Page 118 of Gracefully Yours

“But this makes you happy.”

I nodded. “This is alife,you know? Dancing professionally would fulfill me, but it’s not my dream. It’s just not the life I saw myself living. I love to dance, but I don’t want to be surrounded by it all the time. I like that I have time to sew and make my own creations. To read and to see my friends whenever I want.” I sighed into his arm. “That I can have a family without worrying about how my life is going to change.”

“And you’re happy?” He looked worried for a moment. “With this life? Withme?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation, no ounce of doubt in my voice. “Sometimes I think it’s impossible for me to be this happy. Like I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.” I looked up at him. “But it’s not going to, is it? This is… good. No matter how it started out.”

“It’s better than good.” He kissed the top of my head. “And no, it’s not going to change. Because I’m not going anywhere.”

We slipped into the room and watched my girls perform, and I couldn’t help my cheers for them as Daniel sat by my side, holding my hand. Even as the night went on, he supported me from the sidelines without complaint, like he was just happy to be there.

Happy to be here with me.

But was he right? Was I finally secure and safe with him? Did I not have to worry about something bad happening that would ruin everything?

I hoped so. Because losing him, now? That would crush me.

CHAPTER28

Daniel

Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her back into bed. “What are you fretting about?”

She just shook her head, a small smile covering her face as she looked up at me. “I used to get nervous forme,but now I feel it for all of them, too. Sometimes I just have to remind myself that I taught them the best I can, and I’ve watched them all nail it at the studio. But still… I just have all this extra energy I need to burn off.”

I grinned. “I can think of a few ways.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m still on my period.”

“So?” I raised an eyebrow.

“I was thinking more like… a midnight doughnut run.”

“You know I’ll never say no to doughnuts.” Once, in college, she’d texted me at 8pm that our favorite donut shop haddog doughnuts—and we’d had to race over there to get them. Did I have homework that needed to be done? Certainly. But I’d dropped everything to drive her.

Charlotte kissed my cheek, hopping back off of the bed to find a pair of her dance sweats to pull on. Grabbing my own, and a sweatshirt from our school, I grabbed my phone and wallet.

“Ready?”

“Hold on,” she hummed, pulling her hair up in a high ponytail before leaning over and plucking my crewneck sweatshirt—the one that I’d gotten from my engineering firm—out of my bag. Once it was over her head, she turned back to me. “Ready.”

“I don’t think that will ever get old.”

“What?”

“You in my clothes.” I wrapped both of my arms around her middle. “It makes me feel like a caveman, like I take one look at you and all I think ismine.”

She leaned up, leaving a kiss against my neck. “Good.”

“You like that?”

Charlotte stared at me, unblinking. “Have you missed every word of what we say at book club?”

“I wasn’t aware I wassupposedto be eavesdropping when you talked to your friends.”

“In this one instance, I’m willing to overlook it.” She smirked, eyes focused on the spot she’d kissed. “But yes. I love it.”

“What are you staring at?”

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