The Proposal (The Proposition #2)(25)

“People do move on,” she said softly. But when she uttered the words, she was thinking more of Aidan than of Travis. Was Pesh the sign she had prayed about? Or had everything that had been thrown at her in the last three weeks just confused her too much?

“In the eighteen months since I lost Jade, I could never imagine ever wanting to date another woman again.” He smiled at her. “Until today.”

“But why me?”

“Why not?”

“You do realize I’m six months pregnant right?”

“I’ll tell you the same thing I did Mr. Fitzgerald’s son when he mentioned it.”

Emma’s cheeks burned at the mention of Aidan. She didn’t even want to begin to imagine what the conversation had been like between Patrick, Aidan, and Pesh. Her mortification was interrupted by Pesh squeezing her hand. “The fact you’re pregnant has no bearing on how beautiful you are outwardly or the kindness that radiates from within you.”

Unblinking and not breathing, she stared at him in disbelief. How was it possible that a handsome, successful, compassionate man was interested in dating her when she was six months pregnant with another man’s child? “Pesh, I’m very grateful for your flattering compliments, but my life is so very complicated at the moment.”

“And I’m not helping matters with my amorous declarations, am I?”

She gave him a sad smile. “You’ve been through so much that you deserve true happiness. I have to be totally honest when I say I just don’t know if I have anything to give you at the moment.”

Pesh tilted his head to one side in thought. “What if we just tried getting to know one another as friends and see where it goes? I know you’re not going to be able to get out and about much in the next few weeks, so I could come and do house calls. You know, check your vitals.” He momentarily grimaced. “That sounds completely stalkerish, doesn’t it?”

“No, I—”

“It’s been so long since I was in the dating game. I’m sure I’m saying and doing everything that is a major turn-off.”

Emma gazed at his drop dead gorgeous face and wondered how he could ever turn any woman off. “I would love to have you come and check on me.”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really?”

She nodded. “I’m sure after a few days stuck inside, I’d love the company as well as the medical expertise.”

A pleased smile cut across Pesh’s face. “I would like that very much.”

“Me too.”

The pager on Pesh’s belt went off. “Guess that means I better head out.” He rose up from the chair. “So I look forward to seeing you sometime this week.”

“But how will you—”

Pesh held his hand up. “Mr. Fitzgerald has already taken care of that.”

Emma rolled her eyes but smiled in spite of herself. “Why am I not surprised?”

He laughed. He once again took her hand in his and then brought it to his lips. “You better promise to take very good care of yourself.”

Finding it hard to breathe, she could only murmur, “I will.”

He then turned and went to the door. Just before he slipped out of it, he gave her one last wave. Once she heard the door click shut, her head fell back against the pillows. Shaking her head, she couldn’t believe the insanity of the day’s events. If anyone had told her the day before a gorgeous man would be asking to go on a date with her, she would have told them they were out of their mind. The same could be said for everything that had transpired at dinner with Aidan from his admission about Amy to his desire for her forgiveness.

Exhausted from the day’s events, she closed her eyes and tried to block out all of her out-of-control thoughts and fears.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Around three in the morning, Emma’s full bladder woke her up. As she swung her legs out of the bed, she froze. Warmth spread through her chest at the sight of Aidan fast asleep in the chair. Sometime during the night he had come back so she wouldn’t have to stay by herself. Her heartbeat accelerated at how much he truly cared for her. Any thoughts of Pesh vanished from her mind as she sat on the bedside staring at Aidan.

His neck hung forward at a precarious angle, and she knew he would have a terrible crick in it. She stood up on her wobbly legs and leaned over him. “Aidan,” she murmured, bringing her hand to his cheek.

“Hmm?”

“Wake-up.”

His eyes snapped open, and he sprung up so fast he almost lunged into her. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She smiled. “I’m fine. I just needed to go to the bathroom, and you were about to break your neck sleeping that way.”

Wincing, he rolled his shoulders. “You should get a nurse to do a bed pan and stay off your feet.”

She snorted. “I’m not that helpless, thank you very much.”

Amusement twinkled in his eyes. “Want me to carry you?”

“Absolutely not! The last thing I need is my soon-to-be caregiver to get a hernia from trying to lift me.”

“Em, you would not give me a hernia,” he replied.

“Whatever,” she murmured before padding into the bathroom. After she finished and washed her hands, she came out to find Aidan already asleep again and snoring slightly.