Hot Shots Men of Fire #2 - Hot as Sin - Bella Andre Page 0,91
you for coming for me.”
Dianna shook her head. “Are you kidding? Nothing could have kept me from coming to get you. Nothing.”
April closed her eyes, the dark smudges beneath them mirroring the ones Dianna had seen beneath her own eyes in the bathroom mirror. Still holding April’s hand, Dianna sat down on the chair beside the bed, planning to stay with her for as long as the nurses would let her.
“I never should have come to Colorado,” April said finally, her words soft and regretful. Opening her eyes, she said, “If you hadn’t come to meet me in Vail, you wouldn’t have gotten in that crash. And then that guy wouldn’t have …”
Her face twisted and her words fell away.
“Don’t you dare blame yourself,” Dianna said. “The crash could have happened anywhere. And I’m glad I went to the commune. I met your friends and heard about the work you’ve been doing. I was wrong to assume it was a bad place without checking it out first.”
“I didn’t exactly invite you up for tea,” April acknowledged.
A small laugh escaped Dianna. The short burst of happiness felt amazingly good—and very unexpected given the circumstances.
Opening her mouth to let her sister off the hook the rest of the way, a sudden flash of insight held her back. She couldn’t go on as she had before. Not if she wanted things to change. Besides, April didn’t need to be coddled anymore. She’d always been tough, and managing to escape not once, but twice, from her kidnapper only proved her strength yet again.
“I heard you’ve been cooking and helping with children. I want you to know that I’m proud of you, April, but I think it’s time you and I came clean with each other.”
April’s eyes grew big and Dianna was tempted to back off, but if there was one thing she’d learned during the past few days, it was to get everything out in the open.
“Why did you leave?”
The words were barely out of her mouth when she realized it was the exact same question Sam had asked her.
He’d been right when he said that she and her sister were more alike than she’d ever thought; they both ran away from people when they were scared.
Nodding, as if she’d expected the question, April rubbed her eyes before answering. Despite how thin she was, how fragile her body looked, Dianna couldn’t miss the new maturity in her sister’s pensive expression. The April she’d known in San Francisco would have immediately gone on the defensive.
“I overheard your PR staff telling you I was bad for your image.”
Shocked, Dianna sucked in a breath, but before she could say anything April held up a hand.
“Please, let me try and get it all out, okay?”
“Okay,” Dianna agreed, “I’ll try not to interrupt.”
April needed to tell her story, no matter how painful. For the first time, Dianna needed to listen. Just listen. Just as she should have listened to Sam so many years ago.
“I’d been wanting to get away for so long and I told myself it would be better for both of us if I just left. I thought if I was gone then you wouldn’t have to worry about me anymore and I wouldn’t keep disappointing you.”
God, it was hard not to say anything, Dianna thought as she let April continue.
“I guess part of leaving was wanting to hurt you,” April admitted. “It never seemed fair that our mother kept you and not me. I kind of hated you for it. For being better than me. For being more lovable. But once I got to the Farm and started making friends, they helped me see that I wasn’t being fair.”
April sighed. “Actually, what they really said is that I’d been acting like a spoiled brat. They helped me see that I was so busy trying not to be you all these years, I forgot to try and be myself.” Her mouth quirked up in a rueful half smile. “I know it’s hard to believe, but when I asked you to meet me it was because I was trying to figure out a way to apologize.” Another quirk of the lips. “I really am sorry for being such a jerk all these years.”
Even though she’d vowed to stay silent, Dianna couldn’t help but say, “It didn’t help that I immediately jumped down your throat, though, did it?”
“I guess neither of us invited the other person to tea, huh?” April joked.
Wanting to get everything out on the table, Dianna