by Lisa N. Paul
Dimples: Sounds good. Enjoy.
* * *
“GRAMMY, THE MEATBALLS are totes amazing,” Charlie exclaimed with cheer only a six-year-old could conjure. She slurped up another strand of spaghetti, collecting even more sauce into the corners of her sweet little mouth.
“Thanks, sugar bug,” Decker’s mother, Robyn, replied. “I think you’re totes adorbs.”
Decker’s jaw sagged as his glance shifted from his mother to his brother. Judging by Ford’s arched brows and dropped jaw, Decker knew his brother’s thoughts mirrored his own. “Dude, can you imagine Mom letting us speak in slang when we were Charlie’s age?”
“Hell no,” Ford answered, shaking his head in disbelief. “She would’ve grounded our asses for speaking like freaks.” Ford chuckled.
“Excuse me, you two, but I will not have that kind of language used at this table and especially in front of my granddaughter. So knock it off.” Robyn shot both Decker and Ford the look, and both grown men apologized to their mother and Charlie for their language.
Decker and his brother often joked about how a petite woman such as their mother was able to have a particular presence and influence over the Brand men. She wasn’t pushy or evil-tongued. No, Robyn Brand just wanted the best for those she loved. She was honest and respectful. If someone didn’t agree with her, she would back off, and in the end, when it came to be that she was, in fact, correct, she’d smile warmly and help said person fix what needed repaired. The two brothers could see why their father loved and worshipped his wife, because they too felt the same.
“Grammy, can I have dessert?”
“In a little while, sugar.” Robyn patted Charlie’s arm. “Now, please go wash your hands and your face. Pop in a movie, and let your dinner settle. I’ll serve dessert shortly.”
Decker bit the inside of his cheek as he watched his daughter’s smile droop. His mother often claimed that he and Ford had been a challenge when they were young, but as he watched the color rise in his precocious little girl’s cheeks, he knew she put them both to shame.
“No, Grammy.” Charlie’s head cocked to the side as her tone reached whiney levels. “I want dessert now.”
When Ford kicked Decker under the table, the message was clear. Ford was excited to see how their mother would handle Charlie’s little meltdown. Decker, on the other hand, had no doubt that Robyn would deal with Charlie with the same grace she’d shown since Olivia passed away, leaving Decker as a single father.
“Well, my sweet young girl, I’ve always dreamt of swimming underwater with tropical fish. I wanted to do it without scuba gear for miles and miles, without needing oxygen or rest.”
The look of dreams not yet fulfilled in his mother’s eyes was something Decker had never noticed before, and now it would haunt him. How long had it been there?
His mom continued, her tone gentle. “But we don’t always get what we want the minute we want it.”
Charlie sat on her chair, staring reverently at Decker’s mother as Robyn tucked a strand of light brown hair behind his daughter’s ear.
“The good thing is you will get your dessert if you are patient and wait until it’s time.” His mom lifted Charlie’s chin so the little girl’s eyes met her own. “If not, just like my dream of swimming for miles without air will never happen, neither will your cookies. Got it, sugar?”
“Got it, Grammy.” Charlie slid off the dining room chair and planted a saucy kiss on his mother’s cheek before repeating the gesture with him and his brother. She then headed into the bathroom, where he heard the water turn on and off before she went into the family room with a clean face and hands to watch her favorite Disney movie.
“Jesus, Mom,” Ford muttered, “you’re like the goddamn child-whisperer.”
“We’re still at the table, Ford,” Robyn reminded.
“Fine,” Ford gritted through his teeth, “then let’s leave the table so we can talk like the crude adults we actually are. Because don’t for one second think I’m deaf when it comes to your language down at the office.”
Robyn’s brow arched as her smile kicked up on one side. “Into the kitchen, boys. We’ll talk where little ears can’t hear.”
