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April pulled back and released me, her hands returning to mine. She dropped my gaze and giggled. "Sorry, just needed to do that once." Then her eyes rose to mine and her face was serious. "I love the picture of the future you painted. I love that you think I could be a part of that. I grew up without a family—no cousins, no aunts, no big gatherings. So you know that's something I've always wanted."
I stiffened, feeling a "but" approaching.
"But I don't know how we could really do it. I mean, I have an apartment back in Los Angeles. Friends, my mom… I have a really big armoire…"
"An armoire?"
"Yeah, it's really hard to move."
Was she just finding excuses because she didn't want to tell me she didn't feel the same way? "Oh, well—"
"And the thing is… I don't want to haul that thing all the way across the country just because some movie star offered me a job and a really hot guy needs extra people to help populate his holiday gatherings."
I squinted, tilting my head to the side. "You don't?"
"No," she said, smiling. "I mean, it's tempting, because he is really hot."
"He is," I agreed, my hope buoyed by the hint of a smile playing in the corner of April's mouth.
"But it’s not enough. I mean, if the hot guy just needs bodies to seat around the holiday table…I guess he could find anyone really." She looked meaningfully at me, and I frowned.
"April," I said, suddenly terrified she really was about to say no, but then I realized I’d left out one very important thing. "I'm in love with you. I think maybe I have been from the moment you walked into my house. The future I'm imagining is everything I want—but it only works if you're a part of it. Please stay. Please give us a chance." I squeezed her hands tightly and said the words once more, to be sure she heard them. "I love you, April."
My heart was in my throat and I was finding it hard to breathe as I watched her, her dark lashes lowering in an arc against her rosy cheek for a beat. And then she looked up, her eyes gleaming and a smile on her beautiful lips. "I love you too," she whispered.
My entire body zinged to life as if I’d been hit by lightning at the words and I gripped her hands tighter. "Say you'll stay."
"I mean, the armoire is pretty heavy."
"I'll go get it myself if you'll stay."
April nodded, and as I finally gave up my efforts at self-control and wrapped her in my arms, pressing my mouth firmly to hers, she managed to say, "I'll stay."
The kiss that followed was long, sweet, and equal parts demanding and frantic, and slow and languid. It started with both of us on our knees and ended with us on the floor, arms and legs wrapped around one another, both of us breathing heavily and me so close to coming in my pants that I had to roll away from her, taking some deep breaths on my back while focusing my mind on something decidedly non-sexual.
"Are you reconsidering your armoire offer?" April asked.
"No, I was thinking about Mr. FluffyNuts."
"Why?" April laughed.
"Because you've got me a little bit excited over here, and I don't want to humiliate myself by messing up my pants."
April burst into laughter, and she rolled closer to me, laying her head on my chest. "I'd think you would just use magic to calm yourself down. Being a dick wizard and all that."
It was my turn to laugh. And then I just held April against my chest, loving the easy feeling between us, and the soft curves of her pressed against me. As we lay on the floor, I realized we could still hear the carolers singing outside. I hadn't given them the signal to stop yet.
I moved, getting slowly to my feet and pulling April up with me, tucking her against my side with an arm around her. If I had my way, I’d never let her go again. We moved to the window and pushed it open farther, leaning through and waving down at the crowd of people with pink noses below.
"Oh, I forgot something," I said, pushing my hand into my pocket and retrieving the small package there. I handed it to April, watching her face light up at the sight of the small red box.
"What's this?" she asked, looking back up at me.
"If you open it, you'll find out," I said, nodding at the box.
She did, and when she lifted the little lid to find a gold heart gleaming with a diamond at its center, her face crumpled and she let out a strangled sob.
Oh god, I’d wanted to make her happy, not make her cry. "Oh, I um…"
