Natalie met my gaze, and I mouthed thank you. She nodded, grabbing Robbie’s hand and heading for the door. The second the door clicked shut, I pulled April to me and held her, our hearts the only part of us talking.
April tipped her face back to look into mine. “Robbie did well with everyone. He’s not going to have any trouble fitting right in at home.” At home. She didn’t say your home or my home. Or our home. Just home. What did that mean?
I nodded. “I’m proud of him. He scared the hell out of me today, but I’m glad he was able to get it back together after we talked.”
“He wants to be loved,” she explained. “Once he understood, he forgot about it quickly. I wish I could say it would be the last of that, but you need to be prepared that it won’t.”
“I need to get him in to see a children’s therapist at home.” I’d ask Dr. Mia for a good kid’s therapist.
“Probably would be good for the two of you to go together as well.” Would she want to go with us? Was that too presumptuous to ask? Would she even be with us, or would we try a long distance relationship?
“Good idea.” I brushed my lips against hers. She sighed, melting her body back into mine as our tongues twisted in a sensual dance. God, I loved this woman. “I love you,” I said against her lips.
“I love you, too. Are you okay today?” She’d watched me this morning taking my arsenal of medication. I’d tried to hide it but she’d stopped me, telling me not to be embarrassed about it.
I’m nervous as hell to have this conversation with you. “Yes, thank you. I am. I feel better than I have in a long time.”
She stared at me, waiting. Did she read my mind? Probably. She was getting rather good at it. My arms were clasped behind her back, and we were pressed together, our hearts beating in tandem with each other. “What is it?”
“We need to talk,” I said. Her face dropped, and she stepped back from me. I hated I made her feel this way. “Nothing is bad, April. Come on, let’s go in the living room.” I held her hand as we walked together into the living room, settling on the couch.
“I’m scared,” she admitted.
“I’m not trying to scare you. I just want us to be on the same page as far as what we want to do now. I meant every word I said earlier. I want you to be a part of my life. But never, ever would I ask you to give up everything to come with me. This is your home. You’ve built your life here, and your family is here. That being said, I can’t live in Orlando. My band’s home is a few hours from here, and we are on the road a lot. So my question then is, do you want to date long distance and try to see each other as much as possible?”
April twisted her fingers together, looking down as I finished talking. “Beau, answer me something.”
“Anything.”
“If we lived in the same town and this was a non-issue, what would you want to have happen now?”
“I would want for us to at least be in each other’s daily lives. But honestly, I’d want you to move in with me. I’d want to wake up with you every single day, I’d want to slide in the shower behind you—once this fucker is off.” I indicated my cast. “And make love to you in the bed we’d share.”
Sometimes I still shocked myself with the quantity of words I used. Never much of a talker, every time I found myself telling April exactly how I felt, it surprised me.
April stared at me for so long I wondered if she heard me. Just when I was about to say something, she stood up. What the . . . ? Before I could think any further, she straddled me, taking my face in both of her hands. “I called this morning and asked for a transfer.”
A transfer? What did she mean? A transfer to where? When she saw my confusion, she smiled.
“I called my boss and asked to transfer offices.”
My eyes widened as I understood. “Really? You did?”
“I hoped I wasn’t being presumptuous, but I had to know.”
“And what did he or she say?”
“She said there were no openings in your area,” April explained.
I swore I stopped breathing. Shit. “Oh.”
April pressed her lips to mine. “So I quit.”
“What?” She couldn’t do that. Not for me, not for anyone. “April, you can’t . . .”
“Listen,” she said, putting her finger on my lips. She shifted, awakening my desire despite our serious conversation. “I talked to Bex when they were here.”
She talked to Bex? When? About what? Her finger still on my lips kept me from responding.
“She wants me to help her with the girls’ home, especially now that she wants to open this place with all the instruments. It’s a dream come true for me. I don’t have to work for a huge bureaucracy that I can’t control, but I still get to do what I love and help kids who need me.” April kissed me, my mind reeling as our lips moved together. I gripped her hips as she began grinding on me. I wanted nothing more than to take her right here on this couch, but I needed to know more. I needed to know she wasn’t going to regret this.