Page 72 of Loving You

She laced our fingers together and those blue eyes ensnared me yet again. “You know, I really, really,reallylike you, Eric Walker.”

My heart squeezed and flipped. I leaned in, sliding my nose along her jaw and pressed a kiss just under her ear. “I really, really,reallylike you, too, April Carrigan.” I nipped her earlobe and she gasped, giggling and pulling away.

Straightening in my seat and working to refocus my mind away from all the things I wanted to do to her, I glanced over at the two women. Mrs. Carrigan’s posture had loosened a touch, though not much. Something told me she never really let it all hang out. My mom looked considerably more relaxed, but still alert. They each cupped mugs of what had to be cold coffee by now.

I couldn’t do anything about them, but I did have something I needed to ask April, and I didn’t want to put it off any longer. “Hey, have you seen your ex lately?”

She turned to me. “No, but I would tell you if I had.”

Not wanting to sound like a distrustful jerk, I attempted to soften what might’ve sounded accusatory. “I didn’t mean to imply you wouldn’t. But I also didn’t want to assume you would, or to discount the years you spent dealing with him on your own. I hope you’ll tell me if you do, but—”

She took my hand. “I will. I trust you, and I trust our friends, and I am so grateful I don’t feel alone in this.”

“Good.”

Her soft smile eased my mind as she said, “I’m also glad to have you with that mess and also with these two.” She notched her chin toward our mothers. “How do you think it’s going?”

I glanced at the pair again before returning my eyes to her. “Well, neither of them has stormed out. They seem to be talking pretty calmly. I guess we’ll see if our little plan worked.”

“I’ve gotten about a hundred texts from the girls checking in.” She swiped at her phone and showed me the mounting pile of alerts on the screen.

“I turned off notifications before we got here because Sammy was blowing up our group text and Jake was trying to placate him, our little peacemaker.” I grinned at the thought of my brothers all huddling over their phones waiting for word of how things had gone.

“If Jake’s the peacemaker, and Sammy’s the troublemaker, and Will’s the bad boy, what are you?” She eyed me like she really wanted to know the label I had in the family.

“Well, I’d say Sammy’s and Will’s descriptions don’t really fit them anymore, but Jake’s does. And I’m probably the… stick in the mud. Or the serious one. Or the workaholic. All those things you always said about me.”

She frowned and shook her head just once. “I shouldn’t have said those things. That’s not who you are. I think you’re the caretaker. You’ve kept your family together, and here you are, doing it again, but for my family, too.”

Her hand cupped my cheek and I leaned into the touch. “We all wanted this—needed it. Without the damn feud, everyone’s lives will be better. And when we—”

I’d almost saidwhen we get married.

Her brow arched. “When we…?”

Clearing my throat, I ignored the glint in her eye that told me she might know where I’d been going with that. “When we have the feud out of the way, your mom’s life will be better, as will my mom’s. Maybe they won’t be friends, but I think holding a grudge takes work. Your mom has enough on her plate.”

She snorted. “Yeah, just ask her.”

I saw the opening and took it. “She seems… formal. Is she always like that?”

Her eyes flicked to the table where our mothers sat, still hashing out whatever it was they needed to discuss, then back to me. “Yes. I mean, she has her moments, right? Like, she’s not always a business-focused robot.”

“I can identify with that.”

She smirked. “Uh-huh. Anyway, I do love her. But my dad fucked her up, and I don’t say that lightly or to put all the blame on him. She made her own choices—how she handled everything, how she treated us after, all that.” She sighed, but instead of sounding sad, it almost sounded wistful.

“What?”

“I’d just love to see her happy. It sounds kind of trite, I guess, but being around your family… your mom is just so warm and loving. My mom has never been like that, so I’m not expecting her to turn into a hug-loving kick-ass grandma anytime soon, but I think she could choose to be happy, maybe.”

I swallowed. “I think I can identify with that, too.”

April’s eyes sparkled and she gave me a small smile. “I’m glad you’re choosing that, Eric. And as I see my friends and your brothers making their lives together, the way your family is close even though nothing’s ever been perfect, I want that for my family, too.”

I pulled her into my arms and squeezed, hoping the hug would imbue her with comfort and show her how amazing she is. “That’s a good thing to want for someone.”

She tilted her beautiful face up, and her gaze met mine. I couldn’t resist the urge to press a kiss to her lips and say, “I love you, April.”

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