“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” I warned.
She laughed. “What I want is for you to come live with me and Maya at the house.”
My breath caught, much in the same way it had when she said she loved me. “That won’t be weird? It’s your folk’s home.”
“It won’t be weird for me. If it is for you, then we’ll have to move in here with you.” She looked around the place.
“We know that won’t work.”
“I understand there’s a condo with a pool.” Her mischievous eyes danced up at me.
“The house is your and Maya’s home. I think I can manage to live there.”
April’s hand pressed on my cheek. “We can do whatever you want to make you feel like it’s your home too. It hasn’t changed much since my parents’ died, so it could use some updating. We can paint. Buy new furniture. Put in a pool. Whatever.”
“You’ll need your trust to do all that,” I quipped. I rubbed her arms. “All I need is you and Maya. The rest isn’t important to me.”
She lifted on her toes and kissed me. “It really was a great idea for me to seduce you.”
I laughed. “You always were the smart one.”
I was with April and Maya in the house that April and August had grown up in one night when I knew I’d be there forever. Or, I wanted to be there forever. Wasn’t that why I’d spent so much time there as a teen? The home had been filled with love and joy and laughter. Now I had a chance to create that with April and Maya.
Of course, I even with my certainty that I wanted April forever, I also needed to know for sure that August would butt out and that April would stick to her word. As such, we settled into a routine of driving to work together, first dropping off Maya at day camp. We went back to our usual roles, her at the front desk and me at my office. But there was an extra level of happiness and contentment at knowing she was there and that she was mine.
After the first night with April at the house, I’d explained the situation to Cyrus and my intentions. He was still concerned that something could go wrong, but he was supportive of me and April.
August had gone immediately to a hotel when he learned April was bringing me home. Within a few weeks, he was moved into the condo. He’d befriended a woman down that hall, a
nd I was hopeful that it meant he’d be distracted from fucking up my life again.
Life was good. Great. The business was growing like gangbusters. April and I were in perfect sync, like we’d been eight years ago. Maya was thriving and happy. I had everything I wanted. Or very near it.
A month later, I ran an errand I was going to run while April was on her lunch break with August as they hashed out the last details of her trust.
That evening, April and I drove to camp and picked up Maya, and headed home. I supposed for many, a life like that was mundane, but for me, it was like a fucking miracle. It was perfection.
“How about crazy cakes for dinner,” I asked as we pulled into the garage.
“Yay! Can I help?” Maya said from the back seat.
“Well of course. Only you can make crazy cakes,” I said.
April looked at me with suspicion in her eyes.
“What?” I asked. “We’ve got to eat, and breakfast is good any time of day.”
“Hmm. You’re up to something.” She looked at me and then at Maya.
“Who me?” I grinned.
“Are you in on this?” she asked Maya.
To her credit, Maya narrowed her brows. “On what, mama?”
Inside, April went to change, while Maya and I got to work on dinner. While Maya set the table, I pulled the flowers out of the trunk of the car, finding a vase and putting them on the table. They were a little wilted from hiding in the trunk, but still bright and beautiful, like my gals.
“Mama, come eat. It’s time to eat.” Maya jumped up and down, clapping her hands, giving away that something was up, but that was okay. I was just glad she was so happy.