Decker peered into the family room and saw his Charlie snuggled on the sofa, wrapped in a fleece burgundy throw, and belting out the lyrics of “I’ve Got A Dream,” from Disney’s Tangled. His daughter was so pretty, sweet, and smart, and he knew how blessed he was to have her in his life. Between her, his mother, and his brother, there was no doubting that he was a lucky man to be surrounded by so much unconditional love, but he also knew something was missing. Something he’d never had with Olivia and something he hadn’t found in the years since… until recently.
Visions of shiny, thick blond hair and apple-green eyes clouded his mind. Deep dimples anchoring both ends of a brilliant smile captured his breath in his chest as his large hand swiped across his bottom lip, where her teeth had grazed just before she pulled away. April. Her name appeared in his head as his brother’s voice yanked him from the fantasy.
“Deck, you gonna join us in here, or should I just go ahead and tell Mom all about the bangin’ gym chick?”
Yeah, Decker thought to himself as he plotted revenge on his younger sibling. Maybe I’d be fine as an only child. Giving his brother the evil eye, Decker pulled three beers out of the refrigerator, grabbed the bottle opener from the drawer, and pulled up his stool at the breakfast bar.
“So are you gonna tell Mom about your new girl?” Ford needled.
“Well, that depends, little brother.” Decker smiled while glaring daggers at his brother. “Are you gonna tell Mom about the special services your secretary is providing?”
“And they wonder why I treat them like children at the table,” Robyn said aloud to no one in particular. When both Decker and Ford stared silently at their mom, she continued. “Oh, now I have your attention? Super. Decker”—she gently placed her hand on his arm—“today is your day. I’m not blind, honey, I know that there’s someone in your life. I can see it in your face every time I look at you. Now, I’ve given you plenty of space, but I can’t take it any longer.” Ford’s snort drew Robyn’s eyes away from Decker. “Ford Marcus Brand, don’t you think for a second that you’re off the hook. As I said, I am not blind, son, nor am I deaf. That Jovanna is a wonderful woman.”
Ford dropped his gaze to the beer bottle in his hands.
“Look at me when I’m speaking to you, Ford.” His mother’s voice softened, “She’s kind and sweet and loyal, but she isn’t stupid.”
Decker watched as Ford’s brows snapped together. “What’s that supposed to mean, Mom?”
Robyn let out a long sigh. “Oh, baby, women like Jovanna are special. She works hard and gives one hundred percent.” Robyn pursed her lips and shook her head when both Decker and Ford went to make a sarcastic comment about the secretary. “But if you push her too far, treat her too carelessly, she may just close up, and you’ll lose all of the things you like so much about her… as your secretary and more,” Robyn narrowed her eyes. “You’d be smart to remember that.”
Even though his mom directed her words to his brother, Decker felt like each of them applied to him. He didn’t want to push April too fast, but he also didn’t want to allow the opportunity between them to disappear because of her past and her fears. Decker took another pull from his beer, allowing the cool liquid to quench more than just his thirst.
Ford thumbed over to Decker and grunted, “I thought this was his day.”
When his mother’s deep blue gaze landed directly on him, she lifted the beer bottle to her upturned lips and said, “It is. So you talk, and I’ll listen.”
Decker sat at the counter and filled his mother in on everything April. He laughed when Ford offered his commentary about sappy smiles on Decker’s face each time he received texts from April during the day.
“Seriously, Mom, he walks around sporting this ridiculous look, like… I don’t know, like he’s been clubbed over
the head with Cupid’s crossbow.” Ford snorted then cocked his head to the side and seemed to study Decker quickly before adding, “That said, I wouldn’t want him to look any other way. Happiness looks good on you, brother; it’s been too damn long.” The men tapped their long-necked bottles together in a silent toast.
His mother exhaled sharply. “Hmm, sounds like the girl’s had a rough go of it.”
“That’s the thing, Mom, while there’s no doubt that her ex is a piece of shit who deserves to have his ass kicked on a weekly basis for abandoning his wife and child”—Decker envisioned April, the way she held her head up high and rolled with whatever blows she was dealt—“the woman seems to handle her life with such dignity and grace…”
“I hear a but, Decker.” The arch in his mother’s brow asked the question her voice didn’t need to.
