Page 115 of Gracefully Yours

And we were happy. So I was ignoring everything else. All the little doubts in my brain. The way we hadn’t saidI love youyet.

None of that mattered when he held me like that during sex, when he interlaced our fingers and kissed me so tenderly I couldn’t imagine hedidn’tlove me.

“Why wouldn’t I?” He raised an eyebrow. “Besides, it’s not like you really wanted to drive yourself, did you?”

Right. Why did it sting a little that he felt like hehadto chauffeur me? What did I want from him, anyway?

I was glad he was here. Pasting on my best smile, I reassured myself that it would be an enjoyable weekend. We’d booked a suite for the competition, and I had no doubts that Daniel would do his best to cheer me up, even if I was on my period.

Turns out that orgasms were great relief for period cramps, and the man I married had absolutely no qualms about delivering them, even through the period blood.

Was it possible that I’d married some superhuman instead of a normal one? Especially when that little black curl rested against his forehead—my Superman. He’d swooped me off my feet and saved me. Maybe not literally, but in every way that mattered.

Of course, I was giving my heart to him. I’d never stood a chance, had I?

“Charlotte?”

“Hmm?” I looked up from where I was still staring at our hands.

“I was just asking if you wanted anything.” He’d pulled into a drive through.

“Oh.” I blinked, like I could comb through the rest of my brain fog.

After we’d gotten our drinks and snacks, we were back on the road, driving towards the competition.

“So. Give me the rundown. Who all will be there?” Daniel asked me.

“Well, Juily’s home with the baby, so from the studio itself, just me and Isa, but a few of the parents will be there too.” Our new dance teacher, Isabella, had been hired by Juily a few months back while she’d—mostly—been on maternity leave, just running things behind the scenes.

Daniel nodded. “Good. No strange men I have to worry about?”

“Worried about a single dad sweeping me off my feet and stealing me away from you?” I flirted, running my hand over his thigh.

His expression grew serious. “Yes. I’m worried you’ll find someone better than me.”

“There’s no one better than you,” I mumbled, looking straight out the window instead of at his face.

There never has been,I thought to myself.

He kissed my hand before turning back to the road. “Thanks for letting me come with you.”

I gave him a small smile. “Thanks for being by my side.”

“Always.”

* * *

The next morning,we all arrived bright and early to the school auditorium they’d rented out for the event, and I plunged into the fray to go check us all in.

Since this competition was out of town, everyone had driven up separately, but we’d all be meeting up in a bit to go over everything, touching base with all of them and letting them know what time their performers were going on over the weekend.

Isabella found me in our assigned classroom where our dancers could change and get ready.

“How’s everything looking?” She asked me, tightening her long, straight black hair behind her in a ponytail. Dressed in our dance school’s quarter zip and leggings, she looked like the dancer she was. At only twenty-two years old and fresh out of college, she eagerly picked up everything we did at the studio.

“Good. I just have to corral all the parents and get them in here to pass these out.” I held up my stack of envelopes.

“Want me to look around?” Isa asked, looking out the door. “I can send a text, too.”

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