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.