“I’m ready to make an honest man out of you, too.”
Pesh threw his head back and chuckled. “Only you would say something like that.”
“Hey, the truth is the truth.”
The song ended, and Pesh escorted her back to their table. After they finished with the blessings from Pesh’s family, dinner was served. Megan couldn’t believe all the food that was paraded by her. She lost count on how many plates of delicious Indian food she sampled. By the time the desserts came out, she was thoroughly stuffed and couldn’t eat any. “Let’s go mingle,” she suggested when Pesh also turned down any dessert.
“Sounds good to me,” he said, before getting out of his chair.
They made their way through the maze of tables, talking to family and friends. Megan was introduced to so many of Pesh’s relatives that she was sure she would never be able to remember them all. When they finally got to the Fitzgerald tables filled with her parents and aunts and uncles, she was thrilled when Pesh took a seat across from Aidan and Emma.
After they had been talking for a while, Emma turned Aidan. “Do you think Noah’s okay?”
Aidan smiled. “I’m sure he’s fine, babe. The sitter looked very qualified.”
Although Emma nodded her head, Megan could tell that she wasn’t convinced. Both Mason and Noah were upstairs in the hotel with babysitters outside of their family for the first time in their young lives. Megan shared a bit of Emma’s apprehension, but when she had dropped Mason off in the suite, he seemed to get along with the woman they had hired.
“I might just go peek in on him. You know, make sure she got him to sleep,” Emma said, rising out of her chair.
Aidan shook his head and stood up. “You need to be off your feet. You said yourself you weren’t feeling too well before we left.”
Emma shot him a murderous look. “Thanks for saying that in front of Pesh and Megan.”
Aidan gave them a sheepish grin. “Sorry guys. I hope it doesn’t ruin your fabulous party knowing that Emma, at nine months pregnant and some change, wasn’t feeling wonderful.”
Megan laughed while Pesh shook his head. “Emma, if you want to go on upstairs and lie down, we won’t be hurt. I remember how awful it feels being overdue,” Megan said.
“No, I’m fine. I want to stay,” Emma replied. When Aidan motioned for her to have a seat, she shook her head. “I need to go to the restroom.”
“You want me to go check on Noah?”
Emma sighed. “I’m sure he’s fine or the sitter would have texted me. I’m just being overprotective.”
Aidan gave her a quick kiss. “Love you, sweetheart.”
She smiled at him. “I love you, too.”
After she headed through the crowd to the bathroom, Aidan began telling Pesh some wild story from work that had Pesh doubled over with laughter. When Emma returned, she didn’t sit back down. Instead, she swayed back and forth on her feet next to her chair.
“Aidan,” she said in a strained voice. Megan couldn’t help noticing how Emma had paled considerably since her trip to the bathroom just a few minutes before.
He held up his finger. “One second, babe. I gotta finish telling Pesh this story.”
“But my water broke.”
Without taking his eyes off Pesh, Aidan slid his glass of water over to her. “Here take mine.”
If the situation hadn’t been dire, Megan would have laughed at how oblivious Aidan was. Pesh leaned forward in his seat. “Um, Aidan, I think—”
He didn’t get a chance to finish. Instead, water splashed against the side of Aidan’s face. He shot out of his chair before whirling around to Emma. “What the hell, Em?”
“My. Water. Broke,” she muttered through gritted teeth.
“Oh shit,” he replied. After tossing his napkin back on the table, he held up a hand. “Okay, it’s fine. No need to panic. We’re not that far from the hospital—”
“Like twenty minutes,” Emma argued.
Aidan’s hands came to her shoulders. “It’ll be fine, babe. I promise.”
Emma huffed out a few frustrated breaths as she weighed his words. Then her grim expression softened. “Okay.”
Aidan grinned as he turned back to Pesh and Megan. “I hate to cut and run, but it looks like baby Caroline is a big attention whore who wants all the glory tonight.”
Megan rose out of her chair. “Don’t you worry about it one bit. Since she’s a week overdue, I’m going to let her have this one without accusing her of trying to steal the limelight.”
“Can we do anything?” Pesh asked.
While Aidan shook his head, Emma said, “Just make sure Noah is okay.”
Angie rose out of her chair. “I’ll go check on him right now.”
Emma smiled. “Thanks.”
Aidan dug around in his pocket. When he produced a set of keys, he tossed them at Pesh. “Since I came after work, Em and I are in separate cars. Whoever has Noah overnight will need our SUV to get him to the hospital tomorrow.”
Pesh nodded as Megan said, “Good thinking. I’m not sure if Mom is taking him or Becky.” At Emma’s somewhat apprehensive look that there wasn’t a strict plan in place for Noah, Megan said, “It’ll be fine. I promise.”
“Okay,” she said, a little reluctantly.
Sliding his arm around Emma’s waist, Aidan said, “Come on, sweetheart. We need to go.”
At the feel of Pesh’s hand on her back, Megan glanced up at him. “Exciting night for them, eh?”
“Yes, it is.”
“How about letting me take you for another spin on the dance floor?”
“I’d love that.”
As an Indian love song flowed out from the speakers, Megan wrapped her arms around Pesh’s neck. This time he didn’t bother dancing more formally like he had in Savannah. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her flush against him. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on his broad chest, loving the gentle beat of his heart beneath his shirt.
When the song finished, they didn’t move. They just waited for the next one. Thankfully, it was another slow one. Halfway through, she felt a tug on the bottom of her drape. Glancing down, she saw Georgie peering up at her. “What are you doing, sweetie?” she asked.
He glanced left and right before he spoke. “Mommy told me not to tell anybody, but she needs you to come up to her hotel room.”
“Okay. What for?”
“Noah’s going crazy wanting Aunt Emma, and she thinks you’re the only one that might be able to get him to calm down.”
“Ah, I see.”
When she turned back to Pesh, he smiled. “You don’t even need to apologize. Go see if you can help.”
She leaned up and gave him a smacking kiss on the lips. “Thank you for being so amazing each and every moment of the day.”
His thumb brushed against her cheek. “You’re welcome, my love.”
“Be back as soon as I can.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
Taking Georgie’s hand, she made her way off the dance floor and out of the ballroom. After getting on one of the elevators, they rode to the sixth floor. She let Georgie lead the way. He stopped halfway down the hall and knocked on the door. By then, she didn’t have to guess which room Noah was in. She could hear his screams all the way outside. When Becky flung open the door, she waved Megan through with her hand. “The others didn’t want me to interrupt you, but we’ve been trying the last hour to get him to calm down, and he’s just not having it.”
Megan found the scene in hotel room somewhat comical. Her mother, along with her aunts Julia and Liz, stood in a circle around one of the beds. Outfitted in a fuzzy, blue footed sleeper, Noah sat in the middle of the mattress, his cheeks streaked and soaked with tears and his face red from crying. “What is the matter?” Megan asked.
Everyone whirled around to look at her. “Nothing. Everything’s fine. Go back to your party,” Angie said, over Noah’s wails.