The Pairing

by Katie Ashley

  Pesh couldn’t help giving Aidan a skeptical look.

  “Just keep an open mind, okay?”

  With a reluctant nod, Pesh replied, “I will.”

  “Megan,” Aidan called.

  When the tiny blonde turned around, Pesh fought to catch his breath. Everything about her from her sparkling blue eyes to her long blonde hair was just like Jade’s. How was it possible for someone to remind him so much of what he had lost?

  Aidan grinned as he glanced between the two of them. “I wanted to introduce you to Pesh Nadeen, the godfather.”

  Thrusting out her hand, Megan smiled warmly at him. “It’s very nice to finally meet you.”

  He stared at it a moment before his good manners overrode his shock. He took her hand in his and shook it. “It’s very nice meeting you, too.”

  “I’ll leave you two to get to know each other,” Aidan said. Before Pesh could protest, Aidan turned and disappeared into the crowd.

  He turned to Megan and tried clearing his throat of what felt like a wad of sawdust. He knew he should try to make polite conversation, but he was still so shell-shocked by the way Megan looked.

  Finally, she took pity on him. “So, Emma tells me you’re a doctor.”

  Pesh smiled politely. “Yes, I am.”

  “What type of medicine?”

  “Emergency Services.”

  Megan’s face lit up. “Oh, how interesting. I’m about to finish nursing school, and I’ve asked for clinical placement in the ER.”

  Pesh widened his eyes in surprise. Aidan had failed to mention that they had the medical profession in common. “Really?”

  Megan nodded. “I’m hoping to get placed at Grady, even though my parents would die a thousand deaths.”

  He cocked his brows at her. “I assume they’re afraid for your safety?”

  “Yes. They can’t help worrying about the neighborhood. They sometimes forget I’m an adult, rather than a child.”

  “What is it about Grady that attracts you?”

  “Besides the fact that it’s nationally recognized for its ER?”

  He smiled. “Yes, besides the accolades.”

  Megan tilted her head in thought. “I guess it’s the fact I really want to feel like I’m making a difference and saving lives. I feel like at Grady I would be seeing some of the worst cases imaginable, and in turn some people who really don’t have a lot of hope.”

  He was taken aback by her words and the passion with which she delivered them. While she possessed a beautiful exterior, she certainly seemed to have a greater depth of character than he had originally expected. He didn’t often meet someone like her. Most of the women at the hospital who threw themselves at him possessed only surface beauty. He didn’t have to be with them very long to perceive their true shallowness and self-centeredness. To them, he was a prize to be won. He couldn’t ever imagine Megan feeling that way. She wasn’t the type of woman to care about a trophy man on her arm—she wanted to make her own way in the world.

  “It is so good to hear someone speak with such passion about nursing.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “We desperately need more people like you. I know I would love to work alongside someone who had your passion.”

  She smiled at his compliments. He couldn’t help noticing what a nice smile she had. The way it framed her heart shaped face made her appear much less like Jade than he had originally thought. “Thank you. Maybe we’ll end up together.” She licked her lips before adding, “You know, at the same hospital.”

  “I would like that. But I’m afraid that Wellstar pales in comparison to Grady.”

  “Surely the suburbs offer some interesting cases?”

  “They do. I’ve been there since my residency, so I can’t imagine working anywhere else. After all, I wouldn’t be standing here today with you if it weren’t for Wellstar and your grandfather.”

  “That’s true.” Tilting her head, she gave him a very alluring smile. “And what a pity that would be if our paths hadn’t crossed.”

  He sucked in a breath at the directness of her statement. Could she really be interested in him? Sure, it was common knowledge that Aidan and others wanted them to get together, but he had imagined that she had not known their intentions. And while originally he had been turned off by Aidan’s suggestion of fixing them up, he couldn’t help but be intrigued now. There was something so refreshingly different about Megan, despite her physical similarities to Jade.

  “Mommy!” a small voice cried. Pesh glanced over Megan’s shoulder where a fair-haired toddler came bounding over. He wrapped his arms around Megan’s thigh.

