The Pairing (The Proposition #3)(89)

“Yay!” he cried.

When they drove up at Patrick’s, Megan did a double take at the sight of an inflatable bouncy castle out on the lawn. John, Percy, and Georgie were already making good use of it. “Emma, the Party Planning Monster has struck again,” she mused.

Pesh chuckled as he got out of the car. He went to get Mason while she started into the house. Balloons and flowers filled the foyer and living room. Over the dining room archway, there was a giant CONGRATULATIONS MASON sign.

When she got to the kitchen, she sucked in a breath at the sight of all the catering pans. “Emma Fitzgerald, what have you done?” she questioned.

At the sound of Megan’s voice, Emma jumped. Clutching her chest, she whirled around. “Okay, so maybe I found a really excellent deal on the bouncy castle. Like ridiculously cheap.”

Megan crossed her arms over her chest. “The food? I thought Mom and my aunts were cooking.”

Holding up one hand, Emma replied, “Just Williamson Brothers BBQ. Nothing fancy.”

“Anything else I need to know about? Live band or celebrity bursting out of a cake?”

Emma giggled. “Nope. That’s it.”

Megan watched Emma bustle around the kitchen, setting up the plates and cutlery. “Um, is there anything I can do? I mean, I feel pretty shitty considering this is my son’s adoption party,” Megan said, with a smile.

Pink tinged Emma’s cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

Megan threw her arms around Emma and squeezed her tight. “Don’t be sorry. You’re amazing to do all of this for us.”

Emma smiled. “You’re more than welcome. I’m so happy for you and Pesh and for Mason.”

“Thank you.”

When Megan pulled away, Emma said, “Oh, there is something you can do. Go tell Aidan we’re about to start. He went to get Caroline up from her nap.”

“Sure. I’ll be happy to.” As Megan started down the familiar hallway, she stopped outside of Aidan’s boyhood bedroom. Through the crack in the door, she could see him walking around the room, bouncing Caroline in his arms. At the sound of his singing, she had to stifle a laugh. Ankle was many things, but a singer wasn’t one of them.

“Sweet Caroline, dum, dum, dum. Good times never seemed so good,” he crooned off-key.

When Megan pushed open the door, Aidan jumped. “Um, hey,” he said, a flush entering his cheeks.

“I never really pictured you as a Neil Diamond fan,” she said, with a smile.

“Yeah, well, Sweet Caroline seems like the right thing to sing to her.” He cleared his throat. “What are you doing in here?”

“Emma wanted me to come get you.”

“Oh,” he said. In his arms, Caroline began to whimper, her little fists flailed. “Shh, it’s okay, sweet pea. Where was I?”

“I’ve been inclined,” Megan answered him.

“Right,” he said, over Caroline’s cries.

When he picked back up with the song, Megan said, “That’s really unfair to torture her like that.”

As Aidan scowled at Megan, Caroline began to quiet. Aidan’s expression then turned triumphant. “See? She likes it when I sing to her.”

“But you can’t sing,” Megan protested.

Aidan shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to her.”

Megan laughed. “She has a mother with a killer voice, yet she likes to listen to you?”

Flashing his signature cocky grin, Aidan replied, “What can I say? All women love me.”

With a roll of her eyes, Megan said, “Give me a break.”

Glancing down at Caroline, Aidan said in a sing-song voice, “Don’t you have the sweetest, handsomest, and most wonderful daddy in the whole wide world?” Caroline cooed at his question and kicked her legs. “She’s a smart girl because she knows how lucky she is.”

“You’re terrible,” Megan said, with a grin.

Aidan looked from his daughter over to Megan. “You want to hold my most perfect little princess?”

“I would love to.” She held out her arms as Aidan passed Caroline to her. Outfitted in a frilly purple dress and purple bow, Caroline looked like she could be modeling baby wear. Unlike Noah’s strawberry blond hair, hers was a deep auburn. She had also inherited her mother’s green eyes. “I have to agree that you’re a lucky girl because you look just like your mother,” Megan said.

Aidan laughed. “Yeah, she is a little mini-Emma, isn’t she?”

“She is. Boy, she’s going to give you hell when she’s a teenager,” Megan teased.

“I know. Trust me, I know.”

As Caroline smiled up at her, Megan couldn’t help sighing. “You’re a bad influence, missy. You make me want to have another baby.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Aidan asked.

“No, it’s just…”

“Just what?”

“I asked Pesh to give me a year of marriage before we start trying. I know he’s ready right now, but I just want this time with him. You know, just the two of us.”

“That’s understandable.”

“But holding her…” Megan shook her head. “You’re just bad for business, Miss Caroline.”