The Proposition

by Katie Ashley

  “I wanted to dance with Aidan, and he won’t,” Mary admitted.

  Aidan gritted his teeth. “And I clearly explained to her that I was here with you.”

  “One little dance wouldn’t hurt.” Emma then titled her head up at him—giving him a sickeningly sweet smile. “I don’t mind, if you don’t.”

  Oh no, she had not just sold him out to her horny cousin. He knew she must have some motive for doing this. It was some way of getting a dig at him for not making them more of an official couple—to illustrate he was more available or something. That or he was just way too paranoid about her motives.

  “Fine,” he muttered, as Mary jerked him by the hand and dragged him to the dance floor. Thankfully, it was an upbeat song, so he wouldn’t be forced to press up against her. He had no idea how to dance like the music called for, and by the look of pure amusement radiating on Emma’s face, he knew he was making a fool of himself. He was going to get her back for this if it was the last thing he ever did.

  When the dance ended, he forced a smile. “Thank you, Mary.”

  “Anytime, hot stuff,” she replied, smacking his ass. She gave him a wink before hurrying off to join a gaggle of girls in the corner.

  “What the fuck?” he muttered under his breath.

  “Still up for a dance, stud?” Emma asked.

  “Considering your cousin just mauled my ass, I’m not really feeling it.”

  Emma giggled. “Oh please? I wanna dance with my man.”

  The music turned over from a fast breakdown to a sweet ballad. Aidan reluctantly let Emma wrap her arms around him. “I’m sorry you got molested,” she said, gazing up at him.

  Aidan snorted. “Whatever. I just can’t believe you pawned me out like that to her. I thought there would be a catfight when you saw us talking.”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “I’m not that jealous.”

  “Oh really?”

  She grinned. “Besides, when I was changing Emma Kate, I heard some of the girls saying they had bet Mary she wouldn’t have the balls to dance with you. I figured I should let her win big tonight.”

  Aidan threw his head back and chuckled. “I cannot believe they were doing that.”

  “You’re a good-looking older man, why wouldn’t they?” She wrapped her arms tighter around him. “Back in the day, I might have even put a little money on getting to dance with you.”

  His lips nuzzled her neck. “Babe, I’m yours for free anytime, anywhere.”

  “Hmm, I just might have to take you up on that,” she replied.

  After swaying to another slow song, they returned to their seats as the band appeared to be taking break. The lead singer, who Emma had introduced as Dave, took the microphone. “I just want to take a moment while all my friends and family are here to make a big announcement. Yesterday, I asked Laurel, the love of my life, to marry me, and she said yes!” Dave said.

  While the crowd erupted in bellowing cheers and whistles, Aidan felt Emma tense beside him. Although she plastered a beaming smile to her face, he could tell her cousin’s engagement bothered her. It didn’t take much for him to understand why. He knew that even though she was thrilled to be having the baby, she still wanted what Laurel had—love, commitment, and a sparkling diamond on her finger. Aidan wondered if he was the man who could give Emma that or if she was just wasting her time believing he could.

  “Now, I’d like to take a break for a few minutes and dance with my lovely fiancée.” His gaze searched through the crowd until it honed in on their table. “Em, would you come up and do the honors?”

  If Emma had tensed before, she went absolutely rigid at the prospect of singing. “No, no, no! I haven’t sung in so long.”

  “That’s not true. You regaled Mason and me with your vocal stylings a few months ago,” Aidan argued.

  Emma shot him a death glare. “I think there’s a hell of a lot of difference singing a baby to sleep in the privacy of my own bedroom than in a barn full of people!” she hissed under her breath. She then shook her head at Dave. “Really, I couldn’t.”

  A tall, leggy blonde came bounding up behind them. It didn’t take Aidan long to deduce she was Laurel. “Oh please, Emma, sing Cowboy Take Me Away! You were singing that the night Dave and I met!”

  Aidan brought his lips closer to Emma’s ear. “Go on. You know you could knock their socks off singing in the shower.”

  She jerked away to stare at him, her mouth a perfect o of surprise. “Really?”

