“My,” sniffle, “cupcake.”
“I’m really sorry,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender. “My name’s Arik and I’m an asshole.”
Sniffle, “I know,” Melanie said with a sad nod as she turned around and headed back inside, not really surprised when Arik followed her.
Deciding that she’d more than earned a break, Melanie sat down on the couch and curled up in her blankets. When he opened his mouth, most likely to apologize again, she simply raised her hand and pointed towards the kitchen. Frowning, Arik followed the gesture and-
“Oh, my god,” he said in a reverent whisper when he saw all the food.
“Timer’s about to go off,” Melanie said as she tried to get comfortable only to give up, struggle to get back to her feet and waddled towards her bedroom.
Thirty minutes later, she was curled up on her side where she decided that she would wait until Aidan came home so that he could-
“You’re clearly carrying a Bradford,” Arik said with a thoughtful expression on his face as he walked into the room with two plates overflowing with food and sat down on the bed next to her.
“Who are you?” he asked as he placed one of the plates down on the bed next to her.
“Melanie,” she said, picking up her fork and took a bite of fettuccini before adding, “Rebecca’s bitch,” making his lips twitch.
“And Aidan’s the father,” Arik guessed correctly as he reached over and helped himself to one of the bottles of water that Aidan left on the nightstand for her.
“Yes,” Melanie said, shifting her attention to one of the biscuits he’d buttered for her.
“Does my mother know?”
“Yes,” Melanie said only to wince when the baby kicked her, forcing her to try to sit up.
Without a word, Arik placed their plates on the nightstand and when she kept struggling to get comfortable, he grabbed the pillows from the other side of the bed and stuffed them behind her.
“And my mom’s pissed,” he correctly guessed while Melanie was forced to shift, wiggle, and groan as she tried to get comfortable.
“You could say that,” Melanie said, once again forced to give up trying to get comfortable and settled for lying there, sighing unhappily until another kick to her ribs had her once again moving, shifting, sighing, and shifting again.
“Are you comfortable?” Arik asked, sounding amused.
Now that he mentioned it…
Chapter 21
Are you going to tell me what you’re doing here?” Aidan asked when another minute went by and his eleven o’clock appointment continued to sit there, glaring at him.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Jason, his asshole cousin and the reason that he felt a migraine coming on, said in a harsh whisper.
“Look, Jason, I-”
“I can’t keep living like this,” Jason said with a sniffle.
“Like what?” Aidan asked, sighing heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose even as he had to hand it to his father because the man definitely knew how to make his life a living hell.
While Aidan had been trying to make sure that Melanie had everything that she was going to need today, his father had been busy making sure that Aidan knew just how pissed he was. He’d switched out Aidan’s caseload and hand-selected every patient that Aidan had to see today, making sure to keep his schedule open later this afternoon to cover sick visits, lice, and walk-in emergencies that could be handled with an ice pack and a few Advil.
“I just need a moment,” the asshole that he got stuck with thanks to his father, said with a shuddering sigh as he wrapped his arms around himself.
“Please don’t make me kill you,” Aidan said, hoping that his cousin cut him some slack and got to the point because he honestly wasn’t sure that he could handle this today.
“You insensitive bastard,” Jason whispered with a sniffle before releasing a shuddering sigh as he raised his hand and pointed one damning finger towards the small woman sitting quietly in the corner where she was reading on her Kindle. “She’s trying to kill me!”
“We talked about this,” Haley said, not bothering to look up from her Kindle as she pushed her glasses back up her nose.
“I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” Jason said with a sad shake of his head that had Aidan reaching for the small pack of Excedrin in his pocket that he’d grabbed when he’d realized who his next patient was.
“Take what?” Aidan asked as he pulled his cellphone out of his back pocket and checked to see if Melanie texted him only to bite back a groan when he saw the message waiting for him.
“All the dirty things she does to me,” Jason said with an accusing glare at Haley.
“This again?” Haley asked with a sad shake of her head and a bored sigh as she swiped to the next page.
“Yes, this again!” Jason snapped while Aidan popped the aspirin in his mouth and swallowed them dry.
Deciding to take advantage of his cousin’s bullshit, Aidan checked his schedule, noted that his next appointment had been canceled and that he didn’t have anything scheduled until two o’clock. That gave him enough time to take Melanie out for lunch, something that had him praying that his cousin took pity on him and cut the bullshit so that he could go see her.
“You’re overreacting,” Haley said, still not bothering to look up from her Kindle.
“Maybe we should let the doctor decide that.”
“Maybe you should tell me what’s going on,” Aidan countered, knowing that this could go on for a while.
“Happily,” Jason said with a glare at his wife before shifting his attention back to Aidan. “She’s pregnant and refuses to listen to reason,” Jason said, taking Aidan by surprise.
“You’re pregnant?” Aidan asked, glancing back at Haley to find her smiling that same smile that Melanie wore when she told him that they were having a boy. That smile told him everything that he needed to know. Melanie already loved their son and would do whatever it took to keep him happy and safe, which he was counting on.
“Yes, which means that she should be taking it easy and keeping her dirty little hands off me!”
