Epilogue
Aidan rubbed his blurring eyes before stretching his arms over his head. A glance at the clock on the computer screen told him it was clearly past time to call it a night. His phone buzzing in his jacket pocket also reminded him to get his ass moving. So he grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair along with his briefcase and headed out the door.
When the elevator doors dinged opened, a loud commotion drew his attention. Instead of barreling forward ready to save the day once again, he only smiled. He knew that the cause of the commotion was an eight month old angel with his father’s blue eyes and a lighter version of his mother’s fiery auburn hair.
Turning the corner, he saw Emma standing beside a stroller, flushed with all the attention Noah was receiving from a gaggle of female admirers. Even though they had almost been married a year, she still took his breath away each and every time he saw her. Most days he didn’t get to see her all dressed up like she was now. Outfitted in black stilettos, a short black skirt, and a slinky green top that showed off her fabulous cleavage, she made heat stir below Aidan’s waist.
Lately since becoming a stay-at-home mom, Emma spent her time in yoga pants or jeans. But to him, she could look amazingly beautiful and sexy in a ragged t-shirt and his boxers. While she lamented the alleged ten pounds of baby weight she still needed to lose, he loved the fact it seemed to reside in her breasts and ass just as he had teased her about.
In the end, quitting work had been a tough decision for Emma. At first, she had tried working part-time, but most days she still ended up in tears at the prospect of leaving Noah. Because Aidan wanted her to be happy, he suggested she quit. So when Noah was three months old, Emma left the company.
That’s why this particular evening she had wanted to meet him at the office so the women she used to work with could see how much Noah had grown. He noticed that not only were several of the women those she worked with, but some of them were from his floor as well, including his secretary Marilyn. They all stood around, smiling and cooing at Noah. He perched in his stroller like a King with his court. Peeking up at them through his long eyelashes, he flashed his two new bottom teeth when he grinned.
Aidan shook his head at his son. He was already a terrible flirt and knew exactly how to work the ladies or anyone for that matter. He was truly a chip off the old shoulder when it came to attracting the attention of females. Of course, anytime Aidan made that comment, Emma liked to smack his arm and roll her eyes.
He strode over to the group of women. “Well hello there.”
Noah’s gaze jerked from his admirers and over to Aidan’s. “Dada!” he cried holding his arms up.
Aidan’s heart melted at the sight. No matter how many times he heard Noah call for him, he always had the same reaction. Pure love tingled from the top of his head down to his toes. “Hey Little Man,” he said, picking Noah up out of the stroller.
“Give Daddy a kiss,” Emma prompted.
Noah immediately leaned over to bestow a wet, slobbery smooch on Aidan’s cheek. A chorus of “aw’s” rang around him.
“I can’t believe how much he looks like you, Aidan,” Marilyn said.
“He does, doesn’t he?” he replied with a grin directed at Emma.
She rolled her eyes while another woman shook her head. “I see some of Emma in him too—especially that sweet smile of his.”
Emma laughed. “That’s only when he’s not giving the cocky Fitzgerald grin that he does most of the time.”
Noah began to squirm in Aidan’s arms. “You getting hungry, Little Man?”
Reaching in her bag, Emma took out a pacifier and popped it in Noah’s open and ready to scream mouth.
Marilyn smiled. “Well, we better let you two get going.”
It took a couple of minutes for them to say their good-byes and for each one to give Noah a kiss on the cheek. While he may have been fussy before, he reveled in their attention and waved happily good-bye before taking out his pacifier to blow kisses.
Aidan set Noah back into the stroller. “I’ll get him, babe. You take a breather.”
As Emma held open the door for Aidan, she shook her head and grinned. “What?” he asked.
“I’m sure that most people in this building would do a double take at the sight of Mr. Manwhore Fitzgerald pushing a stroller.”
He scowled at her. “That’s former Mr. Manwhore, thank you.”
She giggled. “That’s right. You’re my Mr. Manwhore now.” She gave him a playful smack on the behind as they started down the sidewalk.
“Mrs. Fitzgerald, I will kindly ask that you not maul my ass in public.”
“Oh really?”
A sexy smirk curved on his lips. “Save it for when we get home.”
Emma giggled. “Okay, then I will.”
When the crosswalk sign flashed for them to go, Aidan pushed the stroller onto the street. “Are you sure we should be taking Noah to O’Malley’s?”
Emma shot him an exasperated look. “We’ve brought him here at least five times. Jenny has been blowing up my phone with texts about when we’re coming back.”
“Yeah, but he was smaller then. And there’s all that smoke.”
“We sit in the non-smoking section, Aidan.” Once they made it to the other side of the street, she gazed up at him. “Besides, he’s part Irish. Shouldn’t he be growing up around booze?”
He rolled his eyes. “Har f*cking har.”
She grinned and then linked her arm through his. “I love you, babe.”
“Right back atcha,” he replied, before leaning over to kiss her.
When Emma reached to open the door, Jenny burst through it. “Oh my God! I thought you guys had decided not to come!” She barely gave a fleeting glance at Aidan and Emma before she reached out to Noah. “There’s my big, beautiful boy!” After spitting out his pacifier, he grinned and waved his arms to let Jenny pick him up.
