April's Promise (Forever Love Series) (14 page)

He took
her hands, brought them into his chest, and kissed her knuckles.  "Then do
believe, and it will be.  Isn't that how the saying goes?"

"If
only that was true," she murmured, lowering her gaze from his.

Something
seemed to be bothering her, but she wasn't ready to divulge what it was, let
alone confide in him.  But she would soon.

Because
he was going to convince her to trust him.

He
kissed her forehead and then her eyelids, and then her mouth.  She made a
little sigh and wrapped her arms around him.

"I
don't want to hurt you," he said, thinking about her leg.

"I
don't want to hurt
you
, either," she murmured, and he realized
she'd taken what he said a different way.

How
could they hurt each other by pleasuring each other?  How could they hurt each
other by just living in the now for a change?  When was the last time he'd done
that?

As he
kissed her again, his hands bunched up the silky gown.  He drew it up her body...up,
up, up and over her head until there was no longer a barrier between them.  Not
the soft material one, anyway.  Maybe soon there wouldn't be any others, either.

He'd
fallen in love with April all those years ago, and now he felt as if it were
happening all over again.  His hands were possessive as he cupped her breasts. 
His mouth was greedy as he took everything she'd give.

He
broke away and asked, "Does it hurt to bend your knee?"

"No,"
she told him.  "I want you, Gabe.  I want you more than I've ever wanted
anything.  When you kiss me, nothing else matters.  When you touch me, I only
feel where you touch me, nothing else."

"Are
you on the pill?" he asked.

"No,
because I haven't been involved with anyone.  Because I never expected—"

"I
stopped at the drugstore yesterday afternoon," he said.  "I didn't
plan for this to happen, but yet that last kiss—"  He stopped.

She put
a finger over his lips, telling him she didn't need an explanation.  So he
reached for the nightstand drawer, pulled it open, and found a condom.

They
took their time, which was excruciatingly frustrating, but tantalizingly
exciting.  He caressed her until she was breathless.  She touched him, rolled
on the condom, and held him in her hand.  He felt as if he were going to burst
into a million pieces.  Then he thought about the best way to make her
comfortable.  He lay on his side and he brought her good leg up over his hip.

He
stroked her hair, kissed her lips, rubbed his beardline against her breasts
until she said, "I can't take any more of this, Gabe.  Please make love to
me."

Love. 
Is that what they were doing?  Is that what they had?  Did it even matter?

He
wrapped his arm around April and thrust into her body.  Her moan of assent
drove him on.  She kissed his chest and stroked his back.  When her hand dipped
below his waist to his backside, he was gone.  His last thrust pushed her over
the edge, too, and she clung to him, shaking, reverberating with the climax
that had taken their world and turned it upside down.

A few
minutes later, when their breathing had returned to normal—or more normal than
it had been—he was going to pull away.  But April wouldn't let him.  She held
on tight.

"Do
you really want to go?" she whispered.

The way
he felt right now, he never wanted to be anywhere but here.

"No,
I don't want to go, but at some point I'll have to.   Stephie still calls out
some nights in her sleep."

"If
she does, we'll be here for her, right?"

There
was something in April's eyes that he didn't understand, something that made
her question that fact.  But that couldn't be.  She knew he loved his daughter,
no matter what.  But he felt as if he might have to find out the truth behind
the "no matter what."

Tomorrow,
he'd go back to doing that.  Tomorrow, he'd also start showing April how much
she meant to him...that maybe, just maybe, she could be his future.

****

Chapter
Eight

As Gabe
sat at his desk on Monday, he realized yesterday had been...a day more
satisfying and pleasurable than he'd ever spent.

Because
of April.

They'd
awakened in each other's arms, taken Stephie to the Halloween party the Chamber
of Commerce threw for kids at the fire company's social hall, spent the evening
playing games with Stephie and then the night—

He
couldn't even describe the night as they'd made love, fallen asleep, then
reached for each other and done it again.  He hadn't had time for breakfast
this morning because he had an errand to run before work and they'd stayed in
bed too long!

He'd
managed to dress while April had made coffee and he'd taken a mug of it along
after a kiss that reminded them of the night before.  But that rushed morning
"good-bye" led him to understand they needed even more time together.
 Tonight after Stephie went to bed would be the perfect opportunity to really
talk about a subject they'd both avoided—the future.

However,
nothing at all went the way Gabe had planned.

It all
started with a mid-afternoon phone call from April.

"My
mother phoned," she'd told him.  "She wants me to go look at a condo
with her tonight.  She's trying to decide what she might want if she moves back
here.  I don't know what you were thinking about tonight—"

He'd
been doing more than thinking about tonight.  He'd been anticipating it with
vivid pictures in his head.  He'd planned to stop on the way home for
strawberries and whipped cream.  He'd planned to put Stephie to bed and then
feed April those strawberries and give her the locket he'd bought for her this
morning before he'd come to his office...the locket she'd so admired a few
weeks ago.  Nevertheless, he knew Winnifred would be leaving soon, and the time
she and April spent together was important.

"My
plans can change," he said.  "Go with your mom and give her your
advice."

"I
doubt she'll take my advice."

"You
never know.  Don't hold back with her, April.  Life's too short for that."

She
paused as if his words had startled her.  Then she responded, "You're
right.  Life
is
too short for that.  I'll see you when you get
home."

She
sounded as if she were looking forward to that as much as he was.

Nevertheless,
when he walked in his house, it seemed to be in total chaos.  Burgers were
patted, ready to broil but they were sitting on the counter.  Salad fixings were
spread from the mixer to the canisters.  A frozen bag of broccoli lay
haphazardly next to a pot.

