Chapter 221
TESSA
The recital starts with a long–winded welcome speech from a woman in a sparkly shawl who takes her volunteer position very, very seriously. The parents clap like they’ve just been handed an Oscar, and then the lights dim until the stage glows.
Tiny ballerinas file out in matching pink tutus, arms bent like crooked teapots. I spot Kenzie immediately because she’s the only one beaming like she owns the stage. Her bun is slightly off–center, and her tights have a smudge at the knee, but she does a perfect curtsy before the music even begins. My heart just about combusts.
Beside me, Aaron leans forward a little, elbows on his knees, watching like nothing else in the world exists. The tough hockey player melts into a soft pile of uncle mush, and it’s devastatingly attractive.
“She’s so good,” I whisper, my hand clutching the edge of my program like it’s my ticket to heaven.
He turns his head, slow, just enough for his profile to catch the faint light from the stage. “She’s the star,” he says simply.
I grin like an idiot because that’s all he needs to say–somehow his quiet conviction makes me believe it too.
The girls start twirling in little circles, a few veering off course. Kenzie nails her spin, and I gasp like I’ve just seen Simone Biles stick a landing. Aaron smirks at my overreaction but doesn’t look away from the stage.
In the hush of the dark auditorium, my shoulder barely brushes his. The faintest point of contact, but it might as well be electricity. He doesn’t move away. If anything, I swear he tilts the tiniest bit closer.
I force myself to breathe normally, though my pulse is doing its best drum solo.
Claire leans over from Aaron’s other side and whispers, “She practiced that twirl for weeks. Drove us insane at home.”
“She nailed it,” I whisper back. “Like, nailed it nailed it. I’d give her a standing ovation right now if it wouldn’t get us kicked out.”
Claire chuckles softly. “Careful, she’ll hear you. That child feeds on applause like oxygen.”
Onstage, Kenzie and her group line up for their bow. She spots Aaron in the crowd and waves so hard her little crown almost falls off. The entire row behind us laughs, but Aaron just lifts a hand in return, his lips twitching at the corners.
I glance at him again, my chest aching at how full–circle this moment feels. For once, I’m not drowning in shadows or bitterness. I’m watching a five–year–old in sparkly shoes light up her uncle’s entire world–and I get to sit right next to him for it.
And God, I don’t think I’ve ever wanted something to last longer than this little pocket of dark and light.
Kenzie spots us the second she tumbles out from backstage, still in her glittering tutu and a crown of plastic pearls. Her little legs carry her in a sprint, and she practically launches herself at Aaron’s knees
“Did you see me? Did you see me?!” she demands, eyes wide, cheeks pink from both the stage lights and sheer joy
Aaron crouches, scooping her into his arms like it’s second nature. “I saw.”
Her face beams, expectant. “And?”
He leans in close, conspiratorial. “Best one there.”
She squeals in delight, turning her bright gaze on me. “What about you? Did you see me?”
“Of course I did!” I gush, crouching so I’m level with her. “Kenzie, you were amazing. Your spins? Perfect. Your curtsy? Straight out of the royal palace. Honestly, I don’t even know how the stage didn’t explode with all your sparkle.”
She grins like I’ve just handed her the crown jewels. Then she claps her hands together. “We should get ice cream. All of us. Right now
Aaron stands, looking toward Claire. “Kenzie-”
“Yes,” Kenzie interrupts firmly. “Yes, ice cream.”
Aaron sighs softly, tugging at his collar, and then glances at me like he’s about to cancel. I know the look. He’s thinking of bailing on his own niece just to keep our plans.
“Oh, don’t you dare,” I say quickly, pointing at him. “We are absolutely getting ice cream with your family. Dinner can wait.”
He tilts his head at me, unreadable, before his mouth curves in the faintest smirk. “Bossy.”
“Efficient,” I correct, grabbing my bag. “Let’s go before she drags us there by force.”
We end up at a little neon–lit shop on the corner, sticky floors and rainbow sprinkles everywhere. Kenzie orders something violently pink with gummy worms sticking out. Claire gets mint chocolate chip, Aaron orders plain vanilla–of course he does–and I go for cookies and cream, which immediately wins me “coolest grown–up” status with Kenzie.
It’s chaos and laughter–Kenzie making us all taste hers, Claire teasing Aaron for being predictable, me insisting vanilla is not a personality but an absence of one. Aaron doesn’t argue, just leans back in the booth with that quiet, steady gaze of his, watching me talk, watching me laugh with his sister and niece like I’ve been doing it for years.
When it’s time to leave, Aaron drives us all back,,Claire and Kenzie chattering in the backseat. He drops them off first, and I watch Kenzie wave through the rear window like she’s starring in her own movie.
Then it’s just the two of us. Finally.
The car goes quiet, but it’s not uncomfortable. The kind of quiet that hums.
“That was fun,” I say, twisting in my seat toward him. “I like them. Claire’s sweet, Kenzie’s… well, a star. Clearly runs in the family.”
His hands stay steady on the wheel. “Glad you came.”
The weight in his tone makes my chest go warm.
We pull up outside my place, and I hesitate before unbuckling. “Well,” I draw out, fumbling with my keys, “thanks for tonight. You know, in another universe where you let yourself skip out on ice cream, we wouldn’t have had that glitter–stained bonding experience.”
He chuckles low, shaking his head
“And,” I add, so casually I almost convince myself I’m not doing it on purpose, “I should probably mention I’m home alone tonight. Just in case you were… wondering.”
That makes him glance at me. One slow, deliberate look that pins me against the seat harder than any seatbelt could.
“You’re dangerous,” he murmurs, and I swear I feel it all the way down to my toes.
“Only if you don’t come up,” I shoot back, pulse hammering in my ears.
He kills the engine.
