Chapter One
The shrill sound of a cell phone ringing cut through the hazy levels of Aidan Fitzgerald’s subconscious. Rolling over in bed, he slapped his hand blindly along the nightstand to find it. Once his fingers made contact, he snatched it, rubbed his thumb over the bar and brought it to his ear. “Ello?” he murmured drowsily.
“Please tell me you haven’t forgotten what today is?” his father’s voice boomed into the phone.
With a groan, Aidan pulled himself into a sitting position in the bed. He cupped the phone to his ear and then furiously rubbed the grit and sleep out of his blue eyes. “Good morning to you too, Pop.”
“I swear on all that is holy that if you’re hung-over at your godson’s baptism I will personally beat your ass!”
His father’s words doused him awake. Glancing over his shoulder, he read out the time on the digital clock. 9 am. Three hours before he was expected at Christ the King for his great-nephew’s baptism. Although he was probably the least suited for the job, somehow he managed to let his niece, Megan, convince him to take the role of godfather for her baby, Mason. “I’m not hung-over, Pop. I was just sleeping late. It is Saturday, and not all of us have bodies that are regulated to military time.”
When his father harrumphed disapprovingly into the phone, Aidan formed a perfect picture in his mind of his father’s almost certain indignant expression. He could just see him gripping the cordless phone tight along with his ramrod straight posture as his snowy white head of hair shook disapprovingly. “Yes, I can only imagine you needed the rest after a late night doing God knows what,” Patrick grumbled.
A smirk curved on Aidan’s lips when he thought of the previous nights R-rated escapades. Thinking back didn’t help the morning wood he was already sporting. “Look, I’m awake, and I’ll be there to pick you up at eleven, which will give us a whole hour before the service. Okay?”
“You better be.”
“And miss another guilt trip? I wouldn’t dream of it,” Aidan said before he hung up. He tossed the phone back onto the nightstand. Burrowing back under the covers, he then spooned up against the leggy blonde who had been his Friday Night F*ck Buddy for the last six weeks.
“You have to leave?” Lydia asked with a yawn.
“Not yet,” Aidan replied, snaking his hand up to cup her breast.
As her nipple hardened under his touch, Lydia gave a soft moan. “What was the phone call about?”
He paused in kissing her bare back. “Just my dad. He wanted to make sure I was awake and sober for my godson’s baptism today.”
Lydia snorted. “You’re going to be in church at a baptism?”
“Yep, I’m the godfather,” he replied, pressing his erection into her naked backside.
Teasingly, she wiggled away from him. “I thought godparents were supposed to be moral and spiritual guides for children.”
Aidan chuckled. “Are you trying to say I’m going to be a bad influence for Mason?”
She glanced back at him. “Come on, Aidan. You’re the last person on earth who needs to be giving any guidance to a kid. All you know is drinking and f*cking.”
“And I’m pretty damn good at both of them, aren’t I?”
Lydia giggled. “You and that ego of yours.”
“Can we please stop talking?”
“Except for dirty stuff?”
“Exactly.” Aidan nibbled his way up her bare shoulder. “Today is going to be such an emotional hassle. I just want to forget about all that shit by f*cking you senseless. Your body is always such a good distraction.”
Instead of warming to his touch, Lydia stiffened. “So basically you want to use me?”
Aidan’s lips stilled on her neck. “No, that’s not what I meant.”
She whipped her head back to pin him with an icy stare. “That’s sure what it sounded like.”
He gave a frustrated grunt. “Wow, that’s a nice 180 on the emotions.”
“Well, excuse me that I don’t take too kindly when a man insinuates that I’m only good for screwing his mind off of things.”
“That’s not what I meant. But don’t try to call what this is between us more than it really is.”
She cocked her eyebrows. “And what do you consider us?”
“We’re f*ck buddies, Lydia. What is it exactly that we do if it’s not use each other for sex?”
“I think what we’ve been for the last six weeks is a little more than your clumsy summation,” she snapped.
“Oh Christ, don’t tell me you’re now looking for an invitation to go with me to my godson’s baptism today?”
“I’m sure as hell not. I was just making conversation.”
Aidan shook his blonde head. “I can see where this is going. You think meeting my family will magically make us more than two people who meet for sex once or twice a week?”