  He nodded.

  “Okay, okay, I’ll do it.”

  Another cheer went through the crowd when Emma rose out of her seat. As she climbed onto the stage, Aidan leaned forward in his chair. He couldn’t wait to actually see her perform.

  Emma’s shaking hand took the microphone off the stand. She cleared her throat a few times before speaking. “I think you all know I haven’t sung professionally in two years, so you have to believe me when I say that only pure and true love could get me on this stage. It’s the love I feel for Dave, who over the years has been like a brother to me, and it’s the love between him and his sweet, beautiful fiancée that makes me able to sing this song for you.” Her gaze went to Dave and Laurel who were already wrapped in each other’s arms, waiting expectantly on their song. “This one is for you.”

  The twang of the rosin coming across a fiddle’s bow coupled with two guitars echoed through the barn. Aidan watched as Emma’s nervousness faded away the moment she heard the familiar chords. With complete confidence, she brought the microphone to her lips and began singing. The room filled with people melted away, and for Aidan, it became only the two of them. Pinching his eyes shut, he let her velvety voice wash over him. He didn’t care if the lyrics were about a cowboy sweeping a woman away from the big city into the wide-open spaces of the country. He just focused on the immense pride that filled him at her performance.

  When she finished, applause and cheers roared through the room so loud they stung Aidan’s ears. Emma flushed a deep crimson, but a beaming smile filled her face. She curtsied prettily. “Thank you,” she murmured.

  “Now sing Sweet Dreams, Emmie Lou!” Earl shouted.

  Emma shook her head furiously as she started to put the microphone back on the stand. “No, Granddaddy, I’ve sung enough for one night.”

  Earl stomped his foot on the sawdust floor. “Emma Katherine Harrison, your granddaddy wants to hear some Patsy Cline, so sing Sweet Dreams!”

  Aidan couldn’t help chuckling at the stalemate between Emma and her grandfather. “Uh-oh, Em, he’s calling you by your full name. Better do what the man says,” he called.

  She shot him a murderous look before turning back to her cousins. “I assume you guys remember Sweet Dreams?”

  Dave, who had rejoined the stage, held up his hands. “Oh no, this one is all a cappella, little cuz.”

  Pointing a finger at them, Emma said, “I just want you to know I’m going to hurt each and every one of you for this!”

  The boys laughed heartily as they shuffled off the stage. Emma turned back to the crowd and pointed her finger then at Aidan. “That goes for you, too.”

  He grinned. “I’ll happily take whatever you want to dish out. Now make your granddaddy happy and sing.”

  When Aidan glanced over at Earl, he nodded and smiled at him. Maybe he was really off the hook…or at least his dick was. He settled back in his chair and focused his attention on Emma.

  The moment Emma began singing the old country song a hush fell over the barn. If she had been good on Cowboy Take Me Away, she was hitting this one out of the park like a grand slam. Closing her eyes, she belted out the lyrics with such feeling and emotion that Aidan noticed tears sparkling in several people’s eyes.

  Aidan’s enjoyment began to fade when Emma got to the second verse. A haunting, aching quality entered her voice as she sang Patsy’s lyrics about never wearing the ring of her lover or having him reciprocate her love. His chest tightened at how so much of the song could relate to him
and Emma. He wondered if she often had sweet dreams of a life together with him—one that might never come true.

  Thundering applause jolted him out of his thoughts. Emma had finished singing and now half the room were on their feet cheering for her. She flushed and grinned. “Thank you,” she murmured into the microphone.

  Dave and her other cousins joined Emma back on stage. Each one hugged and kissed her before picking up their instruments. They started up a song as she came back to join him. “So what did you think?” she asked breathlessly.

  “Absolutely amazing.”

  Emma beamed at his compliments. “Really?”

  He nodded. “You were spectacular singing to Mason, but damn…you were like American Idol good up there.”

  She giggled and kissed his cheek. “Thanks.” After eyeing the couples on the dance floor, she turned back to him with a pleading look. “Want to dance again?”

  He groaned. “If we must.”

