The Proposition (11 page)

Drawing in a ragged breath, she said, “Today
is the two year anniversary of my mom passing away. Days like these
are always hard, but then realizing I wasn’t pregnant…it was kind
of a double blow.”

He squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry. I lost my
mom five years ago. Her birthday, Mother’s Day, the day she
died—they’re a bitch.”

Emma stared in awe at him, and Aidan felt
surprised at himself as well. He had never imagined him sharing
something so personal, but there was something about Emma that made
him want to open up—to share things with her he usually wouldn’t
dare. “Were you close to her?” she asked softly.

Aidan shifted uncomfortably as a reel of
loving memories played like a movie in his mind. “Yeah, I was.
Well, I’m still close to my dad. But my mom….” A small smile curved
on his lips. “She was thirty-eight when I was born. I was the long
awaited son to carry on the family name, and the late-in-life
baby.”

“I bet she spoiled you rotten,” Emma
mused.

“She did. And my four sisters.” He shook his
head. “Jesus, it’s a wonder I’m not gay growing up around all that
estrogen.”

Emma laughed. “No, instead you became a
manwhore.”

“Hey now,” he replied, nudging her knee with
his.

“How about a manwhore with a heart of
gold?”

“That’s a little better.”

She smiled. “Thanks for giving me a shoulder
to cry on.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

They sat motionless for a few seconds,
staring into each other’s eyes. Finally, Emma cleared her throat
and stood up. “I guess I better head on home now.”

When she started past him, Aidan grabbed her
arm. “Why don’t you come home with me tonight?” For a moment, he
thought someone else was speaking. His voice sounded foreign to
him, not to mention what it had suggested was a completely foreign
notion to him. He rarely invited women to his home—it was always
their place or a hotel room. Only long-time sexual partners crossed
that barrier. But Emma was turning him into a total emotional pansy
and making him break all his rules. First, he’d stayed the night
with her, and now he was asking her to his house.

If he was surprised, Emma was floored.
“W-What?”

“You know, so you don’t have to be alone with
everything that’s happened today.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “I could throw some steaks on the
grill, or I could make us some pasta or shrimp scampi.”

“You cook?” she asked incredulously.

“Yes, smartass, I cook.”

“I’m impressed. I had no idea you were such a
triple threat. I mean, culinary skills, being master of the
universe at work, and of course we can’t forget your bedroom
talents.”

He laughed. “I’m full of surprises,
babe.”

She nibbled on her bottom lip, and Aidan was
sure she was waging a battle with herself on whether she should
take him up on his offer. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?”

“I’m positive. We can just hang around and
relax.”

“That sounds heavenly.”

“Meet you outside in ten?”

Emma nodded. “Want to give me directions or
just follow you?”

“I can just take you and bring you back to
your car.”

“Oh no, that’s too much trouble.”

“Em, it’s fine. Why don’t you meet me
downstairs in fifteen minutes?”

“Okay, that sounds good.”

Emma’s mind
raged war on herself the entire elevator ride back down to her
floor.
You’re breaking all your rules going to his house!
Remember your ‘get in, do the deed, and get out’ mantra? Agreeing
to let him cook for you and try to console you is sure as hell not
a part of that. You’re going to regret this!
She had become her
own worst enemy.

“Enough!” she shouted just as the elevator
doors opened. The two women waiting to get on gave her a strange
look. She ducked her head and then power walked to her office.
Grabbing up her purse and bag, she slammed and then locked the
door.

Once she got downstairs, she paced around the
lobby. Just when she thought about bailing on Aidan to preserve her
own sanity, he appeared before her. “Sorry I kept you waiting.”

“Um, no, it’s fine.”

She followed him out the side door to the
parking deck. When the keyless entry in his hands flashed the
lights of a coal black Mercedes convertible, she gave a low
whistle. “Nice car, Mr. Fitzgerald.”

Aidan chuckled. “Thank you, Miss
Harrison.”

“I’m impressed I get to be escorted in such
style.”

He shook his head. “There you go with that
mouth again.”

