April's Promise (Forever Love Series) (9 page)

When he
heard her high heels on the steps, he drew in a deep breath, then let it out. 
Picking up his glass and dish on the table, he dumped the remainder of his
sandwich into the garbage and rinsed out the glass, leaving it in the sink. 
Not sure exactly what had gotten into him, in turmoil from emotions and chaos
inside of him, he didn't even realize where he was headed until he got there.

  At
the hall closet, he again pulled down the photograph albums and took them into
the living room.  He searched for the envelope that he had shoved into one of
them.  When he found it, he paused for a moment, before taking the pictures out
of the envelope.  Then he slid them out and examined them, one by one, trying
as hard as he could to use an objective eye, trying as hard as he could to find
answers.

Larry
Powell and Vanessa.

In the
group pictures, the two of them were standing close together, smiling at each
other...and talking.  Other people were around, but you could draw a circle
around the two of them and point out the fact that they looked as if they were
a couple.  Why was that?  Was it their intense regard for each other?  The soft
smile on Vanessa's lips that Gabe knew well from their early days together?

His
heart pounded faster as he studied the picture of Vanessa and Powell dancing. 
Larry Powell's hold on Gabe's wife looked a little too chummy for a colleague.

This
Christmas party was a year before Stephie was born.  He suddenly felt as if a
lightning bolt had struck him.  What if Vanessa had had an affair?  How long
had it lasted?  Could he be sure Stephie was his?

He sat
there for an interminable amount of time, trying to absorb the questions, let
alone find the answers.  Finally, he put the pictures in the envelope and put
the envelope back in the photo album.  Then he carried them to the closet and
slid them onto the top shelf.

When he
went upstairs, he opened the door to Stephie's bedroom and stepped inside.  She
was an angel, and he'd always thought she was
his
angel.  What if they
weren't related by blood?  What if he wasn't her biological father?

Though
the question was shocking and sobering, he did have an answer.  Biology didn't
matter.  Stephie was his...forever.  He was her dad, and he wouldn't let an
unsubstantiated suspicion torment him.

****

Chapter
Five

Pushing
Stephie on the swing on Sunday afternoon, April watched Gabe as he raked leaves
into pile after pile.  They were pretending as if last night had never
happened, yet they both knew it had.  She'd made breakfast, then he'd taken Stephie
for a walk.  She'd gone for a run and when she returned, he'd made a plate of
sandwiches.  She'd mixed a chocolate cake to have with supper, and he'd gone
outside to rake leaves.  Oh, yes, they were avoiding each other, too.

The autumn
day was cool, not cold, the sky a brilliant blue, and the sun yellow with
pre-winter warmth.  After she'd taken the cake out of the oven and set it on a
rack to cool, she'd put on her jacket and went outside where Stephie was trying
to help Gabe rake with a miniature rake all of her own.

But
when she saw April, she came running to her, and asked, "Push me on
swing?"

As
April pushed, Stephie stuck her feet out in front of her and giggled.  The
laughter echoed in the crisp air, and April knew Gabe heard it because he
looked up from the end of the yard.  She was too far away to see into his green
eyes, but she remembered how they'd looked last night right before he'd kissed
her—deep and dark and mysterious like the passion she wanted to know with him. 
The thought made her fix her attention on Stephie again and give her another
push.

When
April's niece tired of swinging, she slid down the sliding board a few times. 
Then April caught her by the hand and said, "Let's go see if we can help
your dad put those leaves in the garbage bags."

With an
"okay" Stephie ran toward Gabe, her blond hair glowing golden in the
sunlight.  April followed Stephie, walking instead of running.  She didn't ask
Gabe if he wanted help, but rather picked up one of the large black bags and
began stuffing leaves into it.  Soon Stephie joined her.  But suddenly Gabe's
daughter decided that throwing the leaves up in the air and watching them float
down was a lot more inventive than packing them away.

"I
think you're having a lot more fun than we are," April said after Stephie
had done it a few times.

Joining
in, she picked up a fistful of leaves, threw them up in the air and let them
float down on her and Stephie.

Stephie
laughed and so did she.

Both of
them taking handfuls again, they threw them up and laughed as the leaves
tickled their cheeks and landed on their jackets.

After
Gabe propped his rake against the tall sycamore trunk, he crossed to them and
teased, "I thought you two were helping."

"Helping,"
Stephie agreed as she took handfuls and threw them up, but not quite far enough
to land on him.

"It
looks to me as if you're putting them back where I found them."

Gabe
needed a little fun in his life, and there was no reason why April couldn't
teach him how to have it.  Catching him off-guard, she swiped up fistfuls and
threw them above his head.  A few landed in his hair, the others on his
shoulders.

He
brushed them off and gave her a mock scowl.  "Two can play this
game."

He not
only filled his hands, but his arms with leaves, tossing the mound high in the
air until they fell on all three of them.  Stephie giggled and jumped into the
pile, making them fly everywhere, while April retaliated by swishing a few
towards him like a wave of water.  He batted a few back and lifted an armful directly
above her head and dropped them so they fell around her like autumn confetti.

She
laughed again.  "You're going to have to rake them up all over
again."

"
We're
going to have to rake them up all over again."

Their
gazes met, and his eyes danced with amused patience.  It felt so good to be
joking with him...and laughing.  "I might help if you promise me we won't
have to do this again next week when the rest of the leaves fall to the
ground."

His
grin was crooked and almost boyish.  "We'll just let that batch blow
away."