  ***

  It was after eleven by the time the last guest left. Pleasantly exhausted, Aidan dragged himself up the hillside to the house. After grabbing their suitcases out of the car, he joined Emma as they trailed behind Earl and Virginia. “Now Aidan, you’re going to be sleeping here,” Virginia said, pointing to a bedroom.

  He dropped his suitcase in the doorway. It didn’t take him long to surmise his bedroom just happened to be next door to Earl and Virginia’s. It was a nice way for them to keep tabs on him. He smiled back at them. “Looks cozy. Thank you.”

  “Emma, you’re going to be in your mama’s old bedroom.” Earl then looked pointedly at Aidan. “Way down the hallway from us.”

  Aidan turned a laugh into a cough. It was so absurd that he and Emma were in their thirties and being treated like teenagers. “Then I suppose I should say goodnight now,” he said. Wrapping his hands around her waist, he pulled her against him. “Sweet dreams, Emma.”

  “Sweet dreams to you, too, Aidan,” she murmured.

  And even though he knew Earl wouldn’t like it, he gave Emma a chaste kiss on the lips. She grinned at him before saying goodnight to her grandparents. With a final wave, she went on down the hallway.

  Reluctantly, he went inside and closed his door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Emma felt she was doing something truly illicit when she tip-toed past her grandparent’s bedroom towards Aidan’s. Her trembling hand slowly turned the knob, and she breathed a sigh of relief at finding it unlocked. Slowly, she pushed it open, trying not to let its loud creak echo through the hallway. She lamented the fact she hadn’t thought to grab the WD40 from under the kitchen sink.

  Emma found Aidan propped up in bed with multi-colored paperwork strewn over the handmade quilt. Beau lay next to him. At the sight of her, Aidan’s eyebrows shot up so far they disappeared into his hairline. “What the hell are you doing?” he hissed.

  Holding up a finger, she closed the door behind her before responding. When she turned back around, she grinned. “I wanted to see you.”

  Aidan rolled his eyes. “Jesus, Em, just when I think my dick is safe from your grandfather’s wrath, you sneak in here.”

  She giggled as she made her way over to the bed. “Oh come on. You know he’s not going to do anything like that.”

  “I’m not holding my breath.” His eyes roamed over her practically sheer nightgown. “What do you really want?”

  “Can’t you tell? I want that hot bod of yours…bad!” she teased.

  He grunted. “Don’t torture me by saying things like that.”

  “Actually, I thought you might like to go for a midnight swim.”

  “Really?”

  Emma nodded. “The pond is just below the house.”

  “Is it safe?”

  “Sure, that’s where I learned to swim.” Nudging his knee with her elbow, she said, “Of course, I wasn’t an All State Swim Champion, so what do I know?”

  Aidan shook his head as he threw off the quilt. “There goes that mouth of yours again.”

  Emma giggled. “So I guess that means you’re up for it?”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m in,” Aidan replied, stepping into his tennis shoes.

  They crept out into the hallway. Aidan stepped on one of the creaky floorboards, and they both froze. When Earl didn’t come streaking out into the hallway with his shotgun, they continued tip-toeing on into the living room. Emma grabbed a flashlight out of the table by the door while Aidan unlocked the deadbolt.

  Once they got out onto the porch, they hurried down the steps and onto the gravel path that wound behind the house. They barely needed the flashlight with the glowing full moon illuminating the way. When they reached the long dock, they were both winded.

  Aidan bent over, propping his elbows on his knees. Once he had caught his breath, he raised his head and took in the surroundings. “Damn, it’s beautiful out here.”

  “This whole area is like the most magical place in the world,” Emma replied, breathlessly. Stepping closer to him, she gave him her best coy smile. “You know I haven’t been skinny dipping with a boy in a long, long time.”

  He grinned. “Have you not?”

  Emma shook her head. She brought her nightgown over her head, leaving her completely naked in the moonlight.

  A pained noise erupted from Aidan’s throat. “Fuck, this whole time you weren’t wearing any underwear?”

  “Nope.”

  “I should have ravished you in the bedroom then!”

