As the first day of summer passed, I realized I'd been back in Philadelphia for almost a full year. Sometimes, it seemed like just yesterday that I'd returned for my high school reunion and my life had been turned upside-down. Or should I say, right-side-up. Other times, the memories of those days were so distant that they seemed like they'd happened to someone else. The one thing that never changed was that I was happier now than I'd been since my mom had gotten sick. Things weren't perfect, of course, but life was good.

Julien and I didn't spend much time with the high society types, but we were around enough, along with Anastascia, to keep up on the latest news. News such as the speedy dissolution of Britni and Reed's marriage, and her quick recovery with the heir to the McCord fortune. They announced their engagement at the beginning of June with plans for a spring wedding next year. I wondered if this was another business transaction, especially after Anastascia said she'd seen Britni's fiancé frequenting a couple of gay bars in the city, but I didn't dwell on it. That marriage wasn't my business.

The one aspect of Britni's family that was my business, however, ended up with a neat and tidy resolution. Brock was two months into an eighteen-month sentence for assault and would then be on probation for another three years with mandatory counseling and no alcohol. He probably would've gotten a lot worse if he'd gone to trial, but his victim preferred the plea over having to take the stand. I didn't really blame her. I could understand what she was going through. I would've testified if I'd been called, but I hadn't been looking forward to sharing everything with complete strangers. We'd heard rumors that the Michaels family had settled with the victim in the civil case as well, paying her medical bills on top of a nice chunk of money. I hoped she would be able to go somewhere new to rebuild her life.

It hadn't been just the Michaels who had kept me and Julien’s relationship from being the headline society news. Reed had left for Europe a week after he and I had talked, and two weeks later, Rebecca had been named head of the marketing department, Reed’s old position. Within three months, she'd messed it up so much that the shareholders had stepped in and forced Rebecca out to save the rest of the company. The Stirlings had been furious, but that had been small compared to what had happened next. Less than a month after Rebecca's humiliating departure from her family's company, she'd been caught in a compromising position with a married man. And not just any married man, but the father of one of her high society friends. From what Anastascia had heard, Rebecca reputation was beyond tarnished. Yeah, karma could be a real bitch.

As for Reed, he was still in Europe. He'd sent me a picture of him in front of the Eiffel Tower back in April and had told me he was doing well. He said he was grateful I'd had the guts to do what he couldn't. Julien had heard that Reed's parents were trying to get him to come back and run the rest of the family business after the Rebecca disaster, but Reed was hardly taking their calls. I was happy to see he was sticking with his decision to be his own man. I really did wish him all the best.

After all, it was thanks to him that I was currently standing backstage in one of Philadelphia's most beautiful theaters, getting ready to take part in my first official production. Granted, it was only the chorus line for a new version of Phantom of the Opera, but it was still a part I'd been personal chosen to play. This wasn't some sort of recital for the dancers from Madam Emilana's. This was a legitimate production, with auditions and casting.

My time at Madam Emilana's was going better than I ever dreamed. I hadn't been able to perform in The Nutcracker thanks to my ankle, but she'd set up a private audition for me with her friend. After getting cast as a chorus girl, I started my individual lessons with her in January. We decided to move away from a ballet focus into more modern styles of dance as I realized where I wanted to go. At her suggestion, I'd begun taking voice and acting lessons with a goal of being on Broadway—not just as a background dancer but as one of the stars. The producer of Phantom had already promised me at least a few auditions for his future shows. After this past week of rehearsals, he'd taken me aside and said he wanted me to try out for a lead in an original piece he was working on.

I took a deep breath and cleared my head. I couldn't afford to be thinking of all that, not when I had a show to perform right here, right now.

The music began and my body took over. I followed the other girls out onto the stage, smiling at the bright lights and the audience I couldn't see. Somewhere in that audience, I knew, was Julien. Anastascia was there too, probably sitting next to my boyfriend chatting about her crush on the young man who played Raoul. I danced for them, the people who'd supported me through everything. I danced for Reed and the kids from the wrong sides of the tracks who would also benefit from the grant he'd set up. I danced for my mom, who'd sacrificed so much but had never gotten to see my dream become real.

By the time intermission came, I knew with absolute certainty that this was what I wanted to do with my life. It had been an idea—a dream—before, but now I knew I wanted it to be a reality. It wouldn't be easy, but I felt certain I could do it, especially with Julien and Anastascia in my corner. When I went back onstage in the second act, it was with a new purpose, to show everyone in the audience what I could do.

After the curtain call, I headed toward the dressing room with the rest of the chorus girls only to be stopped by the producer.

“You were amazing!” he gushed. “Absolutely mesmerizing!”

“Thank you.” My face was flushed with gratitude.

“My understudy for Meg just informed me that she's pregnant.”

Pregnant? I held my breath.

“Her doctor told her that she's high-risk and not allowed to dance.” He handed me a script. “I want you to be the new understudy.”

I stared at him. Meg wasn't a leading role, but she was a supporting character and had a song with the lead. “I-I...” Words failed me.

“I'll take that as a yes and a thank you.”

“Yes!” I blurted out. “And thank you!”

He beamed at me. “Excellent! We'll discuss more details on Monday during rehearsal. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

I was practically walking on air as I made my way through the chaotic backstage, smiling and exchanging compliments as I went. I barely registered a single face until I saw him standing outside the dressing room door.

Julien set the large bouquet of white roses down on a nearby chair as he embraced me, holding me tight.

“You were amazing,” he said. “I couldn’t take my eyes of you.”

His hands slid over the rough lace of my costume, heat blazing through the thin fabric. I shivered.

“Thank you.” I kissed his cheek. “And the roses are beautiful.”

He released me and reached into his pocket. “And they're not your only gift.”

I wasn't sure which I wanted to do first, share my news or open the present. Then I saw the way Julien's eyes were shining and decided the gift would come first. It was a small, flat box without any writing to tell me where it was from. I was still trying to decide if it was earrings or a necklace when I opened and saw it was neither.

A key.

I looked up at him, puzzled. I already had a key to his loft; he'd told me to keep his extra one when he'd asked me to run back to pick up something for a dinner at Anastascia's.

“A key to your loft?”

He picked up the key and showed me the ribbon he had tied through it.

I read the words written on the bit of lace. “'To my heart and our home.'” I stared at the words. “'Our'?”

“I want you to move in with me.” He tucked a few escaping tendrils of hair behind my ear. “I don't like us having to figure out whose place we're going to or thinking about whether or not we're spending the night. I want us to be together all the time. I want a home. With you.”

Tears welled in my eyes and I couldn't speak around the lump in my throat. He looked at me expectantly, wanting an answer I couldn't voice. Sometimes words aren’t necessary and I did the next best thing. I threw my arms around him and pressed my lips against his. The tears spilled over as we kissed and I could taste the salt on my tongue, but it wasn't bitter. These were tears of joy. After years of never knowing where I belonged, I finally had a home. My heart swelled with love and I moved my mouth to his ear.

“Take me home.”

He smiled down at me. “Gladly.”