by Lisa N. Paul
Just the thought of Ben’s wife, Becky, caused April to flinch. It was a knee-jerk reaction that occurred every time someone mentioned that woman. She sighed, “As much as I’d like to blame everything on the homewrecking whore, truth is, she wasn’t the one who was married. That was Ben. She may have the morals of an alley cat, but she wasn’t the one who was cheating.” Ugh, thinking about it gave April a stomach ache, but actually admitting that Becky, while a nasty, skanky sleaze, was not the cause of her failed marriage… that made her want to vomit.
“We’re home,” August and Elijah chimed in unison from the bottom of the stairs.
Wow. April glanced at the clock on her night table. Two hours had passed? Maybe the man did have super powers; he sure as hell made the time fly by.
“Hey, Decker, my brother, August, just brought Elijah home, so it’s probably safe to assume that my kid is a sticky, exhausted mess in need of a bath and a bed.” April smiled. Her son could be sugared up and shooting chocolate chips out of his nostrils, and she’d still be grateful for every minute August spent with him.
“Wait,” Decker called, his soft chuckle sending tingles down April’s spine. “Are you telling me that your parents had two children, and they thought it would be what… cute to name them both after calendar months?” His voice broke, sending ripples of laughter into April’s ear.
Unable to control her own giggle, April replied, “No, I’m telling you that my parents had three children, and my mother, who we’ve already established is more than a bit crazy, decided to name us all after months. There’s my brother, August, my sister, Ember, and me.”
“Ember?”
“Yep, as in November.” April held the cell close to her ear as she walked down the stairs. “Laugh it up, big guy,” she teased, “but trust me, it’s far from funny. My mother takes her names quite seriously. The woman is still holding a grudge over the fact that I was born a week late, making my birth month May instead of April.”
Amusement evident in the contorted chuckle she heard in Decker’s words, he asked the question so many had queried before. “A…April, why didn’t she just name you May instead?”
The sound of the ridiculously handsome man’s laugh felt like the sun warming her skin after a cold winter. So instead of answering his question with the bitterness that she usually felt toward the topic, she allowed herself to see it from an outsider’s point of view. In all honesty, it sounded crazy, ridiculous, and funny as shit.
“My mother is a stubborn woman, Deck. She’d already had a mural painted on the nursery wall that said April, and she was angry that I, her third child, was overdue. According to my family, she demanded to be induced just so I could be born in April, but the doctors refused to do it.” April rolled her eyes. “The woman has major control issues.”
With his laughter under control, Decker replied, “Yeah, I’d say she may be a bit controlling. However, I’m kind of glad she stuck with the name April.”
“You are? Why?” April couldn’t imagine what his response would be.
“I don’t know, May just seems so… pioneer-ish. Like the Mayflower.” Decker’s playful tone had April picturing the smirk that had been melting her panties for weeks on end. Decker continued to tease, “Or better yet, subservient. May I have my slippers and my pipe?”
“All right, funny man. I need to go get my boy ready for bed, and I’m sure you probably have another head inspection in your immediate future… but hopefully I’ll see you soon.”
“You just may.” He chuckled and disconnected the call, leaving April standing in the family room with a goofy smile plastered on her face.
*
APRIL SLID HER phone in her back pocket and moved toward her brother, whose arms were filled with sleepy little boy. “It looks like you guys had a ton of fun.” She leaned in and placed a kiss on Eli’s forehead, inhaling the sweet scent of ice cream and innocence.
“Hmm, someone else looks like they had quite a bit of fun tonight.” August grinned, the question evident in his eyes.
April felt her cheeks warm. Her own built-in lie-detector had kept her honest her whole life.
“Tiny, did the guy from the gym call you?”
“Umm.” Flames licked the soft surfaces of April’s face, turning it from pale pink to blazing red. “Eventually.”
August cocked his head to the right and smirked. “What does that mean? Wait, did you actually call him first? Holy shit, Tiny!” August’s eyes rounded with pride. “I’m so proud of you! Don’t worry, I’ll never tell Mom.”
“No!” April huffed. “I’d never call a boy first, jeez, August.” She cupped her hand over her mouth and faked a cough. “I texted him.” She used August’s temporary state of shock to swipe Elijah from his strong but trembling arms. “Stop laughing at me, Aug. You’re loud, and you’re gonna scare my child. That will make me angry.” She glared at her brother with the most evil stare she could summon. “You won’t like me when I’m angry.”