“I see we rank pretty low these days, huh?” Aidan said with a smile.
“Exactly. At least it’s consistent. I mean, everywhere we go from your dad’s to Grammy and Granddaddy’s it’s the same,” Emma replied.
As Jenny bounced Noah in her arms, they followed her inside. “Can we get a booth as far away from the smoking section as possible?” Aidan asked.
He watched as Emma and Jenny exchanged a glance before Jenny nodded. “Sure. Nikki, can you take them to booth fifteen, please?”
Nikki nodded and started trailing through the bar. When Emma reached for Noah, Jenny shook her head. “No, no, no. I haven’t gotten my fill of him yet.”
Emma laughed. “When he gets fussy like he wants to eat, just bring him over.”
“I will. You two can have some privacy. Like a date night,” Jenny said, with a grin.
“Right. I don’t even remember what those were like,” Aidan mused.
“Yes, you do. Remember how Megan kept Noah for us two months ago so we could go back to the lodge in the mountains?”
Aidan’s mind immediately flashed to dropping Noah off at his niece, Megan’s, apartment before they went back to the lodge where they spent their honeymoon. While Noah had been happy to go to Megan and excited to get to play with his cousin, Mason, Emma had wept the entire ride to the mountains. Thinking of her behavior, he shook his head. “You mean the night you spent texting Megan every five minutes to make sure Noah was all right?” Aidan countered.
Emma grinned. “Yes, that’s the one.”
“Whatever,” he replied as they hurried to catch up with Nikki. She was standing in front of the booth in the farthest corner.
When Emma slid in beside him rather than across the booth, Aidan’s brows furrowed. At the sight of the dreamy expression on her face, he asked, “What are you all moony about?”
“Don’t you remember?”
“Remember what?”
She sighed. “This is the same booth we sat in the night you came home from India.”
“Really?”
She bobbed her head before leaning in to give him a lingering kiss. Her tongue had just brushed against his when someone cleared her throat, ending their brief make-out session. Nikki gave an apologetic smile as Emma snapped back from Aidan like a rubber band. “So what can I get you two to drink this evening?”
“Just a Coke for me,” Emma replied.
Aidan grinned. “You should have a drink. I mean, you aren’t breastfeeding anymore, and we’re allegedly on a date night.”
A flush crept across her face, and Aidan knew he had embarrassed Emma by mentioning breastfeeding. Finally, she shrugged. “Nah, I’m good.”
“Come on. Have a margarita, Em. You deserve to celebrate and cut loose a little. I’ll even be the DD tonight,” Aidan urged.
She shook her head at him and then glanced up at Nikki. “Just a Coke.”
Aidan grunted. “Fine. Be a killjoy. I’ll have a Heineken on tap.”
“I’ll be back to get your food orders in just a minute.”
Aidan nodded at Nikki before she walked away. Then he turned his attention back to Emma. “Why didn’t you want to have a drink? Were you afraid I was plying you with alcohol to get you drunk, so I could take advantage of you?”
She grinned. “Since when do I have to have alcohol in me to get your libido kicking?”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Never.”
A squeal drew their attention to where Jenny was bouncing Noah on her hip. He was reaching for one of the balloons that the bartender was blowing up for him. Aidan couldn’t help smiling at the look on Noah’s face as he kicked his legs excitedly.
Emma cleared her throat, and Aidan glanced over at her. “I’m sorry, babe. Now I’m the one not doing a good job at date night.”
“Well, speaking of your libido…” Aidan watched as she shifted her menu and chewed her bottom lip.
“Em, what’s the matter? You look a little pale. Are you all right?”
“I need to tell you something.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Aidan saw Jenny with three bobbing balloons walking Noah over to a group of admirers. He held up a finger. “Just a second, Em.” He rose up from the booth. “Jenny, don’t get him so close to the smoking section,” he called.
She glanced back at him over her shoulder and nodded. Once he felt like Noah was safely away from the second hand smoked danger, he turned back to Emma. “I’m sorry. What is it?”
“Well, it’s…I know we weren’t actually planning on this, but—”
“Aw, look, Em. Noah’s blowing kisses to all the old men at the bar.”
The next thing he knew she had grabbed both of the sides of his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. “Would you please listen to me!”
“Jesus, what is the matter with you?”
Her green eyes narrowed at him. “I’m pregnant! That’s what is the matter!”
His heart jolted to a stop. “Y-You’re what?”
Emma’s expression momentarily softened. “I just came from the doctor. That stomach flu I thought I had...yeah, that’s not what it was. I’m six weeks pregnant.”
“Holy shit…but we were using condoms.”
Pink tinged her cheeks. “Not the weekend at the lodge.”
He leaned over and lowered his voice. “Yeah, but I pulled out.”
Emma cocked her brows. “And you’re Mr. Super Potent Sperm, remember?”
Aidan swallowed hard. His mind whirled with out-of-control thoughts. He was going to be a father again. He hadn’t even thought of the prospect of having more children until Noah was at least two, if not older. Sure, his sisters Angie and Julia were fourteen months part, but he had never imagined having two so close together. Noah would still be in diapers when the new baby arrived. Jesus, he could barely survive all of Noah’s changings…what would it be like with two?
