“There is not a doubt in my mind that Emma loves you, and while Dr. Nadeen’s interest might be flattering, it will only serve one purpose.”
“And what’s that?” Aidan croaked.
“To show her there’s no one else in the world for her but you.”
They were interrupted by Julia sweeping through the door with her husband, Tim. While Becky, Angie, and Aidan favored their mother, Julia and Liz both took after Patrick with their dark hair and eyes. She gave Aidan a quick hug before wagging her finger at Patrick. “Pop, I can’t believe it took a collapse at the VFW to finally get you checked out!”
Patrick rolled his eyes. “I was going to the doctor next week.”
“Always a stubborn ass,” Julia replied, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m just thankful you weren’t alone. Thank God Emma was there, and you were so close to the fire station.”
The mention of Emma’s name heightened Aidan’s senses. She had been gone an awfully long time to get a drink. “Speaking of Em, I better go find her.”
“You do that, son.”
“She was out in the hallway when we came in,” Julia replied.
As Aidan whirled around, he stumbled over his feet, almost knocking Tim over. Julia grabbed his arm to steady him. “Easy, Little Brother. I don’t think she’s running away. Yet.” She then winked at Aidan.
“Thanks, Jules,” he mumbled under his breath. When he stepped out into the hallway, he craned his neck left and right, but he didn’t see Emma. Walking briskly, he smacked the button for the Authorized Personnel Only entrance and walked into the waiting room. Slumped in one of the chairs, Emma’s fingers texted furiously on her phone.
“Em?”
She jumped at his voice. “I, uh, I thought you and your family needed some space.”
“That was sweet, but you could never be in the way,” he said.
Emma held his gaze until her cheeks tinged, and she dropped her head. “I was just seeing if Casey or Connor could take me to get my car.”
“I’ll will,” he offered.
Nibbling her bottom lip, he could tell Emma didn’t like his proposal at all. “Well, since it’s Saturday night, I can’t seem to get either of them to answer, so…”
“Good. Then it’s settled.” He held out his hand to her. She eyed it warily. “Let’s go tell Pop goodbye.”
Hesitantly, she put her hand in his. Crackling electricity surged from his fingers all the way up his arm. From her stunned expression, he wasn’t the only one to experience it. He refused to let go until she pried her grip from his. He didn’t argue with her. Instead, he pressed his hand into the small of her back, leading her to Patrick’s room.
When they got to the doorway, they found the room was empty. “Oh, they must’ve already taken him upstairs.”
The corners of Emma’s mouth turned down in a frown. “I didn’t get to tell him good-bye.”
“I’ll text Julia and get her to tell him I’m taking you home.”
Emma bobbed her head in agreement.
As they started back down the hall, he turned to her. “I could pick you up in the morning, so you could see him before the surgery.”
“Aidan, I—”
He grimaced. “Yeah, I guess I’m the last person on earth you want to spend time with, huh?”
She reached out and touched his arm. Once again, electricity pulsed through him, and he fought to catch his breath. “I just thought it would be better for me to drive myself, so you don’t have the burden of taking me home tomorrow after Patrick’s surgery.”
“Trust me. Pop’ll have my sisters fawning all over him.” He swept a lock of hair away out of her face and pinned it behind her ear. “Besides, you could never be a burden to me.” His fingertips feathered across her neck, causing Emma to shiver.
Her eyes widened, and she jerked away. “We should get going.” She spun around and started power-walking back into the waiting room. Aidan almost had to break into a jog to catch up with her.
When she started out the door, he grabbed her arm. “Wait here. I’ll go get the car.”
“Thank you,” she replied, ducking her head.
Aidan experienced a bounce in his step as he started into the parking lot. He had a chance to be with Emma again, and he was going to get her to see the truth if it was the last thing he did.
CHAPTER FOUR
Aidan had barely put the car in park by the curb when he hopped out. “What—” she began, but then she realized he was getting out to open the door for her. She couldn’t help but c**k her eyebrows at him. “My, my, aren’t we the gentleman tonight?”
He gave her a tight smile. “If you’ll really stop and think about it, I was always a gentleman.” His body gave a slight tremor when she crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, for the most part, at least.”
“I guess,” she replied. He motioned for her to get inside. With the biting chill in the air, Emma gladly slid across the warmed leather seats of Aidan’s car.
He closed the door and then hurried around to his side. “It’s awfully cold for October, isn’t it?” he mused.
Shivers went all down Emma’s body like rivulets of rain. Immediately she thought of their parking lot conversation after Aidan first propositioned her at O’Malley’s. He had been nervous then and talked of traffic. She knew now just how nervous he was since he had resorted to talking about the weather. The memory touched a raw nerve, sending a longing ache for the past through her.