Emma tossed her bag on the floorboard and
then slid across the leather seat. Besides the fact it cost twice
as much as her Honda, it was impeccably clean on the inside. Not a
crumb or spec of dust could be found while in her car a small
village could have been fed by leftover food of grabbing breakfast
or dinner on the run.

“Mind if I put the top down?”

“No, please do. It’s beautiful out
today.”

Aidan hit a button on the console, and the
roof started to retract. As they exited the parking deck, Emma dug
in her purse for a clip. After sweeping her long hair back, she
closed her eyes and let breeze wash over her.

“Don’t tell me I’m so boring you’re going to
sleep on me?”

Emma giggled. “I’m sorry. I was just resting
my eyes for a minute.”

They weren’t on the interstate long before
Aidan got off on an exit. When he pulled into an older, established
neighborhood, Emma turned to him in surprise. “You live here?”

He chuckled. “What’s that supposed to
mean?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I saw
you living in a sleek and trendy apartment building with a swinging
bachelor pad.”

“Well, if you want the truth, I used to live
in, as you say, a sleek and trendy apartment building, downtown.
But then my sister, Angie, who is a real estate agent, convinced me
that I needed to stop throwing money away renting and make an
investment in some property. Somehow she smooth talked me into to
buying in our other sister, Becky’s, neighborhood.” He glanced over
at her and grinned. “I think it was more on the pretense of them
being able to keep tabs on me, but it evens out because I get a lot
of free meals.” He pointed to the left at an enormous two-story
colonial with a wrap around front porch. “That’s Becky’s.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Thanks,” Aidan replied, making another turn.
“She needs a big house to keep the monsters in.”

“Monsters?”

“My three nephews.”

Emma giggled. “I see.”

Aidan eased into the driveway of a two-story
brick house with white columns. Emma’s jaw dropped at how typically
un-Aidan the house appeared. All that was lacking was a white
picket fence with toys strewn about, and he would look like a
regular suburban husband and father.

After Emma got out of the car, she walked out
of the garage and widened her eyes at the emerald green grass and
multicolored flowers. “Wow, did you do all this?” she asked,
motioning to the immaculately kept lawn.

Aidan snorted. “Oh God no. I can’t grow
anything but a little mold in my refrigerator. My dad is the one
with the green thumb. Not only that, but he’s retired, so it’s his
mission in life to do yard-work for his kids.”

“That’s really sweet of him.” She followed
Aidan up the front porch steps and into the house. He punched in
the code for the alarm when it started beeping. She tried not to
show her surprise as she took in the wide-open floor plan of the
living room. Floor to ceiling windows bathed the room in light, and
high wooden beams crisscrossed over the ceiling. Considering what
she had first thought of him, she expected furniture that was
functional, modern, yet cold. Nothing like the warm overstuffed
chair and love seat or the antique quilt swept over a couch. “Did
you have a decorator?” she asked as she trailed behind him into the
kitchen.

“No, I did it all myself. Well, my sisters
helped of course. They take it upon themselves to spoil me in all
domestic areas.” He turned around and surveyed her expression. “So
you like it?”

“Like it? I
love
it. You’ve gone above
and beyond just investing in some property. This is a home anyone
would be proud of.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “Thank
you. Coming from someone like you, that means a lot.”

“Someone like me?”

He raked his fingers through his hair,
stopping to tug at the strands at the nape of his neck. “Oh you
know, someone who is real—someone who appreciates a home over a
house.”

Emma opened her mouth to respond, but a loud
thump interrupted them.

Aidan rolled his eyes. “I should probably
warn you about Beau.”

“You have a roommate?”

He chuckled. “Not unless you consider an
eighty pound black Lab who eats me out of house and home and snores
louder than a bear a roommate.”

“Oh you have a dog!” Emma squealed.

He gave her an odd look. “Damn, I didn’t
think you’d be that excited about my old smelly Lab.”

She grinned. “You don’t know how much I love
dogs! I’ve wanted to get one for so long, but my schedule has been
so crazy I was afraid it would be alone too much.”

“I understand. I actually take Beau to Doggy
Daycare a couple days a week.”

“You do?” she asked, fighting to keep the
corners of her lips from turning up in a smile.

