Page 48 of I Got You

He thinks for a minute, taking another pull at his beer. “What made you leave New York?”

There’s just a hint of growl added to his question, which I don’t understand, but of course, this is what he’d want to know. The question is simple, but the answer is not. I take a minute to figure out how I want to answer. Really, it’s how much I’m willing to give away.

My time in New York was amazing until it wasn’t, and then I came home. Those years in that big city, it’s where I grew up. I had to. I went there looking for an escape, and that’s exactly what I found until life caught up with me again.

“I’d just gotten a lead role in a ballet, and it was my dream coming true. Before rehearsals even began, I broke my ankle in two places. I was devastated. I hadn’t even had the chance to learn the choreography or meet the rest of the cast. I didn’t get to set foot on the stage.” I bite my lip, deciding to omit the part about my ex’s role in the whole thing. It doesn’t matter anymore.

I pick at the label on my bottle, feeling a sudden vulnerability and wondering if I’m willing to admit something to him I’ve not told anyone. If I want friendship, a real friendship with Shane, it takes guts and openness.

I peek at him, solid and steady but closed off. There’s a twenty-foot-thick concrete barrier around Shane that I want to take a jackhammer to. So I decide to risk it, hoping he’ll let just a bit of that wall down with me in return. Or I’ll just chip away at it one minuscule piece at a time.

“When I went to New York, I…was struggling. I’d made dance my whole life and thought fulfilling all my dancing dreams would somehow make everything better, and it did…until I couldn’t dance. I didn’t know how long my ankle would take to heal, and when it did, I didn’t know if I would ever be the same. I was scared and alone and…done.”

“When I called my dad, I knew he was declining mentally. I sat for a couple days feeling sorry for myself, but the truth is, I was lost. I’d been hiding behind dance and a big city and a dream. When I was forced to slow down, everything I’d been running and hiding from was still there, waiting for me to return.”

I stretch in my chair, arching my back, hoping it will help release the tightness in my chest. “It was time for me to come home, and when I got here, there wasn’t a chance I was going back. My dad couldn’t take care of the kids, and I had things to work through, which included saying goodbye to my dream.” I shrug. “It took me a while, but I think sometimes dreams are there for a reason to get us through until we’re strong enough to face the world without them.”

There’s nothing but silence as I finish my story, and I want to crawl under my chair, feeling naked and raw.

After a minute, Shane speaks, his voice so soft in darkness. “These kids are really lucky to have you.”

I peek at him, seeing the honesty and tenderness behind his words. My heart squeezes inside my chest because I really want him to be right.

Chapter 16

SHANE

I pull out a stool next to Teddy in the middle of the morning rush. The kitchen is silent except for the boys crunching cereal and slurping milk. The cup of coffee waiting for me is a pleasant surprise after battling to get Maggie out of bed this morning, a job that’s become a double-edged sword.

I’ve tried to ignore that I’m attracted to her, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult. I peek at her standing at the counter with her back to me, and thoughts of her warm hands wrapped around my bicep and her face pressed into my shoulder, light that small fire within me all over again. I avert my attention to my phone, needing to get back to a place where barriers and blindfolds exist.

Right. Who am I kidding?

Today, she’s traded the tight black leggings for gray sweatpants rolled at the waist over one of her strappy leotards. How she makes baggy sweatpants look so incredibly sexy, I’ll never know. I want to throw one of my t-shirts over her and not let another man see her like this.

“Come on, boys. Get moving. You can’t miss the bus today,” she says, taking a big sip from her mug.

I grab the mug in front of me and bring it to my lips to take a drink. Instead of the liquid being hot and rich, it’s cold and salty and…gross enough to make me gag. I spray whatever the hell it is all over the counter. Teddy immediately erupts into laughter along with Garrett. I even hear Hank snicker. Maggie doesn’t turn to look at me, but I see her shoulders shaking.

I glare at Teddy, and he grins. “What did you do?”

He hops off the stool, not able to contain his amusement. “It’s soy sauce.”

I stand, towering over him, then pick him up by the armpits to hold him out in front of me. “This means war, you little prankster.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll look forward to it, sir.” He salutes, and despite my attempt to keep a straight face to show my complete irritation, I feel the corner of my mouth tip up.

I set him down, and he runs from the room laughing. I settle back in my seat as Maggie holds her nice warm coffee, smirking.

“What? Don’t think you’re off the hook. I thought we were on the same team.”

She puts a fresh cup of coffee in front of me. “It’s his joy, and I’m not about to burst that bubble.” She smiles. “He’s going to be waiting, you know? For you to retaliate.”

“Hmmm.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with, Grizz.”

Liv stumbles in, climbs in my lap, and snuggles against my chest. I have no idea what this little girl sees in me. Never in a million years will I admit how much I like our little morning ritual, but I do.

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