Until April (Until Her/Him #10)(45)

“How are things with the club?” Dad asks from my side, and I pull my attention off Uncle Frank, who’s been entertaining the girls with stories about his latest trip to Florida and the gated community he stayed at during his visit. A place that sounds about as drama filled as a daytime soap opera, with more sex than a college campus.

“All right.” I meet his gaze and shrug one shoulder. “Still trying to find the right person to run it so I don’t have to fly back here every week once I get settled in Nashville.”

“What about your brother?”

“Everyone loves him there, but I’m not sure he’s ready for the responsibility of running the club full time.”

“He’s been helping you out for a while now. Maybe put the offer on the table and let him be the one to decide if he’s ready or not.” He takes a swig from his beer, then meets my gaze. “I know you two don’t always see eye-to-eye on everything, but he’s your brother and the one person you know would do right by you.”

“I’ll talk to him and see where his head’s at.” I lift my glass and take a drink. The truth is that even as immature as Malo is at times, he’s the only person I’d trust to not let easy money get in the way of his better judgment. Which is my biggest concern when handing over most of the responsibility of Wet to someone else.

A lot of people would not have an issue taking a cut from the drug dealers or pimps who are constantly approaching Wet, asking to deal out of the club or to plant girls who are willing to do a whole lot more than just dance and show their bodies. Both those things are things I’m not down with, especially knowing what a slippery slope it can be once you head down that road. And knowing exactly what my dad went through to make sure his hands were clean, there is no way I’d put myself, family, or business in a situation like that.

Hearing April laugh, I come out of my thoughts and turn just in time to catch her smile. Like she feels me watching, her head turns my way and her face softens. Fuck, she’s pretty when her expression is soft with a smile, which is completely different than her normal beautiful.

“You about ready to go?” I slide my hand up to wrap around the back of her neck and smooth my thumb up and down her spine.

“Whenever you are,” she says quietly, resting her hand on my thigh, and I pull her toward me so I can kiss the side of her head before looking over at my mom, who I catch watching us.

“Don’t tell me that you’re going to leave,” Mom says with a pout before looking at April. “Don’t you want to stay?”

“I—”

“We can’t baby,” I cut her off before Mom can guilt her into us staying longer. “Binx is at the house, and he’s been there alone most of the day.” Plus, we really need to have a conversation to clear the air and make sure we are both on the same page.

“Oh yeah.” She looks at my mom and bites her bottom lip—something I’ve notice her do when she’s caught off guard, nervous, annoyed, or trying to keep from saying something she really wants to say. “My cat is kind of a terrorist when he’s left alone.” Her nose scrunches. “Really, he’s like that even when he’s not left alone. He’s destroyed a chair, a vase, and a pair of shoes since we’ve been here, so it’s probably not wise to leave him on his own too long.”

“Well then, maybe we can get together again before you go back to Nashville,” Mom says, sounding hopeful. “I could pick you up, and we could go shopping, then maybe grab lunch.”

“I’d love that,” April replies as I stand so I can pull out her chair, and Dad gets up to do the same with Mom as Uncle Frank scoots back from the table. “I’ve never been shopping in Vegas, but I’ve heard there are some really great outlet malls around.”

“Are you kidding? You’ve never been shopping here?”

“Not really. I mean, I’ve hit up some of the high-end stores on the strip, but I feel like those don’t count, since I only ever end the day with one item,” she says, and Mom laughs.

“Well, there are lots of outlet malls and cute little boutiques around here we could go to,” Mom offers while following us into the house. “I can’t do tomorrow because I’m supposed to be helping Malo with something, but the day after, we could leave early and spend the day out, if that works for you.”

“Do we have plans?” April asks when we stop at the front door, her head tipped back to me, and I shake my head. “Good,” she says just soft enough for me to hear before she turns to where my mom is now standing with my dad’s arm wrapped around her waist. “It’s a date.”

“Yay!” Mom cheers, and I want to laugh at the excited look the two of them share, but I hide it and look at my dad.

Like he’s done since I was a kid, he wraps his hand around the back of my neck and pulls me in for a one-armed hug, but instead of letting me go, he holds on a second to say quietly, “I like her for you.”

I wish I could say it wouldn’t matter to me if he and Mom didn’t like her, but it does. I respect my parents and their opinion, and having their support has always meant something to me.

When he lets me go, I kiss my mom’s cheek, then wait for Uncle Frank to release my girl, then accept a hug from him that as always is over the top with lots of shaking from side to side. When we get out to my car, I open the passenger side door for April, then wait until she’s in before I close it and head around the trunk. I get in behind the wheel and start the engine, then rest my hand on the back of her seat as I back out of my spot. As we pass by the front of the house, Mom waves, Dad lifts his chin, and Uncle Frank does a dance with lots of hip thrusts. Hearing April laugh, I grin, then press down on the gas and head to the front gate and through it, only giving the guy who took over for Aye a chin lift as we drive past him.