Chapter Twenty-Five
EMMA
THE BESTEST OF BEST DAYS!
Hadley went on and on about how much fun she’d had with Jennifer. Aiden and I exchanged a few glances as Hadley barely took a breath.
“It was the bestest time ever! Did you have the bestest time ever?”
Aiden reached for my hand and squeezed it. The time we spent together in the cabin had indeed been the bestest time. I’d never been made to feel so wanted and loved. Aiden was sweet, yet passionate with his lovemaking. It didn’t take long for us to get lost in each other.
“I had the bestest of best days today, pumpkin.”
Giggling, I added, “And so did I.”
“What did you do to have a bestest day?” Hadley asked.
I felt my cheeks heat as Aiden winked. “Well, like I told you earlier, Emma and I are now dating.”
Hadley let out a squeal. “So you’re boyfriend and girlfriend?”
“We are.”
Hadley made a few other little shouts of delight, then went silent. I turned to see a serious expression on her face.
“Will you still be my nanny?”
Before I had a chance to answer, Aiden did. “Emma is still going to take care of you, pumpkin, but she’s not going to be called the nanny anymore.”
I raised my brows. “What am I going to be called?”
Aiden got a wicked smile on his face. “Daddy’s girlfriend.”
Laughing, I shook my head and looked back at Hadley. “I’m still going to be doing everything I did before, sweetheart.”
“I think we should make French toast to celebrate the bestest day.”
Aiden and I both laughed.
“How about we do pizza night?”
Gasping, Hadley asked, “Will you stay and make them with us?”
“I sure will.”
Pumping her fist, she shouted, “Yes! Pizza night!”
* * *
Pizza night was a total success, and by the time I’d popped some popcorn and made some hot chocolate to bring to the family room, Hadley was fast asleep.
“She’s out like a light. You should have seen how hard she was fighting to keep her eyes open.”
I set the tray down on the coffee table. “Poor little thing. It was a busy day.”
Aiden nodded. He lifted Hadley’s head off his lap and moved her so she’d be more comfortable on the sofa. I sat down next to him and handed him a cup of hot chocolate before grabbing mine.
“Let’s toast,” he said.
Smiling, I asked, “To?”
“Us. You, me, Hadley, and the future.”
“I’ll toast to that.”
We clinked the mugs together, and I took a sip. “Gosh, that tastes so good. Hadley doesn’t know what she’s missing.”
Aiden set his mug down after taking a drink. “You look like you’re suddenly deep in thought.”
Drawing my legs to my chest, I rested my chin on my knees. “Since we’re together now, I don’t feel right taking money from you any longer. I might have to find a part-time job though. I can’t live in the apartment rent free. I mean, I want to take care of Hadley, but I can’t not make money.”
“I’ve already been thinking about that. The other day, Hadley sat down at the piano in her youth class at church and started to play.
I still can’t believe how fast she’s catching on.
Becca Larson—she’s the Sunday school teacher—asked me who was giving Hadley lessons.
I told her it was you, that you were classically trained.
Doug, who’s Becca’s husband, is the conductor of the Rocky Mountain Symphony. And he mentioned he needs a pianist…”
“Go on,” I said as my heart started to hammer in my chest.
“He also said that he needs a piano teacher—who’s classically trained. I told him I wasn’t sure if you’d be interested, but—”
“Yes!” I cried out, then slapped my hand over my mouth. “Aiden, that would be a dream come true!”
“He said he’d work around your schedule as much as he could, but they mostly practice during the day anyway, when Hadley’s in school. He also said if you were interested, you could start as soon as possible.” He smiled widely. “I bet if you gave him a call right now, he’d be happy to talk to you.”
I could hardly hold back my tears as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a business card.
“Aiden, this is truly the bestest day of my life!”
Laughing, he pulled me onto his lap and kissed me softly before leaning his forehead to mine. “I love you, Emma.”
Feeling my tears slip free, I cupped his face in my hand. “I love you too.”
* * *
The room was dark until a spotlight hit me and the piano. With a deep breath, I started the beginning notes of “Carol of the Bells” as the light slowly grew to encompass the entire orchestra. It wasn’t long before I was completely lost in the music.
The sound of my fellow musicians joining in caused me to smile, and I looked up at Doug on the conductor’s podium. Since I was a little girl, I’d dreamed of playing with an orchestra, and I could hardly believe I was sitting onstage at the performance center.
After a few more Christmas songs, Doug turned to the audience.
“We have a very special performance planned for you. Our pianist, Emma Middleton, will be playing Beethoven ‘Moonlight Sonata’ with our orchestra, adding a bit more to the overall feel of the piece.”
Doug turned and looked back at me. I nodded, and he gave me the motion to begin. Even though we’d practiced the piece over and over, I was still moved by the music. I could feel the energy in the entire theater and knew others were just as moved.
I closed my eyes and let my fingers do what they loved doing, overwhelmed by the incredible feeling of being able to do something I was passionate about, and the knowledge that Aiden and Hadley, and everyone else I’d come to care so deeply for, were here with me tonight.
My fingers moved seamlessly over the keys as the melody moved through me. When I played the last note and it slowly faded away, it was so quiet in the cavernous space that I forgot I wasn’t alone for a moment.
Looking up, I saw Aiden in the front row.
He stood and started to clap as he brushed a tear from his face.
My eyes moved down to Hadley, who was smiling up at me.
I stood and made my way to the front of the piano and took a small bow.
It was our show-ending piece, and I felt emotionally drained, but in the best of ways.
In the lobby a short while later, I heard Hadley’s sweet little voice calling out to me. “Emma! Emma!”
I bent down to catch her as she jumped into my arms.
Patty cried out, “Oh, Hadley, watch out for Emma’s beautiful gown.”
