Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 115577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
And as I peeled back the paper, surrounded by laughter and commentary and way too many opinions, I felt it again — that overwhelming, chest-tightening certainty.
This.
This was everything.
Not the spotlight. Not the expectations. Not the endless chase to be more, do more, prove more to myself or anyone else.
Just this.
Love.
Messy, loud, beautiful love.
I glanced up, finding Braden watching me from across the room.
He didn’t say anything.
He didn’t have to.
Because I knew.
He saw me as his family now.
And he was mine, too.
Later that night, the cabin finally quieted.
Not completely — it never really did with this group — but enough that the laughter had dulled to low murmurs, the fire had burned down to glowing embers, and the world outside had been wrapped in a fresh layer of snow. The kids were asleep, the adults soaking in our last night together before we got back to the real world tomorrow.
I slipped out onto the back porch, tugging Braden’s hoodie tighter around me as the cold nipped at my cheeks.
The door creaked open behind me a second later.
“Had to escape the madness?” Braden asked, his voice low and warm.
I smiled as he stepped up beside me, his arm instantly wrapping around my shoulders, pulling me into his side like second nature. “Just wanted to get some fresh air.”
We stood like that for a moment, just watching the snow fall, each of us inhaling deep breaths of pine and snow.
“You have fun?” he asked.
“Mm,” I hummed. “I think Mary and I have a whole sleeve planned now.”
He huffed a laugh. “I am not even a little surprised.”
“And Julep is dead serious about pole lessons.”
“Oh, she absolutely is.”
“And Riley…” I exhaled softly, my fingers curling into the fabric of his hoodie. “Riley got me thinking.”
He shifted slightly, angling toward me. “Yeah?”
I nodded, then hesitated — just for a second — before turning in his arms so I could see his face.
“Claire pulled me aside before the break,” I said. “She knows I was planning to turn in my uniform at the end of the season.”
His expression didn’t change, but his hands tightened on me just a fraction. “Okay.”
“She asked me not to.”
That got his attention. “What did you say?”
I smiled, a little breathless now. “Well… if it was just to stay and dance on the field, I might have said no. But it’s different.”
He arched a brow, waiting.
“The organization wants to start a youth dance program. Something to connect kids to the team, to give them access, mentorship… a place to learn and belong.” My voice softened. “To show them what dance can be. What it did for me. And how it can lead to a spot with the dancers in the future, if they want it.”
Braden’s eyes searched mine, something like awe flickering there.
“They want me to lead it,” I finished.
For a heartbeat, he just stared at me, and then a wide, breathtaking smile spread on his face — the very one that had stolen my heart months ago.
“Em…” He let out a disbelieving laugh, his hands sliding up to cup my face. “That’s — are you kidding me? That’s perfect for you.”
My chest tightened. “You think so?”
“I know so,” he said without hesitation. “You light up every room you walk into. You care about people in a way that sticks with them. We’ve been talking about this for months now, the way you were with those girls at the jamboree, the way you saw what none of us did. And dance? It’s always been more than just a hobby for you.” He shook his head, smiling like he couldn’t help it. “I’ve seen you light up when you move to music, when you’re free to explore. These kids… they’re going to have their worlds rocked. You’re going to change lives with something like this.”
Emotion climbed up my throat, thick and sudden.
“Claire said instead of turning in my uniform, we just change what it means.”
“Damn right we do,” he said.
I laughed softly, leaning into him again, and he held me tighter — like he was grounding me in it, in the possibility of it all.
We fell quiet after that, and the snow began to fall again.
“Playoffs are coming up,” Braden said after a moment, his voice thoughtful now. “If we can seal our spot with this next game.”
I tipped my head back to look at him. “You ready?”
He exhaled, eyes drifting out toward the mountains. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he admitted. “It’s… a lot. The pressure, the expectations.” His lips curved faintly. “But I do know I’m playing better than I ever have.”
I smiled. “You are.”
“And for the first time, I’m not in my head about it,” he added. “I’m just… in it.”
“That’s a dangerous man right there,” I teased.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. League’s not ready.”
He huffed a quiet laugh, pressing a kiss to my hair.