The Pairing (The Proposition #3)(90)

Aidan laughed. “Tell me about it. Whenever I hold her or Noah, I think how much I’m going to miss it when they’re not babies anymore. It nags at me enough that I think I’ll be okay if we have more.”

“No vasectomy on the horizon?”

He grinned. “No yet. Still not ruling it out though. And as far as you and more babies, you’ll know when the time is right. And if anyone is patient and understanding, it’s Pesh.”

“That’s true,” Megan murmured.

Mason appeared in the doorway then. “‘Mon, Mommy. Want ice cweam!”

Megan laughed. “Okay, let me give your little bad influence back to you,” she said, handing Caroline to Aidan. She then took Mason’s hand and started out of the bedroom.

“Daddy says I have ice cweam first.”

“Did he?” Megan said, as she planned to strangle Pesh.

“Uh huh. ‘Cause it’s my ‘doption day.”

When she met Pesh’s eye, she raised her brows. Immediately, his face flushed. “Spoiling him rotten already, aren’t you?” she questioned in a low voice.

“I couldn’t help it. It’s a special day.”

“Mmm, hmm, and when this special day turns into an all nighter because he’s hyped on sugar, you’re going to deal with him.”

Pesh grinned. “I will. I promise.”

Megan leaned up to kiss him. “You’re too sweet for your own good. You’re always going to have me playing bad cop when it comes to discipline.”

“But you love me anyway, right?” he murmured against her lips.

“So much I was almost ready to reconsider our plan about when we’re starting a family.”

His eyes bulged at her response. It took him a few moments to speak. “That means a lot that you would do that, but deep down I know how you really feel. So, I’m going to be good and patiently wait ten more months before confiscating your birth control.”

“It’s a deal,” she replied, before kissing him again.

Epilogue

As soon as he finished with his last patient, Pesh practically sprinted from the exam room. He hustled into the doctors’ lounge, trying hard to keep his head down and not call any attention to himself. He wanted to be able to get out the door without anyone calling him back for a consult or to pull a longer shift. Once he had retrieved his things, he started for the parking lot.

“Dr. Nadeen!” Kristi called.

Inwardly, he groaned. “Yes?” he questioned, as he turned around.

“You weren’t leaving, were you?” she asked.

He exhaled a defeated breath. “I was planning on it. Does someone need me to cover for them?”

Kristi winked at him. “Thought you were screwed there for a minute, didn’t you?”

A relieved laugh escaped his lips. “I did.”

She smiled. “I have something for Megan.”

“Honestly Kristi, you didn’t need to do anything else for us.”

Waving her hand dismissively, she handed a pink gift bag to him. “I wanted to do this.”

After peeking inside, Pesh smiled before he leaned down to hug Kristi. “Thank you. I’m sure she’ll love it.”

“You tell her we miss her around here.”

“I will.”

She patted his back. “Now go on home to your girls.”

He nodded and then hurried out the door. Today had been his first day back after taking both paternity leave and some of his many amassed sick days. As he slid into the seat of his Jaguar, he felt a rush of embarrassment at how he had actually gotten teary on the way to work that morning after leaving Megan. It had been the longest shift of his entire life. He thought he would never be through so he could get home to her.

Even now, the usual ten-minute drive home seemed to take an eternity. He anxiously drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He’d tried not to pester Megan with too many calls and texts, but after the tenth, “How are you guys?” text, she’d told him to lighten up and get his head in the game at work.

That’s why he didn’t even bother telling her he was on his way home. As he pulled into the driveway, he noticed Emma’s SUV. He was glad to know that Megan hadn’t been alone without him. When he pushed through the garage door into the kitchen, Emma was at the stove. “Hello,” he called pleasantly.

Whirling around, she gave him a beaming smile. “Hello to you, too.”

“How are my girls?”

“Good. They’ve slept most of the day.”

Pesh nodded. Noticing how quiet the house was, he asked, “Where’s Mason?”

“Patrick came by and got him, along with Noah and Caroline, a little while ago.” She cocked her head at Pesh and grinned. “Although he swore to me that he wouldn’t ruin their dinner, I have a feeling they’re having ice cream right now.”

Pesh smiled at the mention of his son. Although he wasn’t Mason’s biological father, the love he felt for him was just as strong as if he had been a part of his conception. From the moment he’d been able to adopt him, he had felt an even stronger bond than before, especially whenever he saw “Mason Nadeen” written on his pre-school paperwork.

More than anything, he relished being a father. He had been forced to wait so long, while desiring it so hard, that it made it all the more sweeter. Because Mason adored baseball, Pesh had bought season tickets to the Braves, rather than the opera. Even though Pesh had never been athletically inclined, he signed up to help coach Mason’s Little League team as well. Every time he heard Mason say “Daddy,” it warmed his heart the same as it did to hear Megan say “I love you.”