Page 83 of The Publicity Stunt
A soft “oh” leaves his mouth and a wide grin spreads across his face. “Why didn’t you say so before?” he asks and rushes outside. Yeah, we’re not getting that box any time soon.
I stand upright and walk toward April. “Welcome home, roomie.”
She smiles. And of course, it’s as gorgeous as she is. “Is it weird that I like that more than ‘Chere’?”
“I’m not gonna stop calling you Chere,” I say.
“Good.”
“So …” I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close. “I got you a little housewarming present.”
April narrows her eyes, her smile unwavering. “Don’t think that’s how that works.”
Sidestepping around her, I grab the folder lying atop the dining table, balls of nervous energy rappelling through my stomach.
“What is that?” she asks.
“That …” I take her hand and place the folder onto her palm, “is a rough first draft ofFireheart Chronicles.” April already knows the basic plot, characters, and what happens in the end. But I’ve never really shown it to her. Showing someone a piece of your writing, something you created from scratch, is like giving them a piece of your soul to judge.
It’s scary. Nerve-wracking.
“Open it,” I say.
She eyes me for a few seconds before flipping the file open. “Parker, this is …” She doesn’t stop. She keeps flipping, each turning page accompanied by a soft smile. I’m still waiting for her to catch on. It’ll happen. “This is … this is amazing.” When I don’t respond, she angles her chin up. “What?”
“You tell me.”
Her frown deepens.
Okay, maybe I overestimated her capabilities. I plant a soft kiss on her forehead and point at the main character of my comic. The one with the yellow spandex costume, red hair, and green eyes. “That remind you of someone?”
April’s mouth slowly opens in realization and it makes my heart do a damn backflip. “Wait, is this—?”
“Yup,” I say.
She runs her fingers over Fireheart, almost as if she’s in disbelief. “Your comic is about … me?”
“No, Chere.” I brush the hair off her face. “It’s about my favorite superhero.”
Her face falls. “Oh.”
“Who just happens to be you.”
April glances up. “What?”
“Do you like it?”
The momentary giddiness on her face dissipates into something a bit more serious, and I instantly think I’ve somehow messed it all up. It hasn’t even been a day since she moved in and I’ve fucking messed it all up. Good fucking job—
But then she stands on her toes and presses her lips against mine. And my whole world melts away. “I love you,” she whispers around our kiss.
“I love you too,” I say, smiling. “But that’s not all.”
April pulls back, her arms still draped around my neck. “Another present? I should move in with you more often.”
Not wanting to be away from her, I wrap her legs around my waist and walk us to the couch, quickly grabbing the landline from the coffee table. “We’re going to make a voicemail.”
Her eyes widen and I plonk down on the couch with April straddling my lap. “We are?” The twinge of excitement in her voice makes me want to take her right here, right now.
