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mason appeared in the doorway then .
`` 'mon , mommy .
want ice cweam ! ''
megan laughed .
`` okay , let me give your little bad influence back to you , '' she said , handing caroline to aidan .
she then took mason 's hand and started out of the bedroom .
`` daddy says i have ice cweam first . ''
`` did he ? ''
megan said , as she planned to strangle pesh .
`` uh huh .
'cause it 's my 'doption day . ''
when she met pesh 's eye , she raised her brows .
immediately , his face flushed .
`` spoiling him rotten already , are n't you ? ''
she questioned in a low voice .
`` i could n't help it .
it 's a special day . ''
`` mmm , hmm , and when this special day turns into an all nighter because he 's hyped on sugar , you 're going to deal with him . ''
pesh grinned .
`` i will .
i promise . ''
megan leaned up to kiss him .
`` you 're too sweet for your own good .
you 're always going to have me playing bad cop when it comes to discipline . ''
`` but you love me anyway , right ? ''
he murmured against her lips .
`` so much i was almost ready to reconsider our plan about when we 're starting a family . ''
his eyes bulged at her response .
it took him a few moments to speak .
`` that means a lot that you would do that , but deep down i know how you really feel .
so , i 'm going to be good and patiently wait ten more months before confiscating your birth control . ''
`` it 's a deal , '' she replied , before kissing him again .
epilogue as soon as he finished with his last patient , pesh practically sprinted from the exam room .
he hustled into the doctors ' lounge , trying hard to keep his head down and not call any attention to himself .
he wanted to be able to get out the door without anyone calling him back for a consult or to pull a longer shift .
once he had retrieved his things , he started for the parking lot .
`` dr .
nadeen ! ''
kristi called .
inwardly , he groaned .
`` yes ? ''
he questioned , as he turned around .
`` you were n't leaving , were you ? ''
she asked .
he exhaled a defeated breath .
`` i was planning on it .
does someone need me to cover for them ? ''
kristi winked at him .
`` thought you were screwed there for a minute , did n't you ? ''
a relieved laugh escaped his lips .
`` i did . ''
she smiled .
`` i have something for megan . ''
`` honestly kristi , you did n't need to do anything else for us . ''
waving her hand dismissively , she handed a pink gift bag to him .
`` i wanted to do this . ''
after peeking inside , pesh smiled before he leaned down to hug kristi .
`` thank you .
i 'm sure she 'll love it . ''
`` you tell her we miss her around here . ''
`` i will . ''
she patted his back .
`` now go on home to your girls . ''
he nodded and then hurried out the door .
today had been his first day back after taking both paternity leave and some of his many amassed sick days .
as he slid into the seat of his jaguar , he felt a rush of embarrassment at how he had actually gotten teary on the way to work that morning after leaving megan .
it had been the longest shift of his entire life .
he thought he would never be through so he could get home to her .
even now , the usual ten-minute drive home seemed to take an eternity .
he anxiously drummed his fingers on the steering wheel .
he 'd tried not to pester megan with too many calls and texts , but after the tenth , `` how are you guys ? ''
text , she 'd told him to lighten up and get his head in the game at work .
that 's why he did n't even bother telling her he was on his way home .
as he pulled into the driveway , he noticed emma 's suv .
he was glad to know that megan had n't been alone without him .
when he pushed through the garage door into the kitchen , emma was at the stove .
`` hello , '' he called pleasantly .
whirling around , she gave him a beaming smile .
`` hello to you , too . ''
`` how are my girls ? ''
`` good .
they 've slept most of the day . ''
pesh nodded .
noticing how quiet the house was , he asked , `` where 's mason ? ''
`` patrick came by and got him , along with noah and caroline , a little while ago . ''
she cocked her head at pesh and grinned .
`` although he swore to me that he would n't ruin their dinner , i have a feeling they 're having ice cream right now . ''
pesh smiled at the mention of his son .
although he was n't mason 's biological father , the love he felt for him was just as strong as if he had been a part of his conception .
from the moment he 'd been able to adopt him , he had felt an even stronger bond than before , especially whenever he saw `` mason nadeen '' written on his pre-school paperwork .
more than anything , he relished being a father .
he had been forced to wait so long , while desiring it so hard , that it made it all the more sweeter .
because mason adored baseball , pesh had bought season tickets to the braves , rather than the opera .
even though pesh had never been athletically inclined , he signed up to help coach mason 's little league team as well .
every time he heard mason say `` daddy , '' it warmed his heart the same as it did to hear megan say `` i love you . ''
pesh eyed the dishes on the stove .
`` it 's awfully kind of you to come stay with megan on my first day back .
but we certainly did n't expect for you to cook . ''
`` it 's my pleasure .
besides , it kills two birds with one stone-i can feed my family and yours .