“Aidan?” Emma prompted. When he met her gaze, he could immediately read how she was feeling. She was thrilled at the prospect of another child to love, but she was also fearful of his reaction.
He brought his lips to hers and gave her a deep, reassuring kiss. When he finally pulled away, tears shone in her eyes. “Does that mean you’re okay with this?”
His hand went to tenderly touch her abdomen. “I’ll admit I’m scared shitless at the prospect of another child, but we’ve already been through so much. Another baby will just mean more love.”
Her bright smile warmed his heart. “Oh, Aidan, you made me the happiest woman in the entire world by giving me a baby. Then you made my life complete by giving me your heart and your love. I can’t imagine anything more amazing than another child of yours.” She then gave him a lingering kiss.
When she pulled away, he grinned. “Does this mean I can expect your libido to be kick-starting soon like when you were pregnant with Noah?”
She gave him a sly grin and then winked. “Oh yes.”
He closed his eyes in exaggerated bliss and brought his hand to his chest. “Be still my heart.”
She nudged him playfully as Nikki returned to take their orders. When Emma ordered her usual Rib-eye, Aidan stared at her in surprise. “You’re ordering a steak?”
“Sure, why not?” she replied as she handed the menus back to Nikki.
“I thought meat made you sick in your first trimester when you were pregnant with Noah.”
Emma shuddered. “Oh it did. I couldn’t even stand the smell of it, remember?” Surprise flashed on her face as the wheels turned in her head. Without missing a beat, a smile spread across her face. “I guess that means this baby is a girl!”
“Oh God,” he moaned.
Emma tilted her head to the side and gazed up at him. “What’s the matter, Big Papa? You don’t think you can handle a girl?”
“I think I’ll be fine until she gets to be a teenager, and then I may end up in prison for cutting some little horndog’s dick off!”
Emma laughed. “Poor thing. With you as her daddy, she won’t get to date until she’s thirty.”
“And it’ll be a good thing because if she’s half as beautiful as her mother, she’ll have all the boys chasing after her.”
Tears sparkled in Emma’s eyes at his compliment. “You’re so sweet.”
“It’s the truth.”
“But I do remember you saying you would bring some mighty fine genes as well.”
“We’re a good baby-making pair, aren’t we?”
Emma snorted. “In more ways than one.”
Aidan laughed. “Who knew you would be so fertile and I would be so potent?”
“That just means after this baby, we’ll have to be more careful or consider more options.”
Aidan shook his head furiously back and forth. “Don’t even think about suggesting a vasectomy!”
Emma rolled her eyes. “I was thinking either birth control pills or something for me. Don’t get your balls in a twist that I want to take your manhood or something.”
Aidan couldn’t help sighing with relief. “That’s good to hear.”
“But don’t think just because I’m going on birth control, I’m finished with baby-making.”
He arched his brows at her. “Oh really?”
“Mmm, hmm. I want a big family just like yours.”
“Em, I don’t think I ever signed on to father five kids.”
“Oh but you’re so good at it,” she teased.
He groaned. “There goes you and that mouth again.”
“Well, I’ll think of cutting myself off at three if you’ll shut me up and kiss me.”
“I’ll be happy to oblige ma’am.”
Aidan brought his lips to hers. Just as her warm mouth opened invitingly, a high pitched wail caused them to break apart. They watched as Jenny hustled a red-faced, crying Noah over to them.
“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Emma asked.
“Muh! Muh!” he cried.
Emma shook her head and grinned as she took Noah from Jenny. “I can’t believe he can say dada all day, but I get called ‘muh’!”
Burying his face in Emma’s neck, Noah’s cries quieted as Emma hummed to him. Their food arrived then. “Wanna come to Daddy, Little Man, so Mama can eat?”
Noah tightened his arms around Emma’s neck at the insinuation. “Come on now. Mama needs to eat for your little brother or sister.”
When Aidan reached to take Noah, he screamed and clung to Emma. “Oh Jesus. He’s getting to be such a Mama’s Boy,” Aidan lamented.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. I seem to recall another Fitzgerald boy who was one, and he turned out all right,” Emma replied, while rubbing wide circles across Noah’s back and kissing the strands of his strawberry blonde hair.
Aidan nodded at her insinuation to him and his mother. She was right. He had been a Mama’s Boy and proud of it. “Well, that’s true, but did have some screw-ups until he found the love of another good woman,” Aidan replied.
“Then we’ll just have to hope and pray Noah finds the same one day.” Emma smiled at him over Noah’s head. “And until then, he can be my Mama’s Boy.”
Aidan grunted. “Come on, Little Man. You’re really a Daddy’s Boy, aren’t you?” he prompted. Peeking through Emma’s auburn hair, Noah grinned at Aidan. The small gesture caused Aidan’s chest to clench, and he fought to breathe.
“Are you okay?” Emma asked.
“I’m more than okay.” He leaned over to kiss Noah’s cheek before kissing her tenderly on the lips. “I’m f*cking amazing.”