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April was trying to make me feel better, which actually made it fucking worse. She sat there and told me about how god-awful her life had gotten, and she was here trying to comfort me? What the hell?
“I was supposed to protect you, though.” Tears stung my eyes. “I was the one who was supposed to keep you safe, and I wasn’t there. I wasn’t fucking there to keep the darkness of the world away from you.”
Before I could register what was going on, April had my cheeks in her hands, and she was looking into my eyes. “You can’t take those burdens on, Steff. I made my own mistakes, and I paid the consequences. This isn’t on you.”
I turned my head and kissed her palm. “I’m sorry I made this about me.”
She smiled at me. “You wouldn’t be Steffen James if you weren’t protective.”
I pulled her close and kissed her. It surprised both of us. The kiss was one of passion, desire, longing. It was a kiss I’d dreamed of for years. Night after night I’d lain in bed dreaming of having April like this again. Of having the velvety softness of her lips against mine.
Her body melted into mine. My body reacted, and I was getting hard. This wasn’t how I wanted our first time to be. I pulled back and nibbled her lip. “What are your plans tomorrow?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “It’s the Fourth of July weekend. I thought I’d hang out with the family.”
“Do you think there’s a way to carve out some time for me?”
She nodded eagerly. “Of course.”
I kissed her again. “Call me if that idiot is dumb enough to bother you again. I’ll take care of him if I need to.” With one last lingering kiss, I headed home.
SEVENTEEN
APRIL
The downtown portion of Lilly Valley was packed with people. It was the biggest weekend of the year, and every year was like this. I remembered it from when I was a kid. I always thought it was strange that so many people came here for vacation. When I was younger, the place seemed boring beyond belief. After so long away, and so few visits, it held a new appeal for me. Now I could understand why tourists flocked here. The lake, the mountains, the lush forests. The town did seem like a little paradise. It was gorgeous and quaint.
Chelsea was taking me around the big grassy area that was full of food trucks, ice cream vendors, cotton candy carts, and popcorn wagons. We’d come out to pick up a bunch of different things for us and the guys, so we could each try a little of everything. It was hard to decide, so I chose to follow her around and see what stuck out.
We were standing at a truck that specialized in different types of egg rolls, and Chelsea went to get in line. I stood back to wait for her, when a massive guy walked up to me. Built like an NFL linebacker, the gorgeous man carried a baby boy, and that made him all the more handsome.
Surprisingly, he extended the hand that wasn’t holding the baby. “Tate Mills, You’re April, right?”
My surprise gave way to understanding. I recognized the name. It was on the business card from Steff’s security firm. This was one of his friends and business partners.
I shook his hand. “Yes, nice to meet you. You’re Steff’s friend?”
He nodded and held up the baby. “Yup, and this is my little buddy. My son, Tory.”
I smiled at the baby, and he gave me a toothless grin. I looked at Tate. “Thank you so much for all the work you guys did on my security system. It’s been great.”
Tate shrugged. “It’s my job. No thanks needed.”
From out of the crowd, a gorgeous woman appeared and swept an arm around Tate. Yes, I was a supermodel, as much as I hated the term, but this woman was so beautiful she even made me a little self-conscious. She touched the baby’s chin, and when the little one stretched his arms out to her, she took him in her arms.
Tate put an arm around her. “This is my wife, Harley.”
There was such a connection between the two of them that I almost felt like I was intruding on something private by simply standing there with them. The electricity was palpable. These two were in love, and it was a stronger bond than I’d ever seen in my life.
“We’ve got two more girls,” Tate added. “They’re teenagers, though. I think they’re running around doing teenage things.”
Harley flushed when she spoke to me. “I know this is silly, but both my girls are huge fans of yours.”
I laughed and waved it off. “It’s not silly. I’d be happy to sign something anytime.”
“Okay, I may take you up on that if I need a birthday present for them or something.”
Tate gave Harley a wary look. “Just make sure the girls don’t post anything about April being here. I’m still in charge of her security.”
Harley nodded and gave him a mock salute. “Got it, Captain.”
Tory started to fuss and squirm, and Tate took the baby back from Harley. “I’m gonna go make him a bottle and get settled for the fireworks. See you in a bit, babe.” He kissed Harley and walked off into the crowd.
Harley touched my arm. “Steff can’t stop talking about you. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’d love to get together sometime and have a girls’ night or something. I could totally use a mommy break. Does that sound weird?”
I laughed. “No, not at all. I’d really like that. Can I get your number?”
We exchanged information, and Harley gave me a brief hug. “Again, it was super nice to meet you. Enjoy the fireworks. Talk to you soon.”