by Kelli Warner
I glide across the floor, my powerful legs propelling me effortlessly into the air as I leap, my arms brushing the air gracefully in a grand jeté before I land once more. For a moment, I close my eyes, losing myself in the rhythm, dissolving into the joy exuding from every limb. I whip my leg powerfully in a double fouetté en tournant followed by three more as pure bliss pulses through me. As I move, I envision all I’ve endured—the pain, the emptiness and the longing for a world I’d lost without warning—and I imagine it dissolving into the floor beneath me. In its place springs hope and love and endless possibilities. There’s room now for all that. There’s room for the happy, confident girl who’d been exiled the day her world crumbled beyond her control.
“You, my sweet Paige, have a gift,” my mother’s words whisper in my mind. “Hold on to it and never let it go.” I smile, acknowledging her words with a silent promise. As the music fades, my body folds into the final movement of the dance, spent from the intensity of the last several minutes, but genuinely exhilarated at the sensation that, after everything that’s happened, I am finally where I belong. I wish I’d known all those months ago that it could feel like this. I wish I’d understood that when bad things cloud your world, it’s easy to forget that there was ever good in the first place. I’d convinced myself that the bad was all there was, all there ever would be. I was wrong. I was so very wrong.
I relax out of my stillness and stand. Exertion mingles with pride, and I give the tiniest nod to the girl staring back at me in the mirror. I turn to find Cade. “What do you think?”
“Wow,” he says, coming toward me, his face awestruck. “That was amazing.”
“Thanks,” I say, wiping my damp forehead with the back of my hand. “But I didn’t dance for you because I was fishing for compliments.”
Cade wraps an arm around my waist and draws me close. He dips his head and says, “What exactly do you want, then? Because I gotta tell ya—that was hot.” He brushes his lips against my jaw as I laugh, then I playfully push him away. “Stop! That wasn’t why I danced for you either.” He feigns disappointment.
I lead Cade over to the bench by the doors and motion for him to sit down. When I stand in front of him, he puts his hands on my hips and jerks me playfully toward him. I run my hands through his soft hair as he eyes me curiously.
“I asked you to come here tonight because I want you to know that I heard what you said to me. And you were right—and so were Tyler and Aunt Faye. Dancing is part of my life—a huge part, actually—and I should never have abandoned it.” Cade lowers his forehead and rests it against my stomach. “I love it; I always have,” I continue, fingering the soft strands at the base of his neck. “Dancing is my dream, and it was my mom’s dream.” I look around the room as Cade lifts his head. “When I’m out on the floor, moving to the music and feeling that fire inside me—I think she’s here with me.”
“That’s great. I’m so glad. You’re really talented, Paige.”
I take a seat next to him on the bench, an easy smile turning up the corners of my mouth. “I’ve applied to the University of Oregon. They have a dance program and I think I want to stay in Oregon. I’ll be closer to Jay and Connie. And of course, Tyler will be there.” I smile. “And you’re here.”
“What about the ballet company and the audition?”
I shrug. “I kind of blew that last fall. I suppose there’s always a possibility I can try again, but I really feel like Oregon is where I should be. Quinn just got her acceptance letter, and if I get in, we’re going to room together in the dorms. I’m really excited about it.”
“Sounds like you’ve finally got things figured out.”
“Thanks to you.”
“I don’t think I had anything to do with it,” he says. “But if you say so, who am I to argue?” Cade kisses my temple, then presses his gentle lips to mine. I cup his cheek in my palm, drawing him closer and kissing him back in a way that lets him know that right here, at this moment, despite everything that’s happening or will happen, he is the most important thing in the world to me.
More than a few seconds pass before I’m willing to let him pull back. When he finally does, I say, “Macy told me you went to see your dad again. How was that?”
“Let’s just say it’s a work in progress. I’m not sure if I can forgive him—not yet anyway. But we’re talking, and that’s a good place to start.”
“I know this isn’t easy, but I’m proud of you,” I say, leaning my head on his shoulder. I breathe in the familiar scent of him, the worn leather from his jacket mixed with rain and the sea air.
