The Pairing

Megan grinned. “That’s wonderful news.”

Connor wrinkled his nose. “I think Casey will be appreciating it a little more when her epidural kicks in. She wasn’t too happy the last time I went back to see her.”

“Oh yes, I remember that feeling well.”

Megan’s phone dinged, and she quickly read the text. “Aidan says we can come back now,” she said to her aunts.

The group made their way through the double doors and down the hall. When they reached Emma’s room, Angie knocked on the door. Within a few seconds, Aidan appeared. “Hey guys,” he said, with a beaming smile. “The nurse is actually checking on Em, but give me a second.” He disappeared back behind the door only to reappear within a few moments. This time he held a tiny bundle wrapped in a pink blanket. “Here she is. Miss Caroline Elizabeth Fitzgerald.”

Collective oohs and aahs went up over the group as Aidan held Caroline out for them to see. She didn’t seem too interested or impressed by them. She yawned and closed her eyes. “She’s absolutely beautiful,” Megan said.

“She’s something all right,” Aidan murmured.

“There it is! I see a tear,” Becky teased.

Aidan rolled his eyes at his sister. “Let me guess. You had some kind of bet going about whether I cried or not?”

Liz patted his back. “Something like that.”

Pesh appeared then. The moment Noah saw his father he kicked to get down. Once he got his feet on the floor, he ran to Aidan, wrapping his arms around Aidan’s leg. “Hey buddy. You want to meet your sister?”

Squatting down, Aidan held Caroline to where Noah could get a good look at her. “Mama’s tummy baby?” he questioned.

Aidan laughed. “Yeah, this is your baby sister, Caroline.”

Noah eyed his sister with a slight frown, as if he was trying to figure her out. Megan could only imagine what was going on in his head at the moment. He’d spent the last sixteen months being the center of his parents’ world, and now there was someone else to share the attention.

When Caroline scrunched up her face and whimpered, Noah patted her arm. “No cwy, baby.”

“Aw, he’s going to be a good big brother,” Angie remarked.

Aidan chuckled. “Yeah, he’ll be fine until Caroline needs Emma. Then he’s going to be ready to sell her to the gypsies.”

A nurse exited Emma’s room. “You can go in now.” As she gazed around the crowd, she shook her head. “Well, some of you can go in.”

Rising up off the floor, Aidan took Noah’s hand. “Come on, buddy. Mama wants to see you.”

Noah didn’t bother waiting on Aidan. He barreled through the door. “Mama! Mama!” he cried.

Megan smiled as she watched him climb up on Emma’s bed. “There’s my baby boy!” Emma cried hoarsely, smothering both his cheeks in kisses. He snuggled up to Emma’s side.

“Come on, Meggie. You and Pesh come in first,” Aidan suggested.

Megan didn’t argue with him. Instead, she took Pesh’s hand and followed Aidan inside. Emma glanced up and shook her head. “I’m so sorry for ruining your engagement party.”

“You didn’t ruin our night,” Pesh reassured her.

“That’s right. We kept right on partying—it didn’t bother us at all,” Megan teased.

Emma laughed. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Megan smiled and jerked her chin over at Aidan, who sat in the rocker with Caroline. “Congratulations on a beautiful baby girl.”

“Thank you,” Emma replied, as a beaming smile lit up her face.

“Are you feeling okay?” Pesh asked.

Emma nodded. “It was a little easier this time and a lot quicker.” She turned to Aidan. “And this time I didn’t have to worry that Aidan might not make it.”

Aidan chuckled. “No, you just kept screaming at me to drive faster because you were not going to deliver Caroline on the side of the interstate.”

Emma’s cheeks flushed. “I guess I was a little panicked.”

Pesh took Megan’s hand and squeezed it. “We better go and let the others have a turn,” he said.

“Do you want us to take Noah back with us?”

Considering he was plastered to his mother’s side, Megan wasn’t really looking forward to trying to take him. Emma gazed down at her son with love burning in her eyes. “No, I think he can stay here with us a little longer. I might get Connor to take him home. I know he’ll be here until Casey delivers.”

“Are you sure you won’t need your rest?” Megan asked.

“Oh, I’ll pawn him off to Aidan and make sure I get plenty of sleep until Miss Caroline needs me,” Emma replied, with a sly smile.

Aidan didn’t argue with her. He looked perfectly content to lose sleep if it meant being surrounded by his wife and children. After exchanging a few hugs and kisses, she and Pesh headed out into the hallway and let the next group in.

As they walked down the hall hand in hand, Pesh turned to her and smiled. “You know, I never thought I would see the day I would be envious of Aidan again.”

“What do you mean?”

He heaved a sigh. “Seeing him with his children makes me envious. One day I hope that’s you with my child in your arms.”

“Oh,” she murmured.

Whether or not they would have children together had never really been discussed. It was almost a given that they would, so it didn’t seem necessary to iron out when and how many. She wanted nothing more than to give Pesh a baby of his own. He was truly the father Mason had never had.

“Give me a year,” she said softly.

His brows furrowed in confusion. “What?”

“I’d like one year for us to be together as a married couple before we try to have children.”

“That only makes me an even older father,” he protested.

“You’ll be fine. You’re awfully spry for your old age.”

He laughed. “I just don’t want to be on a walker at his or her high school graduation.”

She smacked his arm playfully. “One year is not going to make that much a difference.”

“Fine. You win. We’ll wait one year.”

As the elevator doors dinged open, they stepped inside. Gazing down at her, Pesh said, “I couldn’t have picked a more amazing mother for my future children.”

“Yeah, I gotta agree that you did good, Nadeen. Real good,” she teased.