The Proposal (25 page)

Her heart warmed at the seriousness his tone had
taken. “I’m fine.”

His lips tightened into a hard line. “Try to stay
off your feet as much as you can today.”

“Aidan,” she protested.

“I’m serious.”

“I was cleared to return to work and all normal
activity two weeks ago, remember?”

“That still doesn’t mean you should be going full
throttle all the time. It was one thing going back to work, but between the
rehearsal dinner and bachelorette party this week, you’ve been pushing
yourself.”

As much as she hated to admit it, she was exhausted.
“Okay, okay, Mr. Bossy. When we finish with the pictures, I’ll sit down and put
my feet up until the ceremony.”

A pleased smile filled his lips. “Good.” He brushed
one of the curly tendrils out of her face. “But save me at least one dance at
the reception.”

Her stomach clenched at the very mention of the
reception. Not only was she singing at the ceremony, but Casey had asked her to
sing during hers and Nate’s first dance. Aidan must’ve noticed her apprehension
because he drew her to him. “Getting stage fright?”

She gulped down the rising bile in her throat. “A
little.”

“You’ll sound amazing. You always do.”

“I hope so,” she croaked.

He pulled away to cup her face in his hands. “Well,
I know so.” He brought his lips to hers. Both a calming and pleasing tingle
spread from the top of her head down to her toes.

“No, no, no! Don’t you two start! You’ll ruin Emma’s
make-up before the pictures!” Casey protested.

Aidan groaned against her lips before Emma broke
apart from him. “You are such a bridezilla,” he kidded.

Casey laughed. “Watch it, Big Papa. I might find
another purse to nail you with.”

With a shake of his head, Aidan only chuckled at her
jibe. “Don’t think I haven’t warned Nate to steer clear of you when you’re
pissed and wielding a purse. It’s a dangerous weapon!”

Emma continued to be so shocked by their friendly
banter that she merely followed dumbly behind them as they walked into the
sanctuary. After taking a million pictures, first with Casey, and then after
she disappeared, with Nate, Emma began to feel her face was frozen in a smile,
and she might be blinded from all the flashbulbs.

All too soon it was time for the ceremony to start.
Emma took her place in front of Carlee and gazed out at the massive crowd in
attendance. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as Casey took her father’s
arm. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You’ll always be my little girl,” he
said.

A pang of sadness washed over Emma that her own
father would never walk her down the aisle. At the same time, she knew that if
she and Aidan ever married, Granddaddy would be more than happy to do the
honors. She turned away from her feelings of sadness and regret. Instead she
embraced the ones of pure and complete happiness at the future ahead for both
herself and Casey.

She didn’t have to force a beaming smile to her face
when she met Aidan at the altar door. As she slipped her arm through his to
take their walk down the aisle, Noah gave a gentle kick. She couldn’t help
feeling like the most blessed woman on earth.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Emma sat with the bridal party at the head table
under multiple glittering chandeliers. She couldn’t believe how beautiful
everything looked from the overflowing floral arrangements to the ice
sculptures. Casey and Nate’s families had gone all out for the reception.

After devouring his plate, Aidan cut his eyes over
to survey how she was playing with her food. “Noah’s going to get feisty if you
don’t eat,” he cautioned, wiping his mouth with his linen napkin.

“I’ll eat when I finish singing. The last thing I
want to do is puke from nerves on Casey and Nate’s big day.” At his skeptical
look, she replied, “I promise as soon as I’m done, I’ll shovel it in, including
several pieces of the bride
and
groom’s cakes!”

Aidan took a sip of champagne before nodding in
agreement. “When are you up?”

“After the speeches.”

“That’s not long.”

“Looks like it’s sooner than I thought,” she
replied, motioning to where Nate’s brother and best man stood with a microphone
in his hand.

While Anthony spoke, Emma noticed it was Aidan, not
herself, who had begun squirming in his seat. His hand shifted from his thigh
to his coat pocket several times. When she shot him a questioning look, he
mouthed, “Sorry.”

Once Anthony finished his speech to a round of
applause, Carlee took the microphone with a shaky hand. Already teary, she lost
it as soon as she began speaking about her sister. It wasn’t long before
everyone was crying, Emma included.

When the bandleader took the microphone from Carlee,
Emma felt the butterflies in her stomach turn to boulders. Once again, Aidan
became shifty in his seat. “Don’t tell me you’re nervous for me?” she whispered
in his ear.

“Oh, um…yeah, I think I caught your nerves or
something,” he finally mumbled.

“And now it’s time for the bride and groom to take
the floor for their first dance as man and wife.”

Emma winced. “That’s my cue.”

Aidan grinned. “Break a leg, babe.”

“Thanks a lot,” she mumbled.

Without anyone else seeing, he reached out and
smacked her ass. His playfulness melted her nervousness.

The first time Casey ever heard her sing at an open
mic night at one of their favorite coffee shops, she swore Emma sounded just
like one of her personal favorites, Patty Griffin. So there had never been any
question that Casey wanted Emma to perform
Heavenly Day
for her first
dance with Nate. It was also one of Emma’s favorite songs to sing.

She gripped the microphone confidently and stared
out into the packed ballroom. “Seven years ago my late fiancée said, ‘Hey, I
think you’re going to love my roommate’s girlfriend. She’s really sweet, but
more than that, she’s crazy and funny as hell too!’”

Emma smiled at the guest’s laughter. “I knew the
first time I met Casey that Travis had been right, and we were going to be best
friends. I also came to love Nate as well. I’ve been blessed to call her my
best friend for all these years, and that she and Nate have been a part of my
life in both the good times and the bad.” Emma saw the tears sparkling in
Casey’s eyes. “There aren’t words to express how happy and thrilled I am for
them as they start this new journey of their life together as man and wife. I
wish them all the blessings in the world and pray that God showers them with
many, many heavenly days.”

