April's Promise (Forever Love Series) (17 page)

Nicholas
blew on his coffee, sipped it, and set down the mug.  "You do see, don't
you, that April was caught in a trap?"

"No,
I don't.  She could have told me."

"Let's
see.  When would have been a good time to tell you?  Right after Vanessa died? 
Those first months when you were a grieving husband?"

"I
wouldn't have been a grieving husband if I had known what had happened."

"That's
bull.  I don't know exactly how much you felt for Vanessa, but you felt
something, and you would have grieved.  When someone dies, no matter what
they've done, you still miss them."

When
Gabe didn't respond, Nicholas went on.  "Or maybe April should have told
you when she was home for Stephie's birthday party, or maybe when you were
having a hard time finding someone to watch her, or maybe—"

"I
get it.  No time was good, and that's the point.  She should have just told
me."

"And
if she had, would you have lumped her in the same category as Vanessa?  After
all, Vanessa confided in
her
, not you.  You know, from what you tell me,
for once in her life, maybe Vanessa was being selfless.  Maybe Vanessa was
actually thinking about what was best for her daughter."

"She
was ready to give her up."

"Maybe
because she thought Stephie would have a better life if she did, a better life
with
you
.  She wanted you to be Stephie's dad, no matter what
she
wanted, or who she wanted to be with."

Gabe
just shook his head.  "Don't weave this into something it isn't."

"I'm
trying to give your dead wife the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe you should do
the same.  Maybe you should give April the benefit of the doubt."

"April
should have told me," he said again.  "When we—"

"When
you what?" Nicholas asked, but his tone said he might already know.

"We
got closer again."

"You
had sex."

Gabe
inhaled deeply and exhaled it just as deeply.

All of
a sudden, he heard crying coming from the living room.  That crying he knew. 
It wasn't on the DVD.  Standing, he went to the sofa and saw Stephie curled in
a ball, tears running down her cheeks.

"What's
wrong, baby?"

He
almost expected her to say "I miss April", but she didn't.  She said,
"I hurt all over, Daddy."

Fear
like nothing he'd ever experienced lanced through Gabe.  He felt her forehead
and it was hot, much too hot.

"I
have to call the doctor," he said, plucking his phone from his belt.

"You
might want to take her temperature first," Nicholas said practically,
"Especially if you want a doctor to help."

"That
hurting all over.  I've heard about kids coming down with meningitis.  She
could have that.  She could have—"

"Gabe,
get a grip.  Where's the thermometer?  I'll get it."

"In
the upstairs bathroom.  The drawer in the vanity."  He took Stephie into
his arms and held her.  Nothing could happen to his little girl.  Nothing.  He
wouldn't let it.  He'd protect her until he couldn't any longer, and then he'd
find somebody else who could.

****

Chapter
Ten

A tech
escorted April to a cubicle in the ER.  Nicholas had called her to tell her
what was happening.  Not Gabe.  And Gabe didn't know Nicholas had called her. 
What a mess.

At
first she'd wondered if she should come, but her instincts told her she
should.  Her love for Stephie told her she should.  Her mother and Nicholas
told her she should.

At the
doorway to the room, she stopped.  Stephie looked so small lying in the bed,
her blond hair spread on the pillow, her eyes closed.  She was hooked up to an
IV and a monitor.  Gabe was sitting by her bedside, his large hands holding one
of her little ones.

"How
is she?" April asked softly, only stepping a few paces into the room.

Gabe
raised his head and his gaze met hers.  "She has a strep infection. 
They're pumping fluids and antibiotics into her, and I think they're going to
keep her overnight."

"Do
you mind if I come in?"

He
didn't look as if he wanted her there.  Also, he looked as if he needed a hug. 
But she knew she couldn't touch him.  She knew he wouldn't let her touch him.

Going
to the other side of the bed, April pulled a chair up to it and sat.  After
stroking Stephie's hair back from her brow, she kissed her on the cheek.

"They
let me come back when I told them I was her aunt," she said.

Gabe
and April didn't speak as they sat there watching Stephie.  April didn't know
if they'd ever really talk again, but she knew she had to try.  She'd gone over
everything and searched the depths of her soul.  Whether Gabe wanted to listen
to her or not, she had to say what was in her heart.

When
Gabe leaned away from the bed and rubbed the back of his neck, she asked,
"Can we step out to the hall for a few minutes?"

"April,
this isn't the time or the place for a long discussion."

"It
won't be a long discussion.  I just need to tell you something."

He
looked reluctant to leave his daughter, or maybe just reluctant to talk to
her.  But he stepped outside the cubicle with her into the hall.

Reluctant
to begin, she knew she must.  "I should have trusted you and your feelings
for Stephie.  I want you to also understand when I make a promise, I don't do
it lightly.  I know it can be a sacred thing.  Keeping my promise to Vanessa was
important, but I was afraid keeping it would hurt you.  I didn't want to do
that, Gabe, not under any circumstances."

When
Gabe didn't look moved, she realized she had to be absolutely honest with him. 
"Five years ago, I left because I was scared.  I was in love with you and
didn't know how to
be
in love.  So I ran.  But I do love you, Gabe.  I
want to show you how much I love you and that I can trust you if you give me
the chance.  But if you can't, I'll understand and go back to Boston."

The
nerve in Gabe's jaw worked but he didn't speak.

April
knew she was only causing him more heartache by being here.  So she said,
"I'll let you sit with Stephie.  If you need me, I'm just a phone call
away."

Then
she started down the hall to the reception area.

****

Gabe
watched April walk away for about a minute.

A nurse
came bustling in to Stephie's cubicle and he told her, "I'll be right
back."

