The Pairing

by Katie Ashley

  Their conversation was interrupted by a shriek that came from the living room followed by a loud wail. Aidan was out of his chair in a flash while Megan was close on his heels. Mason came running into the dining room. “What happened?” Pesh asked.

  “Noah got hurted.”

  Aidan reappeared in the dining room with Noah in his arms. “He’s fine. He just fell down.” Taking Noah’s hand, Aidan said, “Here Daddy will kiss the booboos away, okay?”

  Noah sniffled and bobbed his head. Once Aidan finish with his hand, Noah stuck out his leg. Aidan smiled. “Okay.” Once he bent down to Noah’s leg and kissed it, he asked, “Are you Daddy’s boy?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Angie chuckled. “That’s not fair to do that when Emma isn’t here.”

  As the others laughed, Pesh glanced at Mason. He was staring at Aidan and Noah with a contemplative look on his face. Never in a million years could he have imagined what he would do next. Mason crawled up into his lap and patted Pesh’s chest. “Esh Mace’s daddy. Mace Daddy’s boy.”

  Conversation in the dining room silenced. Without even looking up, Pesh felt his skin singing under the burn of everyone staring at him and Mason. There was no way he could deny the boy when he wore such an expression of happiness. “Yes, you’re Daddy’s boy.”

  A strangled cry caused him to snap his gaze from Mason over to Megan. Wide-eyed and open mouthed, she blinked a few times as if she were trying to believe that what she was seeing was real. Then without another word, she bolted from her chair and fled the room. Pesh sat in a shocked silence for a few seconds trying to decide what to do. Bending over, he whispered into Mason’s ear, “Will you go back and play with the others? I need to check on Mommy.”

  When Mason nodded, Pesh gently sat him back down on the floor. After he raced out of the dining room, Pesh finally glanced at the others. “Excuse me,” he said, before rising out of his chair. He made his way down the hallway. He didn’t have to look hard for Megan—she was in the one bedroom with the door closed. He rapped lightly on the wood. When she didn’t answer, he went ahead and opened the door.

  He found her sitting on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. He went over and sat down next to her. Tentatively, he put his hand on her back. “I’m sorry for not setting Mason straight and telling him I wasn’t his daddy. He looked so happy, and I didn’t want to hurt him.”

  With her elbows braced on her knees, Megan turned her head to look at him. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “You think I’m angry at you?” He nodded his head. She hiccupped a cry. “Oh Pesh, you’re so naïve sometimes!”

  He jerked back at her words. “Excuse me?”

  “Just when I think I can’t love you more, you go and do something like that.” Before he could process her words, she threw herself at him, kissing his cheeks and mouth. She straddled his lap and brought her hands around his neck. “You really love Mason, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “You could see yourself really being a father to him?”

  “Yes, I could. But what—”

  She silenced him with a kiss. It was one that was laced with desperate emotions. He wrapped his hands around her waist and drew her closer to him. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, she pulled away. “You love me too, don’t you?”

  “You should have no doubts on that one.”

  “You love me enough to be a husband to me?”

  Her question caused him to suck in a harsh breath. He felt like he had been kicked in the gut. “Yes, I could—I always have.”

  She tilted her head at him and smiled. “Then marry me.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Bringing her lips to his, she murmured against his mouth, “Marry me. Make me your wife.”

  At that moment, he thanked God he was sitting down because if he hadn’t been, he was pretty sure he would’ve done something totally emasculating like fainting. He also questioned both his hearing and his sanity. Had Megan just proposed to him? Surely, he was hallucinating.

  “Did you just ask me to marry you?” he questioned lamely.

  Giggling, Megan nodded her head. “I wish you could see your face right now. I should be insulted.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s just you surprised me.”

  She cupped his face in her hands. “I’m sorry I don’t have a ring, and I didn’t get down on one knee,” she lovingly teased.