  She gave him an apologetic look before bending over. “What’s the matter, sweetie?”

  He grinned up at her. “Miss you.”

  With a smile, she bent over and picked him up. When he sat on her hip, she turned her attention back to Pesh. “This is my son, Mason.”

  Pesh couldn’t help noticing how Megan searched his face to see if there was any judgment or even disgust at her having a son. He felt neither of those emotions. He had to admit he was a little surprised. Aidan had failed to mention that fact as well. Not to mention, she seemed young to be a mother, considering she was just finishing her clinicals. “It’s nice to meet you, Mason.”

  “Can you tell Pesh hi?” Megan urged.

  “Hi, Esh,” Mason said, with a grin.

  Pesh couldn’t help laughing, and he was thankful that Megan giggled as well. “How old are you?”

  Mason held up two fingers to which Megan shook her head. “He’s seventeen months.”

  Pesh smiled. “You must be very proud of him.”

  “I am.” She snuggled Mason against her chest. “He’s the sweetest and best boy I could ever hope for.”

  “You’re very blessed.”

  “Thank you.”

  They were interrupted by Aidan’s sister, Angie, who Pesh had met earlier. “Looks like it’s time to start. Come on Mason. Mommy has to go be Noah’s godmother now.”

  Mason reluctantly went to his grandmother. “Be good for Grammy,” Megan instructed.

  After Angie walked off with Mason, the other family members began filing out of the room. Pesh turned to Megan and gave her a sheepish smile. “I must admit that even though I attended a class with Emma, I’m a little unsure of what I’m supposed to do.”

  “It’s okay. Just follow my lead, and you’ll be fine.”

  “Thank you.”

  Once it was only the two of them and Aidan and Emma in the room, Aidan motioned for them. A priest in decorated golden robes appeared at the door with a gleaming crucifix in his hands. Pesh tried not to feel intimidated as the odd man out in the situation. Music struck up on the organ, and the priest motioned for them to follow.

  Before they went out the door, Emma glanced down at Noah. “Please, please, do not scream in there and act like a demon baby. Be the angel I know you can be.” He acknowledged her request by sticking his tongue out and flailing his fists.

  Aidan chuckled at Emma’s plea. “Relax, babe. If he feels you getting all tense, he’s going to get fussy.”

  Emma sighed. “He’s already fussy. He was fine until I put him in the gown.”

  “I guess he feels that wearing a dress is insulting to his manhood,” Aidan reasoned with a smile.

  When Emma shot Aidan a death glare, Megan and Pesh couldn’t help laughing at the two of them. Aidan winked at Emma before starting out the door. At Megan’s side, Pesh walked up the aisle. When they reached the baptismal font, the music ended, and the priest began speaking. He informed the crowd of what was about to take place and the significance of all the religious rites Noah was about to receive.

  Aidan and Emma made the sign of the cross on Noah’s forehead before Megan leaned in to do the same. When Megan elbowed him, Pesh reached over to clumsily follow their lead. After he finished, he glanced at Megan. She smiled and mouthed, “Good job.”

  He returned her smile. He followed thro
ugh the rest of the proceedings as Aidan and Emma pledged to raise Noah in the faith. Then it came time for him and Megan to agree to stand by Noah as godparents. The priest took a fussing Noah from Emma’s arms. When the first trickles of water hit the base of Noah’s head, he cooed and kicked his arms and legs. Emma appeared relieved at how Noah wasn’t behaving like a possessed baby as she had feared.

  “Thank God he loves his baths,” Aidan muttered beside Pesh.

  Once the baptism part was finished, the priest made a final talk, and then it was over. Just as Pesh sighed with relief and was looking forward to making a quick exit, Aidan grabbed his arm. “Don’t go anywhere. We have to do pictures.”

  Inwardly, he groaned. He wanted, no he needed, a moment alone to process his thoughts. Everything had been so overwhelming—being outside his usual world, meeting all of Aidan’s family, and then having the prospect of Megan thrown in as well.

  Awkwardly, he stood around as a photographer came forward and proceeded to take several pictures of Aidan, Emma, and Noah. Then it was just Aidan and Noah or Emma and Noah. “Okay, I need the godparents now.”

