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“You were amazing!” I said. “I am so, so proud of you.” They jumped up and down in excitement. “But most importantly, you had fun and did your best.” My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. These little girls had taught me so many lessons these past few months, and I was eternally grateful for them.
They ran backstage to change into their studio track suits, and I wandered back to the audience where my parents and Scott were waiting. My dad and Scott were discreetly watching Star Trek on my dad’s phone and sharing a pair of AirPods. I didn’t blame them; my dad had been to his fair share of dance recitals and competitions over the years.
Katy’s team came soon after, and their adorable Little Mermaid costumes and routine stole the show. I was so proud of her and the team, but Thea’s coaching took it to another level. They’d win first place for sure.
I knew my dad would at least watch Katy’s dance, so I looked over at his wheelchair to catch his reaction. He had a big smile on his face, watching his little girl hamming it up on stage. She was incredible, that’s for sure. I grinned, and then a movement near the floor caught my eye.
“Dad!” I hissed. “Oh, my goodness, Dad! Your foot!”
He furrowed his brow and looked down at his foot, which was tapping along to the beat. “Well. Would you look at that?” he said.
My mom squealed and squeezed him tight. Scott reached for my hand, and my eyes filled with tears. “You just needed the power of dance,” I said. My dad chuckled, his eyes wide with wonder.
My heart filled with joy and peace. I didn’t know what the future would hold exactly, but I had the people I loved most by my side.
When it was finally time for awards, Lisa and Thea joined our little group in the audience. I didn’t expect any of my novice teams to place in the top three, which was all they were announcing at this competition, so I settled in to cheer Thea on. All of her teams placed in the top of their age divisions. Lisa was thrilled, and Thea beamed with delight.
Then it was time for the special awards. Sometimes I won a costume award for one of my teams, but this year the circus team won that award, which was technically under Thea’s name. I wasn’t even jealous. She deserved it, since she was the one who had actually made those costumes in the first place.
“Our final award for the night is the entertainment award. We couldn’t keep our eyes off of these little superheroes and wanted to give them a shout-out. Please come to the stage, ‘Saving the Day’!”
I stood up and screamed for my team. My superheroes were getting the recognition they deserved, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. They looked at each other in shock, then stood up and claimed their award.
“Who is your coach, and what’s your studio?”
The girls found me in the audience and yelled into the mic, “Ms. Ivy at The OC Dance Project!”
The crowd erupted in cheers. Lisa and Thea hooted behind me and squeezed my shoulders. I was so thrilled and so proud of my girls.
Raelynn grabbed the microphone from the announcer. “Ms. Ivy, Scott wants to know if you’ll marry him!”
My mouth dropped open, and the whole audience went silent. I looked to my side and saw Scott down on one knee, holding a gorgeous, cushion cut diamond with tiny stones all around. I gasped.
“Yes!” I squealed. “Oh my goodness, yes!”
He slipped the ring on my finger to the cheers of the entire auditorium. He stood up, wrapping both arms around my waist, and kissed me like no one was watching.
But they were.
“Hey, tone it down. This is a family event,” my dad called at us.
Laughing, we broke apart and waved at everyone in the audience. I leaned into Scott, and he wrapped one arm around my waist. I watched my girls jump and hug each other on stage. These little girls who taught me so much about life, balance, and feeling the rhythm were finally getting the praise they deserved.
Scott leaned his head on mine. “You’re my favorite person, Ivy Jones.”
I smiled so wide, my heart was so full, I thought I would burst. I looked up at him. “You’re my favorite person, Scott King. And I love you.”
His lips met mine, and I knew that together, we could accomplish anything.
THE END