When
Gabe went into the living room, he saw Stephie's toys straggled from one end of
it to the other.  To top it all off, Stephie was sitting in a chair, crying.  He
supposed his daughter was experiencing a time-out.  On her knees, April was
picking up tiny pieces of paper that had been strewn all over the floor.

"Uh
oh," Gabe said as he walked in.  "What's this mess?"

April
glanced over her shoulder at him, and to her credit, she didn't erupt after
what must have been a frustrating afternoon.

As soon
as she saw him, Stephie popped up out of her chair and ran to him.  He caught her
and hugged her but said, "Hold on a minute.  Are you supposed to be in
time-out?"

She
dropped her head and looked down at her sneakers.  Then she nodded.

"How
much longer?" he asked April.

"Two
minutes.  She just sat there a minute ago."

He
tapped his watch.  "Two minutes, kiddo."

Stephie
started crying but he shook his head.  "No crocodile tears.  Come
on."  He patted the chair.  "Two minutes.  Just think about all the
games we can play later, and it will go fast."

With a
sullen look at both of them, Stephie dragged her feet walking to the chair and
then plopped on it.

Gabe
nodded to the kitchen, and April stepped that way with him, out of earshot of Stephie.

April
shook her head.  "I'm sorry the place is such a mess.  She's just off
today.  Nothing satisfies her.  Her attention span is zilch.  She's just not
her usual bubbly self.  Maybe she's coming down with something."

"Fever? 
Stomach ache?"

April
shook her head.  "No, I checked.  Nothing outward...yet.  But I'm running
late and dinner's not done, let alone the toys—"

Suddenly
the doorbell rang.  April examined her watch.  "Oh, my gosh, it's Mother. 
I don't want to leave you with all this."

"All
what?  This is my life, April.  This is nothing new.  You've just made it a
heck of a lot easier the past few weeks.  But we're good.  I can slide the
burgers into the oven, cook a little broccoli, and even microwave a baked
potato if I have to."

April
smiled, and he realized how much he liked that smile, especially when it was
just for him.  "Go get the door, and tell your mom after you look at
houses, she has to buy you something to eat."

"I'll
grab a container of yogurt.  I'll be fine."

"Stopping
with your mom somewhere and having coffee and a sandwich could be good.  You
don't have to hurry back."

She
eyed him briefly before she crossed to the door, and he wondered if he sounded
a little too nonchalant.  He wondered if he sounded as if he didn't care if
they spent time together tonight.  He gave himself a mental kick.  He didn't
know how to do this anymore.

Do
what?
a little voice inside his head asked.

Fall
for someone
, he answered under his breath.  Then he
corrected himself. 
Fall for April, all over again.

****

Two
hours later, Gabe realized how right April had been when she'd said Stephie was
"off."  His daughter was cranky, contrary and argumentative.  She'd
gone through a stage like this when she was around two and had learned to say
no.  Tonight reminded him of that.

Finally,
however, he coaxed her to eat a couple of bites of an overdone burger,
convinced her a carrot stick was as good as candy, and told her if she helped
him pick up her toys, she could have a cookie before bed.  He'd picked up most
of the toys, but …

She'd
practically fallen asleep in the middle of one of the stories he'd read her. 
He gave her a kiss and was ready to go downstairs when he walked by the spare
room next to April's.  The door in there led up to the attic.

Maybe
it was time he really put the past behind him.  He still had a box up there
that held a lot of Vanessa's papers as well as cards and mementoes from when
they'd courted.  He hadn't had the heart to go through them before.  But now,
maybe it was time.

This
time of year, the attic was cool but not cold.  Boxes with Christmas
decorations lodged against one wall.  A three-foot tall aluminum reindeer with
lights guarded them.

Decorations
for Christmas.  He'd soon have to think about that.  He'd soon have to think
about asking April to stay.  Would she consider staying permanently?  Would she
consider relocating?

Easily
spotting the box he was concerned with—Vanessa's name in magic marker danced
across the side—he crossed to it and pulled it away from under the eaves.  Then
he sat on the floor, ready to take everything to the paper shredder that
reminded him of the past.

He
wasn't sure how long he sorted.  There were pay stubs and check stubs, cards
they'd sent each other early in their courtship, but also e-mails Vanessa had
printed out for one reason or the other—about a sale at a particular store, a
few from long-distance friends, research for something for work.  He found
ticket stubs from a concert.  He remembered the night he'd taken Vanessa to it,
her excitement at hearing a band she loved.  When he came to another batch of
receipts, he glanced at them.  Vanessa bought a lot of clothes, purses, shoes,
jewelry.  That was just the kind of woman she was.

There
was one particular jewelry store that she liked the most.  The receipt stated
exactly the items beside each price—earrings, a necklace, two bracelets.  But
then his gaze fell on a receipt for an expensive men's watch.

He
recognized the designer name.  He'd never received a watch like that from Vanessa. 
Maybe, of course, it was work-related.  Maybe everyone had gone together to
give somebody a retirement gift.  But now Gabe handled the receipts more
carefully and looked more closely.

He
heard noise downstairs.

Suddenly
April called up the attic steps.  "Gabe, are you up there?"

"Yes,"
he called back.  "I'll just be a minute."

As he
glanced at a few more receipts, he saw more women's items.  Then he spotted
another men's item—onyx and diamond cufflinks.

Maybe Vanessa
was the social chairman at work and bought gifts necessary for the company.