As he'd
been sitting by Stephie's bedside, everything Nicholas had said had begun to
make sense.  He loved his daughter and always would.  Nothing would ever change
that.  She was his and would always be.

Sitting
there, waiting for the doctor to tell him what was wrong with her, he'd
prayed.  But he hadn't prayed just for Stephie.  He'd prayed that he'd know
what to do.

As soon
as he'd seen April walk away, he'd realized what he had to do.  He had to make
everything right between them.  He had to forgive her, and maybe not even
that.  Had she really done anything wrong?

Going
over her words, feeling her turmoil, he realized she hadn't.  Putting himself
in her position, he wasn't sure what he would have done in her place, and he
had to tell her that.  He had to tell her that, and a heck of a lot more.

She'd
reached the outside portico when he came up behind her and grabbed her arm. 
"April.  Don't go."

"Gabe."

He
pulled her to the side where the lights weren't quite as glaring.  When she
looked up at him, he saw hope in her eyes and that gave
him
hope that
maybe they could have a future.

"I
never should have married Vanessa," he admitted.  "I did us both a
disservice.  I did a lot of thinking today.  Yes, I was committed to her and
our marriage.  But, somehow, I wonder if she sensed I still had feelings for
you.  I hadn't even admitted that to myself.  Five years ago I should have
asked you to stay.  I should have faced your fears with you.  I'm not going to
let you walk out of my life again.  I love you April Remmington.  Can you
forgive me for my self-righteous attitude?  For seeing a wrong you didn't
commit?  I'm as much to blame as anyone else in everything that's happened. 
Will you give me a second chance to love you for the rest of our lives?"

There
was a moment of shocked surprise when his heart almost dropped to the pavement,
but then she was reaching for him, wrapping her arms around him, joyfully
holding him.

"I
love you, Gabe.  I'll love you forever."

Forever
was more than he could have ever wished for.  Forever was how he felt about
her.

After a
long deep kiss, he wrapped his arm around her, and they walked back into the
hospital…to the daughter who would belong to them both.

****

Epilogue

Two
days before Christmas, April crouched down with Stephie in the nave of the
church.  "You look perfect," she said, adjusting the little collar on
Stephie's red velvet dress.  "Remember everything we practiced?"

Stephie
nodded, the red ribbons in her hair bobbing as she did.  The basket she carried
was filled with red rose petals, and she was going to scatter them in front of
April as April walked down the aisle.

"Daddy
says I don't have to throw them far."

"Your
daddy's right."

"Daddy
said you're the best gift we could get for Christmas, and you know what?"

April
felt her eyes tearing up.  "What?"

"In
that dress, you look like the angel on our Christmas tree."

April
laughed.  The white taffeta creation with seed pearls was princess-like, and
she loved it.  It was perfect for tonight, and she hoped Gabe thought so too. 
She glanced up at the altar where Nicholas stood beside her husband-to-be.

Her
mother tapped her on the shoulder.  Doing double duty, her mother was going to
walk her down the aisle, as well as act as Matron of Honor.  In a green
two-piece suit with an ankle-length skirt, she was stunning.  Her mom was
indeed moving back to Cedar Corners, and to everyone's surprise, her new beau
had decided to retire and do the same.  He was sitting in the front pew.  The
way he looked at her mother, April thought her mom might change her mind about
marriage.

The
music began to play.  After a last hug for Stephie, April straightened, held
her head high, and took her mother's hand.

The
walk down the aisle seemed endless but she recognized many of Gabe's friends
that she was coming to know as well as his employees.  She had quit her job in
Boston and gone to work for Nicholas' firm.  The transition hadn't seemed like
a transition at all.  Maybe that was the way it should be when life was right.

And
this was right.

Stephie's
rose petals decided each of April's footsteps as she moved forward toward a
life she'd dreamed of.  Sure there would be adjustments, but one thing was
certain.  She loved Gabe and he loved her.

At the
front of the church, Winnifred kissed April's cheek, took her bouquet, and
Stephie's hand. 

April
faced Gabe and he whispered, "You look beautiful."

"You
look like a groom," she said, trying to keep the tears at bay.

He took
her hand and squeezed it, telling her he understood.  The minister welcomed
everyone, spoke a few moments about marriage, and then said, "The bride
and groom have written their own vows."  He nodded to April.

"I,
April Remmington, promise to love you, no matter what.  I promise to be
vulnerable and honest, sharing my life, my heart and my soul with you.  I will
cherish each and every day we have together, and every moment I spend with
Stephie, too.  I hope I can be the mom she needs...the wife you need.  I
promise you that every day, that's what I'll strive for.  Whether we have a
rocky road, a smooth road, or an unpaved road, I promise I will hold your hand
and never let go.  I will trust you, believe in you, respect you, and tell you
how much I love you until my dying day."

She
could see her words had moved Gabe, and now he took both of her hands and
squeezed hard.

"I
know promises are important to both of us," he said with resounding
certainty.  "I know I can believe yours, and you can believe mine.  I
promise you that today is only the beginning.  You are a part of me, April, a
part I never thought I'd find.  You're that missing piece that gives me peace,
and makes my life more worthwhile.  I want you to be Stephie's mother in every
sense of the word, just as I am her dad.  Together we'll raise her with values
and optimism, with the cheekiness she'll need to fight the world.  I know we
can do that together.  I promise you all my love, my fidelity, my strength, and
my protection.  I will support your aspirations and help you make your
decisions.  I will be beside you whenever you need me.  I love you, April, and
this will be the best Christmas I ever had, because I have the gift of your
love.  I give you the gift of mine."