“Yeah, they would. Now, off you go,” he said with a quick shove at my back, launching me forward. With just socks on my feet, I practically slid into Tatiana as I tried to regain my balance. I sneered at Andrew over my shoulder as he and my sisters all cackled like freaking hyenas.
Be the tornado.
I ran the mantra through my head twice before taking a deep breath and positioning myself in front of one of my childhood idols.
“Tatiana, I’m Alex. I am so honored to get the chance to watch you dance.”
“Alexandra, you dance beautifully. Just as I was told. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Her strong accent sounded like music to my ears. I could listen to her speak for hours. “Would you care to dance with me for a time? This studio is rented out for another two hours.”
“Oh… er… I’m a little rusty. It’s been years.”
With a gentle wave of her hand, she effortlessly glided over to the stereo and pulled up a mix of classical songs. “Pssh, it’s like riding a bicycle. And besides, we have an audience.”
My gaze darted across the reflection in the mirror. I almost expected Nate to be standing there, but instead, it was the enthusiastic smiles of my family eagerly waiting to see me perform.
“Sure. Yes. I’d love to dance with you,” I told one of the women I practically worshipped. That fear of being in this studio washed away like a summer chalk drawing after a storm, and I was ready to take my control back.
“Wonderful. Let’s begin.” Tatiana swirled around the dance floor, looking no more retired than a current member of a ballet company.
I memorized her steps and followed them as best as I could. My arms and legs ached. My back bent in ways it hadn’t in years. But all the while, the smile never left my face.
When we finished, my family erupted in applause. There was no hiding the tears that streamed down my face. I’d never been so emotionally overwhelmed in my life.
My thanks to Tatiana was brushed aside as ifIwere the one doinghera favor. And maybe I was somehow. But I was filled with so much elation I didn’t care either way.
Someone had given me a piece of myself back, and I had a sneaking suspicion of who that might’ve been.
Chapter Twenty-Five – Nate
Five hours and three canceled flights later, Molly, Eloise, and I finally landed in Charlotte, North Carolina. Every flight I booked anywhere remotely close to Tennessee had been postponed or called off. At the last minute, I was able to get three first-class tickets from Los Angeles to Charlotte, and I hurried the girls to the terminal. They were tired of eating airport food, and so was I.
The car rental agency took pity on me and upgraded us to the largest SUV they had. There was a five-and-a-half-hour drive ahead of us, and I prayed I could keep my exhaustion at bay. I just kept reminding myself where we were headed—back home.
I planned to be back in Ashfield early this morning, but those plans were crushed when none of our flights made it. Only Andrew knew about the lengths I’d gone to get back to Alex. I crammed months and years’ worth of contracts and paperwork into a couple of weeks. I spent so many days and nights on an airplane I wasn’t sure my stomach was ever going to recover. It was hard to live off peanuts and airport food.
But soon, it was all going to be worth it.
Overnight, my old assistant was able to secure another rental property very close to the one I booked earlier this summer. It was waiting for our arrival today, but I was hopeful we weren’t going to have to rush over. We had people we needed to see.
My phone pinged with another text from Andrew as I crossed the North Carolina border into Tennessee. He’d been snapping pictures of Alex dancing with Tatiana Kropotova. I hated that I wasn’t there to see the surprise on her face, but the dance studio owner assured me she would record the class for me. Thankfully, it wasn’t the same woman who had verbally beaten down Alex back in the day.
It took some begging and charitable donations to get Tatiana to even speak to me about my proposition, but after hearingsomeof Alex’s story—I wasn’t about to divulge all of her secrets—Tatiana readily agreed to surprise her in a class. I told Andrew my plan, and he worked with his family to make it all happen. I just hoped they would keep my upcoming arrival a secret.
I planned on being there to see Alex dance. Our phone conversations were few and far between. It wasn’t only because I was busy, though that was the excuse I gave her on the phone, but I was so afraid I would spill the beans. Not only about Tatiana, but about returning to Ashfield. If I hinted at anything, it would only disappoint her, because I had no idea when I’d get everything finalized.
We hired a new CEO to fill my position at the company, but he backed out the day before the onboarding meeting, and we had to start the process all over again. I thought we were in the clear at that point, but then legal denied the purchase contracts with the company that was going to buy the patent and prototype model of the AI agriculture robot. They’d left some sections unsigned and wrote in loopholes to change the product.
I spent almost a month sorting everything out until both parties were happy with the final product. For legal reasons, I could only disclose so much to Alex. She knew I was tying up loose ends on the patent, but that was it. She said she understood, but I could feel her pulling away with each call I missed.
I was exhausted.
The nanny I’d used while in California stepped in when I started traveling. I was so grateful for her, though she reminded me a bit of an old, crotchety headmaster. Either way, I trusted her with Molly and Eloise. They were devastated when I had to enroll them in kindergarten at a local private school. Their only appeasement was that I told them we were going to be heading back to Ashfield soon, and the school was only temporary. I kept them registered at the Ashfield Elementary School, calling and explaining the situation. They were more than accommodating.
A few more miles passed on the interstate before we had to make a pit stop. I needed a coffee, and the girls needed the restroom. I didn’t want to add more time away from Alex, but it was necessary. While waiting for my coffee, I showed the twins the images of Alex dancing in the studio with one of the women Sasha said was one of the best ballet dancers of their time.
My chest still ached when I thought about her passing. We made amends in the way two people who never should have been together could. It had been her idea to have Alex meet one of the ballet greats. And though Sasha wasn’t the most maternal person, I was surprised she had baby books for the twins. All their hospital garb was taped inside and all of their milestones listed in chronological order. Most of their firsts happened before they came to live with me, so there weren’t many blanks, but there were still things to fill in. Lost their first tooth. Learned to ride a bike with no training wheels. First day of school. Tied their shoes.
They actually just mastered that one before we left Ashfield. Marisol taught them some song that helped them remember. Sasha asked me to take the books back with me to make sure Alex continued to fill them out. When I scoffed at her, she just pushed the books closer to me on the bed. It seemed both Sasha and Andrew believed I was in love with Alex.