  Pesh smoothed down his tie and allowed the photographer to pose him in the group shot. After they finished with the four of them, Noah was handed to Megan for pictures with just the godparents. As the photographer pushed Megan closer against Pesh’s chest, he glanced down at her. Her reassuring smile caused his heartbeat to accelerate. For the first time, he noticed the sweet aroma of her hair as the long, blonde strands brushed against him. He could also make out the alluring scent of her perfume. He liked the feel of her against him a little too much. It made him want to draw her into his embrace…maybe do other things that he shouldn’t be thinking when he was in a church.

  Glancing over her shoulder at him, she joked, “Jeez, you’re like a giant standing next to me.”

  “Am I?” He hadn’t noticed the differences in their heights—he’d been focusing on her too much.

  She laughed. “Just a little bit. Of course, it doesn’t take much for someone to make me look short.”

  “You look perfect to me,” he said sincerely.

  Craning her neck back to look at him, she gave him a teasing grin. “Do I? Are you flirting with me, Dr. Nadeen?”

  He stared down at his feet, trying to avoid the heat of her stare. He tried to hide the red flush he felt entering his cheeks. “Okay, now just with the godmother,” the photographer ordered.

  Reluctantly, Pesh stepped away from Megan. As the flashes went off, snapping hers and Noah’s picture, he kept his gaze on her. As she focused on the camera, Megan’s blue eyes sparkled as she stretched her face into a wide grin. Noah’s tiny fingers wrapped around some of the strands of her hair, causing Megan to yelp in pain. “Easy now. I gotta keep that,” she said to Noah.

  “Okay, that should get it,” the photographer said.

  “Here godfather, it’s your turn,” Megan said, as she handed Noah to him.

  By now, Noah was tired of being held and tired of being ensconced in yards of lace. He peered up at Pesh before howling. “I’m sorry, little guy,” he cooed, trying to bounce Noah in his arms.

  As Noah continued to cry, Pesh looked apologetically at the photographer. Just before he was ready to give up, Megan came up and started clapping her hands and making noises at Noah. The baby instantly stopped crying. “That’s right, Noah. Give me a smile,” Megan urged, as she backed up to stand by the photographer. She continued making the noises, and she even resorted to flashing one of the strands of her hair at him. Finally, Noah’s quivering lips broke into a grin.

  “There we go,” the photographer said. Pesh quickly plastered a smile on his face. After several flashes went off, the photographer put down his camera. “Got it.”

  Both Noah and Pesh sighed in relief. Gazing down at him, Pesh asked, “Bet you’re ready to get home and get out of that dress, huh?”

  “It’s a gown, not a dress,” Megan countered with a smile.

  He laughed. “Regardless of what it’s called, I don’t think he likes it very much.”

  Megan brought some of the lace between her fingers. “Probably a little itchy for him.”

  “Did your son wear this gown?”

  “No, this is Aidan’s gown. Mason wore my mother’s, which my brothers and I also wore.”

  “I see.”

  “In your culture do they do anything special like this for a baby?”

  Pesh nodded. “We have the Namakaran, or naming ceremony. It’s sometimes held in a temple. And like this, it’s all about offering blessings to the child—family and friends coming together in support of the new baby.”

  “I like it.”

  They were momentarily interrupted by Aidan and Emma walking up. Noah immediately reached out for Emma. “Such a mama’s boy,” Aidan muttered, which earned him a glare from Emma. He merely winked at her in response before starting down the aisle.

  Pesh saw Megan’s mother beckoning her with a wave. “Guess you need to go,” he said.

  “But I’ll see you at Aidan and Emma’s, right?” she asked.

  He swallowed hard. “Um, yes, I’ll be there.”

  “Good,” she replied, with an alluring smile. She gave him a small wave before walking off to join her parents.

  Shaking his head, he mumbled, “This is trouble.”

  When Megan arrived with her parents at Aidan and Emma’s, she was surprised to see a catering truck outside in the driveway. Her surprise continued once she got inside the house. Gazing out into the backyard, she saw where tables were set up alongside the pool. The tables were adorned with blue and white tablecloths and glittering blue and white centerpieces.

