Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Oh, Daddy, this is so exciting. I can’t believe we’re going to see Izzy.” Hayley would have jumped up and down but for the bouquet of flowers she’d chosen. It was so large it took both of her arms to hold it.
He chuckled and reached out his hands. “How about I take care of these for you? I’ll give them back when the show’s over.”
“Thanks, Daddy. I read that ballerinas get flowers after a show, so I wanted to make sure Izzy got some.”
He laid his hand on his daughter’s back and guided her to their seats. “That’s really sweet of you, honey. I know she’ll love them.”
Izzy would be thrilled to see Hayley. It was her reaction to him he was unsure of after he’d ignored her messages, all but telling her they were done. She might not want to talk to him again, much less hear his apology and his plea.
He had to find a way to make this work. The minute he’d clicked the buy button for the tickets, he’d known that this trip wasn’t just to see Izzy perform. He had a more important task. This time away from her had been miserable, proving to him that Izzy was it for him.
He had considered texting, answering her email invitation, but Hayley had convinced him that they should surprise Izzy. He wanted her in his life, whenever and however he could have her. If that meant weekends in New York and time together between rehearsals, he’d take it. Anytime with Izzy was better than none.
He and Hayley settled into their red, velvet seats, Hayley’s eyes wide with wonder as she took in the opulent theater, the bright lights, the ornate gold designs on the ceiling, the plush seats. He’d made the right decision when he brought his daughter to see Izzy’s first performance.
The lights dimmed twice. “That means it’s almost time to start.”
The seats beside him were still empty, a surprise in the otherwise full house. But just as the music began to play and the crowd noise lowered to a hush, a group of people inched down the aisle toward the open seats.
As the man turned, Tanner sucked in a breath. He jumped to his feet and extended his hand. “Justin.”
Izzy’s brother shook his hand but didn’t smile in return.
“Tanner.” Serena practically leapt over her brother and threw her arms around him. “I didn’t think you were coming.”
He laughed as he hugged Izzy’s sister. At least she was happy to see him, even if Justin wasn’t. Even if Izzy wouldn’t be. “I wasn’t. This was a last minute decision.”
Hayley squeezed in between the two of them. “This is perfect. I can’t wait to see Izzy dance. She’ll have so many people cheering for her.”
He wrapped his arm around Hayley’s shoulder. “Remember, honey, you don’t cheer at the ballet until the end.”
“That’s right,” Serena said. “But Izzy always knows where we sit and she smiles in my direction, even though she can’t see us. So keep your eyes on her and maybe she’ll wave.”
“I hope so.”
“Shh.” The couple in front of them turned around, their fingers across their lips. Tanner chuckled. They were kinda making a scene.
They retook their seats just as the overture ended. He took that moment to study the playbill that had been hastily shoved in his hand when they’d entered. There was Izzy, one hand high and the other by her side as she stood on pointe with her leg extended beyond her. A ballet skirt flowed down from her waist, and he could practically see it sway. The caption read Isabella Harper returns as Swanhilda.
He ran his hand over the image and closed his eyes. If only she could feel his presence, to know that he was watching… and that he loved her.
The curtain rose, and a minute later, she danced onto the stage. Emotion poured out of her, shone through her, as she performed the intricate moves that told a beautiful story of love and loss and finding that love again. It was fitting that her ex-boyfriend held the role of the villain. And Tanner hated to admit that Erik and Izzy made a striking dance pair.
But that was it. She didn’t look at him the way she looked at Tanner. Her gaze was professional with her partner; it held none of the heat that permeated every glance, every look, when he and Izzy were together. Why he’d thought this man was a threat was beyond him. All of his fears that Izzy would go back to Erik were unfounded. She’d tried to assure him of that, and he should have believed her.
Izzy had to take this opportunity—she was made to be on the stage. Just like this. And he was so glad that he’d gotten his head out of his ass and come to see her. He’d let his pride, and his fear, get in the way of what he wanted for too long. But not anymore.
When the music reached the final crescendo and the curtain dropped, he leapt to his feet. His cheeks ached from smiling, and he smacked his hands together so hard that they hurt. After several bows, the curtain finally dropped for the last time. A minute later, Izzy stepped in front of the curtain with a man. Her face was flushed, the color giving life to her cheeks. She heaved a couple of breaths but didn’t look like she’d been working for the past two hours. Damn, he’d missed seeing her smiling face.
The house lights came up and the audience retook their seats.
The man beside Izzy handed her a microphone. “Thank you all so much for coming today.”
A few whistles and cat calls rang out from the crowd. Izzy handled them like a pro—smiling and waving at the crowd. “Thank you.”
She looked down to where they were sitting and smiled and waved at her family. Then her gaze landed on him. She raised her eyebrows, only slightly, but enough that he could see, and her smile grew bigger. She finger waved at Hayley but her gaze lingered on him before she turned her attention back to the crowd.
“Thank you so much for coming to our special benefit performance tonight. I’m so thrilled to see so many boys and girls with us today. Coppelia was the first ballet that my father took me to as a young child, and I was hooked. I am so pleased that we were able to perform this wonderful story as a benefit to the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem.”
The applause swelled, and Izzy thanked the crowd. It took a few minutes before they quieted down again.
“Thanks to the generous contribution of our patrons and the proceeds from the tickets you purchased tonight, we will be donating more than one hundred thousand dollars to this wonderful and worthy cause.”
