He’d never had any problems talking to anyone even when he was a kid and could barely get a word out without mangling every single syllable in the process, but whenever he was around her…
She made him nervous and he had absolutely no idea why.
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that, Aidan,” Melanie said, clearing her throat awkwardly before adding, “I think it might be for the best if I stay with my parents for a while. At least until the baby comes,” and if she’d actually sounded like that’s what she wanted, he would have let her go and figured out another way to make this work.
But it was the way that she said it that had him closing his eyes and saying the one thing that he prayed would change her mind.
“I used to wet the bed.”
“Ummm…”
“When I was ten, my brothers paid me two dollars to wear my mother’s bra, took pictures, and then charged me twenty dollars not to show my friends.”
“Well, that’s-”
“You know those marshmallow peeps?” he asked with a heavy sigh.
“Um, yeah?”
“They freak me the fuck out,” he reluctantly said, admitting his secret shame.
“I see,” Melanie murmured thoughtfully before asking, “Is there a reason why you’re telling me all this?”
Nodding, he said, “It’s my five things.”
“You’ve only told me three things,” she pointed out, sounding amused.
“That’s because I’m pacing myself,” Aidan said even as he opened his eyes so that he could reach back into the tub and turn the water on.
“For…?”
“Well, I don’t want to rush things.”
“And telling me five completely random things about yourself at once would be rushing things?” Melanie asked, blinking up at him.
Sighing heavily, he said, “Yes, yes, it would.”
“Okay, should I take a moment to prepare myself for the two earthshattering revelations that are about to come?”
“That would probably be a good idea,” he said as he moved so that he could drop the stopper and fill the large bathtub.
“I’m not sure if my heart can handle all this excitement,” Melanie said, smiling as she carefully sat up with his help.
“Are you ready?” Aidan asked, helping her to her feet.
“Do I have a choice?” she asked as he adjusted the water.
“I’m afraid not,” he said with a helpless shrug before admitting, “Once, when my brother Garret refused to share his sandwich, I convinced him that he was invisible.”
“Wow,” Melanie said, shaking her head in wonder before asking, “And how long did that last?”
He shrugged. “A year, give or take a few months, but by then, Arik and Reese had convinced him that he was adopted.”
She chuckled. “You’re so mean.”
With a heartfelt sigh, Aidan said, “True, but that wasn’t the worst thing that we did to him.”
“I probably don’t want to know.”
“That might be for the best,” he admitted with a shrug.
“Okay, so what’s the fifth completely random bit of information that I absolutely must know about you?” Melanie asked with a teasing smile.
“That,” Aidan said, shooting her a wink as he shoved his jeans off, “I love baths.”
*-*-*-*
“Well?” the man that had somehow charmed her into taking a bath with him by using weird and somewhat disturbing trivia asked as he wrapped his arms around her and placed his hands on her belly.
“Well, what?” Melanie murmured, somewhat distracted by just how incredibly comfortable she was.
After spending the last few months struggling to get comfortable, she was in heaven. It only confirmed her earlier suspicions that she was a snuggle slut, but at the moment, she simply didn’t care. She never wanted to leave this tub, Melanie thought with a sigh as she shifted to get more comfortable, murmuring a, “Thank you,” when Aidan adjusted her tee-shirt to keep her covered.
“Your five things,” he said as she leaned back more, resting her arms on his boxer-short-clad thighs.
“And why exactly are we sharing five things, might I ask?” Melanie asked, unable to help but smile as she watched Aidan absently trace circles on her belly over where their baby boy was moving.
“We’re getting to know each other.”
“And we’re doing that by sharing five completely random things?” she couldn’t help but ask as she laid her head back against his chest.
“Mmmhmm, I thought it would be for the best if we went with the accelerated version,” Aidan murmured, chuckling when their son kicked his hand.
“I see,” Melanie murmured, her lips twitching with amusement as she asked, “Then shouldn’t sharing a bath be considered part of this accelerated program?”
He sighed heavily. “I’m starting to think that you don’t want to share any deep dark secrets with me.”
“And what would these deep dark secrets consist of?”
“The usual, your favorite color, favorite ice cream, your most mortifying secret so that I can blackmail you with it at a later date. The usual,” he said, making her smile.
“I don’t know. Telling you what my favorite ice cream is might be going too far.”
“But, you’re okay with sharing your most mortifying secrets?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
“Sounds reasonable.”
“That’s what I thought,” Melanie said, nodding solemnly.
“What’s the first item on your list?” Aidan asked, shifting so that he could gently rub his hands over her belly.
“I don’t know if you’ll be to handle my deep dark secrets. They might scar you for life.”
“I’m willing to take that risk,” he said, chuckling.
“As long as you know the risks,” Melanie said, sighing for effect before admitting, “I believed in Santa Claus until I was fourteen.”
“I see,” Aidan murmured thoughtfully before asking, “And how did you manage to pull that off?”
“Denial,” she admitted.
“And the Easter Bunny?” he asked.
“I think it would be for the best if we moved onto my second completely random thing,” Melanie said.
“You’re probably right.”
“I usually am,” Melanie said, nodding in agreement as she shifted to get more comfortable.
“I’ll try to remember that,” he said, chuckling.
“You really should,” she said with a nod before asking, “Does that count as my second thing?”
“Are you stalling?”
“Absolutely.”
“Second thing or I pull the plug,” the devious bastard said.
“Fine,” Melanie said, making sure to sound put out before she admitted, “When I was six, I tied my sister up and locked her in the closet.”
“Older or younger?”
“Older.”
“Impressive,” Aidan murmured, and she couldn’t help but nod in agreement since Caitlyn had been in mid-tantrum mode when she’d pulled it off.
“And your parents?”
“Conveniently forgot to punish me,” Melanie said with a sigh, reminiscing about that slice of pumpkin pie that her father snuck into her room for her later that night.
God, she could go for pie.
And some ice cream.
“And your third thing?”
Sighing heavily, she said, “I’m afraid that I’m too weak to go on.”
Chuckling, Aidan said, “You’re a devious little thing, aren’t you?”
“Yes, yes, I am,” Melanie admitted with absolutely no shame whatsoever, not if it got her pie.