Page 19 of I Wanna Dance

She laughed then as she did with her whole body. Then, she became somber. “Marco, you’re allowed to feel whatever you want to feel. It doesn’t make you weak or wrong. It makes you human.”

At her words, I felt a swell of emotion rise in my chest. I was grateful for her big heart and empathy, admired her indomitable spirit, and respected the work she’d done to heal after what sounded like an emotionally abusive marriage.

I squeezed her fingers with mine. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being you. For being exactly what I didn’t know I needed.”

She chuckled, picked up her drink with her free hand, and took a long sip. “Never expected you to get so sappy, Marco Cabrera.”

“I’m Latin.”

She did this all the time. Changed the tone of the atmosphere so we could move forward, get past hurt or pain or irritation, and just be together. This woman was a treasure, and I was certain her ex-husband was a stupid man to have let her go.

Just then, Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”streamed through the speakers. We both grinned at the appropriateness of the song.

She lifted her glass in a small toast. “To growing strong and getting along as Gloria says.”

“Salud.” I clinked her glass with mine.

I held her hand all the way to her car.

I kissed her gently, softly. It was our first kiss. The first time my lips met hers.

It was a benediction—it was me telling her and myself that I was ready for her.

CHAPTER 9

Leah

“You’re distracted,” Marco remarked, breaking through my thoughts as he guided me into another turn.

We were at our fourth salsa dance class, and it was clear we were improving. The whole class was. Marco and I had seen each other twice between lessons, and I could feel us settling into something that felt comfortable yet charged—like friends with an undeniable current of sexual chemistry.

Our goodnight kisses had grown hotter and deeper, leaving us both wanting more. The pull to take things further was undeniable, but at the same time, we were enjoying the slow burn of getting to know each other. It didn’t feel like the right time to take it to the next level—at least not yet.

“Sorry.”

“Andyou look troubled,” he added.

“I’m so?—”

“Nothing to apologize about,cariño. Tell me about it,” he insisted.

I hesitated, biting the inside of my cheek as we moved together. “It’s stupid.”

“Probably, but tell me anyway,” he teased.

I smiled. I couldn’t help it. He and I joked a lot, and that made spending time together infinitely comfortable and fun. Kevin and I didn’t laugh enough or much in our marriage. Compared to how Marco and I were when we were together, my marriage seemed so stiff and staid. I’d allowed Kevin to take over everything, including my agency. With Marco, I never felt that he was trying to control or direct. Marco respected me.What a novel concept!

“My son invited me to dinner,” I blurted out.

“That’s wonderful, Leah.”

“I don’t know,” I confessed. “It’s a dinnerpartyathisplace with his fiancée. Kevin, Brittany, and Presley will be there, too. I…I’m nervous.”

“You think this will be like the dinners you had as a family?” he deduced.

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