Page 73 of This Is Love
I wonder, though, if Hazel hadn’t succeeded in sending me down the stairs that night how long she was planning to keep jabbing her jealousy at me. I’ll probably never know. She’s got so much trouble coming her way these days, it’s not even funny. There were a lot of witnesses to her crazy, and she hurt me in full view of a security camera. It caught everything.
I breathe steadily as I work my way through the final steps of the choreography, feeling the music as if it’s moving through my veins, dancing like my heart is soaring. Because it is. Thanks to the two guys in the audience who have shown me so much love and tenderness as I struggled to recover from the attack, not to mention while I sought out therapy for myself. I already had issues, but what Hazel put me through made them worse. That’s okay. Because I’m coming back, stronger than ever.
I strike my final pose, then wait as the spotlight shuts off for a moment before I straighten, standing in first position at the center of the stage. When the lights come up in the house, mild shock rolls through me. The entire audience is on its feet, the applause, deafening. I stare out into the crowd, my lips trembling as I fight back the tears that have sprung to my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I find Jaxon and Logan in their seats down front and give them a bright smile before dropping into a curtsy.
A few minutes later, we’re allowed to find our loved ones in the auditorium. My parents get to me first. Since that day in the hospital, they’ve admitted that maybe they were quick to judge. My mother gathers me close. “That was beautiful, Rya. Then again, you always are. The dancing was simply immaculate.”
“How’s the arm, baby girl?” my father asks gruffly as he pulls me to his chest for a hug of his own. “Doing okay?” He releases me, and I take a step back, nodding, still a little teary-eyed.
“Yes. I’m good. It felt good to be up there. I feel strong.”
His gaze shifts, and it’s then I realize Logan and Jaxon have joined us. He clears his throat. “Okay. Your mother and I haveour weekly date to get to, so I’ll trust that the young men with the flowers are going to celebrate with you in an appropriate manner.”
And then he freaking winks at them. He puts an arm around my mother and leads her from the auditorium without another word.
“What the hell was that?” I whirl around, staring at them.
Jaxon shrugs. “We made it clear we’re not going anywhere.”
“He’s still worried about his little girl. But I think he understands now that we’re here because we love you.”
I wet my lips, smiling as I go up on pointe first to kiss Logan, then repeat the process with Jaxon. “Are these for me?”
Jaxon nods. “They are. But”—he exhales hard—“we have something else here, too.”
My eyes flick from him to Logan and back. I frown. “What’s going on?”
Logan shakes his head. “We will totally throw this in the trash if you want because if it’s going to ruin your night to have a look, we don’t want that.”
Apprehension flows through me. “What are we talking about?”
“Hazel. She sent you a note.” Jaxon grits his teeth when he sees my mouth drop open. “I know. That was our first reaction, too.”
“But you haven’t read it?”
“No.” Logan swiftly jerks his head. “We wanted your permission to have a look first.”
“And we do think we should do that because fucked if we’re letting her get at you again when we could have prevented it. But on the off chance that something she has to say could help you…”
“You think we should read it.” At their nods, I breathe carefully, trying to control the internal panic. “Okay. Open it, then. I’m trusting you to know what I can handle.”
Jaxon adds the bouquet of flowers Logan had been holding to the ones in his hand, then tugs me to him. “Go ahead, Logan.”
With swift movements, he opens the flap and peers inside, then pulls out a single sheet of paper. He glances at me for a second before he begins to scan through it. It only takes him a minute. Working his jaw to the side, he sucks in a breath. “I think it might help you to read this. At least you might have some understanding of what was in her head.”
“Does she seem sane?” Jaxon grits out, running his hand over my bicep where goose bumps have erupted all over my skin.
“Yeah. Sorta.” He shrugs, staring into my eyes. “But it’s okay if you tell me to throw it in the trash, too. It’s up to you.”
I wet my lips, my heart thrumming hard behind my rib cage. I hold out my hand.
Then read.
Rya,
I know you’ll probably never forgive me for what I’ve done to you. And that’s okay. I don’t deserve it. But I would like a chance to explain myself.
My grasp on reality hasn’t always been the best. I’ve been creating stories in my head all my life, scenarios where I got everything I ever wanted.
