Page 36 of All Your Firsts Without Me

Damn it, April. Do this for me.

“No,” I say aloud.

April, he’s a good man.

“No.”

You can deny it all you want. But it will happen, with or without a push from me. You’ll see. I’m not asking you to do anything you don’t want to. I’m just asking you to let your guard down, quit thinking about me and see what happens.

Someday you will understand why I did this.

It’s inevitable.

If I were there, now would be the moment you give in. You never could resist my puppy dog eyes.

Fuck!

Love forever and a day,

David

P.S. You’re sexy as hell when you’re mad.

I crumple up the letter in my fist, jumping to my feet and tossing it in the water.

How could he ask this of me? It’s impossible.

“April,” a voice calls from the house.

I stand on my tiptoes, catching a glimpse of Giles’s head. My eyes narrow as I storm up the path. If he’s in on this, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.

When he spots me, he rubs his chest, relieved.

“Did you know about this?” I accuse, not giving him a chance to respond. “Who does he think he is?”

Giles, snorts. “You got me, girl. I told him this was a bad idea.”

I plop down in one of the patio chairs, pulling my legs up and hugging them.

“Are you okay?” he asks, joining me.

“No. Like, just, no. Whose husband does this? Setting me up with someone from beyond the grave. Who?” I rest my chin on my knees.

“The most selfless man who ever lived.”

“He was,” I whisper, my anger instantly deflated by his words.

“I’m not here to tell you to give Westin a chance. I’m here for you. What do you need?”

“My husband.”

He shakes his head sadly. “If I could give you that, I would.”

“I know.” I let my head fall back, watching the clouds float by. “I like Westin. I do. I just… I don’t know about opening myself up to something more. I was just having fun making a new friend. That is something I’ve never done, you know?”

Giles rubs his hand across his jaw. “So, you guys really did meet accidently?”

“Yeah, the first time was at the humane society. The two of us saw the same segment on the news about a little dog with only three legs. We both wanted her.” I chuckle lightly. “And then we met again today at a nursing home I’d decided to volunteer at. He was there volunteering too. He wasn’t being creepy or forward or anything like that. Itwasaccidental.”

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