Page 50 of Rejected Plus-Size Mate

The girls all nodded, and Wendy chuckled. "We get it. If you ever need anything, let us know. That's what friends are for."

I smiled, taking each of them. I could call them friends, but I couldn't remember the last time I felt that besides with April.

Chapter 22 - Cayden

I placed the last dish onto the drying rack and grabbed the dish towel, drying my hands. "Okay, does anyone have any dishes that need to be cleaned? I would like to drain the water if I'm done." I asked, glancing over to Thomas and Lucas sitting at the island. Lucas was working on a mug of coffee, and Thomas was flipping through his phone.

"Nope."

"You're cleaning that mug," I told Lucas as I turned, finding my phone was ringing. I glanced at it, seeing it was April. After I got Riley's messages worried about April, I sent her a message that we needed to talk. I knew my sister was going through a lot, but she didn't say anything about it. She kept saying she was fine, but I didn't feel that was true.

"I got to take this," I said, taking my phone and turning to take the stairs down to where the fire trucks were.

"Hey, you're alive still," I said as I answered my phone.

I heard April sigh. "Jesus, you sound like mom."

I stiffened, not realizing I had, but I remembered Mom saying those words growing up. When you arrived at the house late, she stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. She'd shake her head and sigh. "Well, glad to know you're alive and not dead in a ditch somewhere."

I shook the memory off. There weren't a lot of fond ones I had with my folks. "Sorry. It's just been a while, and Riley said you sounded off the other day."

"I was just in a hurry. Everything is fine."

I could tell she was lying, but I didn't know if she was just saying the words or trying to convince herself that she was fine. Either way, she wasn't fine.

"April, I know that you're not okay, and I'm not going to press you on the issue, but don't lie to me. Don't tell me that everything is okay when it isn't."

She fell silent for a moment before she sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry. I just….I want to make sure that Riley is okay, but I can't juggle everything at once."

"I'm aware. And I have her. She's fine. But she's worried about you and said you were coming down, and now you aren't?"

"I'm coming down later than I expected. I'll explain everything when I get there. I figured out some things, and I will be there tomorrow."

I perked up at that information. Riley was going to be excited to have April back, and I looked forward to knowing what was all going on.

"Do you mind if I stay with you when I get there? I know it might be crowded with April, but I can take the couch."

"Of course, we have the space. We can figure something out when you get here."

"How has Riley been doing since we last spoke? I was a little short with her on the phone."

"She's been doing great. She's loving her new job, and she's good at it. She's been getting along with the girls really well and making friends. She's settling down extremely well, and I'm proud of her. You'll be proud of her."

"Good, she deserves to have all of that after Brad. I'm glad she's finding herself."

I ground my teeth together, wondering where the fucker went. We hadn't seen him in town or heard about him, and it wasn't because of the lack of trying either. I'd been taking extra boarder walks to see if I could catch him. And if anyone found him, they all knew I wanted to speak with him.

"You promise me that you're okay? Because I don't want any more surprises like I had with Riley. Don't tell me you're fine and then later find out you've been getting the shit beat out of you."

"I'm okay. But I really do need to go. I'll tell you everything that's been going on when I get there."

I nodded and ended the line. I took a deep breath and sighed, leaning against the fire truck. I was worried about April. It was a good thing I was going to see her tomorrow, or I'd be even more uncomfortable.

The rest of the day went by quickly, and I arrived home for dinner. Riley was unboxing Chinese on the island and smiled when I walked in. "Hey, you're home earlier than I thought."

"We had a shorter day," I said, slipping my shoes off and hanging my jacket up. "Did you pick up dinner after work?"

She nodded. "I did. I got out a little earlier than expected and decided I would buy dinner. You always cook or bring it home, so it only seemed fair."

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