I flipped the page of the newspaper and sighed. "Nothing. None of this seems like something I would be interested in." I said, glancing at Riley as she sat on the other end of the couch. She had a glass in one hand and a newspaper in her lap.
"Not even one?" Riley asked, flipping her newspaper over. "They had an opening for a bank teller at Blue Bank. Or a salesperson for the car dealership."
I started to laugh. "Could you honestly see me trying to sell a car? I think you're forgetting, but I can't remember brand names. They would fire me before I could even finish the first day."
Riley's lips curled up slightly, and she giggled. "It's hard to picture. But you never know. You might be good at it. You won't know until you try."
"Let me put it in your head for you." I set the newspaper down and faked a smile. "Hello, welcome to the dealership. What can I help you buy? A car? A truck? Or an SUV? I don't know any brand names, but they still hired me here."
"Okay, okay, so not either of those. How about the daycare? We could always use another set of hands."
I shook my head. "No, that's too…kidsy for me."
"You like kids, though," Riley said, giving me a whining face. "You're being too picky now."
"I like kids, but that doesn't mean I want to work around them."
Riley shook her head. "I'm sorry to say, but at this point, April, you just don't sound like you want to work. You've hardly looked, and I have yet to hear you actually going on an interview for one. I'm starting to worry you're in a rut and can't get out of it."
I didn't want to tell her I didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. Just a year ago, I was married, planning out birthday parties and cocktail hours. I was worried about when we were going to have babies and how we would decorate the rooms. I didn't love it, but it still felt like a purpose and direction. It was something.
Now, I was jobless, and if it weren't for my brother having sway in things, I would be homeless at this point. I was dipping hard into my savings and needed to figure something out. Riley wasn't wrong that I was in a rut and needed to get out of it.
I looked back at the newspaper and decided Riley was right. I needed to at least be serious about looking for a job. Even if I wasn't good at it right now, it was money. It was something to do.
"I'll stop at the bank and apply," I said. "I could be a bank teller."
"Yay." Riley cheered and pulled herself off the couch. "Which, speaking of, I need to stop by the fire station. We can swing by now." April walked towards the island, grabbing her purse. "And how about we stop for ice cream afterward?"
"Sure, why not."
Riley had a skip in her step as she moved, and I knew it was because of me. I wasn't blind to the worrying that she and Cayden did. I was trying to hide all my problems, but it seemed I wasn't doing a great job.
I needed to focus. I needed a job, and things would start to settle.
We arrived at the fire station, and the guys cleaned the fire truck in the garage. I watched as Cayden and Weslie scrubbed the truck down, and water sprayed everywhere. I swallowed, suddenly feeling a tug towards Weslie. I scowled, wishing my crush had died all those years ago, but it hadn't. It still simmered deep down, driving me nuts.
Riley whistled loudly, making the guys turn toward us. My eyes dropped on Weslie, whose shirt was soaking wet. I could see his defined muscles through the fabric, and my throat suddenly went dry as he turned, looking over at us.
I could see a tattoo on his left arm, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I tried not to stare and looked at Riley, who seemed unfazed.
"Turn the hose off," Cayden said, waving his hand at Weslie.
Weslie moved, turning the hose off. The water stopped coming, and silence filled the space. Riley smiled. "Thank you."
"What brings you two down here?" Cayden asked, grabbing a towel and rubbing his hands over it.
"We were just stopping in," Riley said. "We stopped at the bank to grab April an application, and we're going to grab some ice cream, but I needed to grab some paperwork from Cayden."
"Shit, I left it in the car," Cayden said, moving closer. "I thought we didn't need it until tomorrow anyway?"
"Hailey wants it by tonight if we want to make an offer."
I looked at Cayden and Riley, confused. "Offer? Hold on a second. I'm confused. Did I miss something?"
Riley looked at Cayden, who swallowed nervously. They were silent for a long moment before Cayden rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well…. we've been looking at houses, and we found one we really like."
I didn't know they were thinking of moving. I mean, I knew that they had mentioned it, but I figured this would be down in the future. They were planning on turning my old bedroom into a nursery. When did that change to them officially looking for a new place?
I looked at Riley, a little hurt, and she chewed on her lower lip. She didn't seem to know what to say. "We were going to tell you. This all happened really quickly."
I scowled. "When? The day that you guys found something? Were you going to tell me on moving day?"
She shook her head. "No! We've been looking. We just had some finalizing paperwork to drop off for the loan."
"But Cayden said you were making an offer. What about the apartment?"
"Well, we would move out, but this will take months. It took Lucas and Gina months to find their house, and we wanted more space. Even if we get the house, we still wouldn't be moving right away."
I frowned, realizing I would have no one around if they moved. I enjoyed having them upstairs. It comforted me knowing they were within arms reach if something were to happen.
A shiver ran down my spine as my mind traveled to Ivan. If they moved and he found me. God, what would happen? If he found me in the hallway, I wouldn't have anywhere to run. I would be stuck.
"April, this isn't happening overnight," Cayden said, snapping my attention back to them. "Our realtor said it takes a while, and we have a pretty big demand list. Even if our offer is accepted, it's just the first step."
Riley nodded her head. "Yeah. We have an extremely long list. New floors, a fireplace, and a big yard. Cayden wants a two-stall garage and…"
I forced a smile because this was good news for them. As much as it sucked, I wanted them to have the life they wanted. They had been so worried about me, and I didn't want to be the reason they held back from things.
"No, It's good news. I'm just shocked, is all." I looked past them towards Weslie, who stood just behind them. Had he known? When did he find out about this news?
"Well, I need the papers either way," Riley said. "I want to make a pitstop and get them to her."