Sliding away to the edge of the bed, she pulled the sheet against her chest before glaring at him. “You can be a real a*shole, did you know that?”
Aidan threw up his hands in frustration. “Right now all I know is I’m confused at what the hell is your problem? I thought we’d been having a lot of fun together, and we could have some more—specifically before I had to leave for a real hellish day.”
“We were having fun, but I don’t want to be used by you, Aidan. No woman likes the idea that she’s just a piece of ass to be used whenever or however some jackass wants to, especially when he wants to emotionally check-out for a while. I am a person, you know, with feelings.”
Oh F*ck. Here it was. The ‘I want more’ conversation that inevitably ruined every good friends with benefits or hook-up situation he had ever been a part of. Things had been going so great with Lydia. He’d met her one night after work at his favorite hang-out, O’Malley’s. They’d done an hour or so of drinks with the typical mindless get to know you conversation before going back to her place for the hottest sex he’d had in a long time.
After the third round of sex when he was crawling out of her bed to leave, he’d broached the subject of meeting up once or twice a week. Still in a sex haze, she’d been more than willing. So for the last six weeks, he’d been well satisfied by what they had, and he wanted nothing more.
Of course, the problem was that he always went into every sexual relationship making it clear that he would not want more. But every single time it got f*cked up by some chick clinging to the desperate hope that they would be the one to tame him. With hate and loathing for him burning on Lydia’s face, it would now seem she was about to join the long line of former flings.
He cocked his brows at her. “So that’s it? We’re done because you’re suddenly feeling used?”
Lydia tore back the sheet and shot out of bed. “Get out! Get out of my house, you sorry son of a bitch!”
“Fine, I’ll be happy to,” Aidan grumbled as he unraveled himself from the comforter. Just as he stood up from the bed, Lydia threw his pants at him. They smacked into his face followed by his shirt. “Jesus, I’m going, okay? Trust me that I don’t want to stay here with you one second longer.”
He jumped into his pants. Her tirade had doused any desire he had along with his erection. He didn’t bother buttoning them up or putting on his shirt. He snatched up his shoes that he had kicked off in the living room before stomping out the front door.
Unf*ckingbelievable.
One phone call from his father had managed to cock block him with Lydia forever. What was it about chick’s and meeting families? The last time he had actually dared to bring a girl around his family was almost six years ago. It had been just two years after he had broken things off with his former fiancée, Amy. At the time, he hadn’t thought anything about asking his newest flame to join him. After all, it was just a harmless 4th of July BBQ—or so he thought. But the moment his flavor of the month met his mom and dad all she could hear were wedding bells. Two days later she started referring to them as “we”, and Aidan stopped calling her. He didn’t do “we”.
He never did and never would.
Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He had tried monogamy, relationships---even an engagement, but he had been so badly burned by it that he vowed never again. Seven years later, he was happy being a confirmed bachelor with no plans of ever settling down. Even though it seemed to be his family’s mission in life to get him married, settled, and with a houseful of kids.
Aidan shuddered as he pulled into his driveway. No way in hell was that ever happening.
***
After taking a leisurely shower and then shaving, Aidan had slipped on his finest suit before heading out the door to pick up his father. Just as he expected, Patrick was already waiting for him in the driveway. “It’s just now eleven,” Aidan said as Patrick opened the door.
“I didn’t say anything.”
Aidan grinned. “I was just stating facts in case you tried to say I was late.”
“Do you really think I’m that much of a crotchety old man?” Patrick mused as he buckled his seatbelt.
“You’re starting to get that way a little bit, Pop.”
Patrick chuckled. “It must be the fact I’ve been spending too many Saturdays down at the VFW. Those other senior citizens are rubbing off on me.”
Aidan grinned. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s what it is.”
“Did you remember Mason’s gift?”
Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Aidan replied, “Yes, Pop. I did.”
“I was just asking. Why are you being so testy? Not enough sleep last night?”
Aidan tore his gaze off the road to stare at his father. “I plead the fifth on that one, thank you.”
“That sounds pretty guilty to me. You should have brought your lady friend to the Baptism.”
With a snort, Aidan replied, “No, I don’t think so.”
“Ashamed of your family?”
