Page 108 of Pink and Country

There. I said it. I really missed her.

I just hoped April missed me too.

“Okay, guys, show me this train,” I said, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

* * *

“You’re telling me the great Carter Hills might be in love?” Stud teased, sparks in his eyes. The three of us sat at the kitchen table, a wooden piece of art Stud himself had created from an old Sequoia tree on his land. The kids had gone to bed over an hour ago. With my fork, I stabbed the fresh blueberries rolling around my plate, toying with the last bite of my apple crumble.

I cleared my throat, unable to wash the stupid grin from my face. “Well, not in love, but yes, I’ve met someone. And for once, I can picture myself going the distance with her. She’s incredible and generous. Smart and fearless. She’s—different and doesn’t care about fame or money. She prefers burgers to five-star restaurants.” I shrugged.

“Ohmygod, Carter, your eyes light up and glisten at the mention of her,” Belinda squeaked. “What’s her name?”

“April.” My pulse spiked when her name left my mouth. “Her name’s April. We’ve spent the last month together in Green Mountain.”

“The one from the song?”

I nodded.

“You’re screwed, man. I’d recognize the look of love everywhere. This girl got through your stone heart, man. Big time. She must be quite a catch. Are you finally becoming a grown-up?” Stud asked. My throat worked double time trying to swallow everything my friends just threw my way.

Could what April and I shared be love? No. Yes. Was it?

I loved once. Dahlia.

Could I be in love with April? Was I?

Warmth rolled down my spine, and a knot tightened my stomach.

I dropped my gaze, tongue-tied. A storm of mixed emotions battled inside me. Stud inched closer and tapped my back.

“You’re lovesick. This is finally happening.” He raised his hands toward the sky as if he were praying to the gods above. Soon his tone calmed, and his smile faded a little. “I know it must be nerve-racking, but it’s okay, Carter. You deserve to be happy. You’re my brother from another mother. I love you like family.” I raised my eyes to meet his. “Does she love you back?” My heart banged in my chest, begging to be freed. I rubbed my throat, trying to ease the tightness constricting my airways.

Did April love me? Does she? I had no fucking clue.

“How would I know? Nobody ever loved me for me— They all had an endgame.” I struggled with my breathing. “And Dahlia never loved me back the way I loved her.” The words tasted like venom as I spoke them out loud. Fuck, I don’t even know what love is.

“Do you trust her?” Belinda asked, a seriousness in her eyes that wasn’t there before.

I nodded. “Like I have trusted nobody else in a long time. April fit right into my life and with Dah and Jack. And the sex is phenomenal. Like we connect on a deeper level.” A hint of a smile curved the corner of my lips at the thought of how insatiable we were for each other.

We fucked nonstop in the last two weeks.

In my truck.

In the hot tub on my deck under a starry sky.

On the kitchen table.

In front of the fireplace.

Against the glass wall in the den.

Two nights before she left, April surprised me, in nothing but her cowboy boots and one of my ties around her neck, in my home gym, and I almost dropped the casting iron kettlebell on my foot at the sight of her.

We ended up pleasuring each other against the mirror wall, on the bench, against the padded floor, in the sauna.

“Does she trust you?” Belinda’s voice snapped me back to reality. She locked her eyes on mine.