Blocked (16 page)

“Maddox, huh?” Robyn murmured as a hint of mischief crossed her ocean blue eyes.

“What?”

“Nothing, honey.” Robyn rose from her stool and disposed of the empty bottles. “Now please call your daughter in here. It’s time for dessert. I think she’s waited long enough.”

Chapter Eleven

Yes, Decker

“GOOD MORNING, CHICKIES!”

“Ugh,” Rori groaned, her head lodged in the staff refrigerator. “You are too happy for a Monday morning, Janie Silver.”

April was thrilled to see Janie enter the teachers’ lounge, because five minutes of listening to Rori complain about having to bring her least favorite flavor of Greek yogurt for lunch because strawberry was the only kind the yogurt thief didn’t steal was five damn minutes too long, best friend or not.

“Hey, girl, how was the Grand Re-Opening of your bar this weekend?” April had been so happy for her friend’s new business venture and a bit melancholy that she wasn’t there to celebrate with her, but she hated leaving Elijah unnecessarily, and she’d just been out a few weeks before with Decker, so she hated to leave him again.

“I can’t believe the band Your Toxic Sequel performed live.” Rori cooed, “I kinda have a crush on Lucas Wolfe. I wish I could have been there.”

“I wish you both could have been there also.” Janie’s face glowed with happiness as she threw her left hand out in front of her. “It
was
pretty awesome.”

“Oh. My. God.” April squealed as she grabbed her friend’s hand and stared at the gorgeous engagement ring that adorned her finger. “Janie, oh, honey, I am so happy for you.”

“Holy shit,” Rori gasped. “That is some fucking rock. The man did well.”

April embraced her friend then listened as she described how her boyfriend, now fiancé, Max, had given her the proposal every girl dreamed of. April was thrilled for her, truly… she was. If not for that small little piece of sadness that she kept tucked away, the part that reminded her that she wasn’t good enough to hold on to her husband, she wasn’t sexy enough to keep him from climbing into another woman’s bed, that she wasn’t smart enough to know he’d left their marriage long before he left their house.

She snapped out of her darkened thoughts when she felt a gentle squeeze on her knee. Placing her hand over the one on her leg, she turned her attention to Rori.

“Are you okay, chica?”

“Yeah, why?”

Rori shrugged, giving her the I-don’t-buy-your-bullshit face. “You’re gonna try that with me? For real?”

April glanced over at Janie, who was showing her ring to two teachers from the math department. The sun couldn’t illuminate as much as Janie did, and it was a sight to behold.

“I’m fine, Ror. Or I will be.” April whispered, “I really am extremely happy for her, you know that, right? Tell me you believe me.” In that moment, Rori’s confirmation meant everything. If her very best friend thought that she was as horrible as she was feeling on the inside, April wouldn’t know what to do with herself.

Rori took April’s hand in hers. “Honey, of course I believe you because you’re an amazing person and a wonderful friend, April. It’s okay to mourn what you’ve lost. It’s not like you’re trying to take what Janie’s found.”

Pulling in a shaky breath, Rori’s words hit home, and calmness began to spread through April’s body, relaxing her tightened muscles little by little.

“Sorry, chickies, but this whole engagement thing is so new, and to be honest, even though I’ve been living with Max for a while, wearing his ring just feels so… special.”

“It
is
special,” April agreed, pulling her friend into a hug as tears stung her eyes. “And you, my friend, will make a beautiful bride.”

“Aww, April, no tears.” Janie swiped the wet streak off of April’s face. “You know what my best friend Lyla says about crying, don’t you?”

April sniffed as she nodded her head. After all the years of them working together, she and Rori had heard a lot of Lyla-isms. While she’d never met Janie’s friend, she felt as though she practically knew the woman.

“Crying is for pussies,” Janie whispered so as to not garner further attention from any of the other staff in the room. “So knock that shit off.”

The three women snorted as they tried to keep their giggles caged in their bodies.

“Anyway, I’d really love it if you two would come celebrate with me and my friends, and Max of course, at Danny’s on Main this Thursday night.” Janie’s eyes landed on April’s. “I know it’s short notice, but I also know you, and it wouldn’t matter how much notice I gave you, you’d find a way to cancel. So I’m asking, can you please ask your brother or sister if they can watch Eli so you can come out? Please?”