“Did your doctor tell you to go on bed rest?” Aidan asked, glancing back at Jason to find the large bastard glaring at him.
“I don’t fucking care what he said. She should be resting,” Jason bit out.
“I see,” Aidan murmured as he glanced back at the cute little thing that had somehow managed to put up with his cousin’s bullshit for the last fifteen years and asked, “Are you having any problems?”
“Just him,” Haley said, gesturing lazily towards the man gasping in outrage.
“I’m the love of your life!”
“Well, I won’t really know that until my second husband,” she pointed out with a shrug and a sympathetic wince that had Aidan biting back a smile.
“Like you’d ever leave me.”
“At least, not without a backup plan,” Haley mumbled thoughtfully with another shrug.
“Oh, my god,” Jason said, shaking his head in disgust. “That’s been your plan all along, hasn’t it? You were just using me for my body!”
“Pretty much,” Haley said as a text alerted him to the fact that his reprieve was finally over.
*-*-*-*
“There’s no pleasing that woman!” his cousin Theo snapped as he stumbled out of Melanie’s room, struggling to pull his shirt on as Aidan stood there, wondering why his family was here.
Dropping his bag by the door, he took in his siblings and cousins sitting around Melanie’s apartment, the bags of food from the Fire & Brimstone and Dixon’s Bakery, and catering pans filled with food covering every available surface and found himself focusing back on Theo, who was now pouting in the corner with a plate of food in his hands.
Curious, Aidan headed towards the bedroom, ignoring Lucifer’s mumbled, “This just isn’t going to work for me,” as he walked past the nursery, the glares that his family was sending him, and found hi
mself wondering why his brothers were in bed with Melanie. Actually, what he was wondering was why Danny was half-naked in bed with Melanie in his arms.
“You know who we should call?” Kasey asked from where she was curled up in her husband’s arms next to the bastard that Aidan was going to kill.
“Roger,” Zoe, who was sitting on the floor between Trevor’s legs, said.
“God, can that man snuggle,” Kasey said with a dreamy sigh that had her husband glaring down at her.
“He really can,” Necie said, nodding in agreement as Aidan shifted his glare to Melanie and realized that she was struggling to get comfortable and looked beyond fucking exhausted.
“Get out,” Aidan said, already reaching for his tie as he toed off his shoes.
Danny opened his mouth to say something but saw the murderous expression on Aidan’s face and decided to keep his mouth shut while he carefully climbed out from behind Melanie. Before her back hit the pillows, Aidan was there, climbing in behind her and wrapping his arms around her.
“Looks like the Bradford curse is in full effect,” Danny said, sending him a wink as he grabbed his shirt off the chair and pulled it back on before helping his wife to her feet.
“The curse is bullshit,” Aidan said, even as he continued to glare at the bastard.
“Then how do you explain that?” Danny asked, gesturing towards Melanie, who was already sound asleep because the men in his family believed in bullshit tales passed down from generation to generation meant to fuck with their heads.
“She’s exhausted,” Aidan said, in no fucking mood to deal with his family’s bullshit beliefs today.
While most of the men in his family believed in this happily ever after bullshit…it just wasn’t for him. He’d never had time for anything more than a casual fling, never been interested in anything more than that. He’d always liked his life and the freedom that came with it, but he had to admit that he liked this too.
“If you say so,” Danny said, shrugging it off as he headed towards the door only to pause as he said, “Someone will be back tomorrow to stay with her while you’re at work. We’re still figuring it out, but we’re going to make sure that she isn’t left alone again.”
“Thank you,” Aidan said, relieved that he wouldn’t have to worry about her anymore as he closed his eyes and felt himself drift off to the sounds of his brothers chuckling and murmurs about the Bradford curse.
*-*-*-*
“I lied about having my period for a year to get out of gym class,” Melanie found herself admitting when she opened her eyes to find Aidan glaring at her.
When he didn’t say anything, she moved on with, “When I was six, I tried to convince my parents that we’d be better off trading my sister for a puppy?”
That was followed with, “I’ve never been able to get past the first level of Tetris because I panic?” when he continued to glare.
Biting back a wince, Melanie said, “I love to cook.”
“And?” Aidan bit out.
“I may have overdone it,” she admitted when his eyes narrowed on her.
“We had an agreement,” Aidan said, looking pissed even as he reached over and gently pushed her hair out of her face.
“I know, but there were extenuating circumstances,” she said with a nod, really hoping that he was willing to leave it at that.
He wasn’t.
“And what exactly were they?” Aidan asked as he shifted so that he was lying on his side, facing her.
“I wanted to surprise you?” Melanie said with a hopeful smile as he placed his hand on her belly.
“And I was definitely surprised to find you in bed with my brothers,” he said, making her wince.
“I can explain that,” Melanie said, even though she had no idea how she was supposed to do that.
“And I can’t wait to hear it,” Aidan said, gently caressing her belly as she opened her mouth to explain what happened only to close it, frown, sigh, and finally admit, “They weren’t as comfortable as you.”
“I see,” he murmured, sounding thoughtful as he continued caressing her belly, looking lost in thought as she laid there, watching him.
