Page 37 of April’s Fool

“Stacy, I suggest you leave,” I snap, not wanting to hear any more of her BS. From the look on her face, that’s exactly what it is. I step away from Fool and toward her. “You need to stay gone when you leave. Beckham isn’t Beckham to you. Not anymore. He has a life. A wife. Brothers. All of whom will protect him and refuse to see him hurt. Not by you or whatever bullshit you want to bring to his door. I refuse to stand here and listen to it because I know it’s pure bullshit.”

“You don’t know that,” she snaps.

“It’s written all over you,” I declare, taking in all the expensive clothing she’s wearing. “I’m guessing Daddy didn’t want his little girl marrying her high school sweetheart, so he made you break it off.” I scoff and lift her hand. “I take it you found out he was home around the time you took the ring off this hand, and I’m guessing it wasn’t his.”

Stacy snatches her hand back. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?” I’m fuming now. “You thought your life wasn’t what you wanted, so you’d look back at the one you dumped to see if you could get back with him, now thinking he’d still be single, that no one would want him because he was gone serving his country. Well, fuck you. He’s got me, his wife. So what if I didn’t know him until he got out? It doesn’t change the fact that I’m proud of him for it. I would’ve stood behind him while he was doing what he needed to do.”

Fool spins me around, his hands in my hair, and claims my mouth in a soul-stealing kiss that binds me to him in a way our vows never could.

He makes me forget Stacy in the moment as he shares his appreciation. By the time he breaks away, I’m panting, wanting more of what he’s giving me.

Fool cocks his head slightly and growls, “Get the fuck out of here. Listen to my wife and stay the fuck away. No one wants you here, especially me.”

Stacy winces, bites her lip, but nods anyway, though I can tell she didn’t want to.

As she backs away, he shifts his gaze back to me.

“Hot as fuck seeing you defend me, staking your claim.”

“I spoke nothing but the truth.” I smile at him. “I hope I didn’t overstep, but I didn’t want you dealing with her.”

“Yeah, baby, you told the truth. You also didn’t overstep. I want you to always speak up and say what you want. Never hold back.”

I nod and draw a breath. “Will you tell me what happened?”

Fool grimaces but nods. “I’ll tell you, but first,” he tugs me into him, “we’re gonna do a few other things. After that, we’ll eat, and I’ll tell you, and you can tell me what I’m missing.”

He doesn’t have to say it exactly, but I know what he’s talking about.

“Okay,” I agree, lifting onto my toes to kiss him once more.

“Get on the bike, sweets,” he orders.

Grinning at him, I obey, only because I’m more than eager to see what else we have to do first. As I straddle my man’s bike, Stacy is already fading from my mind, just like that. Sure, I want to know their past, but she’s not someone I need to worry about. Not when I have Fool for myself.

Chapter 19

FOOL

“This pizza is the best I’ve had in a while. It might even beat the place back home, Kayla, Mercy, and I always go to,” April says with a sigh, leaning back against the pillows on the wall.

After she told me she wanted to go back to my house instead of the apartment, I sent Torpedo, one of the prospects, to the store to pick up a few provisions for us. The biggest air mattress they had, sheets for it, pillows, and a comforter. A lamp so we could have some lighting that wasn’t super bright. A TV and stand, which they’d put together and hooked up. My house already had internet service since I needed it to play music and not drain my battery. The Wi-Fi was a must for me. The prospect even picked up a shit ton of groceries, as I’d asked him to when I gave him my card.

Eventually, we’re gonna have to go figure out furniture, but this works for the time being.

Definitely works for me when April’s wearing nothing but my shirt.

“Glad you liked it.” I grin at her.

We spent the rest of our afternoon on this air mattress once we got back here, but we still have to have our talk. It’s one I wasn’t sure I was ready for, but having seen how she stepped in front of me, without the full story about Stacy, to keep her from getting close to me, I know it’s all gonna be good.

“So about earlier,” I grunt, tossing the pizza box onto the floor. “Stacy showing up.”

“She’s your ex,” April mutters, turning to face me, legs crossed, my shirt covering the apex between her spread thighs.

“Yeah, we were together through high school. I asked her to marry me. Her parents always thought I was from the wrong side of the tracks, though we lived in a regular house, not some rundown one. Dad worked as a maintenance tech for over forty years, while Mom worked at the local hospital. But that wasn’t good enough for Stacy’s folks. Stacy, though, said she didn’t care. She agreed to marry me, knowing I was joining the military. We barely made it through my basic training before I got a letter from her saying she couldn’t do this with me.”