April's Promise (Forever Love Series)

by Smith, Karen Rose

  "What kind?" April asked, curious as to whether Gabe had put much thought into it.

  "I've heard Labs are good with kids. But I want Stephie to help take responsibility for the animal so I have to make sure she's ready."

  "Are you ready?" April joked.

  With a wry shake of his head, he said, "I'll admit, it probably sounds better in theory than in practicality. But she loves animals."

  After Stephie had her fill of petting the animals, Gabe took her hand and led her toward a circle of canopies situated around the park's gazebo. At the first stand, Stephie could see into the glass case where antique jewelry lay inside. She pressed her nose up against the glass. April looked down through the top, and a gold locket caught her eye. It was beautiful—round, almost as big as a silver dollar with delicate etching around the edge.

  The woman at the stand saw April's interest. Reaching inside the case, she brought the locket out for April to examine.

  April held it in her palm. It was heavy. "It's beautiful," she told the vendor as she opened it and saw the place for pictures inside. "How old is it?"

  "1920's," the woman answered.

  April handed it back to her. "It really is beautiful. But impractical for me." She wore business suits most of the time and little if any jewelry. A lapel pin now and then. If she bought the locket, as beautiful as it was, it would probably lay in her jewelry chest more than she would wear it. It was meant to be worn with loved ones' pictures inside. Maybe someday...

  When she looked over at Gabe, she saw that he was watching her. She gave a little shrug and a smile, and they moved on.

  "April. April Remmington. Is that you?"

  April turned in the direction of the woman who was calling her and saw a high school classmate of hers sitting at a booth selling ceramic items on the other side of the pathway that wended through the park.

  Seeing that Stephie had a firm hold on Gabe's hand, April crossed over to Barb Mahoney and gave her a big smile. "How are you? It's been years since I've seen you."

  Barb nodded vigorously. "Our last high school reunion. How have you been?"

  The breeze suddenly became more vehement and tossed April's hair. "Busy," she answered.

  "I heard about Vanessa and I'm sorry. One of the kids was sick and I couldn't get to the viewing or the funeral."

  "Thank you," April said softly. "It's been a difficult time but we're managing."

  Obviously not wanting to linger on the subject, Barb said, "I heard you are doing a lot of traveling."

  Gabe came up beside April with Stephie in his arms, nodded to Barb and picked up a small ceramic dog that Stephie pointed to.

  Answering Barb's question, April nodded. "It's part of the job. At least for this firm, and I do enjoy it."

  Buttoning her trench coat against the wind, Barb smiled wistfully. "I heard you spent a year in Singapore. What a wonderful opportunity. Do you know what I'd give to travel like that instead of doing dishes and laundry and cleaning up after three kids?"

  April could see Gabe was listening. Singapore was a subject they didn't bring up because it marked the end of the relationship they might have had.

  "It was a terrific experience," she said honestly. She felt more than saw Gabe frown.

  "Are you planning on going anywhere else exotic any time soon?" Barb asked.

  Careful about her answer, April shook her head. "It's not in my immediate plans."

  "Well, if I had the chance, I'd take it," Barb said. "You're not married. You don't have any kids or anything tying you down. You should enjoy life as much as you can before you do."

  It was all in a person's perspective, April supposed. In high school all Barb had talked about was getting married and raising a family. Now looking back, maybe she wished she had done things differently. It was ironic that April regretted leaving. Her gaze met Gabe's and she could see he was processing what he'd heard. He thought she'd left because she was running toward her career. But she couldn't tell him yet that she regretted leaving, not until she figured it all out. She still wasn't sure exactly what fears had driven her away.

  Before she could even say goodbye to Barb, a fine mist started to fall.

  "We'd better get back to the car," Gabe said, his voice even.

  April didn't know anyone who was as good at hiding what they were feeling as Gabe. Would he care if she took a position in London that her boss had mentioned. Would he miss her? He hadn't asked her to stay before and she doubted if he would now.

  As they hurried to the crossing light at the square, the heavens opened and the mist became a downpour. April looked down at Stephie and saw her little face crinkled up against the rain. Automatically April unbuttoned her jacket and swung it off, holding it over her niece.

  "April, you are going to get wet," Gabe started.

  "Better me than her."

  Sweeping Stephie up into his arms, jacket and all, he jogged across the street with April at his side. They didn't stop until they reached the SUV. As quickly as he could, he unlocked the doors and settled Stephie in the back seat. April climbed in the front, dripping wet.

  Gabe was pretty wet himself as he climbed in and looked over at her.

  She'd worn a pale blue oxford blouse with her jeans with the top two buttons of the button-down collar opened. Now the cotton clung to her, molding to her arms, shoulders and breasts. Shivering, she pushed her wet hair behind her ear.

  Gabe reached into the back seat for her jacket and handed it to her. "Put this back on. Maybe it will keep you from getting chilled until we get home."

  The jacket warmed her a little and as she looked over at him she smiled. "What we need are some towels." Gabe's sweater was soggy, and a droplet of water from his brown hair rolled down the side of his cheek. She longed to reach across and swipe it away...

  But in a quick motion, he started the car and turned on the heater. "Unfortunately, I don't keep any in the car. Let's see if we can beat the traffic out of here before we get caught in a real traffic jam."

  Lots of fair goers were running to their cars anxious to escape the rain. Fortunately, Gabe pulled out and drove down the street before too many cars did the same. Soon he was on the outskirts of the downtown area heading toward the development where he lived. With the heat blowing from the car's heater, he glanced over at April, remembering how she'd given his daughter her jacket. Sometimes she was so selfless with Stephie. More so than Vanessa. Vanessa would have considered her own comfort first.

  Where had that thought come from? Vanessa had cherished their daughter as much as he had. Yet she was so very different from April. Vanessa wouldn't have given that locket a second look. Gabe could tell April had liked the piece of jewelry. She certainly had the funds to buy it. But April always thought about whether she needed something or not, and apparently she hadn't needed another piece of jewelry even though the locket had lit up her eyes and brought a smile to her face. That's why he'd picked up the vendor's card. He needed to show April somehow that he appreciated her help. That locket might be exactly the thing he was looking for.

  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 colorin
g 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 s
tay 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."