He really was handsome, Melanie thought, as she reached over and ran her fingertips along his jaw, enjoying the feel of his stubble against her fingertips. He was also kind, sweet, and nothing like the man that she’d first met. When she’d first met him, he’d been charming with an equally charming smile, saying all those things that every woman wanted to hear and-
She liked this Aidan better.
She liked the fact that he didn’t always know what to say and when he did smile, they came easily. She liked the fact that he went out of his way to make her feel comfortable, teased smiles out of her when the nausea medication didn’t work and she wasn’t sure that she could take anymore, and held her, promising her that it was all going to be worth it when they got to hold their son.
“I have to tell you something,” Aidan said, leaning in to press a kiss against her forehead.
“What’s that?” she asked, wondering how such a simple kiss could feel so good.
“My mother invited us over for dinner Friday,” he said, sighing heavily.
“Why do you look like it’s the end of the world?” Melanie asked, unable to help but frown and not really seeing what the big deal was.
“Because they also invited your family.”
Chapter 22
“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Aidan said, glancing from the man that looked like he wanted to kill him back to Melanie only to find her digging through the shopping bag filled with a large assortment of candy bars and Hostess treats that he’d been forced to pick up when she’d calmly explained in minute detail what she would do to him if he didn’t get her a snack to hold her over until dinner.
“Do you think we have time to go back and see if they have any more Hostess lemon pies?” Melanie asked, worrying her bottom lip as his attention was once again drawn to the large man with a Marine tattoo wrapped around his forearm as he continued sitting there, glaring at Aidan as he absently drummed his fingertips against the armrest of his father’s favorite chair.
“How have you been, Mr. Robinson?” Aidan asked, only to end up biting back a sigh when Melanie’s father continued glaring at him.
Aidan turned his attention to the woman sitting across from him and decided to focus his attention back on Melanie when her mother narrowed her eyes on him. When he found Melanie debating between a Hostess cupcake and a Hostess apple pie, he couldn’t help but smile when she mumbled sadly, “I can’t decide.”
“Ah, you shouldn’t be eating that garbage,” a petite blonde said with a disapproving sigh as she reached over and-
“Don’t make me kill you,” Melanie said, not bothering to look up as she continued debating between snacks as her mother said, “Leave her alone, Caitlyn.”
“It’s not good for the baby,” the woman that he’d heard so much about, none of it good, said with a pointed look at the snacks in Melanie’s hands as she pulled a man with a sheepish smile on his face towards the loveseat by the window and sat down, snuggling up against his side before his ass had a chance to hit the cushion.
“The baby’s fine,” Aidan assured her even as he couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing here since Melanie’s parents told them that she couldn’t make it.
“What are you doing here, Caitlyn?” her mother asked, looking confused while her father released a resigned sigh.
“Why wouldn’t I be here?” Caitlyn asked with a perky smile as she laced her fingers with the man who hadn’t stopped staring at Melanie since he’d walked into the room.
“Because you weren’t invited,” her father said with a glare still locked on Aidan.
“Why wouldn’t we be invited?” Caitlyn asked, looking confused as she flipped her perfect honey blonde hair back over her shoulder.
“It’s fine,” Melanie mumbled absently as she handed him the lemon pie so
that she could continue searching through the bag.
“This is our daughter, Caitlyn and her fiancé, Adam,” her mother said as Aidan noted the way that Adam looked at Melanie and-
“After four years, we’re finally getting married!” Caitlyn said with a sheepish smile as she held up her left hand and gave her ring-finger a pointed wiggle.
“Jesus Christ,” her father said, rubbing his hands roughly down his face as the forced smile on her mother’s face froze and Melanie…Melanie briefly paused in search for the perfect snack to glance up at the happy couple and mumbled, “Congratulations,” before focusing back on her bag of treats. Aidan sat there watching her, noting the way she bit her bottom lip and the way that she gripped the plastic bag tightly in her hands.
“Why don’t we go have a look at the box of my old baby stuff that my mother left in my room?” Aidan suggested as he reached over and took Melanie’s trembling hand in his.
“Ooooh, I love baby stuff!” her sister gushed, moving to stand up and join them only to sit back down with a pout when her parents shot her matching glares.
With a gentle tug, Aidan pulled Melanie to her feet and led her out of the room and headed upstairs. By the time they made it to his old room, she was crying and for the first time in his life, he wanted to fucking kill someone.
“God, I’m such an idiot,” she said with a humorless chuckle as she wiped at the tears streaming down her face.
“No, you’re not,” Aidan said, watching as she walked over to the double bay window that he used to spend hours at when he was little, watching as the other kids played while he tried to work up the nerve to ask if he could join them.
He never did.
“Yes, I am,” Melanie said, shaking her head in disgust as she wrapped her arms around herself.
“Why’s that?” he asked as he closed the bedroom door.
Shaking her head, she said, “Because I should have known this would happen.”
Nodding absently, Aidan leaned back against the door as he debated giving her a moment, but that wasn’t really an option, which meant…
Irresistible (Neighbor from Hell Book 11) Page 11