“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.

“Um, I think it’s safe to say that it isn’t fine. Or at least, he’s not fine.”

Liz fanned her face with her hand. “It’s like the moment Emma left the hotel, he freaked out. He woke up out of a dead sleep screaming for his mama. The poor baby-sitter hung in as long as she could before she finally called us.”

Megan cocked her head at Noah. “Poor thing.” She bypassed her aunts to hold out her arms. Considering he’d spent so much time with her, Noah happily reached for her, and Megan pulled him into her embrace. “Hey buddy, you’ve got to stop crying.”

He was snubbing so hard his breath came in big hiccups as his chest heaved. “Mama. Want mama,” he pleaded pitifully.

Megan hugged him tight to her chest. “I know, sweetie. But she’s at the hospital having your baby sister.”

Her answer didn’t satisfy him since he drew in a deep breath to start screaming again. She smiled at him. “You wanna go downstairs to the party?” He appeared thoughtful. “Pesh is downstairs. You wanna see him?”

“Esh?”

Megan laughed. “Yes, he’s down there.”

“See Esh,” he said, kicking his feet as if to tell her to start walking.

“Here. I’ll take him,” her mother suggested, reaching for Noah.

He shrieked before wrapping his arms tighter around Megan’s neck. “I think it’s safe to say he’s staying with me.”

“But it’s your engagement party,” Julia protested.

“Yes, and I’ve been enjoying it the last four hours. I don’t think watching him is going to take away anything for me.”

As she started out the doorway, she asked, “Is Mason okay?”

Her mother nodded. “Thank goodness he’s down the hall, or we’d have two toddlers running around at eleven o’clock.”

Megan giggled as she walked down the hall. Her necklace and the beaded sari seemed to be holding Noah’s interest. “Pretty, huh?” she asked, as they got on the elevator.

“Ooh, pwetty,” he mimicked.

When she got back downstairs, Pesh was seated at their table, talking to some of their colleagues. The moment Noah saw him, he reached out for Pesh. “Well hello, little one. Were you really crying because you wanted to come to our party?”

Noah grinned at Pesh behind his pacifier, which caused Pesh to smile. “He looks so much like Aidan when he does that, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, he does. I’m sure he’s going to use that cute little grin to his advantage when he gets older, just like his daddy did.” She eased into the chair beside them.

After spitting out his pacifier, Noah asked, “Daddy?”

“Uh, oh, I shouldn’t have said that,” Megan muttered under her breath.

“My daddy?”

“He’s at the hospital with Mommy. We’ll take you there in the morning,” she replied.

That statement caused Noah’s lip to tremble. Before he could start crying, Pesh rose out of his chair. “Let’s go look at all the pretty party decorations.”

Megan smiled as she watched Pesh take Noah around the room. Her heart warmed at his thoughtfulness. She couldn’t believe there was ever a time when she fought her feelings for him. There wasn’t a better man in the whole world, and the fact that he loved her was a true miracle.

By the time Pesh returned, Noah had fallen asleep. He carefully sat back down beside her. “Here,” she suggested, taking off her glittering drape. She wrapped the fabric over Noah like a blanket.

“Did I mention how much I loved you in a sari?” Pesh questioned, with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

She glanced down to see the top had her boobs bulging out the front as well as the fact her stomach was now bared. “I’ll have to wear one more often for you.”

“I would love that.”

When her phone beeped, she reached across the table and grabbed it. “Oh my God!”

“What?” Pesh asked.

“That was Aidan. The baby is already here.”

“Considering it’s a second baby, it isn’t too surprising.”

“I need to tell my mom and aunts.”

He nodded. “Go ahead. We’re fine.”

Megan smiled at Noah sleeping soundly against Pesh’s chest. “Be right back.” She made her way over to her family’s table. “That was Aidan. Caroline was just born.”

A whoop went up around the table. “Is Emma okay?” Becky asked.

Megan nodded. “He said mother and baby are doing great.”

Julia shook her head and smiled. “Aidan with a daughter—now that’s going to be something to see.”

They all laughed. “That’s so true,” Megan said.

Becky glanced at the group. “Why don’t we go see them? I mean, the hospital isn’t too far from here.”

Angie nodded. “Sounds good to me. I’d personally like to see Aidan in action with his baby girl.”

With a snort, Megan added, “I would have liked to have been in the delivery room when she was first born. His expression then would have been priceless.”

“I bet he cried,” Liz said.

“Oh yeah, he bawled for sure,” Angie replied, with a grin.

As her aunts started gathering up their purses and telling their husbands where they were going, Megan said, “I want to go too.” Before they could argue, she held up her hand. “It’s late. The party is pretty much over, and there’s two more next week at some of Pesh’s relatives’ houses. Besides, I want to see the newest Fitzgerald baby girl.”

Her mother frowned. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.”

“All right. Go tell Pesh, and we’ll meet you out front.”

She smiled as she went back to their table. “My mom and aunts are going to the hospital to see Aidan and Emma.”

“You want to go?”

Her heart warmed at the fact that he already knew what she was feeling. “Do you mind?”

He shook his head. “Of course not. Can I go too or is this just a hen party thing for the women?”

She laughed. “Yes, you can come.”

Pesh glanced down at Noah. “He’s going to want to see his mother.”

“Oh yes. I don’t think we could go without him.”

As Pesh rose out of the chair, Noah stirred but didn’t wake up. “Get Aidan and Emma’s keys out of my pocket.”

She nodded and reached into his pants. When she accidentally touched his penis through the fabric, he jumped. “Sorry about that,” she replied, as she pulled out the keys.

“No problem,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

They said a quick goodnight to Pesh’s parents and other relatives who remained. Then they headed out to the lobby. After giving the valet Aidan’s keys, they waited for the SUV to be brought around. When she caught her reflection in the glass doors of the hotel, she gasped.