April's Promise (Forever Love Series) (6 page)

After
he pulled into his driveway and quickly pressed the garage door opener, he
drove into the garage.  But before he could even open his door and flip off the
heater, April had slipped from the car and was already helping Stephie out of
her car seat.  He opened the door to the kitchen and waited for April to pass
through, Stephie cuddled in her arms.

"I
want to get her dry," April said as if she needed to explain.

"I'll
light a fire.  We can all use some warming up."

Gabe
had shrugged out of his damp sweater and touched a match to kindling when Stephie
came bounding into the family room.  April was right behind her.  She was still
wearing her wet clothes, although she'd changed Stephie into a dry pair of
overalls.

"All
warm again?" he asked his daughter.

Seemingly
unfazed by the rain, Stephie nodded and ran to the miniature table and chairs
in a corner of the family room where there was a can of crayons and a stack of
coloring books.  Closing the mesh curtain on the fireplace, Gabe crossed to
April.

"You've
got to get out of those clothes."  He could see her bra through her blouse
emphasizing soft curves that he suddenly wanted to touch very much.  She needed
to get out of those clothes for
his
well-being as much as hers.

"I'm
on my way.  I washed my sweat suit this morning and it's in the laundry room in
the dryer."

"I
could have gotten it for you," he mumbled.

"I'll
be fine, Gabe.  A little bit of rain isn't going to hurt me."

"A
lot of rain," he said with a grimace, noticing the mole on the left side
of her cheek usually hidden by her hair.  Her bangs were drying, but the rest
of it was still wet even though it looked as if she might have tried to towel
the moisture out of it.  He was too intensely aware of everything about her. 
He smelled perfume mixed with rain and his gut tightened.

"How
about some hot chocolate after I get changed?" April asked.  "You can
sit in front of the fire.  Maybe help Stephie build something with her
blocks."

"That's
your idea of a relaxing Saturday afternoon?" he asked with a raised brow.

"That's
exactly my idea of a relaxing Saturday afternoon."

As he
gazed down at her, he could remember her taste, the feel of her in his arms,
the softness of her hair.  He remembered everything about last night's kiss in
vivid detail, so vividly in fact, his body was aching to hold hers close
again.  Her deep brown eyes sparkled with the knowledge of kissing him too, and
the idea of doing it again was so very tempting.  He almost bent his head.  He
almost pulled her close.

Once
upon a time Gabe had dreamed of a Saturday afternoon just like this, sitting in
front of a fire with his wife and a child.  But April wasn't his wife.  She was
April.  And although she loved Stephie, this was a novelty for her and he
suspected too many days of it and she'd get bored.

"Go
get changed," he said again gruffly.  "Stephie and I will have the
hot chocolate ready by the time you're dressed."

As
April turned to head for the laundry room, Gabe realized he had to learn to
enjoy the moment...because sometimes moments were all a person could ever have.

****

After
April pulled the clean laundry from the dryer and dumped it into the wash
basket on Monday afternoon, she banged the door.  Ever since Gabe had kissed
her on Friday night, he'd kept his distance, almost acting as if he didn't want
to talk to her or be around her.  She was used to the distance.  It had been
there since she'd left for Singapore.  She'd hoped if she stayed here now...

Gabe
had been a faithful, committed husband who loved his wife dearly.  He was still
grieving and he might never, ever get over Vanessa.  She had to face that
fact.  Maybe after their kiss, he'd felt guilty as if he'd betrayed his wife. 
That
was ironic.  A little devil in her head whispered,
If you tell him about
Vanessa's betrayal, he might turn to you
.

But
April shook the thought away.  She didn't want Gabe on the rebound.  She didn't
want to be a substitute.  She wanted him to love her for herself, but that
might not happen.  If she told him the truth, he might blame her for hiding
it.  There were no easy solutions here.  Every decision could lead to an emotional
mine field.

What
she needed was some perspective, and getting out of the house might provide
that.  She loved being with Stephie and Gabe but the complications of their
future relationship was sometimes overwhelming.  To make good decisions she had
to be clear-headed and that meant not thinking about Stephie and Gabe
twenty-four hours a day.

Stephie
was taking a nap when April checked the clock in the kitchen, wondering if Nicholas
might be in his office.  She took out her cell.  He said he would give her a
tour of Constellation and she'd like that.  If he was serious about wanting her
opinion on a couple of ventures, she knew analyzing the numbers would help
focus her attention for a while.

After
his secretary asked who was calling, she put April on hold.  A few moments
later, Nicholas' voice came through loud and clear.  "Hi, April.  What's
up?"

She'd
always felt comfortable with Nicholas, and she didn't need to heed Gabe's
warning about his friend.  She knew Nicholas' charm was part and parcel of what
he did for a living.  After all, his business was negotiation.

"You
said you'd give me a tour of Constellation.  I thought I'd take you up on
it."

He
paused for a moment but then said, "Well, good.  When do you want to come
over?  I spend a lot of time here."

She
laughed.  "I need to watch Stephie till Gabe gets home, so it would be
after that or else a couple of hours tomorrow morning after I take her to preschool."

"Tonight's
good for me.  I have meetings tomorrow morning."

"Are
you sure you don't mind staying late?"

"Late? 
I'm not sure exactly what that is.  Many nights I'm here till midnight.  Just
come on over after Gabe gets home.  I don't need to know exactly what time. 
I'll be here."

After
April thanked Nicholas and said goodbye, she speed-dialed Gabe.

"Anything
wrong?" Gabe asked.

His
voice was as deep as Nicholas' but it had a resonance for her that always made
her breath catch.  "Nothing's wrong.  I made an appointment with Nicholas
to tour Constellation this evening and I wanted to make sure it was okay with
you."

In the
silence she could hear the beat of her heart until Gabe asked, "And if it
isn't?"

