The Gritty Truth

by Melissa Foster

  “I fell in love,” he said, because what other answer was there?

  THE LIGHTS DIMMED, and the curtains drew back, revealing a pearlescent screen. “Are we watching a movie?” Roni whispered.

  Quincy put his arm around her. “Remember when I said I wished I could go back and see all of your performances? This is even better, because I get to watch them with you.”

  She had no idea what he meant, but before she could ask, the screen lit up, and six-year-old Roni appeared, standing center stage in her lavender Summer Showcase leotard and skirt. Music began playing, and the little girl lifted her face, so serious and focused. Roni’s pulse raced as she watched her younger self dance. She remembered that production. She’d been just as nervous back then as she was now, but Gram had said, There’s nothing you can’t do if you want it bad enough. As Roni watched, the dance turned to a montage of her dancing during her childhood intermixed with still shots of her and Gram. Tears spilled down Roni’s cheek, and Quincy kissed her temple and rested his head against hers as they watched her bloom before their eyes into a teenager dancing alone on the stage.

  God, I was so good.

  An hour or more passed as years of group dances and solos played out before them. Roni couldn’t believe her eyes. Quincy had even included footage of her and Angela performing together and still shots of them before and after the shows. How did he get all of the footage and pictures? The screen went dark, and just as she turned to ask him, it lit up again with one of the dances she’d performed while at Juilliard. Fresh tears fell as memories returned of the competitive edge she’d needed, the constant nervousness she’d endured from trying to meet and exceed everyone’s expectations—most of all her own—and the glorious, insurmountable feeling of accomplishment, of shining among elite dancers, that had made it all worthwhile. When a picture of her graduation certificate from Juilliard appeared on the screen, a sob fell from her lips, and she covered her mouth. She’d tucked that away in a box in her closet. There was no way he could have found that.

  Quincy held her tighter and whispered, “Love you.”

  Her chest felt like it might burst as the audition she’d done for the dance company in New York appeared on the screen. The lump that had lodged in her throat expanded painfully as she watched herself gliding gracefully across the stage, her movements perfect.

  Where did you get this?

  She swiped at her tears, but there was no stopping them as the screen lit up with a montage of still shots of Roni in the hospital in the days after the accident, her ravaged body casted and covered in bruises and scrapes. The song “Perfect Skin” by Olivia Lane played. Quincy held Roni tighter as an image appeared of her sleeping in a hospital bed and another of her tear-streaked cheek, looking away from the camera. There were pictures with Gram and Elisa holding her hand by her hospital bed, and a selfie Angela had taken of them lying side by side. Roni’s chest ached as pictures of her in physical therapy appeared, and of her learning to walk, making painful faces, smiling, and sticking her tongue out. Angela must have given you these. She remembered Angela taking that picture, cheering her on, and saying goofy things just to make her laugh. Angela had been Roni’s rock throughout her grueling recovery.

  Pictures of Roni trying to dance again filled the screen, and then more video footage, this time from the studio, of Roni struggling through her pain. There was so much footage documenting months of her recovery, he could have only gotten it from Elisa, but she didn’t know how Elisa could have taken it. The way it was pieced together showed Roni’s transition from when she’d been too injured to walk to her gliding gracefully across the floor, throwing herself into every move, and all of the painful stages in between. She wiped her eyes, enthralled with herself as she danced in the studio after hours when she thought nobody could see her. Then Quincy brought out another surge of emotions with a montage of her teaching the teenage hip-hop class, ballet class, and Kennedy’s class. He’d even included the moment when Dottie had finally joined the others.

  When the screen darkened, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, and in the next second, the song “Lose You to Love Me” came on, and the screen came to life again with Roni dancing in the studio more recently. Quincy appeared in the doorway behind her, looking utterly and completely awestruck as he watched. She was so lost in dance, she hadn’t even noticed he was there. What he’d said that night sailed through her mind. You’re strong, beautiful, and to me, an untrained eye watching you dance, you are the embodiment of perfection.