Hadley smiled. “I helped her get dressed!”
Patty chuckled. “I know you did, and you did an amazing job.” She faced me. “Emma, the more I hear you play, the more moved I am. That was all so amazing, but that last piece. It was so… I don’t even have words.”
“Daddy cried.”
Aiden laughed as he said, “Hey, no ratting out your father, young lady.”
“What does that mean, Daddy?” Hadley asked with a crinkled-up nose.
“I’ll explain it later.” Aiden turned to me. “Did you need to change?”
With a nod, I reached up and kissed Aiden.
“Daddy and Emma sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”
“Okay, little one, that’ll be enough,” Aiden said, as he picked up a giggling Hadley. “Meet you back here in a few?”
“Sounds good.”
After getting help unbuttoning my gown, I carefully removed it and put it in a garment bag. I said my goodbyes to everyone and started down the long hall that ran past the bathrooms and up to the lobby.
I came to an abrupt halt when I saw Nancy.
“Nancy, what a pleasant surprise.”
She scowled at me. “Looks like you’re getting everything you wanted.”
With a tilt of my head, I gave her a questioning look. “How exactly would you know what I want?”
Rolling her eyes, she took a step closer to me. “He’s going to get bored with you, and when he does, I’ll be waiting. If there’s one thing you should know about me, Emma, it’s that I’m a very patient person.”
I laughed. “I’d say so. I mean, not many people would have waited for the best friend to pass away before making a move on their husband.”
A low growl came from the back of her throat.
“You mark my word, Ms. Nanny. You’ll be gone by the first of the year.
I see it when he looks at you. He’s bored already.
I just hope that when he fires you, this little gig,” she motioned around the hallway with a smirk, “will be able to pay your bills.”
Smiling, I said, “It’s always not a pleasure seeing you, Nancy.”
Her smirk vanished when my words sank in.
“Toodles!” I called out as I swept past her and made my way to the lobby.
The moment I saw Aiden, the tightness in my chest eased.
He leaned down and kissed me. “Everything okay? You look tense.”
“I ran into Nancy, but everything’s perfect.”
He groaned. “Let me guess. She told you I’ll get bored with you.”
“Yep. And that she was patiently waiting in the wings.”
“She’s going to be waiting there forever.”
I chuckled. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”
“Someone told me there’s a pot of Emma’s famous chili at the house,” Lance said.
“Dad, you’ve never had her chili, so how do you know it’s famous?” Aiden asked as Lance swung Hadley up onto his shoulders before we walked out into the frigid night air.
“I’m sorry, son, have you not eaten any of her food?”
Patty laughed. “Hadley, sweetheart, are you riding with your daddy and Emma or us?”
Hadley looked at Patty and covered her mouth to keep from giggling. “You and Papa.”
I gave Aiden a questioning look, and he shrugged.
Once we were in the truck, Aiden mentioned he needed to make a quick stop for gas.
Nodding absently, I said, “I have to tell you, I’ve never been so happy in my entire life, Aiden. I don’t think this year could get any better.”
Aiden turned the truck on and put it in drive. “Really? And what’s made it the bestest year ever?”
“Well,” I said, chuckling at his use of Hadley’s favorite word. “You and Hadley are the major reason for my happiness. And now, being able to play with the symphony? It’s a dream come true.”
He reached for my hand. “Emma, you were amazing tonight. And I know you’re exhausted after five nights in a row of playing. That Beethoven song tonight, was that planned?”
“It was. Doug thought, with most people in the crowd just there to listen to Christmas music, if we could play one piece that might move them to come to non-holiday performances, it was worth giving it a shot.”
Aiden grinned. “Well, you moved me, and I know plenty of others who now want to hear more. You should have heard the people talking about your playing. I was so proud, and so were Hadley and my parents.”
“Thank you, Aiden. Thank you so much for supporting me and letting me give Hadley lessons. She’s so good already, a total natural, and I think she’ll be playing better than me in no time.”
The smile he wore made my heart trip over itself. There was nothing sexier than a father who loved his daughter.
After stopping for gas, Aiden said, “I’ve got one more stop.”
A few minutes later, I frowned when we pulled into a store parking lot. “What are we doing? Nothing’s open, Aiden. It’s Christmas Eve.”
“Dalton needed to give me a report on the roads in the park.”
“Oh,” I said, as I belatedly noticed Dalton’s truck.
I waved. He had his window rolled down, and he waved back.
Turning my attention to my phone, I pulled up an app to see if the gift I’d ordered for Aiden had been delivered today.
I sighed in relief when I saw it had been.
I quickly texted Patty and asked her to put it in my apartment so Aiden wouldn’t see it.
After a few minutes, Aiden came running back to the truck. He jumped in and shook his body. “Brrr. Man, it is cold outside.”
“Aiden, look! It’s starting to snow. I’ve never seen it snow on Christmas Eve. Or Christmas Day.”
“Stay with us tonight.”
My head swiveled to look at him. “What about Hadley?”
“You can sleep in the guest room. I know she wants to be able to wake you on Christmas morning. Please, Emma.”
The way his blue eyes sparkled, and his boyish grin made butterflies dance in my stomach, there was no way I could deny him.
“Okay, I’ll stay the night.”
“And if I happen to sneak into your room to say good night, we’ll just have to be quiet."
I gave him a warning look. “Aiden.”
“Emma,” he replied.
“Would it be crazy for me to ask you to pull over again so we can make out in the truck?”
He laughed. “We should probably get to the house. I’m sure Hadley is ready to start all the traditions.”
“Oh, I love traditions. I always dreamed of having my own at Christmas.”
Reaching for my hand, he drew it to his mouth. “Then lucky for you we’re starting some new ones this year.”
I couldn’t help the smile that spread over my face.