His mom knew him better than he knew himself. It was amazing and it was annoying. “But…” He hesitated. “She keeps herself guarded when it comes to relationships, and I listened to what you just told Ford about Vanna. I don’t want to push April too hard. Because I fear…” Decker looked up from the peeled and crumpled beer label in his hands to find two pairs of eyes waiting for him to finish his thought. “I fear that she may decide it’s safer to stay behind her walls than to give what we have going a fair chance. I mean, shit, I know she’s interested in me. We see each other several days a week at the gym, we speak multiple times a day on the phone, yet I can’t pin her down for a formal date.” Frustration bubbled in his gut as the depth of the situation unveiled itself.
“Sweetheart.” Robyn placed her hand over his and squeezed. The small gesture had forever brought him comfort when he felt his most vulnerable, and that moment was no different. “Advice isn’t one-size-fits-all, you know that. It’s like construction. Just because a client comes to you because he loved the building you guys created for one client doesn’t mean he wants the same exact structure for himself.”
Both he and Ford sat quietly as they listened to their mother speak. Decker gathered fond memories of their early childhood when they used to sit in practically the same fashion—albeit a less updated kitchen—as she dished out advice or punishment that swirled around their heads.
“If what you’ve told me about this young woman is true, then too much space and too much time may allow her to retreat further.” Robyn looked thoughtful as she continued. “When a woman loses her spouse either through death or defection, it changes her on a fundamental level. Her life becomes based on providing for her children and showing not just the world but herself that she is not only capable but accomplished in doing just so. That said, the women who’ve had spouses leave of their own accord have even more to prove to themselves. The complete lack of confidence, self-assuredness, and understanding is an incredible cross to bear. A lot of times, those women find it easier to hide away instead of ever braving that kind of heartache again.”
“Christ…” Decker’s stare moved from his mom to his brother, who also looked taken back by the amount of information Robyn just laid on the counter. “Have you been watching Dr. Phil now that you’re partially retired?”
Ford howled, but Robyn pressed her lips together, attempting and failing to scowl as a small grin kissed her mouth. She crossed her arms over her chest. “No, you sassy little shit, I pay attention to those around me. Not to mention I’ve attended a lot of support groups since your father passed away.” His mother shrugged. “I’m more than just part owner of BC, your mother, and Charlie’s grandmother, you know.”
Decker did know that. The sad thing was he forgot that fact far too often.
“By the way, Deck, what did you say April’s last name was?”
“Oh, it’s Maddox.” Decker supplied, “Her son bears her maiden name, and she herself reverted back to it as soon as her divorce was final.” There was a spark of some unnamed emotion deep inside of Decker that delighted him in knowing that neither April nor her son carried the Spears surname.
“Maddox, huh?” Robyn murmured as a hint of mischief crossed her ocean blue eyes.
“What?”
“Nothing, honey.” Robyn rose from her stool and disposed of the empty bottles. “Now please call your daughter in here. It’s time for dessert. I think she’s waited long enough.”
Chapter Eleven
Yes, Decker
“GOOD MORNING, CHICKIES!”
“Ugh,” Rori groaned, her head lodged in the staff refrigerator. “You are too happy for a Monday morning, Janie Silver.”
April was thrilled to see Janie enter the teachers’ lounge, because five minutes of listening to Rori complain about having to bring her least favorite flavor of Greek yogurt for lunch because strawberry was the only kind the yogurt thief didn’t steal was five damn minutes too long, best friend or not.
“Hey, girl, how was the Grand Re-Opening of your bar this weekend?” April had been so happy for her friend’s new business venture and a bit melancholy that she wasn’t there to celebrate with her, but she hated leaving Elijah unnecessarily, and she’d just been out a few weeks before with Decker, so she hated to leave him again.
“I can’t believe the band Your Toxic Sequel performed live.” Rori cooed, “I kinda have a crush on Lucas Wolfe. I wish I could have been there.”
“I wish you both could have been there also.” Janie’s face glowed with happiness as she threw her left hand out in front of her. “It was pretty awesome.”