The band struck up the first few notes of the song,
and then Emma found herself wrapped in the zone. She poured her heart and soul
into the words, and when she finished carrying out the last note, she knew she
had hit it out of the park.

Thunderous applause sounded all around Emma,
bringing her out of the high she received from performing and back onto the
stage. She smiled at the reaction. “Thank you very much.”

When she handed the microphone back to the
bandleader, he cried, “Wasn’t that amazing?”

Applause continued ringing through the ball room,
causing Emma’s cheeks to redden even further. She hurriedly plopped down into
her seat next to Aidan.

“How many of you would like to hear Emma sing
something else?”

Whistles and cat calls erupted at the prospect.
“Looks like they want an encore, babe,” Aidan said, with a grin.

Emma shook her head. “I’ve already sang twice.
They’re going to think I’m some attention whore or something,” she protested.

“Not when people are requesting you do it.”

The band leader’s voice interrupted them. “Aidan,
why don’t you come up here and see if you can’t convince Emma to sing something
else for us?”

When he started to get up, Emma grabbed his shirt
sleeve and hung on for dear life. “No!” she screeched.

He smiled reassuringly down at her. “I’ll never
understand how one minute you can be the most self-possessed, professional
singer, and the next scared to death to perform.”

“It’s just part of my sweet neurotic side,” she
replied.

“Look, just take a deep breath. I’ll go make up some
excuse that you’re too exhausted to sing again in your delicate condition.”

“Thanks a lot,” she grumbled.

Aidan stepped over to the stage and took the
microphone from the band leader. He gazed out at the audience. “Well, I’m supposed
to be up here to either beg Em to sing for you again or to make her apologies.”
He glanced back at Emma. “But I must admit that the real reason I’m standing
before you has nothing to do with either one.”

A whisper of conversation cut through the crowd.
“I’m standing before you today as one of the happiest men in the world. I have
the love of a beautiful woman and a healthy son on the way. But even that isn’t
enough. Witnessing the commitment today at the ceremony, I can’t help but want
what Casey and Nate have.” A chorus of ‘aw’s” rang throughout the room. “So
there’s just one question I want to ask Emma right now.”

As he strode over to her, Emma couldn’t help feeling
absolute and total disbelief. He sat the microphone down on the table to a loud
squeal. Reaching into his suit pocket, he took out a black, velvet box. Emma
widened her eyes when it opened it to reveal a sparkling diamond.

Once he had it in his fingers, he knelt down on one
knee before her. “Emma Katherine Harrison, angel of mercy and forgiveness, love
of my life and mother of my son, will you make me the happiest man in the world
and say you’ll marry me?”

“Oh my God,” Emma murmured. She couldn’t stop the
tears from pooling in her green eyes as her hands flew to cover her mouth. “Oh
my God,” she repeated.

“That’s not exactly the response I was hoping for,”
Aidan teased.

Tears of elation streamed down her cheeks as she
threw her arms around his neck. “YES! Yes, I will marry you!”

The room erupted again with applause. Emma brought
her lips to Aidan’s. Just when he started to deepen their kiss, she pulled away
to feather kisses over his cheeks, his nose, and his forehead. Finally, she
brought her lips back to his.

He pulled from their embrace to take her left hand
in his. His thumb tenderly ran over her knuckles before he slid the ring on.
“There. Now we’re officially engaged.”

She giggled before grabbing him by his shirt and
jerking him to her again. As she kissed him passionately, he laughed against
her lips. “Em, you do remember we’re in a room full of people, right?”

She squealed and then pulled away. Laughter echoed
around them. “That’s a mighty fine yes, don’t you all agree?” he called the
crowd.

“Hell yeah!” Connor called from his table.

Emma covered her face in embarrassment. Fortunately,
the band leader came over and took the microphone back. “How about a song for
the newlyweds and the newly engaged couple?” he asked.

“No! I don’t want to take away anything from Casey’s
day,” Emma protested.

“Babe, she and Nate knew all about this. That’s what
I called to ask her about.”

“Really?” Emma then glanced past Aidan to where
Casey stood with a broad grin on the dance floor. When Emma raised her brows
questioningly, Casey nodded and then blew her a kiss. Looking for Nate’s
approval, he smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

“Okay then. Let’s dance.”

Aidan then led her out onto the floor. As she
brought her arms around his neck, she couldn’t help but stare in wonderment at
her ring. From time to time as they swayed to the music, she would momentarily forget
about it until the light caught the diamond, and it sparkled back at her. She
felt the urge to pinch herself to make sure it hadn’t all been some wonderful
dream.

“You like it?”

“It’s beautiful.”

Aidan beamed. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so
Connor helped me pick it out.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “He has damn good taste.” A grin cut
across his face. “Of course, each time I tried to go for a cheaper ring, he
liked to remind me of things from our past.”

Emma laughed. “I don’t think I even want to know what
all he said to induce you into buying such a large diamond.”

“He should think of a side career for the CIA. His
powers of persuasion are intense.”

The song then came to a close. “All right everyone.
It’s time to cut the cake. Does anyone wanna put good money on the fact that
Nate will be drenched in icing in about two seconds?” the bandleader questioned
to a chorus of laughter and catcalls.

After the cake was cut and everyone stuffed
themselves on the sugary, decadent deliciousness, Emma once again returned to
the dance floor with Aidan. As they swayed to the music, Aidan smiled down at
her. “So future Mrs. Fitzgerald, when are we going to tie the knot?”