  She giggled as Aidan proceeded to tear off his shirt and boxers at record speed. When he reached for her, she backed away. “I said skinny-dipping, not defiling my grandparent’s pond by having sex.”

  His hands swept to his naked hips, drawing her attention to his erection. “Did you really think I hauled my ass out here just for a midnight swim?”

  “I don’t know what you might have thought, but that’s not what is happening.”

  “Yeah, we’ll just see about that one.”

  “Guess you’ll have to catch me first,” she teased before diving off the dock.

  As she plunged into the depths, the icy water pricked over her body like tiny needles. She had no idea that it would be so cold this late in the summer. Usually, it was like tepid bath water.

  When Emma broke the surface, she fought the chattering of her teeth. She whirled around at the sound of splashing behind her. Even in the dim light, she could see the gleam in Aidan’s eyes. “I do believe I’m going to catch you.” She giggled as he closed the gap between them in two fluid breaststrokes.

  Instead of fighting him, she gleefully let Aidan pull her against his chest. “Gotcha!” he said.

  She poked her lip out. “Not a fair fight, considering I’m pregnant and you’re a good swimmer.”

  “True, very true. What kind of man would I be to take advantage of my Baby Mama? I’ll behave now, and we’ll have a nice swim.”

  She arched her eyebrows in surprise. “Seriously?”

  He gave her a wolfish grin. “Well, there’s also the fact this cold water is doing nothing for my hard on!”

  “Then I guess after our swim, we’ll just have to make it to land for any action.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Later, as they remained intertwined on sandy shoreline, a tangle of arms and legs, Aidan’s brows furrowed. “What’s wrong?” Emma asked.

  “I’m just surprised you haven’t blown my horndog ass to the curb yet.”

  “Huh?”

  “You know, the constant sex stuff. I would have thought you wouldn’t be up for it being pregnant.”

  Emma burst out laughing both at his statement and the serious expression on his face. She rubbed the stubble on his chin. “So I guess this is when I know you didn’t read the pregnancy book I gave you.”

  Aidan grunted. “Yeah, the moment I pulled that one out on a plane or in public someone would have come to revoke my balls.”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “Reading a pregnancy book would not emasculate you in the least bit
. Besides, you could have bought it for your iPad.” At his doubtful look, she tweaked his nose with her fingers. “If you had read it, you would have known that a woman’s sex drive often increases during pregnancy so much that husbands and boyfriends just can’t keep up.”

  “You’re shitting me?” he asked, his dark blue eyes wide.

  “Nope. I’m not.”

  Aidan grinned. “That’s fanfuckingtastic.”

  Emma laughed. “Yeah and who knows what else might be lurking under the cover of that book. I suggest you read it.”

  “Fine. I will.”

  Inwardly, she did a victory dance even though she had to be a little deceptive to get him to read about pregnancy. The more he knew and understood about the coming months the better. At times, pregnancy wasn’t entirely attractive, and she wanted him to be prepared.

  Aidan pulled himself off of her and got to his feet. Emma stayed motionless, admiring his naked form in the moonlight. He turned back to her and offered her his hand. All inappropriate thoughts of him vanished at his gentlemanly behavior. When he helped her up, she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips in thanks.

  “Damn, I wish we had thought about a towel,” Aidan said.

  Emma grinned. “Ask and you shall receive.” She walked over to the edge of the dock where a worn, wooden box the size of a steamer truck sat. It was something Granddaddy had made a long time ago for his grandchildren to house their swimming gear. She pulled out two checkered picnic blankets. “Not exactly towels and they’re a little musty, but they’ll do the trick.”

  Aidan appreciatively took one from her. “Sounds good to me.”

  As he dried off, Emma wrapped herself in the faded blanket. When she shivered, he reached over and started rubbing her arms to warm her. “Ready to go back inside?”

  “Let’s stay out here awhile.”

  “Are you serious?”

  Emma nodded and motioned towards a hammock drawn between two massive oak trees. “It’s a beautiful night, and we can do some stargazing.”

  Aidan snorted. “Stargazing in a hammock? That sounds like a bad romance novel cliché.”