“Please take my daughter home now,” she said. “I want…to be alone for a while.”
He and Natalie shared a look before his soon-to-be-wife for the second time nodded in defeat. After they both kissed April goodnight, he took Natalie’s hand and led her toward the car. He opened her door, and when he came around and got in himself, she had her hand pressed to her mouth, tears streaming down her face. She hadn’t cried in front of her mom.
His heart twisted in his chest.
“I hate seeing her like this.” Then she turned her head. “Was I like this?”
They’d promised to always be honest with each other now. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry,” she said and wrapped her arms around herself.
When they returned to her house, she let him comfort her again, let him see the part of her that was wild and scared and hurting. He held her, rocked her—feeling that familiar helplessness of knowing he couldn’t fix her pain.
She didn’t go to work the next day in case the doctor called. Natalie had made his nurse promise to alert her when he had the results so she could drive to April’s house and join her for the call.
To pass the time, Blake and Natalie sat together in the sunlight and talked about their living arrangements. They agreed to keep the house in Denver for when Blake wanted to head back for a Raiders game or for them to visit friends and family. And they decided to build a new house together in Dare Valley, one they both loved. In the meantime, they would live in the one she’d bought from her brother. The other one—the one he’d bought—could be resold. He still insisted on fashioning his new career in Dare Valley, and Natalie had finally agreed to trust him all the way. He’d meant every word he’d said about raising their children in Dare Valley around family.
The call from the nurse came the next morning, and he drove them to April’s house with icy dread lining his belly, praying the whole way. Please let her be okay. Please let the test be negative.
April opened the door like a brave soldier and barely allowed either one of them to hug her. The doctor’s call came shortly after they arrived, and Natalie put it on speaker for everyone to hear.
“Mrs. Hale,” the doctor said in a serious voice, one that gave nothing away.
“Yes, I’m here,” she responded in a stiff tone.
“I’m happy to report your biopsy came back negative. The cyst is benign. You don’t have cancer.”
Blake let out his breath and pulled them both into his arms.
“Oh, thank God,” April said.
“Yes!” Natalie yelled. “Yes!”
After a perfunctory signoff with the doctor, Blake lifted them up and spun them around. When he put them down, they fell onto each other, their arms gripping each other tightly.
And while April didn’t cry as much as Natalie, she cried too. He watched them both with a sheen of tears in his eyes.
When everyone was calmer, he extended his arms to them. “Okay, this calls for a celebration.” Life deserved to be celebrated—especially after a close call to the abyss. “What should we do? Go out for champagne and dinner at High Stakes?”
“How about we invite my sons and grandson over for dinner?” April suggested, picking up her phone.
“Are you going to tell them what happened?” Natalie asked.
“Don’t you want me to?” April responded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Yes, I want you to. I don’t want to keep this from them. And I want you to call Moira and Caroline too.”
Her mom nodded. “I can call the girls when the boys arrive so they can all hear the news together. Blake, would you be able to take Danny outside and keep him occupied? I don’t want to upset him.”
No, the five-year-old didn’t need to know about this. “Of course, April.”
April’s boys showed up with searching glances. They must have sensed something was wrong over the phone because their eyes were wide with worry. Jane gripped Matt’s hand in comfort. They were expecting bad news to come from this last-minute dinner invitation.
“Uncle Blake,” Danny said, tugging on his pant leg. “Are you living with Aunt Natalie again?”
He looked over at Natalie to confirm his answer. “Yes, we’re going to renew our vows pretty soon. Wanna come?”
He’d insisted they refer to their ceremony as renewing their vows. She’d played along.
“Of course,” Danny said as Blake lifted him into his arms. “But what’s ‘vows?’”
He laughed. “How about I tell you in the backyard? We can grab a football from the garage, and you can show me how far you can throw it.”
Andy’s shoulders were rigid with tension, but he managed a smile. “I’m glad to hear you’re renewing your vows. We’ll be there.”
“With bells on,” Matt added, his mouth grim.