan leaned in to do the same. When Megan elbowed him, Pesh reached over to clumsily follow their lead. After he finished, he glanced at Megan. She smiled and mouthed, “Good job.”

He returned her smile. He followed through the rest of the proceedings as Aidan and Emma pledged to raise Noah in the faith. Then it came time for him and Megan to agree to stand by Noah as godparents. The priest took a fussing Noah from Emma’s arms. When the first trickles of water hit the base of Noah’s head, he cooed and kicked his arms and legs. Emma appeared relieved at how Noah wasn’t behaving like a possessed baby as she had feared.

“Thank God he loves his baths,” Aidan muttered beside Pesh.

Once the baptism part was finished, the priest made a final talk, and then it was over. Just as Pesh sighed with relief and was looking forward to making a quick exit, Aidan grabbed his arm. “Don’t go anywhere. We have to do pictures.”

Inwardly, he groaned. He wanted, no he needed, a moment alone to process his thoughts. Everything had been so overwhelming—being outside his usual world, meeting all of Aidan’s family, and then having the prospect of Megan thrown in as well.

Awkwardly, he stood around as a photographer came forward and proceeded to take several pictures of Aidan, Emma, and Noah. Then it was just Aidan and Noah or Emma and Noah. “Okay, I need the godparents now.”

Pesh smoothed down his tie and allowed the photographer to pose him in the group shot. After they finished with the four of them, Noah was handed to Megan for pictures with just the godparents. As the photographer pushed Megan closer against Pesh’s chest, he glanced down at her. Her reassuring smile caused his heartbeat to accelerate. For the first time, he noticed the sweet aroma of her hair as the long, blonde strands brushed against him. He could also make out the alluring scent of her perfume. He liked the feel of her against him a little too much. It made him want to draw her into his embrace…maybe do other things that he shouldn’t be thinking when he was in a church.

Glancing over her shoulder at him, she joked, “Jeez, you’re like a giant standing next to me.”

“Am I?” He hadn’t noticed the differences in their heights—he’d been focusing on her too much.

She laughed. “Just a little bit. Of course, it doesn’t take much for someone to make me look short.”

“You look perfect to me,” he said sincerely.

Craning her neck back to look at him, she gave him a teasing grin. “Do I? Are you flirting with me, Dr. Nadeen?”

He stared down at his feet, trying to avoid the heat of her stare. He tried to hide the red flush he felt entering his cheeks. “Okay, now just with the godmother,” the photographer ordered.

Reluctantly, Pesh stepped away from Megan. As the flashes went off, snapping hers and Noah’s picture, he kept his gaze on her. As she focused on the camera, Megan’s blue eyes sparkled as she stretched her face into a wide grin. Noah’s tiny fingers wrapped around some of the strands of her hair, causing Megan to yelp in pain. “Easy now. I gotta keep that,” she said to Noah.

“Okay, that should get it,” the photographer said.

“Here godfather, it’s your turn,” Megan said, as she handed Noah to him.

By now, Noah was tired of being held and tired of being ensconced in yards of lace. He peered up at Pesh before howling. “I’m sorry, little guy,” he cooed, trying to bounce Noah in his arms.

As Noah continued to cry, Pesh looked apologetically at the photographer. Just before he was ready to give up, Megan came up and started clapping her hands and making noises at Noah. The baby instantly stopped crying. “That’s right, Noah. Give me a smile,” Megan urged, as she backed up to stand by the photographer. She continued making the noises, and she even resorted to flashing one of the strands of her hair at him. Finally, Noah’s quivering lips broke into a grin.

“There we go,” the photographer said. Pesh quickly plastered a smile on his face. After several flashes went off, the photographer put down his camera. “Got it.”

Both Noah and Pesh sighed in relief. Gazing down at him, Pesh asked, “Bet you’re ready to get home and get out of that dress, huh?”

“It’s a gown, not a dress,” Megan countered with a smile.

He laughed. “Regardless of what it’s called, I don’t think he likes it very much.”

Megan brought some of the lace between her fingers. “Probably a little itchy for him.”

“Did your son wear this gown?”

“No, this is Aidan’s gown. Mason wore my mother’s, which my brothers and I also wore.”