  He held her tighter and whispered, “I think I fell harder for you right then.”

  Tears spilled down her cheeks, though she’d thought she didn’t have any left, she’d shed so many already.

  When the music faded and the lights came on, she noticed Quincy’s eyes were damp, too. He cleared his throat and blinked them dry, looking at her a little nervously. “I hope that was okay.”

  She wiped her eyes, her throat raw with emotion. “How did you do all this?”

  “Elisa had footage of the events and security footage from the cameras in the studio. I had the idea the day I first met her, and we’ve been working on it ever since. Remember when she walked me back to see you that first time? I had already asked her if she could help me with it. Angela helped, too. Her parents had video from most of the performances.”

  “And my graduation certificate from Juilliard?”

  “Elisa pulled some strings and got me a copy. I had it framed. It’s hanging on the wall in our apartment.”

  Tears flooded her eyes.

  “She helped me get the audition tape, too,” he said. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I wanted to experience what you had over the years, to walk through your fire together, and I wanted you to see exactly how remarkable you are.”

  As she pushed to her feet, confusion rose in his eyes, but as she lowered herself to his lap and put her arms around him, his confusion turned to understanding. She hugged him tight, feeling truly seen for the first time in years. Quincy saw her insecurities, her strengths, and her flaws, and she was so in love with him, she wanted to let him know she saw all of him, too, especially his loving, supportive soul.

  She lifted her tear-streaked face, meeting his smiling eyes, and said, “You’re the remarkable one. You have not only wowed me, but you’ve become the very air that I breathe. I’m going to dance in that showcase, Quincy, and I’m going to do it for you. So if I can’t finish, I expect you to lead the early applause.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “HEY, QUIN?” RONI called out from the bathroom late Sunday morning. “Did you find the shoes?”

  He loved when she called him that. They’d been packing Roni’s apartment and bringing boxes over since Thursday night. They’d unpacked most of it, and after he visited with Simone this afternoon, he was meeting Truman and some of the guys at Roni’s place to move the rest of her furniture while she was at Josie’s party. He looked at the boxes he’d already opened, and the stack he hadn’t, wishing they’d remembered to label them. But labeling got lost in the excitement of moving in together.

  “Not yet, babe,” he called out to her, his eyes drifting to the Christmas tree, which had accumulated several small gifts under it from each of them over the last few weeks. He loved picking out gifts for her and seeing how excited she was when she snuck his out there.

  He tore open another box, finding leotards and other dance paraphernalia. Two boxes later, he found her shoes and dug through them looking for the tan ankle boots she wanted to wear to the party. He found her ankle boots, but more interestingly, he found a pair of black stilettoes and imagined her in them.

  He carried them into the bathroom and found her bending over, fishing the hair dryer out from under the sink, giving him an eyeful of her gorgeous ass peeking out from beneath a towel. This was just one of the reasons they’d started keeping condoms in the medicine cabinet. He brushed against her, running his hand beneath the towel and up her thigh.
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br />   “Quincy,” she said softly as she rose, eyeing him through their reflection in the mirror.

  “I found the box of shoes.” He dangled the stilettoes from his fingers. “What do I have to do to get you to wear these?”

  “Those were for a Halloween costume.”

  “How about you slip your pretty little feet into them for me?” He kissed her neck, snaking his other hand higher, teasing between her legs, earning that blush he adored.

  “Don’t you have to get ready to go see Simone?”

  Pressing his hard length against her ass, he delved his fingers into her wetness. “I have plenty of time.”

  She pressed her hands flat on the counter, breathing harder as he homed in on the spot that made her moan. He lowered his mouth to her neck, nipping and licking.

  “Quincy,” she panted out, spreading her legs wider.

  He set the heels on the floor and stripped off his sweatpants, whispering, “Open your eyes, beautiful.” She opened her eyes, heat flaring in them as she sent her towel to the floor. He rubbed his cock against her ass and said, “How about those heels, baby?”