There was so much hope in her friend’s voice, so much optimism, April found herself accepting the invitation before she gave it any thought at all. It was both Rori’s and Janie’s delightful squeals that made her realize just what she’d done. Looked like she would be going out on Thursday night; how did that happen?

* * *

“WHEN ARE YOU going to let me take you out again, beautiful?” Decker racked his weights and turned to watch April complete another set of chest presses.
Fuck, what I wanna do with her on that bench has nothing to do with weight training.
“I’m a patient man, April, but you won’t even commit to a date.”
Christ, I sound like a naggy old woman.

A feminine grunt escaped April’s lungs as she finished her last rep, put down the weights, and sat up on the bench. “Geeze, Decker.” Her playful tone lightened his serious mood. “I feel like conversations of this nature often happen in the opposite direction”—she wiped the sweat from her forehead—“and isn’t there usually a wedding that’s being avoided?” April’s lips curled up, twin indentations appearing on either side of her lush mouth.

His mouth twitched as he tried to keep a straight face. “Are you insinuating that I’m acting like a girl, Ms. Maddox?” The mellifluous sound that flowed from her had Decker’s dick hardening at an embarrassing rate.

“I’m saying if the garters fit, Mr. Brand…”

That, right there, was the reason he couldn’t give up on April Maddox. Hell, it was the reason, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get her out of his fucking mind. She was the total package—beauty, intelligence, and a sense of humor to boot. But no matter how many attributes he mentally clicked off in his mind, the only one she seemed to care about was being Elijah’s mom. While he certainly understood the bond between parent and child, especially the connection between a single parent and only child, he also knew how important it was to have a healthy adult relationship. They’d both done it wrong before. The difference was, he wasn’t ready to give up. Not when he saw something worth fighting for right in front of him.

“Here’s the deal.” Decker picked up the dumbbells that lay by her feet and placed them on the weight rack. He gathered his words while his back remained to her, but when he lifted his eyes, his gaze met hers in the wall-length mirror. “I want more time with you, and you want the same thing. Let me take you out.”

There was no question being asked, because he already knew that her heart and her head would give different answers. He wasn’t a gambling man, so he wasn’t going to take a chance. April opened her mouth to interject, but Decker pivoted took two steps toward the bench and kneeled down in front of her.

“You can avoid it, but you can’t deny it.” His heart thudded in his chest when she licked her lips before rubbing them together. “So save us both time, make us both happy, and just say, ‘Yes, Decker.’”

The desire to run his tongue up the length of her throat as she swallowed was nearly as strong as his urge to moan when she licked her deep pink lips again. “Yes, Decker.”

Knowing it would look amateur to fist pump, he quelled his excitement and settled on a silent nod.

* * *

SHE COULD PRACTICALLY feel the enthusiasm brimming in his body, and no way did it match the slight inclination of his head when she accepted his offer. Although his smirk… that smirk screamed “gotcha” as his nostrils flared. Truth be told, she was just as excited to spend time with him, even if she had been stacking up reasons why dating wasn’t a good idea. The thought of spending time with Decker alone made her body parts tingle. Sure, they’d kissed since their date. Each day as they left the gym, Decker would place his hands on either side of her face and pull her in for a leisurely kiss, one that warmed her skin and softened her insides. She savored those moments when his calloused hands met her soft cheeks. Each quiet whimper she released was a tiny crack in the wall she’d erected after her ex-husband shattered the very essence of her being. However, their kisses were rushed as they each had a child that needed their love and attention. As always, Elijah would come first. His needs were the most important, and his happiness was the only thing that counted.

However, having another date with Decker… mmm, even the thought was decadent. She’d ask her siblings if one of them could babysit, but she already knew her brother would gladly watch Eli without giving it a second thought. He’d repeatedly offered his nephew-watching services, especially since their Christmas chat on the porch swing outside their parents’ house.
August will be thrilled.
April smiled.
He’d most likely cancel his own plans just so I can go out with..
. the plans she’d made earlier with Janie and Rori popped into her head. “Shit.”

“No way, beautiful.” Decker’s heated stare penetrated her. “I’m not letting you out of our date that easily.”