"I'll go grab them." Cayden hurried out to his car, and Riley followed. I turned to Weslie. "Did you know?"
He shrugged. "Sorta. They had mentioned that they saw a nice house that was for sale. I just figured it meant they were thinking about it. I didn't know they were intending to buy something so soon. But it doesn't surprise me. Most of the guys did that when the girls got a little further along. It's part of wanting to set roots."
I turned, looking back, watching Riley stand by the car. Her bump was prominent, and when Cayden looked at her, he smiled ear to ear. They were so madly in love.
My stomach twisted up, knowing that I had complicated their life. They had opened their home to me, and Riley held me countless times when I cried. Within a month, they had helped try and get me a life. And I couldn't seem to figure the rest out.
"Do you think they will find a house pretty fast?"
"I don't know. It could take a while, or they might find something they fall in love with right away."
"Have you seen this one they are making an offer on?"
He shook his head. "Nope, I didn't even know about the offer until now. But I hope they get it. Babies require a lot of space."
Which means I would be alone. It curled my stomach slightly, and I suddenly felt like my life was slipping further apart. I thought I would have a little time to get things figured out with them upstairs.
The following morning, I sat working on a cup of coffee when there was a knock at the door. I stiffened up, feeling my mind travel to Ivan. But I knew his knock, which would have been much louder. My wolf would have also sensed his presence, and the hair on my body would have stood up.
I got off the couch and unlocked the door. I pulled it open, shocked to find it was Weslie. His hair was a tousled mess, and he looked like he was just going to work.
"Hey, what brings you here?" I leaned on the door frame and looked around the hallway, expecting my brother to be with him.
"Cayden's truck broke down. I'm giving him a ride, but he's not ready."
I scowled. "How do you know that he's not ready?"
Cayden smirked. "Riley is a few months pregnant, and they didn't answer when I knocked, so I'm guessing they are busy fucking."
I scrunched my nose up, not needing to imagine it. "Ew. Thank you for that mental image."
"I imagine that they still have about twenty minutes before he's going to be ready, so I thought I'd just hang out with you while I wait."
"I just made some coffee if you want some." I pulled the door further open, and Weslie stepped in. He took in my space, and I suddenly felt embarrassed.
"Excuse the emptiness. I haven't shopped much."
He raised an eyebrow at me as he looked around. "Haven't you been here almost two months now?"
I nodded. "Yeah, but still adjusting to being here. I imagine it took you a while when you got here."
He nodded as he took a seat at my island. "I did. But you figure things out eventually. I had your brother."
I had questions. Had he known my brother was here? Had he reached out looking to leave before he left? How long had he known before he decided to disappear? "Did you know you were coming here?"
"Yes and no. I knew I needed to go somewhere. It was honestly a blur, the travel down here. I don't remember much."
I frowned. Had he planned it? Had he known he was leaving the last night we hung out?
"How are you handling the news?" he asked, pulling my attention back to him.
I shrugged, having tried not to think about it. I'd been sleeping like shit because of the worry. It was starting to become an even bigger problem because I was scared. I was falling apart at the seams and trying everything to keep it together.
"April, have you thought about the offer? I don't want to overstep, but this isn't what normal looks like."
I looked at him, confused. "What?"
He waved a hand. "You aren't settling, and it looks like you haven't been sleeping. I imagine that it's not just us that are worried about Ivan. I think you're worried about him as well, and you're just putting a wall up."
I chewed on my cheek. "And you think a fake marriage will fix that?"
"Not all of it, but part of it."
I sighed because he was right. And I couldn't keep leaning on my brother and Riley to help me. "Fine. I'll marry you, but only because they are moving."
Later that night, we went to the courthouse. Cayden and Riley went with us. I sat nervous, bouncing my leg as we waited for the officiant to call us.
I glanced at Weslie, wondering if this was a good idea. I was second-guessing myself, but one look at my brother told me to just go with it. I could see the worry was weighing on him, and this was a way to stop that.
The door to the left of us opened, and I watched as an older man stepped out. “April and Weslie?”
“Here,” Weslie said as he pulled himself up. He looked at me, and I stood up and forced a smile.
We headed inside, and the man explained everything, but I wasn’t listening. I just wanted to get this over with so I could go home.
“All right, take each other's hand.”
Weslie turned to me and held his hands out. I placed mine in his and felt a spark travel up my body. My wolf purred at the contact, but I shoved it down.
“Repeat after me. I, Weslie Ryan William, take April Lyla Colton as my wife.”
Weslie looked at me, deep into my eyes, as he repeated the words. “I, Weslie Ryan William, take April Lyla Colton as my wife.”
“To have and to hold in sickness and health.”
“To have and to hold in sickness and health.”
“Through the good…and through the bad.”
As Weslie said those words, I felt my heart beating so quickly, and I bit hard on my cheek.
“Okay, April. Repeat after me. I, April Lyla Colton, take Weslie Ryan William as my husband.”
I swallowed and slowly repeated the word back. I glanced at Cayden, who didn’t hold any emotions on his face.
“You may kiss the bride.”
I stiffened, having forgotten that part. But if I refused, it would look weird.
Weslie stepped into my face, cupping my cheek as he leaned in. His lips pressed against mine gently, and I remembered just how badly I liked him. Weslie had always been a good kisser.
She leaned back, and Riley started clapping her hands, the only noise in the space.
“Congratulations,” the man said. “May you guys have a long life together.”
And then it hit me. If Weslie and I were married, we would have to hold this act up because it needed to look like I was moving on. We would need to act like a new, happily married couple.
My stomach dipped, and I suddenly felt sick.