  She slipped her feet into them, and fuuck. She was always sexy, but holy hell, this nearly did him in. He groped her breast with one hand, using his other hand between her legs as he ground his cock against her. She rocked and made those little needy sounds he loved.

  “You’re so fucking sexy, baby.”

  He sank down, kissing the curve of her ass, nipping the soft cheeks, earning a long, sensual moan. He spread her legs wide, licking between them, and wound his hands around her, teasing between her legs as he licked and kissed and explored.

  “Quincy, I need you,” she panted out.

  “I wish you were on birth control so I could sink into you with nothing between us,” he said, his voice rough with desire as he rose up.

  She turned around, palming his erection, and said, “I was thinking the same thing.”

  He crushed his mouth to hers as they drove each other out of their minds, stroking and teasing. When she guided his cock between her legs, he withdrew his fingers, rubbing his length along her center, wetting it from base to tip, and a groan rumbled out. He thrust his hips, the length of him riding along her slick heat, and tore his mouth away. “I need to fuck you right now.” He lifted her and set her on the edge of the counter, reaching for a condom.

  “You said you have time.” She raised her brows seductively and said, “Might as well make the most of it.” She pressed her lips to his, then guided his face lower.

  “I fucking love you. Put your hands behind you, baby, and hold on tight.”

  He moved her legs over his shoulders and took his fill, fucking her with his tongue, teasing her with his fingers, and taunting her with his teeth, taking her right up to the edge.

  “Need more…now…Quincy, please!”

  Only then did he devour her the way she needed. His name sailed from her lips as she came, her body quivering and quaking as she rode the wave of her climax. He stayed with her, taking her right up to the verge again, and then used his mouth to keep her there, her body shaking and panting as he sheathed himself.

  “Hurry,” she pleaded.

  His arms circled her as her legs wrapped around his middle, and he drove in deep.

  “Need to be closer,” she said, winding her arms around his neck and lifting off the counter.

  He pounded into her, turning with her in his arms to use the wall for leverage, and slanted his mouth over hers. She sucked his tongue, knowing full well that it drove him fucking mad, and he thrust harder, faster, heat searing down his spine. Her head fell back as she cried out, and he followed her over the edge, surrendering to their ecstasy.

  She went soft in his arms, snuggling into the crook of his neck, both of them breathing hard. He was overcome with emotions. He’d never known love could be so powerful, it radiated around him.

  He pressed his lips to her cheek and said, “Want to lie down, and I’ll rub your hip before we shower?”

  She shook her head. “I want to stay right here.”

  He felt her love in every word she said, every breath she took, and in these moments when he craved taking care of her as much as she longed for their closeness, he knew he’d become as deep a part of her as she had to him.

  GINGER ALL THE Days smelled as sweet as Roni imagined Santa’s workshop would smell, and it was the most adorable shop she’d ever seen. Pink walls and white built-in shelves displayed all types of gingerbread houses, castles, wagons, baby strollers, cookies, bowls, ice cream cones, and more. The curtains were striped pink, white, and brown to match the awning out front, and the display cabinets were nearly empty, as Josie had almost sold out that morning. Sarah and Dixie had done a great job of decorating. Pink and white balloons with BRIDE and WIFE TO BE printed on them were tied to chairs and bobbing from the ceiling, their long ribbons hanging down, and a silver banner with CONGRATULATIONS written across it hung in front of the glass that separated the shop from the kitchen.

  Chatter and laughter filled the air as the girls decorated their goodies. Roni was working at a table with Tracey and Penny, decorating gingerbread houses, while Finlay sat on a chair with her feet propped up and a tub of icing balancing on her belly, which she was eating by the fingerful. Across the room, Sarah and Josie were making a gingerbread castle, and Izzy and Crystal were making erotic gingerbread items and giggling up a storm, while Gemma and Dixie decorated cookies. Dixie ate them as fast as they iced them.

  When Roni had arrived, they’d squealed and congratulated her on moving in with Quincy, and she’d shared in their excitement. Between dinners with Quincy and the other couples, to bonfires and Sunday lunches, Roni had developed close friendships with all of them, and she’d grown to not only love their brash comments and honest conversations, but also to participate in them. And as she licked icing from her fingers, she looked forward to having more get-togethers with them in the future.

