Chapter NINE
Emma woke the next morning to the shrill ringing of her cell phone in her ear. Squinting at the clock with one eye, she groaned. It was barely seven in the morning, and she knew only one person would be calling her that early.
Fumbling for her phone, she grabbed it and pressed the button. “Good morning, Grammy,” she murmured drowsily.
“Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling?”
“Sleepy.”
Grammy laughed. “I’m sorry to wake you, but you know that Granddaddy and I think sleeping past five is too late.”
“That’s a travesty when you guys could sleep in.”
“Listen honey, I wondered if Aidan could come up here today? I took some things out of the freezer that I thought you would like, and I’m about to start fixin’ some casseroles for him to heat back up later on.”
“Grammy, you should be taking care of yourself and Granddaddy, not me!” Emma protested.
“Oh, what’s a few casseroles? Most of it I’d already cooked and put away. Besides, I can’t rest if I think you and the baby aren’t getting good, healthy food.”
“Aidan’s actually a really good cook, Grammy.”
She harrumphed into the phone. “Not like me.”
Emma laughed. “That’s true.”
“So you think he’ll be up here after while?”
Glancing over her shoulder, Emma was surprised to find Aidan still in the bed beside her. “I’ll ask him when he wakes up.”
He popped one eye open. “I’m awake,” he muttered.
“Does that mean you’re going up to Grammy’s to get us some food?”
“She’s cooking?”
Emma nodded.
He grinned. “Hell yes. I’ll get my clothes on right now.”
With a laugh, Emma replied, “He’ll be up there around noon.” At Grammy’s sigh, Emma said, “He needs to fix us breakfast first and get a shower.”
“All right then. I love you, baby girl.”
“I love you, too.”
Once Emma hung up the phone, she cradled it to her chest. She wanted more than anything to feel Grammy’s arms around her. No matter what was going on in her life, somehow just being in Grammy’s embrace made everything all right.
“You miss her, don’t you?”
She tore her gaze over to Aidan and then nodded. “Will you give her a great big hug and kiss for me when you get up there?” she asked.
Aidan laughed. “I don’t think Virginia would let me past the front door without hugging and kissing me.”
Emma giggled. “That’s true. But give her one anyway, okay?”
“I will. And then I’ll be sure to come back home and give you her love too.”
“Thank you.”
Collapsing back against the pillows, Aidan groaned. “Jesus, my first real day I can sleep in from work, and I’m awake at seven-thirty.”
“You don’t have to get up now. We can try to go back to sleep.”
“Sure you’re not hungry?”
Emma wrinkled her nose. “No, I still get a little nauseated in the morning.”
“Will you set the alarm for ten?”
She cocked her eyebrows. “You’re really planning on snoozing late, huh?”
“Mmm, hmm,” he murmured.
When she pushed back under the covers, Aidan scooted over in the bed. His arm snaked around her waist as he spooned against her. Nuzzling his face into her neck, he said, “Warm me up.”
Her breath hitched as she glanced over her shoulder at him. “Are you really that cold?”
He popped one eye open and gave her a sly grin. “Maybe.”
“Uh-huh, well, just watch it, mister.”
They had just settled back down when Noah struck up a kicking frenzy. “Oomph,” Emma said, shifting to the right.
“Seriously, Em, I’m not trying to cop a feel!”
She giggled. “I know you’re not.” She took his hand and brought it to the place on her stomach where Noah’s foot was thumping.
Aidan sucked in a breath. When she glanced back at him, he wore an expression of pure wonderment. He met her gaze and smiled. “Is he always so active in the mornings?”
“Sometimes. Usually, he really gets going after I eat.”
“Ah, like he’s on a sugar rush or something?”
“I guess so.”
Even after Noah settled down, Aidan kept his hand firmly against her belly. Although Emma should have protested, she didn’t. It felt too good with his arm around her. And within a few moments, she fell into a contented sleep.
***
After the alarm went off at ten, Aidan hopped out of bed. As Emma rose up, she figured he was headed for the shower, but instead, he reached for his phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling Becky.”
“Why?”
“Besides going to Grammy’s, I need to go to the grocery store and run a few errands. It might turn out longer than I expect, and I don’t want to leave you alone that long.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I think I can make it from the bed to the bathroom just fine, thank you.”
He shook his head as he stepped out of the bedroom. “Hey sis, can you do me a favor?” she heard him ask. He wasn’t gone long before he came back inside. “Becky’s coming over.”
“Fabulous,” she muttered.
Aidan’s brows furrowed in confusion. “I thought you liked her?”
“I do. In fact, I love her like my own sister. It’s just I feel so overprotected at the moment—like I’m in a fishbowl.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help worrying about you, Em.”
Her chest clenched at the earnest expression on her face. She didn’t know why she had to fight him so much. She should just stop and enjoy the fact he was being so attentive and caring. So instead of arguing, she threw up her hands in defeat. “All right, all right. Becky can come baby-sit me.”
He grinned. “Good considering you didn’t have a choice.”
“Aidan,” she warned.
He leaned over to kiss her cheek. After he pulled away, his lips hovered close to hers. When she looked into his eyes, she saw the longing burning bright. Part of her wanted to reach out and kiss him, but the other part knew what an explosive land mine that was. Putting her hand on his chest, she gently pushed him back. “You better go get a shower. Grammy will be standing on her head and blazing the phone lines if you’re not there right at twelve.”
Hurt momentarily flashed in his eyes before he bobbed his head. “Okay then.”
Emma’s heart clenched as she watched him march defeated into the bathroom.