“Of course not. Besides, she’s not much of a lady, least of all a friend. We’re not anything anymore.” Under his breath, he muttered, “Not that we were much to start with.”
Patrick sighed. “I still hope that one day before I die, I get to attend your son or daughter’s baptism.”
Aidan couldn’t help jerking his hands on the wheel, which caused the car to swerve on the road. “Pop, please. I’d like to make it through today without a guilt trip, okay?”
“So it’s wrong for me to wish you were married and had children?”
With a grunt, Aidan whipped the car into the parking lot behind the church. “I’m going to say this, and then I’m done with conversation, okay? The closest thing I’m ever going to be to a parent is standing up as Mason’s godparent. Got it?”
Patrick nodded sadly. “Fine son. Whatever you say.”
“Good. Now come on. It isn’t every day your first great-grandchild is baptized, right?”
“That’s true,” Patrick said, with a smile.
After getting out of the car, Aidan popped the trunk. He took out the bag from the jewelry store that held the finely wrapped package with Mason’s cross in it. Even though he had gotten a small one, Aidan imagined it would dwarf Mason’s small form for quite a while. The kid was barely six weeks old—a little young for a usual baptism, but since it was close to Christmas, it was the best time to get all the family together, including his sister, Julia, who lived out of state.
As they stepped into the church, Patrick motioned Aidan to one of the side rooms. When he opened the door, he was bombarded by his sisters and their families. All his nieces and nephews wanted hugs and to tell him about what had been going on at school or dance classes or soccer practice. He gave each of them his undivided attention. Finally, they abandoned him for Patrick, and he could take a relaxing breath.
After handing over Mason’s gift to his brother-in-law, Tim, he turned to his sister Angie.
“Well, if it isn’t The Godfather,” she mused.
He grinned. “The one and the only.”
She hugged him tight. “We’re so honored that you agreed to do this for Mason. He’s a lucky little man.”
Aidan pulled away to stare skeptically at his sister. “Frankly, I’m still surprised I even made the list of perspective candidates period. Surely there were more…how should I say this? Suitable choices?”
Angie shook her head. “You were the only one in the world Megan wanted.”
A gentle tug pulled at Aidan’s heart at the mention of Megan. He had always tried hard not playing favorites with his nine nieces and nephews, but he had always had a strong bond with her.
Pulling off his coat, he glanced around the room. “Speaking of, where are Megan and the Little Man of the hour?”
She laughed. “Oh, she’s inside with Mason. She said she wanted to get in a few rosaries before the Christening.”
Aidan nodded as the volume in the room seemed to magnify with all his younger nieces and nephews. Needing an out to the chaos, he said, “I’ll go sit with her awhile.”
The corners of Angie’s lips quirked up. “Maybe you should stop off in the confessional first?”
“Ha, ha,” he muttered before slipping out of the room.
Standing at the doors leading into the church, he peered at the altar. He spotted Megan on one of the front benches, kneeling down on one of the risers. He strode up the aisle. When he saw that she was finished praying and merely gazing up at the giant crucifix, he knelt and crossed himself before sliding onto the bench beside her.
“Hey Hot Mama,” he said in a low voice.
She grinned at him as she slipped her rosary into her coat pocket. “Hey Ankle. Glad you could make it.”
Aidan shook his head at her old nickname for him. As the first grandchild, Megan spent a lot of time with Aidan’s parents. When she first started talking, she couldn’t say ‘Uncle Aidan’. Somehow his name got meshed into ‘Ankle’. None of his other nieces and nephews called him that—it was just one aspect of their special bond.
Aidan craned his neck to eye Mason’s sleeping form in the carrier beside Megan. “You know I wouldn’t miss this for anything in the world. I mean, it’s not every day a man as young as myself gets made his great nephew’s godfather.”
“Trust me, I’m very honored to be in your presence.” Megan eyed him up and down before shaking her head. “I’m assuming you had a wild night last night.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Hmm, from the bags under your eyes and the fact Papa called me twice this morning to see if I had heard from you.”
Aidan swept his hands to his cheeks. “Seriously? I thought I looked pretty fabulous.”
“Always so cocky.” Megan nudged his shoulder playfully. “Sure we don’t need to douse you with a little holy water?”
