AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Anyway, Nat’s inside. She only has ten more minutes of this class, and then she’s done. Thanks again for taking Tommy to the Kings game with you guys last weekend. You guys are the greatest, and it meant so much to him. He hasn’t stopped talking about it. I can’t believe that Nat’s dad showed him the locker room. I’m pretty sure his mind exploded.”
“That’s awesome, Annabelle. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
She nods and gets into her car. Annabelle’s little brother is awesome, and the two feel like part of our ragtag family. Tommy has become a little brother to all of us and has a way of getting exactly what he wants from us, too.
Smiling, I walk around the corner to the front door and hear the chimes as I enter. Tonight, the waiting area is packed with moms and a few dads, watching their little dancers through the glass.
And there’s my girl.
Her beautiful blonde hair is piled high in a tight bun, she has on pale pink tights, and that pink sheer wrap skirt around her waist over her pink leotard. This time she has a white fuzzy sweater covering her arms, that ties underneath her chest. She is showing the little girls what they are supposed to be doing and has the most contagious smile on her face.
Leaning against the wall, I only have eyes for my girl when an older guy stands next to me.
“One of them yours?” he asks.
A slow smile spreads across my face. “Yeah. The teacher. She’s mine.” And God damn, I like the sound of that.
The dad chuckles. “Oh. My daughter loves her.”
“Yeah, she’s kinda hard not to love.”
A few minutes later, the door opens, and twelve little dancers all make their way out at once. Excited voices greet their parents and small hands grab their parents’ hands.
Natalie is standing at the door, thanking everyone for coming and reminding the little girls to practice over the weekend. When the last parent walks out of the door, Nat turns the lock, flips the open sign to closed, and then leans her back against the door.
“Hi, QB. How was practice?”
“Fucking awful. How were the minis?”
“Minis?”
“Yeah, minis. They all look like little mini versions of you and Annabelle. It’s cute.”
“Huh. I like that. The Minis were sweet but hyperactive. I had no idea how hard teaching them would be. Trying to get them to pay attention is impossible. I may not know what I want to study in college, but I can cross teaching off my list.” She smiles, and every last ounce of stress from the day melts away.
All of a sudden, an image pops into my mind. I can see it clear as day. It’s Natalie, a little older, dressed exactly like she is now. She’s holding the hand of an actual mini version of herself. A tiny little ballerina, with blonde hair and baby blue eyes that own my heart, and they are both smiling at me.
Shaking the image out of my head, I wonder what the fuck is wrong with me.
I’m supposed to be thinking about next weekend, not ten years from now. But damn, that pretty picture made my heart speed up and grab on.
Natalie starts moving around the studio, shutting down the music and shutting off the lights, with me following her like a lost puppy.
When she makes it back to the front desk, she hops up to sit on top of it. Then grabs my hands and pulls until I’m standing between her legs. “So, QB. Did anything interesting happen in the locker room today?” If Nat is trying to be sly, she is doing a terrible job of it.
My hands move to rest on her hips. “You can cross the CIA and FBI off your list, too. Are you trying to be sneaky, Natalie? Let me think. What on Earth could have happened in the locker room today?”
She moves her hands to my shoulders then lets out a huff. “Oh, come on. Just tell me. Was it funny? Did it work?”
“It was fucking hilarious. Murph’s going to be scrubbing away green glitter for weeks. It went everywhere. Guarantee he’s going to still have green glitter on him for the game Saturday.”
“Crap. I didn’t think about that.”
“Oh, you better be prepared for the blowback, Sweetheart. Murphy likes to win, and you just scored the first point.” She blows her hair out of her face and crosses her arms. “Swear to God, Nat, you make it so easy to compare you to a pixie.”
Stepping in closer, I grab her face with both hands and claim her mouth. My tongue explores before I nip my way down her neck.
Laughing at me, Nat bats my hands away. “Brady,” she murmurs, “it may not seem like it, but I have on three layers of clothing, and I am so not getting out of them in here. Let me set the alarm, and we can go home.”