  He brought his hands up to touch hers. “You’re really serious?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  Bowing his head, he tenderly kissed the tops of her hands. “I love you so much, Megan, and I want nothing more than to make you my wife.”

  “So is that a yes?”

  “I just want to make sure you know what you’re saying. One minute you’re in the dining room, laughing with your family, and then the next you’re in here weeping and then proposing to me. And let’s not forget how adamant you have been the entire time I’ve known you about being too young to get married.”

  Megan’s lips turned down in a pout. “Can’t a girl change her mind?”

  “Yes, of course, but I just want to make sure this is really what you want.”

  Tears sparkled in her blue eyes. “You are everything I could ever want in a man. You love me, you watch out for me, you want the best for me. While that would be enough to make me want to marry you, you love my son. You watch out for him and you want the best for him. I couldn’t ever imagine loving someone more than I do you. I can’t imagine wanting to be anyone else’s wife but you.” She sniffled. “I was so stupid for so long. I couldn’t believe that someone like me could truly deserve someone like you. But you never gave up on me. If you give me the chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy.”

  Pesh couldn’t stop the racing of his heart. He was sure both his heart rate and blood pressure were off the charts at this moment. He cupped her cheeks. “Nothing in the world would make me happier than for us to get married.”

  “So we’re engaged?”

  “Yes, we are.” When a smile lit up Megan’s face, he shook his head. “But not formally yet. Not until I put a diamond on your hand.”

  “But I don’t need that to know I’m promised to you and that we’re getting married.”

  “Maybe you don’t, but I do.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. I’ll let you buy me a diamond. A great big one, okay?”

  He laughed. “I promise to spend a fortune.”

  “You know I would be happy to wear your ring even if it was a little chip.”

  “I know you would. But I want to spoil my beautiful future wife.”

  She grinned. “Okay, I won’t argue with you.”

  Pesh brought his mouth to hers. As their lips moved against each other, he couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Megan was his—she was really going to be his for the rest of his life. When she flicked her tongue against his, he groaned into her mouth. Considering they were at Patrick’s with all of her family down the hall, he knew the last thing on his mind should’ve been flipping her over onto her back and pounding into her. But he didn’t care. He wanted inside her body. He had finally made it into her heart, mind, and soul, and he once again wanted to be inside her perfection.

  When Megan pushed him onto his back, Pesh raised his brows at her. “Mmm, I think my future wife is getting ahead of herself. Usually the consummating comes after the wedding, not the engagement,” he teased.

  “I think we’ve consummated enough over the last few months where it doesn’t matter.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  As she ground her core against his growing erection, she said, “Looks like I’m not the only one with consummating on the mind.”

  “You should know that has a mind of its own.”

  She grinned down at him. “Well, right now I think we’re both of the same mind.”

  As she continued to grind against him, his hands swept to her breasts. He cupped and kneaded the flesh over he
r top. At the sound of the door opening, Pesh tried to pull away, but he didn’t make it in time.

  “Oh fucking hell!” Aidan’s voice boomed from the doorway. Megan quickly scrambled off Pesh, and they both rose up, trying to straighten their clothes and hair.

  With a pained expression, Aidan said, “Seriously? This is my old bedroom!”

  Pesh chuckled. “I’m sorry, but you of all people should understand that when the mood hits, you act on it.”

  Megan smacked his arm playfully. “That is not exactly what happened.”

  Holding up one of his hands, Aidan said, “Frankly, I don’t really want to know what happened. I just came back here to make sure Megan was all right. Next time, I’ll make sure someone else comes, so I don’t need eye bleach to wipe that out of my memory. ”

  “Ha, ha, very funny,” Megan grumbled, as she got off the bed.

  “We were only celebrating,” Pesh said.

  Aidan pinched his eyes shut. “I don’t think I even want to know what you were celebrating.”

  “Our engagement, pervert,” Megan replied.

  Aidan’s blue eyes widened. “Holy shit, you two are engaged?”

