Jonas hadn’t said much since Elle had clocked out and left the diner.  He’d wanted to run after her, but his pride had kept him from doing so.  But what good was pride, when his heart was aching for Elle? 

Zeb banged a plate down on the table.  “Seriously, Jonas? Are you going to mess things up with the woman you love and not even try to fix it?”

Jonas shook his head.  He held up a hand to silence Zeb.  “Zeb, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Zeb let out a snort.  “Why? Because I’m only twenty?”

“That’s one of the reasons.  But you don’t know what I’m feeling.”

“I can see it all over your face.  You blew it, Jonas.  Elle’s a good person and you let jealousy over her ex ruin everything!  Not to mention the fact that you’re afraid of something actually working out so you trashed it.  It’s so classic, it’s pathetic.”  Zeb made a frustrated sound then stormed toward the kitchen.

“He’s right.” 
Jonas swung his gaze up.  Trina was standing there looking wrecked. 

“Not you too?” he asked with a groan.

“I blew up at Elle.  I wasn’t being fair to her.”  She shrugged.  “You know how I am, Jonas.  It’s hard for me to trust people.”

He locked gazes with a contrite-looking Trina.  “But you said she was badmouthing the diner.”

Trina was wringing her hands.  “I was upset.  It was her ex who made the comments, not Elle.  I was mad because she didn’t stand up to him, but it wasn’t my place to judge her without knowing the whole story.  Elle is a good person.  Please make things right with her.”

Elle’s face flashed before his eyes.  Was Zeb right?  Had he been trying to sabotage things with Elle by putting obstacles in their path?  His heart began to pound and his palms moistened.  He didn’t want to lose Elle.  He loved her.

Whoa! Wait a minute.  He loved her.  He was in love with the most wonderful woman in the world.  And he’d hurt her earlier.  He’d been jealous and stupid and mistrustful.  He needed to get out of here.  Jonas needed to find Elle and beg her forgiveness. 

Maybe, just maybe, he could make things right and turn everything around.

***

When the doorbell rang, Elle and her family were sitting in the living room watching the latest singing competition-talent show.  Her father stood up to answer it, muttering loudly about people who came over without calling first.

Elle could hear her father talking with the visitor.  Suddenly, her father was standing in the entryway with Jonas by his side.  She jumped to her feet.  Jonas had been the last person she’d expected to see tonight.

“Elle.  He wouldn’t take no for an answer.  He’d like to talk to you,” her father said, glowering at Jonas.

Adrenaline raced through Elle’s veins.  What was Jonas doing at her house? 

“Do you want him here, Elle?  Or should I toss him out?” her father barked.

“Dennis!” her mother cried out.  “Don’t be rude!”

“Elle, I just need a few minutes,” Jonas said.  His eyes implored her to say yes. 

“Mom.  Dad.  Could you give us a few minutes?” Elle asked, nodding at her parents.

“Of course,” Bunny said, looping her arm through her husband’s and practically dragging him from the room. 

Elle folded her arms across her chest.  “What is it?”

Jonas stepped toward her, closing the gap between them in a few easy strides.

“I’ve been a fool,” he said, his voice laced with contrition.

Elle let out the breath she’d been holding. 

“I was jealous earlier when your ex came to the diner.”  He let out a harsh laugh.  “I couldn’t even see straight I was so jealous.  But I was also afraid.”

“Afraid of what?” she asked.  She didn’t have a clue what Jonas was talking about.

“Of losing you.  Of hoping for something that might evaporate right before my eyes.  Of investing in something that might hurt me.  These past weeks with you have been amazing.  I’ve never felt like this, Elle.  It’s all new to me.  So I made a huge mess of everything earlier.  Please forgive me.”

Elle brushed away tears.  Jonas was showing her a humility no man had ever displayed to her.  He was admitting his faults and his fears.  He was humbling himself before her.  In this moment he was demonstrating that he was the man she’d believed him to be.

“But I want you to know I value you.  I know you lost a lot of the things you grew up dreaming about, but I want to help you work toward a new dream, Elle.”

“That would be amazing.”

“I mean it.  I want you to be happy and fulfilled.”

She grinned at Jonas.  “I’ve been tossing some ideas around about my future.  I could open my own place.  A ballet studio.  Not right away of course.  Somewhere down the road.  I could take out a few loans or explore some other avenues to make it happen.  The studio would be for kids, starting with the really little ones.  I started ballet and tap when I was four years old.  I could do all the various age groups and even branch out to adults.  And it wouldn’t just have to be ballet.  I could hire other teachers and we could teach tap, jazz, hip-hop.”  All of a sudden she felt sheepish.  Perhaps this was the world’s worst idea.  Self-doubt crept in.  Jonas was gazing at her without saying a single word. 

“What do you think?  Say something!  I’m on pins and needles.”

His grin was so large it almost spread across his entire face.  “I think you’re wonderful, Elle Harrington.  I think you could do anything.  Be anything!”

She grinned at him.  “I think you’re a little biased, Jonas.”

He leaned across and placed a tender kiss on her lips.  “I believe in you.  Don’t ever forget that.”

“Thank you.  That’s a huge gift.  After what happened in New York it’s been difficult to believe in myself.  It took some time, but coming back home gave me my bearings.  And you’ve been a huge part of that.  I wouldn’t be in this wonderful place without you.”

He reached out and caressed her cheek with his hand.  “It was easy.  I love you, Elle.  I’ve fallen madly in love with you.”

“Jonas, I feel the same way.  I love you too.  These feelings have been growing with each and every day.  And I know they’re just going to keep getting stronger and stronger.”

“You’ve changed my life, Elle.  I’m looking forward to growing with you and being better together than we could ever be apart.”

“I want you to know that seeing my ballet friends today made me realize once and for all that I’ve moved past my former life.  I don’t need to be a ballerina to feel whole.  It will always be a part of me, but I’m not pining away for my old life.”  She smirked at him.  “And I’m definitely not interested in Sergei.  He showed his true colors a long time ago.”

“I was jealous, Elle.  When I saw him mooning over you it made me think maybe you still loved him.  It was killing me to imagine it, but I thought I was doing the right thing by removing myself from the equation.”

“It’s okay.  I know what it feels like to have moments of self-doubt.  You’re human,” Elle said, running her fingers alongside his face. 

“Thank you for being so forgiving.”

She grinned up at him.  “We’re blessed.  God uses us as His instruments all the time.  For so long I thought my destiny was to be a principal dancer in the ballet.  But what if that was never meant to be my path?  What if I was always meant to come back here, to connect with you, to teach children how to dance?  To show them how they can make beauty from using their bodies and their strength.”

“That’s a wonderful dream, my love.  One I just know you’re going to make come true.  And I can’t help but think God put you right back here in Sugar Hollow so we could fall in love.”

“He does work in mysterious ways,” Elle said in a light voice. 

Jonas tugged at her hand.  “Let’s go outside.”

“Why?” Elle asked.  “Are you trying to get me outside so you can kiss me in the moonlight?”

“Something like that,” Jonas said in a teasing voice as he led her outside.  He pointed his finger up to the heavens and the twinkling stars set against a velvety summer sky.  “Make a wish.”

She shook her head.  “I don’t need to.  Mine already came true the minute you walked into the house.”

Jonas leaned down and placed a celebratory kiss on her lips.  Joy hung in the air.  Their future stretched out before them, as unlimited as their dreams.