“Yeah, I’m proud of me, too,” he says.
“So, what are your plans?” I ask, turning up my face and staring at his jawline. “I mean, after your band gets scouted by some big-time record label, of course.”
“Where? At Java Joe’s?” He nudges my leg with his own. “I’m sure that’s gonna happen.”
I ignore him because while we may be joking around, he is exceptionally talented, and someone somewhere is bound to notice sooner or later. “I’m just trying to plan ahead for when I’ll have to pay hundreds of dollars to some scalper for a backstage pass just so I can get close to you.” I waggle my eyebrows, and Cade laughs.
“Let’s hope so. That sounds great.” I elbow him teasingly, and he laughs again. “No, seriously. I’m actually thinking I may want to do something else with my life.”
“What could possibly make you want to give up music?”
“I don’t know, I was thinking maybe I’d look into becoming a paramedic.”
I sit up. “Really?”
“Yeah. I’ve been hanging out with Shawn at the fire station, and I’m learning a lot.”
“That’s great,” I say. “That’s really great, Cade.”
“I never thought much about what he does for a living, you know? Not until the night we found you.” He stares down at our entwined hands. “Shawn was amazing. He was so calm, and he knew just what to do. You were in bad shape.” He shakes his head at the memories. “It was impressive to watch him.”
Goose bumps prickle on my arms and at the back of my neck as I think about that night. “I can never thank him enough for what he did for me,” I say softly. “And you, too.”
“It got me thinking about what a great job he has,” Cade says. “He can save people. I think I want to do that, too.”
“You’d be great at it,” I tell him.
He exhales a long, satisfied breath. “We’ll see.”
“Do you think you’ll end up getting a place with Jared?” I’d heard the two of them talking about renting an apartment as soon as Cade graduates in June.
“I think for right now I’m gonna stay with Macy and Shawn. I like it there, and they’re probably going to need the extra set of hands soon.”
“What are you talking about?”
Cade breaks into a wide grin. “I’m gonna be an uncle.”
I throw my arms around him. “Oh my gosh, that’s incredible! When?”
“Labor Day.” Cade laughs, shaking his head. “What are the odds?”
I’m so happy for Macy and Shawn. They will be amazing parents, and there is no doubt in my mind Cade will be an awesome uncle. He’s so great with Tanner, and Lily adores him. She even talked him into playing Barbies with her once. He’d agreed, as long as she promised to let him drive the sports car. Cade rests his arm around my shoulders and stares out across the studio, grinning like life couldn’t be better than it is right now.
“Just promise me one thing,” I say.
He peers down at me. “What’s that?”
“Promise me you won’t stop playing your guitar.”
“Of course I won’t.” He raises an eyebrow. “Why is that so important?”
I reach up and hook a hand around the back of his neck, drawing him closer until our foreheads touch. “Because girls love guys who play in bands,” I whisper. Cade laughs as his lips find mine again. I melt against him, kissing him with an int
ensity reserved just for him. And it’s in that instant that everything becomes clear, free from the cloud of self-doubt and the pity that has been a stronghold in my life for too long. At that moment, with this amazing guy in my arms, with so many possibilities before us and so much goodness filling our once emotionally tattered worlds, I feel it.
No matter what lays ahead for me, no matter where this crazy life takes me and no matter what obstacles try to slow me down—I can handle it. All of it. And this time, I’m not going to give up on my happy ending. Because I deserve it.
About the Author
Kelli Warner has loved books ever since she could hold them in her hands. Driven by a ferocious imagination as a child, her love for writing began by creating simple short stories and soap opera scenes while her mom watched General Hospital. Kelli went on to become an award-winning and Emmy-nominated TV newscaster and reporter while continuing to write young adult and contemporary romance novels. She’s passionate for good coffee (even a bad cup on a desperate day), her amazing and hilarious family, and she’s a big fan of lazy Saturday mornings spent watching the Food Network. Kelli and her husband live in Oregon with their two kids and an outstanding border collie named Lucy.