  Pesh smiled as he rose off the bed and took Megan’s hand. “Yes, we are. Well, I mean, I need to go to her father and properly ask for her hand. And there’s the fact she doesn’t have a ring.”

  Shaking his head in disbelief, Aidan said, “That’s…wow. I’m so happy for you two.”

  “Thank you. And I do mean that. If it weren’t for you and Emma, I never would have met Megan,” Pesh said.

  Aidan grinned as he clapped Pesh on the back. “You’re more than welcome, man. I’m just so glad you two finally realized how good you were for each other.” He turned back to the door before motioning them. “Come on, let’s go tell the others. I think this calls for a celebration, but just not the kind that you two were partaking in.”

  Megan shook her head. “We weren’t going to tell anybody yet.”

  Pesh nodded. “She doesn’t even have a ring.”

  Aidan snorted. “Do you really think anyone out there is going to give two shits about whether or not you have a ring?”

  “We just want to do it the right way,” Pesh replied.

  Holding up his hands in surrender, Aidan said, “All right, I’m not going to argue with you anymore. But I will say that there is no right way. Hell, look at me and Em. In the end, you have to go with the flow and appreciate the moments that are bigger than you could ever imagine.”

  He then turned and strode out of the bedroom. Pesh stole a glance at Megan who appeared to be processing Aidan’s words. “Come on, we better get back out there before they send someone else,” she finally said.

  With a smile, he took her hand and led her down the hall. When they got back to the dining room, everyone glanced expectantly at them. Even though he knew he shouldn’t, Pesh blurted, “We’re engaged!”

  He didn’t have time to worry about Megan’s anger about him blabbing because he realized she had said it at the same time he had. Cheers went up over the room, and he was hugged and kissed by Megan’s aunts. When Megan’s father, Paul, stood before him, Pesh felt like he’d been kicked in the groin. “Mr. McKenzie, I apologize. I intended to come to you and ask for Megan’s hand—to show respect to you and your wife. I’m so sorry.”

  Paul shook his head and smiled. “Please don’t apologize. I’m just grateful that she’s met such a wonderful man who will be a good husband to her and a good father to Mason.”

  “I swear to you that I will.” He and Paul shook hands to seal the vow.

  In the absence of champagne, wine was poured to celebrate. At the head of the table, Patrick held up his glass. “To my granddaughter and the good doctor, I give you an Irish marriage blessing. ‘May God be with you and bless you. May you see your children’s children. May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.’” He smiled. “To Megan and Pesh.”

  The others raised their glasses. Once Pesh tasted the rich bouquet of the wine, he leaned over and kissed Megan. He didn’t even mind the cat-calls and whistling—he was too happy to care.

  Standing in front of the lighted hotel mirror, Megan surmised her appearance. It was the first time she hadn’t been encircled by Pesh’s mother, sister, and aunts since she had stepped inside the suite an hour ago. When she had agreed to an Indian engagement party, she hadn’t quite known what she was getting into. She thought it would just be a great way to get their friends and family together. She didn’t know that Pesh’s family didn’t do anything on a modest scale. Without her input, the Plaza ballroom of the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta had been booked. When she had dared a peek inside earlier, it had been transformed into something out of a Bollywood movie.

  She had wanted to honor Pesh’s culture by dressing just as a true Indian prospective bride would, so she had gone sari shopping with Lavani and Shveta. What she hadn’t bet on was how gorgeously intricate the outfit would be. Now as she gazed at herself in the mirror, she was almost blinded by the glittering stones and beading on the deep purple and gold sari. The outfit put even the blingiest Miss America pageant dress to shame. The top part was sleeveless, and it ended just below her breasts. While the front part appeared to be plain satin, the back was encrusted in beading and gems. The skirt, with its beaded waistband, started just beneath her belly button and fell to the floor in the most exquisite silky material. It was hard imagining she was going to be baring her mid-drift, as was the fashion of the sari. Thankfully, she had a jewel encrusted drape that slung across one of her shoulders and down one side.