With a scowl, he replied, “Yeah, yeah, I’m a
total pussy.”

Emma stood up on her tiptoes to ruffle
Aidan’s hair playfully. “Aw, actually I think it’s sweet you do
that for Beau.” Then she moved her hand down to his chest. “And it
just goes to show what I really believed all along—you actually
have a heart in there.”

“I’m glad to hear I’m coming up a little in
your esteem. I would hate to have our future child scarred because
his mother thought his dad was a heartless, sex-fiend asshole.”

Her face crumpled as she snatched her hand
away from his chest. Aidan gave her a sheepish look. “I didn’t mean
to upset you by mentioning the baby.”

“It’s okay. I’m way too emotional today.”

He cupped her chin and gave her a reassuring
smile. “It will happen, Emma. It may be next month or next year,
but you’re going to get pregnant.”

Tears pricked her eyes. “Thank you.”

“Even if we die trying, we’ll make it
happen.”

She laughed. “Somehow I think you would enjoy
the death by sex part.”

His eyes closed in exaggerated bliss. “I
can’t imagine a better way to go.”

They were interrupted by a low, keening howl
at the basement door. “Guess I better let Beau out before he has a
nervous breakdown,” Aidan said. He turned the knob, and Beau came
lunging out. He immediately tackled Emma to her knees, but she just
laughed good-naturedly. “Down Beau! No jumping!” Aidan
bellowed.

“It’s okay,” she said, as Beau slurped his
pink tongue over her cheek. “He’s just glad to see somebody.”

“He’s an obedience school flunkie,” Aidan
muttered.

“Aw, I’m sure he’s really the bestest boy in
the whole wide world! Aren’t you sweetheart?” Emma said, her voice
raising an octave. Beau wiggled all over at her attention, his tail
thawping against Aidan’s leg. He went into doggie heaven when she
started scratching behind his ears, making grunting noises and
finally sitting stock still.

“Okay, boy, time to go outside.”

Beau refused to budge from Emma. Aidan rolled
his eyes in exasperation. “Outside. Now!”

Emma kissed the top of Beau’s head and then
rose to her feet. “You better go on outside before you get us both
in trouble,” she said, pointing to the backdoor.

Beau reluctantly started across the kitchen,
his claws tapping across the hardwood floors. Aidan opened the door
and let him out into the backyard. He shook his head as Beau
frolicked after a butterfly. “Great. He’s already totally whipped
by you.”

“I can’t help that everyone, even animals,
love me,” Emma joked.

Aidan turned back to her and grinned.
“Someone is cocky tonight.” His eyes widened at the sight of her
legs. “Oh shit, I’m sorry.”

Emma glanced down to see the ragged holes
where Beau’s claws had snagged her stockings. “It’s no big
deal.”

“You want something to change into?”

She bobbed her head. “That would be great,
thanks.”

“Follow me.”

Emma fell in step behind Aidan as they
started down the hallway. She wasn’t too thrilled at the prospect
of following him into the master bedroom, so she stopped in front
of a wall of pictures. “Are these all of your family?”

Aidan turned back and then nodded. “Yeah,
Angie, did that for me. She got all the pictures together and then
arranged them for me as a house warming present.”

“She did a great job.” As Aidan dipped back
inside the bedroom, Emma continued gazing at the photographs. Aidan
was the spitting image of his late mother. Several of the pictures
were of his parents when they were younger and older. “I love this
one of your parent’s at their 50
^th
Wedding Anniversary.
Your mother was so beautiful,” she called.

“Thanks.”

“And your dad is handsome, too.”

“I told you I’d bring some attractive genes
to the table!”

She rolled her eyes at his cockiness. “Your
dad looks like a really sweet and nice man.”

Aidan poked his head out of the bedroom door.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Emma shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I had
this impression of your dad being like Hugh Hefner, and you
following in his footsteps.”

Aidan laughed as he handed her a pair of navy
sweat pants and a white t-shirt. “Trust me, my dad is the farthest
thing from Hef. My parents were high school sweethearts. I’m not
sure if he ever slept with anyone but Mom. She’s been gone five
years, and he’s barely dated at all.”