“Ha, very funny. Your mother was already advocating that I skip seeing you and head straight for confession.”
“I’m sure she has a point. I mean, seriously, when was the last time you were in church?”
Aidan quirked his blonde brows at her. “What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?”
Megan laughed. “Oh, man, that reminds me of our Monty Python marathons.”
Aidan grinned. “Your mom got so pissed when I let you watch that when you were like seven.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t believe you were smart enough to get most of the humor.”
“You were always such a bad influence, but I loved you anyway.”
Leaning over, Aidan kissed Megan’s cheek. “And I loved you, too, even though a lot of the time you were an aggravating little pest.” At her outrage, he winked. “We had some good times together, didn’t we?”
“Yep, we did.”
They sat in silence for a few seconds. “So how are you holding up?” He motioned to Mason. “You know, being a new mom and all?” Aidan asked.
Megan fiddled with the hem on her dress. “I’m hanging in there.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Aidan said, “Now you know it isn’t polite to lie to your favorite uncle.”
She sighed, blowing a few blonde strands out of her face. “Okay fine. Being a single mom is a lot harder than I thought it would be, even with Mom and Dad’s help. I’m stressed out all the time with trying to finish nursing school, and mentally…I’m borderline falling apart. How’s that?”
Aidan put an arm around her shoulder, drawing her close to him. “Aw, sweetheart. I hate to hear that.”
Megan shrugged. “It’s okay. Nothing you can do.”
“Still no word from the douchebag?”
Glancing down at her hands folded in her lap, Megan shook her head. “Nothing since he sent the last check after he signed with the Falcons.”
Aidan growled at the thought of the punk who had knocked-up Megan. If he could just get his hands on him…He didn’t give a shit that the jerkoff was a 6’3 offensive lineman for the Atlanta Falcons. He would still make sure to rearrange his face as well as taking his testicles as a souvenir.
“I know what you’re thinking, and he’s not worth it,” Megan said.
With a wink, Aidan replied, “You let me worry about that one.”
“At least with the money he sent, I can get my own apartment. I need a little independence from Mom and Dad.”
Aidan shook his head. “You should stay home and mooch off them as long as possible.”
Megan giggled. “Thanks a lot. I would think you of all people would understand about wanting to stand on your own two feet and not have your life choices over-analyzed constantly by your family.”
“You have a point there,” Aidan mused. He could only imagine how Angie loved giving Megan daily advice about what she was doing right or wrong. Hell, she did it to him, and he wasn’t even her child. But as the oldest of his sisters, Angie had always been his second mother. And in the five years since his mother’s passing, she relished the job with new vigor.
Tightening his arm around Megan, he said, “So you’re willing to throw away rent on an apartment, but you won’t take me up on my offer?”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Ankle? There is no way in hell you would really want me to live with you.”
“Hey now, watch your mouth. We’re in church for Christ sake!” he joked.
Megan laughed. “Listen, it’s really sweet of you to offer, but trust me, you would be regretting it an hour after Mason and I moved in.”
“I would barely see you guys with the guest bedroom upstairs and my late hours. I could even move Beau out to the backyard and give you the basement.”
“Let me guess. Part of the bargain would include me doing your laundry and cooking your meals?”
Rubbing his chin, Aidan replied, “Hmm, that sounds good.”
“Of course it does to you.”
“Nothing wrong with you taking care of your favorite uncle.” When she didn’t reply, Aidan squeezed her shoulder. “Okay, I was just teasing you, and I wouldn’t expect you to do laundry and cook. Why won’t you let me help you out?”
Megan shook her head. “It’s very sweet of you to offer, and I should jump at the chance. But I need to do this on my own.”
“Fine. Be a stubborn ass.”
“It’s a Fitzgerald family trait, remember?”
Aidan grinned. “That it is.”
“Well, I think in your generosity you’re not thinking clearly about what a buzz kill it would be having me and Mason at your house.”
“Is that right?”
“Mmm, hmm, just think about this one. You’ve brought home your flavor of the week for some hot sex, and she either sees some young chick running around or hears a baby crying. Dude, you would so be striking out in the bedroom with some major blue balls.”
Aidan widened his eyes. “Margaret Elizabeth McKenzie, what a mouth you have in church!”
