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“Me too. It was after we went to Ransom Canyon. You wanted me to keep it in my locker. It was a promise.”
She turned the picture over. “Nothing can come between us,” she whispered.
“I still believe that, Peyton. It might be difficult. It might not be what we always envisioned. But for us, for you and I to finally be together, I think it’s worth it. I think it’s all worth it.”
She clutched the picture to her chest with her eyes closed and shook her head slightly. She was going to say no. I could see that on her. All of this was for nothing. It just couldn’t end like this.
“Peyton, look at me.” She shook her head again. “Come on. Look at me.”
She finally opened her eyes, and they met mine with pain in her irises.
“I love you. You’ve always had a piece of my heart, but the last month, when I was with you, was the best of my adult life. It made me realize everything that I had been missing. And that is you. If you feel the same, then please just let us try. Just try with me, love.”
She bit her lip and then sighed. I saw indecision war on her face. But I gave her the space to think about it. It was a lot. We’d said we’d think this through, but she must have thought it wasn’t possible since she’d run.
“Okay,” she finally said.
“Okay?”
“I want to try.”
“You do?” I asked, slightly shocked. I’d been preparing myself so much for her to say no.
“And not just that, Isaac,” she said, taking my hand. “I want to come home.”
“What?” I gasped.
“I’ve been thinking about it nonstop since I got back here. It felt right to be back in Lubbock. I loved being back at LBC. I loved being close to my family. And I loved being with you. When I came back here, everything felt…wrong.” She brushed a wisp of hair off of her forehead. “The dancing is still incredible, but I’d be lying if I said that my knee wasn’t getting worse every time I danced. I don’t know how much longer I have, working on it full-time, even with more PT and my trainer. I don’t want to go out because of a second blown knee. I want to go out on my terms.”
“That makes sense,” I told her. “Your knee is definitely a factor, but, Peyton, you could still be dancing professionally for another five years. I could never ask you to give that up.”
“You’re not asking. I’m telling you that I think if I want to walk when I get older, I can’t continue the way that I am.”
“Okay. Right. Injuries are no joke.”
“And a small fall after tripping shouldn’t cause me two days of pain.”
“Fair,” I admitted.
I couldn’t deny that I was worried about her knee. But I couldn’t see Peyton doing anything that didn’t involve dance. She was happiest when she was onstage or in the studio. She was happiest in tights and leotards with her hair in a bun. That was who she was.
“But what will you do if you come back?”
“I don’t know really,” she admitted. “But I’m sure Kathy would hire me to teach at the very least. She could probably bring me in for the professional company on a part-time basis.” She shrugged with her hands up. “I really haven’t gotten that far. I’d have to talk to her, but I think there are options that don’t involve me destroying my knee.”
“Peyton, I’m really prepared to move here if I have to.”
She brought her hand to my cheek. “Just the fact that you would makes me see that this is the right decision. I want to finish out the season with New York City Ballet. I’m supposed to be in a spring production and original choreography series right before summer. So, it would be six months like this, and then…then I’d retire.”
I shook my head in disbelief. Even hearing those words out of her mouth was mind-boggling.
“It wouldn’t be over though,” she assured me. “I’d still do choreography and workshops across the country. I’d be busy. I’d have a job. It would just be a little less performing and more instructing, I think.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I want you in Lubbock. There’s no doubt about that. Aly and I want you in our lives. But I don’t want to sway you.”
“You did but in the best way,” she said and then kissed me.
I drew her into my arms. She tasted like a hint of red wine, and I could just dive into a vat and get drunk off of her.
This was far from what I’d ever imagined her saying. I’d been prepared to plead my case, to show her how much I wanted us to work. But then she’d surprised me by wanting to move back. Even in my wildest dreams, I hadn’t thought she would do that…or ever want that.
