And maybe April could be the winning play in the home stretch.
* * *
April standsby her car and closes the door, with Pickles in the back.
“That’s us, all packed and ready to go,” she states.
She made a big breakfast for Hadley before coming with us for school drop-off. But her departure is happening now while Hadley is at school, which is probably easier.
I knock on the hood of her car. “Yep. Back to the city, free from me.”
“Hmm, yeah.”
She’s trapped between the car and my body, and neither one of us seems ready to move. Last night we had dinner with Hadley, and after Hadley went to bed, April snuck into my room like she has been doing every night this week.
“I labeled a bunch of stuff in the freezer, in case you get stuck on dinner, since you don’t have a babysitter yet,” she mentions, and I love that she’s taking care of us as a parting gift.
“We’ll eat it, I’m sure,” I promise.
Her eyes are searching for a clue.
“You’ll let me know when you get back? Those foxes on the road, you know. They come out of nowhere.”
Her closed lips move side to side. “Just like pitchers, I guess.”
“Why is that plural?” I raise a brow.
She grabs hold of my open jacket. “Pitcher. He was a real piece of work at the start.”
I slant a shoulder up to my ear. “Bet you loved it.”
She nods once.
We are drawing out this minute. “It’s been fun.” She looks away, and I can tell she’s putting up a defense.
But I want to tear it down.
“April.”
Her eyes meet my own, hopeful. “Yeah?”
“Do you think that I can visit you in the city?”
“Sure. You’re always welcome.” She doesn’t seem to get it.
I tilt her chin up with my long finger. “As in, I want to keep seeing you. I can visit you, and you can visit us here.”
A smile begins to form. “I mean, I guess that makes sense. Pickles and Hadley kind of have a bond I’m jealous of.”
I step closer, bringing her mouth closer to mine, at a distance that has our breaths mingling. “Stop avoiding the obvious. You don’t want this to stop, and I don’t want it to either.”
“Telling me what I feel, now?” She’s impossible, yet I grin before I slam my lips onto hers to kiss her and to confirm that I’m absolutely right.
She dips her tongue into my mouth to deepen our kiss. A sound vibrates from the back of her throat into my mouth as her body arches into mine.
I don’t dare break this moment, but we can’t stay like this all day. But damn, there is a fire inside of me that I didn’t know was possible. A want for someone that I can only describe as new, but I’m not ready to let it go.
She reluctantly breaks away; our lips push and pull in a magnetic dance.
