The Proposal (The Proposition #2)(33)

With a sigh, she poked his back. “Aidan?” He stirred a little. “Wake up.”

“Em?” he questioned drowsily.

“Yeah, um, I hate to bother you, but I kinda have a craving.”

With his eyes still shut, he yawned. “Want me to get you something from the kitchen?”

She nibbled her bottom lip. “Actually, I wanted something from Wendy’s.”

His eyelids flew open. “Seriously?”

She nodded.

“What time is it?”

“One.”

“You want me to go out and get you something to eat now?” he asked incredulously.

“Please?”

He stared at her for a moment, unblinking and unmoving. She could only imagine the thoughts racing through his mind. Just when she thought he might tell her to go back to sleep, he rose up into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes. “What do you want?”

“A double Baconator, fries, and a chocolate frosty.”

“Christ, at this time of night?”

“I could eat bacon and ice cream all day.”

“Remind me to buy some at the store tomorrow,” he said as he got out of bed.

“So you’re really going?”

He waved his pants at her. “Of course I am.”

“Guess you have grown a vag,” she murmured.

Pausing with one leg in his pants, Aidan said, “Excuse me?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Once he zipped up his fly, he leaned over the bed towards her. From the light trickling in from the bathroom, she could see the amusement on his face. “I could have sworn you just said I had grown a vag.”

“No, I said that you really had grown a lot. You know emotionally,” she lied.

“Uh-huh.”

Before he could pull away, she leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Be careful and thank you.”

He grinned. “I will.” When he got to the bedroom door, he turned back. “Just make sure Casey knows that I wear my alleged vagina with pride, not because she took my manhood with that purse of hers, but because I want to be a better man for you.”

Emma widened her eyes. “How did you—”

He chuckled. “When I started gathering all the personal stuff to bring here, Casey accused me of growing a vagina. I figured there was no one else you would be texting at one in the morning besides her.”

Shaking her head, Emma said, “Whatever. Just go get my food please.”

“Me and my vagina will be back in twenty minutes. Tops.”

And with a wink, he was gone.

CHAPTER NINE

Emma woke the next morning to the shrill ringing of her cell phone in her ear. Squinting at the clock with one eye, she groaned. It was barely seven in the morning, and she knew only one person would be calling her that early.

Fumbling for her phone, she grabbed it and pressed the button. “Good morning, Grammy,” she murmured drowsily.

“Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling?”

“Sleepy.”

Grammy laughed. “I’m sorry to wake you, but you know that Granddaddy and I think sleeping past five is too late.”

“That’s a travesty when you guys could sleep in.”

“Listen honey, I wondered if Aidan could come up here today? I took some things out of the freezer that I thought you would like, and I’m about to start fixin’ some casseroles for him to heat back up later on.”

“Grammy, you should be taking care of yourself and Granddaddy, not me!” Emma protested.

“Oh, what’s a few casseroles? Most of it I’d already cooked and put away. Besides, I can’t rest if I think you and the baby aren’t getting good, healthy food.”

“Aidan’s actually a really good cook, Grammy.”

She harrumphed into the phone. “Not like me.”

Emma laughed. “That’s true.”

“So you think he’ll be up here after while?”

Glancing over her shoulder, Emma was surprised to find Aidan still in the bed beside her. “I’ll ask him when he wakes up.”

He popped one eye open. “I’m awake,” he muttered.

“Does that mean you’re going up to Grammy’s to get us some food?”

“She’s cooking?”

Emma nodded.

He grinned. “Hell yes. I’ll get my clothes on right now.”

With a laugh, Emma replied, “He’ll be up there around noon.” At Grammy’s sigh, Emma said, “He needs to fix us breakfast first and get a shower.”

“All right then. I love you, baby girl.”

“I love you, too.”

Once Emma hung up the phone, she cradled it to her chest. She wanted more than anything to feel Grammy’s arms around her. No matter what was going on in her life, somehow just being in Grammy’s embrace made everything all right.

“You miss her, don’t you?”

She tore her gaze over to Aidan and then nodded. “Will you give her a great big hug and kiss for me when you get up there?” she asked.

Aidan laughed. “I don’t think Virginia would let me past the front door without hugging and kissing me.”

Emma giggled. “That’s true. But give her one anyway, okay?”