“Oh. My. God.” April squealed as she grabbed her friend’s hand and stared at the gorgeous engagement ring that adorned her finger. “Janie, oh, honey, I am so happy for you.”
“Holy shit,” Rori gasped. “That is some fucking rock. The man did well.”
April embraced her friend then listened as she described how her boyfriend, now fiancé, Max, had given her the proposal every girl dreamed of. April was thrilled for her, truly… she was. If not for that small little piece of sadness that she kept tucked away, the part that reminded her that she wasn’t good enough to hold on to her husband, she wasn’t sexy enough to keep him from climbing into another woman’s bed, that she wasn’t smart enough to know he’d left their marriage long before he left their house.
She snapped out of her darkened thoughts when she felt a gentle squeeze on her knee. Placing her hand over the one on her leg, she turned her attention to Rori.
“Are you okay, chica?”
“Yeah, why?”
Rori shrugged, giving her the I-don’t-buy-your-bullshit face. “You’re gonna try that with me? For real?”
April glanced over at Janie, who was showing her ring to two teachers from the math department. The sun couldn’t illuminate as much as Janie did, and it was a sight to behold.
“I’m fine, Ror. Or I will be.” April whispered, “I really am extremely happy for her, you know that, right? Tell me you believe me.” In that moment, Rori’s confirmation meant everything. If her very best friend thought that she was as horrible as she was feeling on the inside, April wouldn’t know what to do with herself.
Rori took April’s hand in hers. “Honey, of course I believe you because you’re an amazing person and a wonderful friend, April. It’s okay to mourn what you’ve lost. It’s not like you’re trying to take what Janie’s found.”
Pulling in a shaky breath, Rori’s words hit home, and calmness began to spread through April’s body, relaxing her tightened muscles little by little.
“Sorry, chickies, but this whole engagement thing is so new, and to be honest, even though I’ve been living with Max for a while, wearing his ring just feels so… special.”
“It is special,” April agreed, pulling her friend into a hug as tears stung her eyes. “And you, my friend, will make a beautiful bride.”
“Aww, April, no tears.” Janie swiped the wet streak off of April’s face. “You know what my best friend Lyla says about crying, don’t you?”
April sniffed as she nodded her head. After all the years of them working together, she and Rori h
ad heard a lot of Lyla-isms. While she’d never met Janie’s friend, she felt as though she practically knew the woman.
“Crying is for pussies,” Janie whispered so as to not garner further attention from any of the other staff in the room. “So knock that shit off.”
The three women snorted as they tried to keep their giggles caged in their bodies.
“Anyway, I’d really love it if you two would come celebrate with me and my friends, and Max of course, at Danny’s on Main this Thursday night.” Janie’s eyes landed on April’s. “I know it’s short notice, but I also know you, and it wouldn’t matter how much notice I gave you, you’d find a way to cancel. So I’m asking, can you please ask your brother or sister if they can watch Eli so you can come out? Please?”
There was so much hope in her friend’s voice, so much optimism, April found herself accepting the invitation before she gave it any thought at all. It was both Rori’s and Janie’s delightful squeals that made her realize just what she’d done. Looked like she would be going out on Thursday night; how did that happen?
* * *
“WHEN ARE YOU going to let me take you out again, beautiful?” Decker racked his weights and turned to watch April complete another set of chest presses. Fuck, what I wanna do with her on that bench has nothing to do with weight training. “I’m a patient man, April, but you won’t even commit to a date.” Christ, I sound like a naggy old woman.
A feminine grunt escaped April’s lungs as she finished her last rep, put down the weights, and sat up on the bench. “Geeze, Decker.” Her playful tone lightened his serious mood. “I feel like conversations of this nature often happen in the opposite direction”—she wiped the sweat from her forehead—“and isn’t there usually a wedding that’s being avoided?” April’s lips curled up, twin indentations appearing on either side of her lush mouth.
His mouth twitched as he tried to keep a straight face. “Are you insinuating that I’m acting like a girl, Ms. Maddox?” The mellifluous sound that flowed from her had Decker’s dick hardening at an embarrassing rate.