“I learned it all from my very naughty uncle.”
With a grunt of frustration, Aidan said, “I’ll have you know I don’t bring women home.”
She rolled her eyes. “God, you are such a player.”
“Not you too?”
Megan grinned. “I can’t help but highlight the error of your ways. I mean, I’ve been played by your kind many, many times and burned even more. I’m a woman scorned, remember?”
Aidan winced at the thought of how he treated women—girls very much like Megan. How could he want to castrate Mason’s father when he wasn’t any better himself? Well, except for the fact he made damn sure to always wear a condom to ensure there weren’t any Little Aidan’s running around out there.
Megan glanced down at her watch. “Will you keep an eye on Mason for me while I go to confession real quick?”
Aidan’s eyes widened as he took in the sleeping infant in the carrier. “Um, Meg, I don’t—“
“Oh come on. He’s dead to the world, and you’ll be fine. Besides, you’re his godfather.”
“Yes, a position I’m wishing I hadn’t agreed to.”
Megan swept her hands to her hips. “I need to go to confession before I stand at the altar with my son, Ankle. Are you really going to tell me no?”
“Fine, fine. Go on.”
“Thank you,” she said, before kissing him on the cheek. Her heels clicked down the aisle. It hadn’t been a full minute after Megan disappeared into one of the confessionals that Mason began to stir in his carrier. Leaning over, Aidan rocked him a little, hoping to avert a crisis. But when the baby’s tiny face crumpled, Aidan muttered, “Oh shit.”
A wail erupted from Mason’s lips that echoed throughout the church. “Hey Little Man, don’t do that.” He rocked the carrier faster, which just seemed to piss Mason off more.
“You really should pick him up when he’s crying like that,” a voice said over his shoulder. He glanced back to see his sister, Becky’s, three sons staring skeptically at him. From eleven year old, Percy’s, exasperated expression, Aidan knew it had been him giving the advice.
“Fine,” Aidan grumbled. He bent over and gently slid his hands underneath Mason’s writhing body. Already outfitted in his Christening gown, Aidan found it hard to grab onto more than just lace in his hands, especially since he was worried about hurting him. Finally, he rescued Mason from his baby carrier hell. Aidan propped him on his shoulder and gave him a few reassuring pats. “All right, Little Man. You’re free. Give it a rest with the crying,” he said.
His thirteen year old nephew, John, snorted. “Wow, Megan must’ve been smoking something when she chose you as godfather.”
Aidan scowled at John over Mason’s head. “For your information, I was the only one she wanted for the job.”
“Give him his passie,” five year old Georgie suggested.
Aidan furrowed his blonde brows. “His what?”
“Dude, you gotta be kidding,” John said. He leaned over Aidan and grabbed Mason’s diaper bag. Digging inside, he pulled out a pacifier and waved it at Aidan before sticking it in Mason’s wide-open mouth. Immediately, the baby calmed down.
With a sigh of relief, Aidan’s gaze swept over the three boys. All three wore khaki pants, white button down shirts, red ties, and blue blazers. He shook his head and grinned. “Nice get-ups. You could pass for a boy band like the Osmond’s or something.”
“The who?” Percy asked.
“Never mind,” he mumbled. Glancing past the boys, he sighed with relief at the sight of Megan coming out of the confessional. He was more than ready to hand Mason back over to her.
She grinned at him. “Couldn’t resist Mason’s charms?”
“Ha, very funny.”
“Yeah, I heard him all the way in the confessional.” She reached over and took Mason from him. Nestling the baby close to her chest, she then smiled at Aidan. “You know, you looked like a natural holding him.”
Aidan opened his mouth to protest, but John’s snickering interrupted him. “Seriously? He could barely get Mason out of the carrier, not to mention he had no idea what a pacifier was.”
“He can always learn,” Megan argued.
“Yeah, don’t hold your breath on that one,” Aidan replied.
It was then that the priest came striding up to them. “Miss McKenzie, we’re ready to begin.”
Megan nodded. “John, Percy, Georgie—go run and tell the others it’s time.”
“Okay,” Georgie replied before sprinting down the aisle.
After the boys hurried off, Megan grinned. “Ready?”
Aidan smiled back at her. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
***