The Proposal (The Proposition #2)(31)

She eyed a stack of books on the nightstand before reading through the titles. They were predominantly nonfiction, self-help books. She picked up one of her favorites, Tuesdays with Morrie, and began rereading.

Aidan appeared a little while later with a tray with two plates and two drinks but sans the crystal vase and rose. She sniffed appreciatively. “Oh God, that smells so good!”

“Thank you.”

She eased up in bed and took the tray. As Aidan grabbed his plate, she motioned to the nightstand. “What’s up with the reading material?” she asked.

Pink tinged his cheeks. “Oh, um, well, those were recommended by my therapist.”

Emma choked on the bite of scampi she had taken. Once she recovered, she asked, “You’re in therapy?”

He nodded, turning his head from her intense gaze as he sat down in the glider. “How long have you been seeing a therapist?”

Staring at his plate, he nudged a piece of shrimp around with his fork. “Do you even have to ask?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

He snapped his gaze up to meet hers. “I made an appointment the morning after I epically screwed up my life and yours.”

“I see.”

“I really like Dr. Leighton. She’s really helping me work on a lot of things.”

“How often do you go?”

“Three times a week.”

Emma gulped. “That often.” Even when she was dealing with her immense grief, she only went twice a week.

He gave her a sheepish grin. “I asked for the most intense program because I wanted to fix myself as fast as I could…for you and for Noah.”

She couldn’t still the rapid beating of her heart. He wanted to be a better man for her—to right all the wrongs he had done, and most of all be everything she wanted and needed him to be. Part of her wanted to reach over and hug him tight—to tell him that her heart still belonged to him and always would. But she couldn’t. She was too gun-shy.

“Wanna watch a movie?” he suddenly asked. When she gave him a skeptical look, he grinned. “Your pick, I promise.”

Her mind whirled with the possibilities. “The Sound of Music.”

Aidan winced. “Christ, do we really have to watch a musical?”

“You said my pick!” she countered.

“Fine, fine,” he muttered, digging into the mammoth box of DVD’s he had brought from her house. Once he found it, he popped it into the player and then grabbed his plate. He eased in the bed beside her rather than back in the glider.

“How’s the scampi?”

“Mmm, delicious.” She grinned at him. “I sure hope you made more.”

He chuckled. “In your condition, I figured it was best to double the recipe.”

“Oh my hero,” she replied.

“Let me guess. Your hero is going to be marching his happy ass back to the kitchen in a minute to get you another plate.”

She batted her eyelashes at him. “Yes, but I’ll be sweet and at least wait until you finish eating first.”

“Angel of mercy,” he muttered through a mouthful of scampi.

Giggling, she flipped on the TV. As the opening credits began and Julie Andrews started twirling and singing on the mountaintop, Emma snuggled the blanket closer to her and sighed with contentment.

“You really dig this shit, don’t you?” Aidan asked.

She glanced over at him. “What if I were to tell you I played Maria my senior year in high school?”

Aidan swallowed hard. “You mean you wore a nun’s costume?”

“Of course I did.”

He licked his lips. “Damn, that’s hot.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible.”

Aidan chuckled. “Sorry babe, but every man has his fantasies.”

“You fantasize about me in a nun’s costume?”

“Actually you in anything…or nothing,” he replied with a wink.

“Whatever,” she mumbled as she fixated her gaze on the screen and not him.

After another plateful of scampi, her eyes grew heavy. When she glanced over at Aidan, his eyes were glassy, but she wasn’t sure if it was from exhaustion or being forced to watch a musical. She nodded off just before the Von Trapp’s escaped into Switzerland.

When she woke up, it was dark outside. Glancing over her shoulder, Aidan wasn’t beside her anymore. The sound of the shower running alerted her where he had gone. Peeking at the clock on the nightstand, it was just after six.

Yawning, she stretched her arms over her head before pushing herself into a sitting position. Shifting her body made her bladder scream for release. Nibbling her lip, she gazed at the closed bathroom door. There were two options: bust in on Aidan’s shower or be a coward and go down the hall to the half-bath in the foyer.

She shook her head at the thought of walking so far. With a heavy sigh, she hoisted herself out of bed. Beau slid off beside her. “Hang tight, boy. I’m not going far.”

He ignored her and continued by her side as she padded into the bathroom. Steam enveloped her and momentarily clouded her vision. Just as she started for the toilet, Aidan shut off the water and stepped out of the shower in all his na**d glory. Her eyes met his shocked baby blues before her gazed dropped below his waist. Her pregnancy hormones kicked into overdrive at the sight, and she licked her lips.