“Don’t tell me it’s because of your damn Irish intuition,” Aidan said, quirking his eyebrows.
“No, it’s because Becky got a hold of her leaving here tonight.”
Groaning, Aidan rubbed his hands over his face. “Great. I’m sure they’ll be leading a charge over here at any moment to roast my manhood over an open flame!”
Patrick chuckled. “Don’t sell your sister short. She and the rest of the girls may want to castrate you for your actions, but they do love you and want to see you happy.” He leaned forward and patted Aidan’s hand. “And they know how you’ve screwed up in the past and sabotaged your own happiness.”
Aidan’s nostrils flared in anger. “They don’t know the whole story, Pop. They don’t know what Amy did!”
“I know that. It’s a secret that stayed firmly between you, Amy, and myself.”
Clenching his fists, Aidan said, “Don’t you know how many times I wanted to scream at Mom when she was singing Amy’s praises, throwing it in my face about how she was married and happy? If she had only known it was Amy who f**ked me up in the head for any other woman.”
“That was your choice not to tell her, son. I didn’t like keeping it from her. Your mother and I had so few secrets, but I kept yours.”
Aidan softened his furious expression. “I appreciated it, Pop.”
Patrick smiled. “You’re welcome.” He got up and poured out the remainder of his coffee in the sink. “So, you’re going to talk to Emma and tell her the truth about Amy?”
“Yeah. Just as soon as she’ll speak to me.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” Patrick glanced at his watch. “Well, I guess I better be hitting the road.”
Aidan’s chest clenched at the prospect of being alone. “It’s awfully late for you to be out driving. Maybe you should stay here for the night.”
He met his father’s gaze. With his eyes, Aidan tried saying what he was too embarrassed to admit: He didn’t want to be alone.
Patrick gave a brief nod of his head. “I guess you’re right. You don’t mind putting your old man up for the night?”
Aidan gave a half smile. “I’d be happy to.”
CHAPTER TWO
Three Weeks Later
“N, Thirteen,” the Bingo announcer’s voice droned.
“What did he say, dear?” Mrs. Petersen asked Emma, glancing down at her card.
Knowing that Mrs. Peterson was practically stone deaf, even with her hearing aids, Emma drew in a deep breath and shouted, “N, THIRTEEN!”
Mrs. Petersen smiled and bobbed her gray head.
When Patrick chuckled beside her, Emma arched her eyebrows. “What?”
“Come on, Emma, you’re a beautiful, vibrant young woman. What in the hell are you doing here at the VFW with me and a bunch of other old farts?”
She giggled. “Are you kidding? How could I miss Saturday Bingo? What about all the fabulous prizes I could win? That bulk sized box of Depends is calling my name.” When his chest vibrated with amusement, she wagged a finger at him. “Hey, you shouldn’t laugh. You’ve had a pregnant wife and daughters. You know lack of bladder control is serious business.”
His eyes widened. “Such a little sass pot, aren’t you? What a mouth you’ve got for such a supposedly sweet girl.”
Emma’s heart stilled as she heard Aidan’s deep voice echo in her ears, “That mouth of yours is trouble.” A raging ache burned through her chest, and she fought to catch her breath. Trying to push the painful memories away, she shook her head. “Well, you know the real reason I’m here is because you’ve been having dizzy spells and shouldn’t drive.”
He scowled. “Becky took both sets of my car keys before she and Liz blew town!”
“It’s Fall Break for their kids, and they’re only going to be in Disney World for four days. It’s not their fault they were worried enough about you to take your keys. It’s your own fault for allowing that damn Fitzgerald stubbornness to keep you from going to the doctor.”
“I have an appointment next week.” When Emma raised her eyebrows skeptically, Patrick swiped his finger over his heart and swore, “Scout’s Honor.”
“If you say so. I should insist on taking you myself to ensure you get there.”
Patrick groaned. “Great. Now I have another worrywart daughter on my ass all the time.”
Emma’s heart warmed at the notion of being considered as his daughter. Regardless of how she felt about Aidan, she could never, ever distance herself from Patrick and his love.
After a woman with a blue bouffant clapped her hands manically and shouted, “Bingo!” Patrick leaned forward in his chair, a serious expression washing over his face. “So are we not going to talk about the white elephant in the room?”
Emma cut her eyes over to him and grinned. “You mean the fact that one of the prizes is an enema bag?”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Patrick huffed, “That is not what I’m talking about, and you know it.”
She ducked her head, staring down at her Bingo card like it was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen. “I’d rather not,” she whispered.
“Look, Em, I’m sure you’re already experiencing the intense love a parent can have for their child. Aidan is my son, and I love him with all my heart.” When she jerked her head up to glare at him, he held up both his hands in surrender. “But that doesn’t mean I condone what he did to you. Trust me, I wanted to inflict bodily harm on him.” An amused glint twinkled in his dark eyes. “Well, I sort of did.”