The Hulk quote lingering in the air managed to make August laugh even harder, as it always had in the past, but since August was the greatest uncle ever, August’s laughter burst from his body, completely soundless, and his eyes watered, his face was red, and his hands ran through his dark blond hair.
April nearly lost her shit just watching her brother trying to contain his. “Stay down here,” she whispered loudly through forced calmness. “I’ll put him to bed real fast, and then tell you what happened. And since you are my favorite brother, I’ll even let you laugh at me while I tell you.” With Eli in her arms, April turned and headed up the stairs.
“Wait,” August called quietly, “I’m your only brother.”
She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Good thing you aren’t my second favorite.” The sound of his chuckle followed her upstairs.
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Blocked
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Acknowledgments
Do I bore everyone with a long-winded acknowledgment page?
Shakes the ball
–It Is Certain–
Okay, here I go!
This book would have never been more than a silly conversation if not for two of my closest friends in the world laughing at my antics and literally saying, “Lisa, why aren’t you writing this down?” Joanne Schwehm and Ilsa Madden-Mills, seriously, where would I be without you?
–Outlook Not So Good–
As a reader, we see a cover and some of us (me me me) fall in like, lust, or love immediately based solely on that first glimpse. I knew I needed something that would steal not just my attention but my heart, and Sommer Stein of Perfect Pear Creative gave me exactly what I wanted!! Thank you, Sommer. I can’t wait to work with you again.
Believe it or not, writing is an isolating profession. We authors tend to spend our days and nights cooped up in our “caves,” chatting with our characters in the same way most people converse with coworkers and friends. It may sound weird, but to be honest, for some of us, it’s the only way we can connect with our stories. That said, when I find people who are not in the profession and are not just willing to put up with my lifestyle but also love me in spite of it, I feel blessed. Carrie Baxter, you have been a sweet angel on my shoulder during this whole process. Thank you, my friend. I feel lucky to have met you. The fan girling is definitely reversed! Xo
I am incredibly fortunate to have found myself a group of women who willingly put themselves through the torture of beta reading my story while it’s in raw form. Yes, they received Lucky Ball unedited, unpolished, and with more words than the Bible. I didn’t even need to bribe them!!! Thank you, Beta Team. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
In my opinion, a book is only as good as its editing. Cassie Cox – Joy Editing – thank you for all of your help. Once again, you went above and beyond for me. I am eternally grateful.
A story is just words on paper until it’s formatted. And that is where Julie Titus, formatter
extraordinaire, swoops in and magically transforms my pages into the book you have in your hands. Six books, lady!!! Wow, we make quite a team. XO
To the Ladies of FTN – where in the hell would I be without you? Gah, you chicks crack me up. The support in our group is fantastic. Each of you are Capable Understanding Nurturing Teachers and I love you every day. ;)
To You – the Readers, Bloggers, and random people who are looking at this page – Thank you for continuing to read my stories. Your support overwhelms me. Every email, Facebook message, and review I get tells me that my words have been read. There is no better compliment to a writer than that. So thank you.
To my Husband – As I wrote Wren, I found the similarities between us to be…uncanny. I’m sorry. Thank you for being my Logan. I love you.
To my Sons – I love you each with my whole heart. Thank you for being everything a mom could ever want.
XO,
Lisa N. Paul
About the Author
Lisa N. Paul is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, reader, writer, blogger, and self-proclaimed comedian—just not always in that order. Ever since she was a little girl, she has devoured books. Falling in love with the Sweet Valley High series at a young age drew Lisa to series books and inspired her to write her own. Thursday Nights, Storm Front and Breaking to Breath are the first three books in her Charistown series. Blocked is a standalone novel.
When not writing, Lisa can be found eating French fries and Godiva raspberry truffles, or hanging out with her husband and two sons.
Visit her website at http://www.lisanpaul.com
Other Titles by Lisa N. Paul
THE CHARISTOWN SERIES
Thursday Nights (Book One)
Storm Front (Book Two)
Breaking to Breathe (Book Three)
Danny’s Main (Book Four)
Cheers in Charistown – COMING SOON
STANDALONE
Blocked