Wow,
was that unease she saw behind the dark eyes and firm jaw?
I really do suck
, she scolded herself, remembering Janie’s words and Rori’s agreement.
I guess I do cancel on everyone
.

“I’m not kidding, April.” With her hands tucked firmly in his, Decker rose from his knees, leaving her no choice but to stand as well.

His six-foot stature, powerful and strong, towered over her five-foot-four-inch frame, yet she didn’t feel daunted or afraid. In fact, her body snapped to full alert when, without further words, he lifted her hands to his mouth, touching his lips to her knuckles.

“Whatever excuse you’re about to sell me, you can forget it, cause I’m not buying. This thing here, between us, is a relationship, babe. It may be undefined, but that doesn’t make it any less real.” He released her hands, only to obliterate what was left of the distance between them. “It’s a give-and-take. You
gave
me a yes to a date, now I’m
taking
the reins and making sure it actually happens.”

The combination of his commanding tone and soulful, tender eyes made it nearly impossible for April to breathe, let alone think straight, but she needed to keep her mind clear in order to figure out the best resolution for the situation she’d gotten herself into. As much as she wanted to spend time with Decker, and oh my God did she want that, she refused to be the stupid girl who dropped her friends for a guy—been there, done that, ended up with zero friends and Ben. Not a good trade-off and not a mistake she’d make a second time, but how the hell did she explain the scenario to Deck without making him feel like he isn’t important?

“Um.” She heaved a heavy sigh. “So here’s the problem…”

“April, I can practically hear the cogs turning in your brain. Tell me what’s bothering you, and I’ll help you figure it out. But let’s go out to the lobby.” Decker’s lips thinned as he looked around the weight room. “I wanna be able to concentrate on what you’re saying, but if I see one more guy staring at your ass in those thin yoga pants while we’re talking, I may lose my mind.”

Gah, the man was a multitude of contradictions. Hard and soft, gentle and rough, sweet and crass, understanding and “no bullshit,” caring and … well, there was no opposite of that one. He was always caring, considerate, and kind. The problem was her; she couldn’t let him in because she wasn’t capable of that kind of trust. That said, she was perfectly capable of enjoying him and whatever time they had together before he moved on to the next woman who would enter his life. The thought stung, but she shook it off as they walked to the juice bar in the lobby.

Once they were settled on the plastic chairs with their bottled waters in hand, April explained the situation. Since almost all of their conversations were held over the phone, it was still novel—fuck, even sexy—the way Decker listened to her problem as if he truly cared and not just nodded blankly while he played on his cell phone.

“Okay, so let’s see if I have it right.” He brushed his large hand over the five o’clock shadow that spread across his squared jaw. “You already promised your friend Janie that you’d celebrate her engagement with her and a bunch of people over at Danny’s on Main this Thursday, and you don’t wanna leave Eli with a sitter two times in one week. Am I right?”

April looked at the sexy man addressing her and nodded. Why had she been putting off a second date with him for so long? She’d been a fool, and now she’d need to put it off even longer. She’d deserve it if he got bored waiting for her pathetic ass and walked away.

“April, I think it’s really important for you to spend time with your friends—”

“You do?” she interrupted, incapable of hiding the astonishment in her question.

“Of course I do. After everything you’ve told me over the last month or so, it doesn’t seem as though you’ve done nearly enough socializing since Eli’s been born.”

“Try since I was sixteen,” April muttered quietly.

Decker’s brows clinched together. “What do you mean by that?” When she didn’t answer immediately, he asked the question a second time.

She studied the designer label on the plastic bottle. “I guess I never gave it any thought until recently, but Ben didn’t necessarily like to share me.” As the words left her mouth, realization entered her mind. “He claimed that he loved spending time with me, just the two of us. I had a lot of friends in high school, I was on a bunch of committees, and I had a lot of boys who were interested in dating me. Ben wasn’t one of them… until he was. And once we got together, he preferred our alone time. Looking back, I should have known he was a classic asshole, but as a sixteen-year-old girl, I was in love with him, and I swore the feelings were mutual.” April took a swig of water as Decker rolled his bottle between his hands. “Anyway, he used to tell me that when I chose my friends over him, it hurt him. Made him wonder if I loved him at all—”