“Okay. Shoot.”

“So about this next business trip?” she asked.

“Hmm?” he murmured, tangling his fingers through her damp hair.

“Do you have plans for the weekend after you get back?”

“Not that I know of. Why?”

Emma knew it was now or never to approach him with this potential bomb. Sure two months had rolled by where they had been spending more and more time together. He kept his devotion to monogamy, even going so far as to skype and call her late nights when he was away. Most nights he was in town, she slept over or he slept at her house. But they still hadn’t quite breached the level of commitment she wanted, nor had they said the “l” word that she so craved to hear.

“Well, it’s my family’s annual Barn Dance up in the mountains. My mom’s family that is.”

Aidan snickered. “And what exactly is a Barn Dance?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. My cousins’ band plays music, people dance, there’s usually homemade BBQ…and moonshine.” Emma grinned at Aidan’s wide eyes. “Mainly it’s a family reunion of sorts. I planned on going up on Saturday afternoon and coming back Sunday evening. I would really like it if you joined me. My grandparents are especially interested in meeting you.”

Aidan smiled. “Sure.”

“Really?” Emma squeaked, unable to hold back her shock.

Aidan nodded. “You’ve suffered through meeting most of my family. I should repay the favor. Besides, I always love getting out of the city for the mountains. We could even take Beau with us.”

Emma laughed. “Oh, he’ll be in doggie heaven at my grandparents. They have about thirty acres of land along with a pond.”

“That sounds amazing for more than just Beau.”

Emma couldn’t still the fluttering of her heart at his excitement about meeting her family. “So I can tell Grammy we’re coming?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Aidan threw the last of his clothes in the suitcase and then zipped it up. He grunted in frustration when his cell went off in his pocket. Since he was already running late to pick up Emma, he didn’t need any more interruptions. Luckily, he knew it wasn’t her demanding to know where he was because it wasn’t her familiar ring tone. “Hello?”

A slightly inebriated voice boomed on the other line. “Fitzy, where the hell are ya man? The entire gang is down at O’Malley’s waiting on your sorry ass!”

It was his buddy Blake. Aidan had conveniently forgotten to tell him and the other guys from work he wouldn’t be making their usual Saturday meet-up. “Sorry dude, I’m about to head out of town with Em.”

“You’re with Emma again?” he whined, over the roar of the boisterous crowd in the background.

“Yeah, we’re going to visit her family up in the mountains. A Barn Dance or some shit.”

“Fuck that, man. You spend all your time with her now. Not to mention you’ve got a kid on the way. You might as well have grown a vagina.”

“Yeah, spending lots of sexy time with a beautiful, fiery redhead really makes me a pu**y!” Aidan replied, with a chuckle.

Blake snorted. “You have no idea the f**king quicksand you’re treading on. Sure, it seems like easy fun now, but just wait. Emma’s no fool. She’s tightening her noose, and you’re too mind f**ked to see it.”

“Don’t be saying shit like that about Emma,” Aidan snarled.

“I’m not the only one saying it, Fitzy. The whole gang is worried about you. And don’t say we don’t know what we’re talking about. Three of us have been through divorces, remember?”

Aidan shifted the phone to his other ear. He wasn’t enjoying the turn the conversation had taken. He didn’t like Blake’s tone or the potential truth in his words either. “Nice groups of friends I’ve got running their mouths behind my back.”

“Yeah, well, just mark my words. If you don’t get out fast, you’ll wish you had listened to us one day.”

“Go f**k yourself, Blake!” Aidan shouted before hanging up. He shoved his phone back in his pocket. Who the hell did Blake think he was? Emma wasn’t forcing him to do anything. No woman ever had and no woman ever would. He was with her because he was enjoying what they had. There was nothing wrong with that. He was giving just as much as he wanted to, and she wasn’t forcing his hand at anything else.

At the thought of his friends drinking and giving him shit about Emma, he couldn’t help muttering, “Douchebags.” He grabbed his suitcase and whistled for Beau. “Come on, boy. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Beau happily complied and went into full wiggling mode when he saw he was getting in the car. Knowing he was running late, he sped along the interstate and then zipped along the familiar streets over to Emma’s house. He pulled in her driveway at a little after three. He ignored the text buzzing in his pocket because he was sure it was her. Instead, he hopped out. Beau started to nudge forward, but he shook his head. “Stay boy.”

After jogging up the front walk, he smacked the doorbell. “It’s open!” she called.

As he pushed through the door, he saw her suitcase and purse sitting on the foyer floor. He heard rustling around in the kitchen. “Sorry, I’m a little late. Beau took forever to pee,” he lied. He didn’t feel the need to tell her one of his asshat friends had made him later than Beau’s bladder.

“You didn’t leave him at home, did you?”

Aidan laughed. “No, he’s having a fit in the car. I swear he recognizes your house.”

Emma’s girlish giggle floated back to him. “Poor baby. It’s been his off and on again home the last few months. I put him a rawhide bone in my purse to help make the trip. But we’ll probably need to stop off once to let him pee.” She gave a frustrated sigh. “Who am I kidding? I’ll probably have to stop more to pee than Beau will!”

She came around the corner, and his heart shuddered to a stop. Every time he saw her after being out of town, she took his breath away. She wore an emerald green sundress with thin spaghetti straps. The hemline fell just below her knees. Her enhanced pregnancy cle**age strained against the cups on the bodice. But it was the brown cowboy boots that made him do a double take.

Emma started to rush past him to throw something in her suitcase when Aidan reached out and pulled her to him. “Damn, you look sexy as hell.”