  A low whistle behind her got Megan’s attention. Turning around, she saw Casey shaking her head. “Wow, this is one epic baptism party,” she remarked.

  “It’s impressive. That’s for sure,” Megan agreed.

  As Emma breezed into the kitchen with Noah in a more comfortable outfit, Casey cocked her head. “So, I was just wondering where the ice sculptures were?”

  Pink tinged Emma’s cheeks. “I kinda got carried away. With me not working anymore, the old marketing and PR side of me let loose. And with my connections, I was able to get everything ridiculously discounted.”

  Megan smiled. “Everything looks wonderful. You waited so long to have a baby that it makes sense you might go a little overboard.”

  Emma wrinkled her nose. “I never wanted to be one of those moms who threw the over-the-top parties.”

  While Casey started to open her mouth, Megan smacked her playfully. “It’s just catered in food, right?”

  Emma nodded. “They did the tables, too.”

  “Then I think you’re safe from being a Momzilla Party Monster…for now.”

  Casey laughed. “I’ll anxiously be awaiting Noah’s first birthday party.”

  With a scowl, Emma mumbled, “Whatever.”

  Realizing she didn’t see Mason, Megan quickly excused herself and went outside. She didn’t like the idea of him being close to the pool. Even with everyone around, it was still too dangerous for her liking. Just as her chest started to tighten, she saw him on her papa’s lap. The two of them sat at one of the tables underneath the shade of a massive umbrella. Several of her other younger cousins sat around them, playing on their PSPs and other hand-held devices. “Everything okay?” she asked.

  “We’re fine, honey,” Papa replied.

  “Let me know if he gets to be too much.”

  Cocking his head, Papa demanded, “Are you trying to say I’m old or something?”

  “No, not at all. He’s a handful even for me.”

  He waved her away with a hand gnarled with age and time. “Go on and enjoy yourself. I’ll keep an eye on Mason.”

  She smiled and leaned down to kiss his weathered cheek. “Thanks, Papa.”

  He returned her smile. “You know, while you’re enjoying yourself, you might go spend a little time with the godfather.”

  Mega
n’s eyes widened. Was he trying to set her up with Pesh like he had with Emma? He gave her a knowing look. “Be good for both of you.”

  “Um, okay. Whatever, Papa,” she murmured, before she turned away. Although she hated to admit it, she had been looking forward to talking to Pesh again. She had tried to kid herself that she hadn’t secretly been searching the crowd for him when she was taking in all of Emma’s decorations. When she did finally catch sight of him, her traitorous heart skipped a beat. She didn’t mind if her body gave a reaction, but it pissed her off that her heart was affected by him as well.

  He’d ditched his suit jacket along with his tie. With the first button of his shirt undone, she could see a tuft of dark chest hair. She bit her lip at the sight. She was a sucker for chest hair. Her eyes dipped down to take in how the sleeves of his white shirt had been rolled up to his elbows, giving just a glimpse of his defined biceps. Casey had been absolutely right—he was built like a brick shithouse. Megan wanted nothing more than to get better acquainted with his body, especially with fewer clothes on him.

  At the sound of Emma’s voice behind her, she jumped. “Ready to eat?” Emma asked.

  “Um, sure.”

  Emma gave her a puzzled look before nodding in Pesh’s direction. “Why don’t you ask Pesh to join you at Aidan’s and my table? He doesn’t know a lot of people, and I would hate to have him end up with the kids.”

  Megan quirked her brows in surprise. “Are you sure?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  With a shrug, Megan replied, “I don’t know. Maybe because you didn’t like the idea of me getting to know him.”

  Emma shook her head. “I never said I didn’t want you two to get to know each other—I said I didn’t want you using him for a fling.”

  Megan couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “The day isn’t over yet. I could still turn on my powers of seduction and lure Pesh into a night of seedy passion.”

  Emma stared at her in shock before busting out laughing. “Seedy passion? Those words and Pesh will never, ever go together in the same sentence.”