April's Promise (Forever Love Series) by Karen Rose Smith Read Free Book Online Page B

go
along.  But for now I'd better get going.  I don't want to hold Nicholas up if
he doesn't want to stay late tonight."
    As
April passed him, Gabe wanted to catch her arm.  He wanted to tell her not to
go.  He wanted to warn her again to be careful with Nicholas.
    April
gave Stephie a hug and told her she'd see her in the morning, and Gabe could
only think of one thing to say.  "The roads are still wet.  Drive
carefully."
    It had
been raining most of the day, and leaves covered many of the roads.  It was an
appropriate comment to make.
    But
April looked at him as if she were searching for something.  Finally she said,
"I'm always careful.  I probably won't be gone long.  I'll see you later."
    Then
she went down the short hall past the laundry room to the garage.  Gabe heard
the garage door open.  He heard the car start and April back out.  When the
garage door came down again, he wished he had said something else, something
more important, something that she'd remember when she was with Nicholas.  But
that was foolish.
    Holding
out his hand to his daughter, he said, "Let's go get you ready for bed. 
Then we can watch that new movie we bought.  Okay?"
    She
smiled up at him, and he decided she was all the sunshine he'd ever need in his
world.
    After
Gabe put Stephie to bed, he worked in his office for a while.  He checked his
watch—nine p.m.  It was funny—the house felt empty with April not in it.  There
had been so much strain and distance between him and Vanessa that they were
rarely in the house together.  But the past few days with April...
    He'd
gotten used to seeing her playing with Stephie on the floor in the family room
or making something in the kitchen.  Getting used to her being here was not a good idea.
    When he
went to the living room and switched on the TV, his mind wasn't on the images
on the screen.  As 9:15 came and went, he thought about calling Constellation
to see if April was still there.
    As he
was about to reach for the phone, he heard the garage door going up.  His lack
of interest in the TV program changed to avid regard, and he was totally
engrossed by the time he heard April's steps outside the family room.
    When
she came in, he hardly gave her a glance, but he commented, "Long
tour."
    She
didn't sit but stood at the end of the sofa.  "It was more than a
tour."
    Her
words brought his gaze to hers.  He switched off the TV as he looked for signs
that she'd had more than a casual evening with Nicholas.  "You went
somewhere with Nicholas?"
    After
studying Gabe for a moment, she shook her head.  "No.  He showed me the
office complex and the day-care center that he set up last year.  He'd done
lots of research on the benefits of having a day-care center on site for its
employees.  I took a look at some of it, then when he found out that I hadn't
actually eaten dinner, he ordered in some Chinese."
    "And
after dinner?" Gabe prompted.
    The
golden light he'd seen in her eyes after their last kiss flared again. 
"What do you want, Gabe?  A play-by-play?"
    "I
want to know if Nicholas made any moves on you."
    "Nicholas
was a perfect gentleman.  We looked over the numbers for a few businesses he
wants to buy."
    Gabe
stood, feeling as if he wanted to pace the room but controlling the urge. 
"And that took all this time?"
    "I'm
over twenty-one, single and free to come and go as I please.  I don't
appreciate being grilled even if you are well-intentioned because you see Nicholas
as some kind of threat to me.  He's not.  In fact, we have a lot in common.  He
has two tickets for the symphony in Richmond on Saturday evening, and asked me
if I'd like to go.  I told him I would."
    Gabe's
heart beat faster as he tried to deny how much he disliked the idea of April
and Nicholas going on a date.  And that's what it would be.  But as she'd said,
she was a free agent.  There was nothing he could do about it.  She probably
went to the theater and symphony all the time while she was