They
stared at each other for a few moments, and she wondered what he was thinking. 
She thought about asking him, but then remembered last night.  Gabe had told
her what he was thinking then, and she hadn't liked it.

Deciding
not to tempt fate a second time, she said, "I'll get another rake,"
and headed for the storage shed.

Gabe
called to her.  "April..."

She
turned, not knowing what to expect.  His expression was so serious for a few
seconds, and then it changed as he said, "You have leaves in your
hair."

She had
a feeling that bit of news wasn't the reason he'd called to her.  But if he
wanted to keep the afternoon light, she could do that.  "If you go look in
the mirror, I think you'll find a few in yours, too."

She
didn't wait to see if he ran his fingers through his hair but went to get the
second rake, liking the feeling of working with him...liking being part of his
life.

****

Rain
splattered the windows late Monday morning.  It had begun with the dawn and
looked as if it would last all day.  April had made Stephie breakfast, and
they'd colored for a while, then read a few stories.  But her niece's attention
span seemed shorter than usual today.

Going
to the kitchen door, Stephie said, "I wanna go outside and play in the
leaves."

They
usually went outside in the late morning before lunch.  But today even a short
walk was out of the question.  They'd be soaked before they went three feet. 
"We can't, sweetie.  It's raining."

"I
wanna go outside," Stephie said again, ignoring April's reason.

April
crouched down to Stephie's eye level.  "I'll tell you what.  I think it's
going to rain all day today, but tomorrow, if the sun comes out, we'll play
outside a really long time.  How's that?"

"I
wanna go outside and play with the leaves," Stephie said stubbornly, and
her bottom lip quivered.

Not
spending long periods of time with Stephie, April had never been faced with her
stubbornness before.  "We're not going outside today," she said
calmly, hoping her firmness would register.

It
evidently did because Stephie's face fell, her chin quivered, and she broke
into tears.

April
was at a loss to know what to do so she did what felt natural.  She put her
arms around the little girl.  "Sweetie, we
will
go outside again. 
I promise.  Just not today."

But Stephie
shook her head.  "Daddy'd let me go out."  Her tears continued
falling and didn't stop, not when April stood, not when she tried to bring a
smile to her niece's face with the new puppet, and not when she offered Stephie
lunch.  The sobs turned to hiccups and she was inconsolable.

 
Although April didn't want to bother Gabe at work, she needed some guidance. 
So she called him.  When she explained what had happened, he told her he'd be
home in fifteen minutes, and he was.

When he
came in the door his daughter ran to him, her pout still in place. 
"Daddy, Daddy!  I wanna go outside."

Scooping
her up into his arms, he sat on one of the kitchen chairs and settled her on
his lap.  "It's raining outside, Pumpkin."

"But
I wanna play with the leaves."  Her lower lip trembled again and tears
welled up in her eyes.  Her expression would have melted April.

But
Gabe seemed unaffected, and his tone was firm as he asked, "What did April
tell you?"

Stephie
cast a sideways glance at her aunt.  "She said I couldn't."

"That's
right.  The leaves are messy and soggy and dirty from the rain.  And it's damp
and chilly.  She doesn't want you to get all wet or get a cold."

"I
won't
get a cold," his daughter protested defiantly.

Gabe
didn't get caught up in arguing with her.  He just returned to his previous
point.  "When I'm not here, you
must
listen to April.  She knows
what's good for you just as I do.  I expect you to do what she says this
afternoon, or you're not going to watch TV after supper tonight."  He
stood and placed her on the chair.  "You sit there and think about it.  I
have to talk to April for a few minutes."

When he
cupped April's elbow in his palm and guided her into the foyer, she felt the
excitement of having him touch her, of having him close.

Keeping
his voice low so Stephie wouldn't hear, he said, "She's testing you."

"She's
never done that before."

"You've
never taken care of her day after day before.  She's just trying to find out
how much she can get away with, and how often she can get her own way."

"She's
usually such a little angel."

He gave
her a wry grin.  "
Most
of the time.  But she can be stubborn and
downright contrary with the best of them.  Don't let those tears fool you.  She
can turn them on and off."

April
shook her head.  "So how can you tell when she's really upset?"

"For
one thing, she doesn't pout when she's really upset.  And the tears don't stop
and start like a faucet then, either."

"Being
a parent is more complicated than I ever imagined.  You do an excellent job,
Gabe."  There was honest admiration in her voice.

"Thank
you for saying that, because sometimes I'm not so sure of how I'm doing. 
Parenting is a learning experience, and I often wish I had a manual. 
Unfortunately, kids don't come with instructions.  Whether you know it or not,
you'd make a good parent, too, April.  Is that something you ever think
about?"

Yes,
she'd thought about it, especially since she'd been here with Gabe.  She'd
thought about parenting Stephie with him and suddenly realized how she longed
to have his children.

But she
simply said, "Maybe someday.  For now I'll practice with Stephie.  Do you
have time to stay and eat lunch with us?"

He
carefully canvassed her face, as if searching for more than what she'd said.  But
then he checked his watch.  "I have a meeting at one, but I have time for
a quick lunch."

As they
returned to the kitchen, April knew she'd like to steal lunches with Gabe a lot
more often.

She'd
like to steal more than lunches.  She'd like to steal his heart.

****

The next
few days seemed to speed by as April took care of Stephie, and Gabe was later
than usual one evening.  There was a spirit of cooperation between them and no
mention of Nicholas.  Still, she'd caught Gabe looking at her several times
when he thought she wasn't aware of it.  She still couldn't be in the same room
with him without her pulse racing.