Page 74 of Until We Come Home

“Here’s hoping,” I say.

It’s endearing watching them stumble through it, even as my own chest tightens with thoughts of Mia. The hall lights dim and an announcement rings over the speakers, calling everyone to take their seats as the program begins. I head toward the tables reserved for the fire department, giving Calvin and the rest of the family a quick nod as I pass, and sink into a chair beside James.

Claudia, the woman with silver hair Mia’s mentioned a dozen times, steps up to the microphone. She thanks the donors, running through the impressive total raised so far for the wildland relief funds, and reminds everyone about the auction after the performances. Then she steps aside, and the stage lights drop.

The music starts up, soft and warm, and a group of young dancers spills out onto the stage—maybe twenty kids in matching sea-blue costumes, their faces bright under the lights.

I smile, watching them move. The track is upbeat, the choreography clearly rooted in ballet, but with that loose, fluid contemporary style Mia loves so much. I recognize a few of the sequences right away—moves she acted out in her kitchen over coffee weeks ago, laughing as she explained how she was shaping the piece for these kids.

Watching them bring her vision to life up on that stage, pride hits me so hard it takes my breath away.

A hand lands on my shoulder, and I turn to see one of the event organizers crouched beside my chair, giving me a polite, apologetic smile.

“I’m so sorry to bother you, but can we grab a quick photo of you by the station display?” she whispers, tipping her head toward the lobby. “We’ve caught everyone else on the crew, but we still need yours for the press release.”

I glance back at the stage, where the kids are still mid-routine, and nod, slipping out of my chair and toward the lobby as quietly as I can to get the picture over with. Posing for photos makes me wildly uncomfortable, but I stand by the display, take the shot, and head straight back into the main hall.

Rather than disturb the crowd by squeezing back to my table, I lean against the back wall, crossing my arms while the kids move into the next section of the piece.

“Mateo,” a voice calls out quietly beside me, and I look over to find Derek heading my way.

Just what I needed tonight—a surprise visit from my absolute favorite person.

I force down my rising irritation as he steps up next to me, sliding his hands into his pockets.

“Hey, man,” he says, keeping his voice down. “Good to see you. I didn’t think you’d make it tonight.”

I’m actually here to steal his girlfriend, but it doesn’t feel like the time to mention that during the children’s portion of a charity production, so I dig up some semblance of self-control and produce a smile that I’m pretty sure comes out as a grimace.

“Yep, I’m in town, and it’s for fire relief, so...” I lift a shoulder.

“Right, right,” he says. “Makes sense. Well, I’m sure Mia mentioned that she and I are back together.”

Not for long.

“She mentioned it,” I say.

“Okay. Good.” He straightens his cuff, not quite looking at me. “I hope this isn’t out of line, me bringing it up. But I know something was kind of going on with you two this summer.”

I keep my face exactly where it is. I have no idea what Mia told him, whether she said anything at all or whether he’s fishing for dirt by pretending he already knows, but if he thinks I’m going to stand here and discuss Mia with him at a crowded show, he’s out of his goddamn mind.

“Derek,” I say. “I’m not doing this with you here. Enjoy the show.”

I make a move to step away, but he reaches out and places a hand on my shoulder.

“Mateo, wait,” he says. “I didn’t mean to make things weird. I’m trying to thank you. Being apart from Mia this summer—and seeing her spend so much time with you—it made me realize just how important she is to me. How special she really is.”

“You needed me around to realize that?” I ask, irritation sharpening my tone.

“That’s not what I meant,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m trying to say that I don’t want casual anymore. I want a real future with her. In fact, I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

Shock slams into me, and for a second I can’t speak.

“I never thought I’d be the type to settle down,” he continues. “But as I get older, I look at what we’ve built over four years. Sure, we’ve had our off-again stints, but we always drift back together. It just makes sense.”

It takes every ounce of restraint I have not to plant my fist in his mouth, and my hands curl tight at my sides.

“Right. Great catch-up, Derek,” I say through gritted teeth, stepping back from his reach.