"I
can make it another night."

"I
see.  Tonight should be fine," he said in a clipped tone.  "I can
make sure I'm home by five.  Don't worry about supper for Stephie and me.  I'll
take her out somewhere."

"I
can put a casserole in the oven—"

"Go
take your tour, April.  We managed before you came and we'll manage after you
leave.  It's fine."

After
April hung up the phone, she felt a definite disquiet, but she pushed the
feeling away.  Gabe had told her her evenings were her own, and she didn't need
his paternal attitude about any association she might have with Nicholas.

Returning
to the laundry room, she began folding the clean clothes.  She picked up one of
Gabe's T-shirts.  She smoothed her hand over it, then made quick work of it,
ignoring the intimacy she felt at folding a man's underwear.

****

Gabe
was unzipping Stephie's jacket when April came into the kitchen and crossed to
the window sill to pick up the remote to the car.  He'd left with Stephie
earlier, thinking April would be gone when he returned.  But apparently she'd
taken great care dressing.  He hadn't seen her in anything but jeans since
she'd arrived.  But tonight she wore a pants suit—narrow-leg black slacks and a
royal blue boxy jacket trimmed in black.

"I
thought you'd be gone," Gabe said gruffly.

"I'm
working on it," she replied as she picked up the remote.

Stephie
held out her cup to April.  "Want some milk shake?"

They'd
gone to Stephie's favorite fast food restaurant.  A vanilla shake was always
part of the order.

"No
thanks, sweetie.  You drink it.  Was your hamburger good?"

Stephie
nodded, and Gabe thought April knew Stephie's habits as well as he did. 
"Are you having dinner with Nicholas?" he couldn't keep himself from
asking.

"No. 
I grabbed some yogurt."  Her gaze met Gabe's.  "This isn't a date. 
He's just going to show me around his offices."

"You
look as if you're dressed for a date."

"A
girl gets tired of jeans, Gabe.  And business suits.  Besides, I didn't think
jeans would be appropriate.  This is sort of middle of the road."

It
wasn't the middle of
any
road.  It made her look pretty and sexy and
everything he didn't want her looking with Nicholas.

As Stephie
plopped her milk shake on the table, she knocked off a few e-mails that Gabe
had stacked there.  One was a reminder for Stephie's preschool open house. 
"I know I told you your evenings were your own, but Thursday night Stephie's
teacher is having an open house.  I thought you might like to go along."

Lifting
her coat from the back of one of the kitchen chairs, she also picked up her
purse that was lying on the corner of the table.  "Sure.  I'd like to go
along.  But for now I'd better get going.  I don't want to hold Nicholas up if
he doesn't want to stay late tonight."

As
April passed him, Gabe wanted to catch her arm.  He wanted to tell her not to
go.  He wanted to warn her again to be careful with Nicholas.

April
gave Stephie a hug and told her she'd see her in the morning, and Gabe could
only think of one thing to say.  "The roads are still wet.  Drive
carefully."

It had
been raining most of the day, and leaves covered many of the roads.  It was an
appropriate comment to make.

But
April looked at him as if she were searching for something.  Finally she said,
"I'm always careful.  I probably won't be gone long.  I'll see you later."

Then
she went down the short hall past the laundry room to the garage.  Gabe heard
the garage door open.  He heard the car start and April back out.  When the
garage door came down again, he wished he had said something else, something
more important, something that she'd remember when she was with Nicholas.  But
that was foolish.

Holding
out his hand to his daughter, he said, "Let's go get you ready for bed. 
Then we can watch that new movie we bought.  Okay?"

She
smiled up at him, and he decided she was all the sunshine he'd ever need in his
world.

After
Gabe put Stephie to bed, he worked in his office for a while.  He checked his
watch—nine p.m.  It was funny—the house felt empty with April not in it.  There
had been so much strain and distance between him and Vanessa that they were
rarely in the house together.  But the past few days with April...

He'd
gotten used to seeing her playing with Stephie on the floor in the family room
or making something in the kitchen.  Getting used to her being here was
not
a good idea.

When he
went to the living room and switched on the TV, his mind wasn't on the images
on the screen.  As 9:15 came and went, he thought about calling Constellation
to see if April was still there.

As he
was about to reach for the phone, he heard the garage door going up.  His lack
of interest in the TV program changed to avid regard, and he was totally
engrossed by the time he heard April's steps outside the family room.

When
she came in, he hardly gave her a glance, but he commented, "Long
tour."

She
didn't sit but stood at the end of the sofa.  "It was more than a
tour."

Her
words brought his gaze to hers.  He switched off the TV as he looked for signs
that she'd had more than a casual evening with Nicholas.  "You went
somewhere with Nicholas?"

After
studying Gabe for a moment, she shook her head.  "No.  He showed me the
office complex and the day-care center that he set up last year.  He'd done
lots of research on the benefits of having a day-care center on site for its
employees.  I took a look at some of it, then when he found out that I hadn't
actually eaten dinner, he ordered in some Chinese."

"And
after dinner?" Gabe prompted.

The
golden light he'd seen in her eyes after their last kiss flared again. 
"What do you want, Gabe?  A play-by-play?"

"I
want to know if Nicholas made any moves on you."

"Nicholas
was a perfect gentleman.  We looked over the numbers for a few businesses he
wants to buy."

Gabe
stood, feeling as if he wanted to pace the room but controlling the urge. 
"And that took all this time?"

"I'm
over twenty-one, single and free to come and go as I please.  I don't
appreciate being grilled even if you are well-intentioned because you see Nicholas
as some kind of threat to me.  He's not.  In fact, we have a lot in common.  He
has two tickets for the symphony in Richmond on Saturday evening, and asked me
if I'd like to go.  I told him I would."