The crowd exploded in applause again. Izzy laughed and raised her hands to quiet them. “As many of you know, I recently returned to New York after recuperating from an injury in my hometown of Cedar Hill, Pennsylvania. There is a wonderful center there, Jason’s House, that provides a safe place for teens, away from the gangs and the drugs of the city. I was inspired by the work being done at Jason’s House and felt strongly that my return performance should benefit teens as much as that wonderful center does. Thank you so much for your support.”
The crowd rose to their feet again, but Tanner was stuck to his chair. He’d figured that Jason’s House had inspired the charity aspect of the show… but he had no idea. His heart ached with his love for this wonderful woman. She could have just performed and left things as they were, but she had spearheaded the effort to make a substantial donation to help the kids who needed it most.
Now he hoped that she would forgive him for not having enough faith in their love to realize it could survive the separation. And for ignoring her because he was hurt that she chose New York over him. Now he understood that it was never a choice for her—ballet was as much a part of her as anything else. He hadn’t believed that they could find a way to have both. Until now. They had to find a way to make it work.
“Come on, Daddy. Serena said we could go backstage with them. I want to give Izzy her flowers.” Hayley grabbed his hand and dragged him down the row of seats. They crept to the side of the theater and through a door.
Backstage was a chaos of dancers in costumes, family members and friends sharing hugs and congratulations. Loud voices were raised in celebration. They edged slowly down the hall. He kept his hand tightly around Hayley’s. Was he trying to reassure himself or Hayley that everything was going to be all right?
But he hadn’t needed to worry. Where he’d expected her to shy away from the strange people and unfamiliar setting, she smiled and laughed as they made their way toward Izzy’s dressing room. Hayley had come so far in the past few months, and he had Izzy to thank for that. She’d brought his daughter out of her shell and helped her to trust in people again.
“Izzy!” Serena yelled her sister’s name and then she and Alexis rushed forward to wrap Izzy in a hug. Justin followed his sisters.
Tanner rested his hand on Hayley’s shoulder when she started to follow. “Wait a sec. Let her visit with her family first.”
“But she’ll want to see us?” A bit of Hayley’s fears broke through.
“Of course she will, honey.”
As he said those words, Izzy’s gaze landed on his. A sparkle lit her eyes. Her smile was like a shot straight to his heart, and all of the frustration of the past month melted away, leaving him with just the love between them. Even while her siblings were chattering around her, she didn’t look away.
He leaned down and spoke to Hayley, his gaze never breaking from Izzy’s. “Go ahead, honey.”
Hayley rushed forward and Izzy’s siblings stepped back. “Izzy! You did great. We got you these flowers.”
Izzy crouched down and wrapped her arms around his daughter. He stood back as the two most important people in his life shared a private conversation. Hayley chattered on and on, but Izzy didn’t once look away or act as though she wasn’t interested in what Hayley was saying. This was exactly the kind of woman Hayley needed, and if he had his way, Izzy would be a part of their lives. For a very long time.
Finally Izzy stood and she searched until she found him again. He smiled as he took her in, her beautiful, sparkling eyes, her lithe body in a long, flowing emerald-colored gown. You’d never know she just performed for two hours on the stage under the hot lights.
He stepped toward her, and the sounds around them faded away. One of Izzy’s sisters, he wasn’t sure which one, shuffled Hayley off to the side.
It was just the two of them.
He rested his hands lightly on her arms. He didn’t want to presume that he could pick up where they left off. If that was what she wanted at all. But he couldn’t stop touching her, feeling her skin on his. “You were wonderful.”
“I can’t believe you’re here. I didn’t think you were coming.” Her voice was low and husky, and the sound washed over him, spurring a twinge in his gut.
“I wasn’t. For a long time, I told myself it was better if we had a clean break. Better for me and better for Hayley.”
The smile fell from her face, and she looked away.
“But I was wrong.”
Her mouth formed an O and then the sparkle returned to her eyes.
“I missed you more than I thought possible for this past month. I know I said that we could never make it work long distance, but being without you showed me that you are worth fighting for.”
“Tanner, take a breath.”
“I will. Just let me finish this.” He took her hands. The words came fast, as though he was about to explode from the anticipation. Whatever it took, he would convince her to take one more chance on him. “Whatever it takes for us to be together, I’ll do it. If I have to come to New York every weekend to spend a few hours with you, I’ll do it. If I have to travel around the world as you tour, I’ll do it. Just as long as we’ll be together.”
She bit her lip. It was all he could do to keep from leaning in and nibbling that spot until she opened for him. But he waited until she was ready to respond. “Well, what about if you have to drive about a mile and a half?”
He startled. He couldn’t have heard her right. “What are you saying?”
“I’ve retired permanently from the company. This show was my only performance. I’ve proven to the world, and more importantly, to myself, that I could come back. A few days of grueling rehearsals and aching muscles and painful feet reminded me that it wasn’t the glamorous life that I remembered. And I missed my students.”
He held his breath while she spoke, afraid to let it out for fear that this was all a dream. “You’re coming home?”
She smiled and nodded. “As soon as I can collect my things. I loved performing tonight, but I’ve done what I needed to do. The way things ended before just left so many questions unanswered.”
His heart kicked up a beat. It was almost too good to hope for. “But you have the answers now?”
“I do. And I’m ready to start the rest of my life.”
He couldn’t wait another moment to have her in his arms. She melted into him and looked up into his eyes with such love. He lowered his head until their lips were just a breath away. “I love you, Isabella Harper.”
“I love you, too, Tanner Ross.”
With a press of his lips to hers, everything that had been turned upside down the day she left for New York was put right again.