Page 71 of Loving You

“You cool with that, Mom?” I asked.

She nodded stiffly, then turned her face like she was silently dismissing me.

Mm-kay. Good talk.

With a heavy sigh, I got up as Eric did, and my heart fluttered when he stepped back and gestured for me to go ahead of him to an empty table in the far corner.

He pressed his hand to my lower back as I passed him, and I was reminded once again that whatever happened at the table behind me—whatever happened with my mom or Cliff or anyone else for that matter—I had a hell of a lot of good people in my corner.

22

ERIC

Resisting the urge to watch the two women across the shop as they hashed out whatever ugly details had piled up under decades of their feud, I focused on April. She was buzzing with energy, and she’d only had a few sips of her latte.

“Do I need to tie you down? You look like you’re about to float away.” I couldn’t help the impulse to smooth a hand over her shoulder and down her arm. I loved touching her, and seeing her so light and energized felt good. Especially considering the less-than-warm response we got from her mom.

“No, you don’t need to tie me down, though I will say I’m open to discussing that for our future interactions.” She gave me a blink and a giant smile.

Heat shot through me. I’d never done that in the bedroom, but I figured I could be into just about anything with April. Instead of letting her in on the images that her flippant comment had sent through my mind, I squinted at her.

She chuckled. “I’m just happy. I think they’re going to figure it out. I mean, maybe not today. Maybe it’ll take a few times to… parlay, or whatever this is. But I’m glad we did this. And I’m feeling very hopeful.”

God, I loved her.

The rush of emotion made me lean in and steal a kiss. She clutched the collar of my shirt and pulled me closer, deepening the kiss to something aggressively sensual. My body tensed, but I leaned away before the heat between us spiraled into something entirely inappropriate for the coffee shop.

“You’re dangerous, woman,” I said, my voice graveled with desire.

She smirked, half her smile sliding up into a pleased grin. “I’ll take that as long as we both know the onlydangeris just me getting you naked as soon as we get home.”

I laughed under my breath, reveling in her use of the wordhomewhen attached to my house. That look on her face and all her glorious, happy energy was like a balm on my soul.

She’d been such a shell of herself for the better part of the last year, and even though her demeanor had improved the longer she stayed with me, I liked knowing she felt good about more than just how things were progressing between the two of us.

“So I have to admit that I was kind of spacing out when you started the whole intervention discussion. What did you say?” She bit her lip, the picture of innocence.

Chuckling, I shook my head. Had I ever laughed and smiled this much? Being around her, whether she was joyous like today or not, filled me with a lightness I couldn’t remember experiencing.

But if I didn’t stop mooning over her, she’d call me out, so I answered. “I told them we were representing all the Walker and Carrigan kids by asking them to be here. That we, in particular, were talking to them because we’re dating and it’s serious, and because we hope they understand our desire for them to make peace holds significance beyond Ellie and Jake’s wedding.”

She nodded, seeming pleased by this, so I continued. “Your mom asked what I meant by that, and—”

With a dramatic cringe, she covered her face. “She can’t take anything at face value. She’s got to push. I’m sorry.”

I urged her hands back down and brought one of them to my lips for a kiss. “I don’t blame her for being skeptical and a little defensive. It’s an odd situation, so it didn’t bother me that she wanted clarification.”

Her double blink told me she was processing before she spoke. “Okay, fair enough. Thanks for being so generous with her. What did you say?”

“I told her we’re serious and that I see no end to our relationship, certainly not anytime soon.”

And what I didn’t say was that I fucking loved this woman and would do anything for her, and that I was fairly certain she felt the same way, but we’d decided to hold off on her telling me.

It might’ve seemed odd to an outsider, but for us, it made sense. I wanted to know she meant the words without an ounce of pressure or circumstantial bias, and she loved me enough to humor me and trust that I’d wait to hear the words when she felt completely ready.

Honestly, it might’ve been another backward thing between us, but she’d been through so much. Nothing in me wanted her to say those words unless she felt entirely and outrageously free to do so. I didn’t doubt our chemistry or that she cared deeply for me. We’d forged a bond that wouldn’t easily be broken, but it’d come about under unusual circumstances.

I didn’t want those three words to be wrapped up in all of that, too, because if that were the case, what would happen when that jerk disappeared for good and she had no reason to stay with me?

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