  “Roni, how’s it coming along?” Josie called out.

  The walls of her gingerbread house had already collapsed three times, and she’d just finished lathering the seams with more icing. “I think I’ve got it this time!”

  “Me too!” Izzy tipped her head back and held a penis cookie upside down over her open mouth, dribbling watered-down icing off the tip and catching it with her tongue.

  They all cracked up.

  “I bet Jared appreciates that talent,” Dixie said with a smirk.

  “Oh, please. I tossed that Stone weeks ago.” Izzy made a big show of biting the tip off the penis cookie.

  “You did?” Tracey asked. “Then who were you out with until two o’clock this morning?”

  Izzy ate another bite of her cookie and said, “Not Jared.”

  “Guess Santa Stone won’t be coming down your chimney,” Crystal teased, making them all giggle.

  “She can hang with me Christmas Eve,” Tracey said. “I’ve got nothing going on.”

  Izzy walked over and put her arm around Tracey. “Damn right, roomie. We’ll have ourselves a fun party. We should go to Whispers.” Whispers was one of the hottest night clubs in Peaceful Harbor.

  “Um…you know that’s not really my thing,” Tracey said.

  Izzy patted her on the head and said, “I know, but I’m trying to fix that,” and went to check out the two-level castle Josie and Sarah were making.

  “Roni, are you and Quincy still coming over Christmas morning to open presents with the kids?” Gemma asked.

  “We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Roni said.

  “Good,” Gemma said. “Lincoln made a special gift for his Booful.”

  “He says the cutest things.” Finlay dipped her finger into the icing again.

  “So does his uncle, about Roni.” Penny looked at Roni and said, “Every time Quincy buys you a present, he calls to tell me because he’s so freaking excited, he’s afraid he’ll tell you by accident.”

  “I know. He told me he called you,” Roni
admitted. “But I do the same thing to Angela. I’m having so much fun shopping for him. I swear we’re like kids when it comes to the holidays.”

  “Jed said he’s never seen Quincy so happy,” Josie said.

  “I believe it, because Angela says the same thing about me, and it’s true. I never thought I could feel like this. I remember when I went to Juilliard, I was ecstatic. I thought it was everything I could ever want. But it was different, you know? Nothing compares to coming home every day to Quincy. I wake up, and I’m smiling. I go to bed, and I feel safe and happy and good all over. I never imagined having a boyfriend, much less falling in love and living a life that feels like a dream. This sounds corny, but it’s like Quincy and I were made for each other. I even told him I’d do the Winter Showcase.”

  “You did?” Penny exclaimed. “That’s awesome. He must be thrilled. We all have tickets to watch Kennedy dance. I can’t wait to see you perform.”

  “I think Lincoln might lose his mind seeing you dance,” Gemma said. All the girls chimed in excitedly.

  “Sounds like we’ll have a full house.” Roni was happy they’d all be there, but a nagging thought was clawing to get out, and she knew this was a safe place to release it. “I’m a little nervous about it. Quincy is so excited. I hope I don’t disappoint him.”

  “Girl, please.” Penny shook her head. “Quincy is so in love with you, you could get onstage, do one twirl, take a curtsy, and he’d applaud like you’d danced in The Nutcracker.”

  The girls all agreed. Roni knew it was true, and she could already feel herself calming down. “You’re right. He loves me unconditionally.”

  “Hey, maybe I’ll get a sister-in-law soon,” Gemma said excitedly.

  Roni laughed. “We just moved in together.”

  “Maybe Potty is next up on the marriage list,” Finlay said with a tease in her eyes.

  Penny glowered at her. “I told you not to call us that.”

  Finlay giggled, eating more icing.

  “You two were very affectionate at dinner Friday night,” Sarah said. “Bones and Bear have already made a bet about who will marry first, you and Scott or Roni and Quincy.”