  Earlier after one of Pesh’s aunts had done her makeup, Lavani and Shveta did her hair. The long strands were swept back and pinned on the side in loose curls. A gorgeous purple orchid adorned the curls. All that was missing from her ensemble was the jewelry that Pesh’s family had requested that she wear. Apparently, it was all heirloom pieces and kept in a safe at a bank. Although the necklace and earrings were to come, her arms were heavy laden with bangle bracelets that Lavani and Shveta had put on her.

  They both had tears in their eyes when they finished. “You look absolutely breathtaking, my dear,” Lavani said.

  Megan smiled. “Thank you. And thank you so much for making tonight happen.”

  Lavani cupped her cheek. “I look forward to seeing many happy years between you and my Alpesh. I’m grateful that you make him so happy. It had been so long since I had seen a light in his eyes. But when you came into his life, you brought back that light.”

  At Lavani’s words, Megan felt tears stinging her eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured. When she felt like she could speak without crying, she brought her hands together as if she were praying and then bowed her head as was the sign of respect in Pesh’s culture. “I want you to know that before Pesh, I was in darkness, too. He has become my light as well. I can assure you that I will spend the rest of my life honoring him and making him happy. I am very thankful for the amazing man you have raised.”

  Lavani’s dark eyes filled with tears, and she brought a handkerchief up to dab her eyes. “Thank you, my dear.”

  Shveta stepped into the bathroom, her face lit up in a broad smile. “Alpesh is here.”

  Gathering up the bottom of her skirt, Megan walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Her heart stopped at the sight of him. She had never seen him in Kurta-Pajama, as they were called. Basically, it was a long, tunic like shirt that came to his knees. Underneath he wore loose cotton-like pants. But his top was made much like hers. It was gold in color and encrusted in gems and beading. She didn’t want to begin to imagine how much it cost.

  When she brought her gaze back to his, she shivered under his heated stare. “You are a vision of absolute and total perfection,” he said.

  Doing a little turn, the fabric of her sari twirled around her. “So you like it?”

  He smiled. “I love it.”

  She laughed. “I feel a l
ittle like a poser. Like ‘you can put the Irish girl in a sari, but you can’t take the Irish out of the girl’ kinda thing.”

  “I wouldn’t have you any other way,” he said, with a serious, yet tender tone.

  “Thank you.”

  Megan eyed the two velvet boxes in his hand. “Ooh, let me see the goodies.”

  With a bark of a laugh, Pesh sat one of the boxes down on the table before he opened the other. Megan gasped as two enormous earrings glittered back at her. While there was a thick base, the rest flowed down in flourishing designs that would probably touch her shoulders when she put them on. They had a gold overlaying, but all the gems were diamonds and amethysts that would match her sari.

  “This is why your mother and Shveta wanted me to pick a purple sari?” she questioned.

  Pesh nodded.

  “They’re breathtaking,” she murmured.

  “Wait until you see the necklace,” he replied, with a smile.

  Her shaky hands reached forward to take one of the earrings. She quickly worked the clasp and fastened it to her lobe. Then she did the other. While they were so heavy she felt like they might weigh her down, she glanced up at Pesh and smiled. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, my love.”

  He reached for the other box. Megan’s eyes widened as the diamonds and deep amethysts sparkled in the light. He took the necklace out and unfastened the clasp. He moved behind her and then lifted the necklace over her head. She closed her eyes at the pleasurable sensation of feeling his closeness.

  “There. Now you’re ready.”

  Whirling around to face him, she brought her lips to his. “I love you.”

  His thumb tenderly rubbed her cheek. “I love you, too.”

  From the doorway of the bedroom, Lavani tsked disapprovingly at them. “Alpesh, stop mauling her, or you’re going to mess up her makeup!”