I watch him go as a swirling feeling of excitement and fear travels through me, because Spencer Crews is turning out to be everything I never imagined him to be.
17
SPENCER
She shakes her booty in my kitchen. That’s what April does when she thinks nobody is watching, and she’s focused on her latest creation. She keeps her ear pods in and dances around. I even caught her in full-on down-to-the-floor moves while she sang "It’s Tricky" by Run DMC. She had no idea I caught her until she turned around.
But today, I return from dropping Hadley off at school to find April rocking her hips as she swirls a wire whisk in a bowl, unaware that I’m back.
The moment my hand rests on her lower back where I'm standing behind her, she’s startled at first, until she melts into my touch.
“Hmm, I thought you had a meeting with a sponsor.” She wiggles against me.
“Canceled,” I whisper into her ear.
April slowly turns to look at me. “Oh, so you thought you would pencil me into your calendar for a workout?” She gives me a warning glare.
It’s been a few days since I asked her to stay, but she wanted to help Piper with the baby, and I don’t have many opportunities to get April alone, as I’m busy taking care of Hadley.
“We’ll see about that.” I tip her chin up with my finger, drawing her sight to me, and I’m tempted to press a warm kiss against her lips.
She seems to be onto me and tickles me away. “Down, boy. Go throw some balls or something. I need to get this frittata in the oven.”
I still don’t know how she manages to come up with a new recipe to cook every day.
“How about a swim before lunch?” I ask.
April gawks at me. “Do you literally fuck like a rabbit in the off-season to make up for baseball season when you keep it all in?”
I interlace our fingers, well, only with one of her hands, as the other is busy whisking. My need to keep her close unnerves me slightly, but I’m past the point of caring, this is what I want in this moment.
I'm already scolding her with my eyes as a grin tilts on the corner of my mouth. “It’s not that I don’t have sex during baseball season, I just don’t do random hookups. If I’m in a relationship, then we work it out.”
April bursts out laughing. “What in the world does that mean? Oh my God, you literally have a sex schedule around your games, huh?”
“That’s maybe a stretch.” Slightly. Barely.
“Good luck to her then.” She returns to her experiment, and it causes me to pause that she doesn’t see herself as a contender. It shouldn’t bother me. A relationship is not what we are doing, but it feels close.
The sound of the door opening makes my head perk with attention to my mother walking in, carrying a laundry basket. She has the security code so she can come in when she wants, but she normally doesn’t unless it’s important.
“Oh, hey, sorry, I didn’t realize you have company.” My mother assesses the scene with intrigue as she slowly sets the basket on a chair at the kitchen island.
“It’s fine.”
I notice in the corner of my eye that April is straightening her apron as she watches my mother enter the picture.
“I guess you two only met briefly. Mom, this is April. April, my mom.”
A genuine welcoming smile spreads on my mother’s face. “Wonderful to meet you. Sorry, where are my manners.” She stretches out her hand. “I’m looking at you so strangely, but I just thought you were staying for a few days.”
April quickly wipes her hand on the apron before giving my mother a handshake hello. “Uhm, the plan kind of changed.”
My mother’s face immediately whips to my direction. “Fun.”
I roll my eyes and clap my hands together. “What brings you by? How was the getaway?”
“Can’t go wrong with Arizona. We’re planning our next trip already. Your father wants to take me to Yellowstone so I can fulfill my Kevin Costner fantasy.”
